Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Saxo vs Admirals, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
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When comparing Saxo and Admirals, several factors can inform potential users about the trustworthiness and history of these online brokers. Saxo, established in 1992, holds a strong position with a Trust Score rating of 99, making it highly trusted according to ForexBrokers.com. As a bank, Saxo boasts 7 Tier-1 licenses and 1 Tier-2 license, indicators of its secure and reliable standing in the financial industry. While not publicly traded, Saxo's long history and regulatory accolades underscore its credibility.
Admirals, founded in 2001, also scores well with a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 93. Though not a bank, Admirals maintains 4 Tier-1 and 3 Tier-2 licenses, reflecting its commitment to trust and transparency. Like Saxo, Admirals is not listed on any stock exchanges, yet its regulatory compliance illustrates its dedication to safeguarding client interests. Overall, both brokers hold substantial trust ratings, offering secure platforms for trading, each with its unique strengths in regulatory compliance.
| Feature |
Saxo
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1992 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
When examining the commissions and fees structures of Saxo and Admirals, both online brokers offer competitive pricing for traders, although each has its unique benefits. Saxo stands out with excellent all-around pricing, particularly advantageous for active and high-volume traders, as well as those maintaining substantial account balances. For its Classic, Platinum, and VIP accounts, Saxo provides average EUR/USD spreads of 1.1, 1.0, and 0.9 pips, respectively, as of November 2023, with lower minimum spreads. The minimum deposit for a Saxo Classic account is $0, while the Platinum and VIP accounts require $200,000 and $1,000,000 respectively, unless upgraded via the firm's loyalty program. Saxo also waives custody fees for traders engaging in securities lending, and traders on VIP accounts benefit from exclusive events and analysis support, making Saxo an appealing option for elite investors.
In comparison, Admirals offers competitive pricing with typical EUR/USD spreads of 0.8 pips for both its Trade and Zero account types. While both brokers are commission-free and derive profits from spreads, Saxo charges a ticket fee of $3 per side for traders executing less than 50,000 units per month. Admirals does not have a specific mention of such fees, which could hold appeal for lower-volume traders seeking straightforward, cost-effective trading experiences.
Saxo earns a 5-star rating for its commissions and fees, ranking #9 out of 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. Admirals, while only slightly behind with a 4.5-star rating, is positioned at #17 in the same category. These rankings reflect Saxo's slightly more favorable pricing model, especially for traders engaging in high-volume transactions and those capable of maintaining elevated account tiers to access additional benefits.
| Feature |
Saxo
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Saxo and Admirals both provide excellent platforms for trading a variety of financial instruments, but they cater to different needs within their range of offerings. Saxo offers an extensive selection with 70,000 tradeable symbols, including 190 forex pairs, making it a top choice for those looking to explore a wide array of investment opportunities. Admirals, while also comprehensive with 8,702 tradeable symbols and 82 forex pairs, may appeal more to those who favor a more curated selection. Both brokers provide access to trading exchange-traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges, enabling clients to invest in popular stocks like Apple and Vodafone.
For those interested in cryptocurrency investments, neither Saxo nor Admirals offers the ability to purchase actual cryptocurrency. However, both platforms provide options for trading cryptocurrency derivatives. Additionally, both brokers feature copy trading capabilities, allowing investors to follow and replicate the strategies of seasoned traders. Rated at five stars, Saxo holds an impressive third place ranking in the Range of Investments category according to ForexBrokers.com, showcasing its broad market access. Admirals is not far behind, with a commendable 4.5-star rating and a 19th place ranking, providing a solid option for traders seeking substantial investment opportunities.
| Feature |
Saxo
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 70000 | 8702 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 190 | 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) | No | 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 trading platforms, both Saxo and Admirals offer similar foundational features that cater to both beginners and seasoned traders. Each provides a free virtual demo account, allowing users to practice without financial risk. Both brokers have developed proprietary platforms in-house and support trading on Windows-based desktops and web browsers. Each company enables traders to execute trades directly from stock charts and offers copy trading functionality. However, Admirals supports additional platforms like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, potentially appealing to traders preferring these popular third-party tools. Saxo does not offer these but still stands strong with a wide variety of in-house functionalities.
In terms of charting tools, Admirals distinguishes itself by offering 106 drawing tools, compared to Saxo's 20. However, when it comes to creating watch lists, Saxo offers 60 columns or fields, making it much more versatile than Admirals' 7 columns. Reviews from ForexBrokers.com rate Saxo's trading platforms and tools at 5 stars, securing the top rank out of 63 brokers, indicating a leading edge in user experience and functionality. Admirals is rated slightly lower with 4 stars and ranks 19th. This comparison highlights Saxo as the leader in trading platform quality and user-rated satisfaction, while Admirals offers broader platform integration options.
| Feature |
Saxo
|
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) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 64 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 20 | 106 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 60 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When comparing Saxo and Admirals for mobile trading, both brokers offer apps for both iPhone and Android, complete with stock and forex price alerts. Saxo, however, edges ahead with its ability to sync watchlist symbols between mobile apps and online accounts, a feature Admirals lacks. In terms of charting, Saxo provides 64 technical studies compared to Admirals' 30, and both apps allow users to draw trendlines and view multiple time frames on charts. Both brokers also auto save chart drawings.
For creating watchlists with real-time quotes, both Saxo and Admirals deliver, but Saxo's app is slightly more favored, earning a perfect 5-star rating compared to Admirals’ 4 stars. This is reflected in their rankings by ForexBrokers.com, where Saxo takes the number two spot amongst 63 brokers, while Admirals holds the 23rd position. Overall, Saxo’s app is rated superior for those seeking a comprehensive mobile trading experience.
| Feature |
Saxo
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 64 | 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.
When it comes to market research, both Saxo and Admirals provide daily market commentary and access to high-caliber forex news from sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters. While both platforms offer tools for sentiment-based trading and economic calendars that help track global events, they differ in their selection of additional research tools. Saxo stands out by offering tools from Autochartist, known for its technical and fundamental analysis capabilities. In comparison, Admirals does not have Autochartist tools, but it includes instruments from Trading Central and Acuity Trading, enhancing their ability in technical analytics and market signals.
Saxo and Admirals both provide a comprehensive market research experience, yet Saxo receives a perfect 5-star rating and ranks first among 63 brokers for research excellence, as per ForexBrokers.com. Admirals, while robust with its offerings from services like TipRanks and Acuity Trading, holds a 4-star rating and is positioned 15th in the same category. These distinctions highlight Saxo’s leading edge in research tools, while Admirals offers a strong array of additional resources for traders seeking variety in their market analysis tools.
| Feature |
Saxo
|
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.
When comparing the educational resources for beginners between Saxo and Admirals, both online brokers shine in various aspects. Saxo provides a strong foundation with over ten educational pieces focusing on forex and CFDs, complemented by monthly online webinars. Admirals mirrors this, offering abundant educational content along with regular webinars. Both brokers maintain searchable archives of past webinars, making it easy for learners to access previous sessions. For those new to trading, Saxo Offers beginner-focused videos covering introductory trading topics, matching Admirals' commitment to educating novices. Additionally, both brokers excel in providing advanced educational materials for more experienced traders.
In terms of supplementary resources, both Saxo and Admirals offer comprehensive investor dictionaries with over 50 investing terms, adding valuable support for new traders seeking to understand the jargon. While Saxo leads the pack with a 5-star education rating, Admirals is not far behind with a 4-star rating. Interestingly, ForexBrokers.com ranks Admirals slightly higher in the Education category at #12 out of 63 brokers, compared to Saxo's #13 ranking. Overall, both brokers provide solid educational offerings for beginners, but Saxo edges slightly ahead in terms of customer ratings.
| Feature |
Saxo
|
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 Saxo is better than Admirals. Saxo finished with an overall rank of #3, while Admirals finished with an overall rank of #18.
Saxo is an exclusive multi-asset broker with brilliant research and a superb trading platform experience – as well as a stunning selection of over 40,000 securities.
| Feature |
Saxo
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 |
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Both Saxo and Admirals provide the option to invest in cryptocurrency derivatives, though neither offers the purchase of actual, delivered cryptocurrency.
When comparing online brokers, Admirals surpasses Saxo with more diverse deposit and withdrawal options, including ACH and SEPA transfers, PayPal, and Skrill, while both offer Visa or Mastercard and bank wire transactions.
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 | Saxo | Admirals | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Saxo Review | Admirals Review |
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| Regulation | Saxo | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Year Founded | 1992 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Saxo | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Saxo | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | Yes |
| Investments | Saxo | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 70000 | 8702 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 190 | 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) | No | 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 | Saxo | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.1 | 0.8 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.9 | 0.8 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Saxo | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Saxo | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Saxo | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 60 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 64 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 20 | 106 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Saxo | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 64 | 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 | Saxo | 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 | Saxo | 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 | Saxo | 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 | Saxo Review | Admirals Review |
| Overall | Saxo | Admirals | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Saxo Review | Admirals Review |
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