Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of OANDA vs ActivTrades, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Comparing OANDA and ActivTrades: OANDA launched in 1996, while ActivTrades started in 2001. Neither broker is publicly traded or a bank. On ForexBrokers.com’s 99-point Trust Score, OANDA earns 92 (highly trusted, 90–99), and ActivTrades scores 80 (trusted, 80–89).
Regulation helps explain the difference. OANDA holds seven Tier-1 licenses and no Tier-2 licenses. ActivTrades holds two Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license. Tier-1 regulators are considered highly trusted, and Tier-2 regulators are considered trusted by ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
When it comes to commissions and fees, ActivTrades comes out ahead of OANDA for most everyday forex traders. ActivTrades earned 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #23 out of 36 brokers for Commissions and Fees, while OANDA also earned 4 out of 5 stars but ranks lower at #32 out of 36. In simple terms, both brokers are solid choices, but ActivTrades tends to offer lower trading costs overall.
OANDA’s pricing is usually higher than the cheapest brokers, with an average EUR/USD spread of 1.61 pips on its standard pricing in July 2024. Its core pricing can lower spreads, but it adds a commission of $5 per $100,000 traded per side, and it requires a $10,000 minimum deposit. OANDA does offer very small trade sizes, plus rebates for active traders in some regions, but its fee structure is still not the most budget-friendly option.
ActivTrades has slightly better-than-average spreads and a more straightforward setup, with no special pricing tier for high-volume traders. It reported an average EUR/USD spread of 0.98 pips in May 2024, which is lower than OANDA’s typical standard pricing. For traders focused on keeping costs down, ActivTrades is usually the more affordable pick, while OANDA may appeal more to traders who value its execution model and flexible trade sizing.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.68 | 1.08 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | N/A | 0.92 |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
OANDA offers a wider range of investments than ActivTrades overall, with 4,172 tradeable symbols compared with 1,267 at ActivTrades. In forex, both brokers let you trade as CFDs or spot contracts, but OANDA gives access to more currency pairs, with 68 versus 49. OANDA also stands out for stock investing, as it offers exchange traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, while ActivTrades only offers exchange traded securities on international exchanges.
Both brokers support copy trading and cryptocurrency CFDs, but OANDA goes further by also letting clients buy actual cryptocurrency, not just a CFD. This broader selection helps explain OANDA’s stronger Range of Investments score of 4.5 out of 5 and its higher ranking of #20 out of 36 brokers, compared with ActivTrades’ 4 out of 5 and #26 ranking.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 4172 | 1267 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 68 | 49 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
OANDA and ActivTrades both give traders a solid mix of platform choices and tools. Each broker offers a free demo account, a proprietary platform, a Windows desktop app, and a web-based platform, along with copy trading, MetaTrader 4, and MetaTrader 5. Both also let you trade directly from charts, which can make order entry quicker and easier for active traders.
In ForexBrokers.com’s Trading Platforms and Tools category, both OANDA and ActivTrades are rated 4 out of 5 stars. However, OANDA places higher in the overall ranking, coming in at #16 out of 36 brokers, while ActivTrades ranks #28. That makes OANDA the stronger pick on this category overall, although both brokers cover the key platform features most traders look for.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 82 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
OANDA and ActivTrades both give mobile traders the core tools they need, with iPhone and Android apps available on each platform. Both brokers also support stock or forex price alerts, trendline drawing, and auto-saving chart drawings, which makes it easier to track ideas and come back to them later. One feature neither broker offers is watchlist symbol syncing between the mobile app and the online account, so watchlists do not update across devices automatically.
Where OANDA has an edge is in charting depth and overall mobile app quality. OANDA offers 33 technical studies in its mobile charts, compared with 30 for ActivTrades, and it carries a higher mobile trading app rating at 5 stars versus 4 stars for ActivTrades. That stronger showing is also reflected in ForexBrokers.com’s rankings, where OANDA places #7 out of 36 brokers for mobile trading apps, while ActivTrades ranks #21.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
OANDA and ActivTrades both give traders helpful market research tools, including daily market commentary, news from major sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, a sentiment tool that shows long and short positioning, and an economic calendar for tracking upcoming global events. Both brokers also cover the basics well for staying on top of the markets in a simple, easy-to-use way.
Where OANDA stands out is in the extra depth of its research offering. It includes Autochartist and Acuity Trading tools, which ActivTrades does not offer, and this helps give OANDA an edge for traders who want more chart-based ideas and trade signals. That difference is reflected in ratings too: OANDA earns 5 out of 5 stars for Research and ranks #4 out of 36 brokers, while ActivTrades scores 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #28.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners looking for learning materials, both OANDA and ActivTrades offer a solid range of forex and CFD education. Each broker provides at least 10 educational resources on trading topics, monthly online webinars, and at least 10 beginner videos, along with 10 or more advanced videos for more experienced traders. That means either platform can help new traders build basic skills and keep learning as they gain confidence.
That said, OANDA stands out more clearly in this area. It earns a 5-star Education rating and ranks #18 out of 36 brokers for Education at ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades receives 4 stars and ranks #32. In simple terms, both brokers support beginners well, but OANDA offers a stronger overall education experience.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that OANDA is better than ActivTrades. OANDA finished with an overall rank of #14, while ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #28.
A trusted global brand, OANDA stands out for its reputation and quality market research. Its regulatory track record is strong, and its support for third-party features bolsters its overall offering.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 92 | 80 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Trading Fees |
|
|
| Trading Platforms |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
OANDA vs ActivTrades: OANDA lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies and trade cryptocurrency CFDs, whereas ActivTrades offers only cryptocurrency CFDs and does not support delivered crypto purchases.
When comparing OANDA vs ActivTrades for deposit and withdrawal options, OANDA has an edge with ACH and SEPA transfers, while both brokers support Skrill and bank wire transfers, and neither offers PayPal as a funding method.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 92 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | OANDA Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Broker Screenshots | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Regulation | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 92 | 80 | |
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 4172 | 1267 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 68 | 49 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.68 | 1.08 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | N/A | 0.92 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 82 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | OANDA Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Overall | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 92 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | OANDA Review | ActivTrades Review |
IG
FOREX.com
CMC Markets
XTB
eToro
Capital.com
AvaTrade
XM
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill
HFM Markets