Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of OANDA vs Admirals, 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.
OANDA and Admirals, both prominent online brokers, have established themselves in the trading industry through strict regulatory adherence and trustworthiness. Founded in 1996, OANDA operates under seven Tier-1 licenses, reflecting a high level of trust and regulatory compliance. Admirals, launched in 2001, holds four Tier-1 and three Tier-2 licenses, demonstrating its commitment to operating under trusted regulations. Both companies are privately held and do not function as banks, focusing solely on providing financial services to their clients.
When comparing their trustworthiness, both OANDA and Admirals boast a Trust Score of 93 out of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com, indicating they are highly trusted brokers. Their similar ratings highlight their dedication to building strong regulatory frameworks and maintaining client trust, making them reliable choices for those seeking a secure trading environment.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
OANDA and Admirals are two prominent online brokers, but they differ significantly in terms of commissions and fees. OANDA, ranked 34th out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, earns a respectable 4-star rating for its commissions and fees. However, its forex trading costs tend to be on the higher side compared to leading brokers. OANDA offers both default and core pricing, with the latter offering lower spreads accompanied by a commission fee. For example, traders dealing with the EUR/USD pair under core pricing enjoy a combo of a 0.4 pip spread and a $10 commission per round turn standard lot, while default pricing results in a 1.6 pip spread. OANDA's main strength lies in its automated execution and micro lot trading option, although its transparency in publishing average spreads could be improved.
Admirals stands out with its competitive pricing, earning a 4.5-star rating and ranking 17th in the same ForexBrokers.com list. Admirals provides appealing trading conditions with typical spreads as low as 0.8 on its Trade account and similarly enticing conditions on the Zero account type. This makes Admirals a formidable choice for traders looking for a cost-effective option. The broker is favored for its straightforward fee structure, providing a clear edge over OANDA's more complex pricing model.
Ultimately, while OANDA offers features like micro lot trading and an Elite Trader program with rebates for active traders, Admirals edges out higher with its lower spreads and ranking for commissions and fees. This makes Admirals more appealing to those who prioritize competitive pricing in their trading endeavors.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.69 | 0.8 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.69 | 0.8 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
OANDA and Admirals both support forex trading via CFDs or spot and give access to exchange-traded securities (not CFDs) on U.S. and international exchanges, so you can buy shares like Apple and Vodafone directly. Admirals lists more to trade overall, with 8,702 tradeable symbols and 82 forex pairs, compared with OANDA’s 4,172 symbols and 69 forex pairs. Both brokers also offer copy trading.
When it comes to crypto, OANDA lets you buy actual cryptocurrencies as well as trade crypto derivatives, while Admirals offers crypto derivatives but not the actual coins. For range of investments, OANDA is rated 4 stars and ranked #27 out of 63 brokers, while Admirals earns 4.5 stars and ranks #19. Choose Admirals if you want the largest symbol and forex pair lineup, or OANDA if owning real crypto matters to you.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 4172 | 8702 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 69 | 82 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | 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.
When comparing the trading platforms and tools of OANDA and Admirals, both brokers offer a comprehensive suite for traders looking for reliability and flexibility. Each provides a proprietary platform developed in-house, alongside the popular MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 platforms. Whether you prefer a desktop download or a web-based browser experience, both brokers support your preferences. Additionally, they offer tools like copy trading and enable trading directly from the stock chart, with Admirals providing a slight edge in charting tools, boasting 106 drawing tools compared to OANDA's 74.
For those exploring trading and strategy testing without financial risk, both OANDA and Admirals offer free virtual demo accounts. Admirals leads in watch list customization with 7 columns compared to OANDA's 6. Despite these subtle differences, both brokers receive a four-star rating for their trading platforms and tools. According to ForexBrokers.com, OANDA ranks #15 and Admirals at #19 among 63 brokers in the Trading Platforms and Tools category, reflecting their strong yet varied offerings to fit different trader needs.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 89 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 74 | 106 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 6 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When choosing between the mobile trading apps offered by OANDA and Admirals, both cater to iPhone and Android users effectively. They provide essential features like stock or forex price alerts and the ability to create watchlists with real-time quotes. OANDA and Admirals apps support 30 technical studies for charting, while also letting users draw trendlines and view various time frames on charts, with auto-saving of drawings included. However, neither broker supports watchlist symbol syncing, which means updates made in the app won't reflect in the online account automatically.
Both brokers deliver impressive mobile trading experiences, but OANDA earns a slight edge with a 5-star rating for its app compared to Admirals' 4 stars. This is reflected in their rankings by ForexBrokers.com, where OANDA is placed 7th out of 63 brokers for mobile trading apps, while Admirals stands at 23rd. While both apps offer similar features, OANDA's higher user ratings suggest a more seamless or satisfactory user experience according to reviews.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Both OANDA and Admirals stand out in the realm of online brokerage for their comprehensive market research offerings. They each provide daily market commentary and access to forex news from top-tier outlets like Bloomberg and Reuters, ensuring traders stay informed about global financial events. Both platforms also offer sentiment-based trading tools, which show the ratio of long and short trading positions across various currencies or other instruments. Additionally, they both feature economic calendars that highlight upcoming global news events impacting different economies.
When it comes to specialized research tools, the two brokers show distinct strengths. OANDA incorporates technical analysis tools from Autochartist and excels in this area, achieving a five-star research rating and ranking fifth among 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com. In contrast, Admirals leverages technical analysis and research tools from Trading Central, TipRanks, and Acuity Trading, offering a broad range of resources. Despite this diversity, Admirals receives a four-star rating and ranks fifteenth for research. While both brokers provide valuable insights, OANDA appears to have a slight edge in research capabilities, as reflected by their higher rating and rank.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | Yes |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Both OANDA and Admirals give beginners plenty of ways to learn forex and CFDs. Each offers a wide selection of education with 10+ pieces of content, monthly live webinars, and a searchable archive of recorded sessions. You’ll also find 10+ beginner videos to get started, 10+ advanced videos for when you’re ready to level up, and an investor dictionary with 50+ terms to help you understand trading language.
Where they differ: OANDA earns a 5-star Education rating, while Admirals is rated 4 stars. However, in ForexBrokers.com’s Education rankings, Admirals sits higher at #12 out of 63 brokers, with OANDA at #19. In short, both are strong picks for new traders—choose OANDA if you want the higher star rating, or Admirals if a higher peer ranking matters more to you.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | 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 Admirals. OANDA finished with an overall rank of #12, while Admirals finished with an overall rank of #18.
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
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Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 93 |
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When comparing online brokers, OANDA allows investors to purchase actual delivered cryptocurrency as well as cryptocurrency derivatives, whereas Admirals provides only the option to invest in cryptocurrency derivatives and not the actual digital currency itself.
Both OANDA and Admirals provide a variety of flexible deposit and withdrawal options, including ACH or SEPA transfers, PayPal, Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires, catering to the diverse needs of their users.
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.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | OANDA | Admirals | |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | OANDA Review | Admirals Review |
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| Regulation | OANDA | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 93 | 93 | |
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | OANDA | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| 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 | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | OANDA | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | Yes |
| Investments | OANDA | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 4172 | 8702 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 69 | 82 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | 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 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.69 | 0.8 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.69 | 0.8 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | OANDA | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | OANDA | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | OANDA | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 6 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 89 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 74 | 106 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | OANDA | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | OANDA | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | Yes | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | OANDA | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | OANDA | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | OANDA Review | Admirals Review |
| Overall | OANDA | Admirals | |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | OANDA Review | Admirals Review |
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