Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of ActivTrades vs Questrade, 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 ActivTrades vs Questrade for regulation and safety: ActivTrades began in 2001, while Questrade started in 2000. Neither company is publicly traded, and neither operates as a bank.
According to ForexBrokers.com, Trust Scores of 90–99 are highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and 59 or less not trusted. ActivTrades scores 81 (trusted) with two Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license; Questrade scores 86 (trusted) with two Tier-1 licenses and no Tier-2 license. In short, Questrade holds a slightly higher trust rating, while ActivTrades adds an extra mid-tier license.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2000 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
Comparing commissions and fees, ActivTrades is the more cost-friendly choice for forex traders. It earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #21 of 63 in ForexBrokers.com’s Commissions and Fees category, while Questrade holds 3 out of 5 stars and ranks #33 of 63. In short, ActivTrades’ pricing is closer to the industry average—or better—than Questrade’s in key areas.
At ActivTrades, spreads are slightly better than the industry average but not as low as the cheapest forex brokers. The average EUR/USD spread was 0.98 pips in May 2024. The broker lists target spreads by asset, but actual spreads can change during the trading session and often widen at rollover. ActivTrades offers an Individual Account as its main option, plus Professional and Islamic accounts (with Sharia-compliant terms). Spreads stay the same across account types, and there’s no high‑volume or active trader pricing. Asset availability can vary by platform.
Questrade’s pricing is less competitive for forex: its target spread on EUR/USD is 1.9 pips, which is steep compared to the industry average. That higher spread helps explain its lower 3/5 star rating and #33 ranking for commissions and fees.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $250 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.08 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.92 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Comparing ActivTrades and Questrade on range of investments, ActivTrades lists 1,267 tradeable symbols while Questrade offers 641. Both support forex trading as CFDs or spot, but Questrade carries a larger set of forex pairs (110 vs. 49). For exchange-traded securities, Questrade lets clients buy U.S. stocks like Apple on U.S. exchanges and also supports international markets, whereas ActivTrades offers exchange-traded securities on international exchanges but not on U.S. exchanges.
Both brokers allow trading cryptocurrency via CFDs, but neither provides direct, delivered crypto. ActivTrades supports copy trading, while Questrade does not. In third-party assessments of range of investments, ActivTrades earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks 25th out of 63 brokers, whereas Questrade scores 5 out of 5 stars and ranks 12th out of 63.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 641 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 110 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
Comparing trading platforms and tools, both ActivTrades and Questrade check key boxes: each offers a free demo (paper) account, a proprietary platform, a Windows desktop download, and a web-based platform. Both also let you place trades directly from charts. Where they differ is depth of choice: ActivTrades adds copy trading plus access to MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, options that Questrade does not provide.
On performance, each broker earns 4 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools. According to ForexBrokers.com, ActivTrades ranks #26 of 63 brokers in this category, while Questrade ranks #28. If you value MetaTrader and copy trading, ActivTrades has the edge; if you’re fine with a proprietary platform without those extras, Questrade is a close alternative.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 64 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both ActivTrades and Questrade offer full-featured mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each supports price alerts for stocks and forex, drawing tools like trendlines, and auto-saving of chart annotations. Ratings are even at 4 out of 5 stars for mobile trading apps, though ForexBrokers.com ranks ActivTrades higher at #21 versus Questrade at #28 out of 63 brokers.
The key differences show up in charting depth and watchlist convenience. Questrade provides 64 technical studies compared with 30 on ActivTrades, and it syncs watchlists between the mobile app and your online account, while ActivTrades does not. If you value a larger library of indicators and seamless watchlist syncing, Questrade stands out. If ranking matters more and you’re comfortable with 30 studies and managing watchlists separately, ActivTrades is a solid pick.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 64 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
For market research, ActivTrades delivers daily market commentary and forex news from top-tier sources, plus an economic calendar. It also offers a sentiment tool that shows the ratio of long and short positions across instruments. Questrade, by contrast, does not provide daily commentary or a sentiment tool, but it does include third-party research from Autochartist and Trading Central, as well as TipRanks, alongside an economic calendar. Questrade’s access to top-tier forex news wasn’t specified.
Ratings reflect these differences: ActivTrades earns 4 stars for Research and ranks #26 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Questrade scores 3.5 stars and ranks #34. Pick ActivTrades if you want built-in commentary, top-tier news, and sentiment insights; choose Questrade if you prefer research suites like Autochartist, Trading Central, and TipRanks to guide your trading ideas.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | No | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | Yes |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners comparing ActivTrades vs. Questrade on education, both brokers provide at least 10 beginner-friendly trading videos. ActivTrades adds monthly client webinars and offers 10+ advanced videos for traders who want to go deeper, while Questrade does not provide monthly webinars and does not meet the 10-video mark for advanced topics. The available data does not confirm whether either broker supplies a dedicated library of 10+ pieces focused specifically on forex or CFDs.
ActivTrades holds a 4-star Education rating, while Questrade is rated 3.5 stars. However, ForexBrokers.com ranks Questrade slightly higher for Education (#28 of 63) than ActivTrades (#30 of 63). If live learning and advanced video lessons matter to you, ActivTrades is the more complete choice; if you mainly want beginner videos and care about a marginally higher category rank, Questrade can fit the bill.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that ActivTrades is better than Questrade. ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #28, while Questrade finished with an overall rank of #29.
ActivTrades is a long-standing brand that offers a proprietary trading platform, ActivTrader, and support for the award-winning TradingView and MetaTrader (MT4 and MT5) platforms. ActivTrades also delivers a selection of custom add-ons, indicators, and trading tools for traders who prefer to use MetaTrader. Drawbacks for trading with ActivTrades include a smaller selection of tradeable symbols and fewer educational resources than what’s available from the best forex brokers.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 81 | 86 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Trading Fees |
|
|
| Trading Platforms |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
While neither ActivTrades nor Questrade lets you buy actual delivered cryptocurrencies, both provide access to cryptocurrency CFDs.
ActivTrades vs Questrade: for account funding and withdrawals, both brokers do not support ACH/SEPA or PayPal, both support bank wire transfers, only ActivTrades offers Skrill, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified.
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 | ActivTrades | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 81 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | Questrade Review |
| Broker Screenshots | ActivTrades | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Regulation | ActivTrades | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 81 | 86 | |
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2000 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | ActivTrades | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | ||
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | ActivTrades | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | ActivTrades | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 641 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 110 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | 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). |
| Cost | ActivTrades | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.08 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.92 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | No |
| Funding | ActivTrades | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $250 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | ActivTrades | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | ActivTrades | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 64 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | ActivTrades | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 64 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | ActivTrades | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | ||
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | Yes | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | ActivTrades | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | ActivTrades | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | Questrade Review |
| Overall | ActivTrades | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 81 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | Questrade Review |
IG
CMC Markets
FOREX.com
XTB
eToro
AvaTrade
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill