Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of BDSwiss vs Alpari, 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.
BDSwiss and Alpari are both online brokers catering to forex traders, yet they differ significantly in their trust ratings and regulatory standards. BDSwiss, established in 2012, holds a Tier-1 license, marking it as a more reliable option with a Trust Score of 73 out of 99. In contrast, Alpari, founded in 1998, lacks a Tier-1 license and has a lower Trust Score of 68, indicating a slightly higher risk. Neither of these brokers is publicly traded or operates as a bank.
According to ForexBrokers.com, the Trust Score serves as an essential measure of safety, with scores above 70 deemed average or better. BDSwiss’s single Tier-1 license underscores its relative compliance and security in financial dealings. Conversely, Alpari’s absence of Tier-1 licenses might urge potential traders to consider this when assessing their investment options.
| Feature |
BDSwiss
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2012 | 1998 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
BDSwiss and Alpari both earn 4 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees, but they land at different positions in the ForexBrokers.com rankings: BDSwiss is #31 of 63, while Alpari is #42 of 63. That means both are rated well overall, with BDSwiss edging ahead in the category ranking.
BDSwiss publishes clear pricing across several account types. On EUR/USD, its Classic account shows a 1.5-pip spread, which is on the pricey side. The VIP account trims that to 1.2 pips. The Raw account quotes 0.3 pips plus a $5 commission per side (buy and sell), for an all-in effective cost of about 1.3 pips. BDSwiss also reports strong order execution statistics, though its spreads aren’t the lowest compared to top-tier competitors.
For Alpari, average spread data isn’t available, so it’s harder to pin down real-world trading costs or make a direct apples-to-apples comparison. If you’re considering Alpari, check its live account pages for current pricing and any commissions tied to specific account types or platforms.
| Feature |
BDSwiss
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $10-$5000 | $20 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.6 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.3 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts [DELETED] | ||
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) [DELETED] | ||
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
BDSwiss vs Alpari: For range of investments, BDSwiss lists 1,081 tradeable symbols compared with Alpari’s 105. BDSwiss also offers 53 forex pairs versus Alpari’s 46. Both brokers let you trade forex as CFDs or spot contracts, support copy trading, and offer cryptocurrency derivatives (not the actual coins). Neither broker provides the ability to buy delivered crypto.
When it comes to real shares, neither broker offers U.S.-listed stocks, but Alpari does provide exchange-traded international shares, while BDSwiss does not. Overall, BDSwiss earns 4 stars and ranks 35th for Range of Investments on ForexBrokers.com, while Alpari earns 3 stars and ranks 64th. In short, BDSwiss covers far more symbols and slightly more forex pairs, whereas Alpari’s edge is access to certain international exchange-traded securities.
| Feature |
BDSwiss
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1081 | 105 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 53 | 46 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | 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.
BDSwiss vs Alpari: both brokers cover the core needs for trading platforms and tools. Each offers a free demo (paper) account, a proprietary platform, Windows desktop and web-based platforms, copy trading, and popular third‑party options like MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). You can also place trades directly from charts with either broker, which is helpful for quick decisions while analyzing price action.
While both are rated 4 out of 5 stars for trading platforms and tools, BDSwiss ranks higher (#24) than Alpari (#56) out of 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. Details such as DupliTrade or ZuluTrade availability, plus the exact counts of technical indicators, drawing tools, and watch list fields, were not specified. If you want higher third‑party rankings to guide your choice, BDSwiss gets the edge; if you’re focused on essentials like MT4/MT5, copy trading, and a demo account, both brokers deliver.
| Feature |
BDSwiss
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading 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 [DELETED] | ||
| ZuluTrade [DELETED] | ||
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) [DELETED] | ||
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields [DELETED] |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
BDSwiss and Alpari both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android with real-time watchlists, price alerts, and capable charting. Each app includes 30 technical indicators, supports drawing trendlines, and lets you switch among multiple time frames. Watchlists don’t sync between mobile and web for either broker. A notable difference is that BDSwiss auto-saves chart drawings, while Alpari does not—useful if you frequently annotate forex or stock charts on your phone.
Both apps earn 4 stars for Mobile Trading Apps, but their standings on ForexBrokers.com differ: BDSwiss ranks #24 out of 63 brokers, while Alpari ranks #57. If keeping your chart markups saved matters, BDSwiss has an edge; if you mainly want alerts, indicators, and standard chart tools on iPhone or Android, either app will cover the essentials.
| Feature |
BDSwiss
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | 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 - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
BDSwiss vs Alpari for market research: BDSwiss posts daily market commentary, while Alpari does not. For forex news, Alpari streams updates from top-tier sources (e.g., Bloomberg, Reuters, Dow Jones), but BDSwiss does not. Both brokers include Autochartist for trade ideas. BDSwiss also offers Trading Central analytics; Alpari does not. Neither broker provides a sentiment tool that shows long/short ratios. Each features an economic calendar with global events.
Scores highlight the difference: BDSwiss is rated 4 stars for Research and ranks #24 of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Alpari holds 3 stars and ranks #58. BDSwiss does not offer research from TipRanks or Acuity Trading; Alpari’s support for TipRanks or Acuity Trading is not specified. Choose BDSwiss if you value daily commentary and Trading Central, or pick Alpari if top-tier in-platform news is your priority.
| Feature |
BDSwiss
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | No | No |
| TipRanks | No | |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginner traders comparing education at BDSwiss vs Alpari, both brokers provide at least 10 beginner-focused video lessons on trading topics. BDSwiss also runs ongoing client webinars (at least one per month), while Alpari does not currently offer monthly educational webinars. It isn’t clearly stated whether either broker provides a searchable archive of past webinars, a formal forex/CFD education library with 10+ articles or videos, or an investor dictionary with 50+ terms.
If you plan to grow from beginner to more advanced topics, BDSwiss offers 10+ advanced educational videos, whereas Alpari does not. Reflecting these differences, ForexBrokers.com rates BDSwiss 4 stars for Education (ranked #22 out of 63) and Alpari 3 stars (ranked #48 out of 63). In short, beginners get starter videos at both brokers, but BDSwiss adds live learning and deeper material that can help you progress.
| Feature |
BDSwiss
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | ||
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) [DELETED] | ||
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) [DELETED] |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that BDSwiss is better than Alpari. BDSwiss finished with an overall rank of #36, while Alpari finished with an overall rank of #58.
The BDSwiss brand caters to over 1.6 million registered forex and CFD traders, and offers the full MetaTrader platform suite alongside its own proprietary mobile app. BDSwiss demonstrates good order execution statistics and provides access to over 1,000 tradable symbols – though its spreads are higher than industry leaders.
| Feature |
BDSwiss
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 73 | 68 |
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Both BDSwiss and Alpari do not offer the ability to purchase actual delivered cryptocurrency, but they do provide the option to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
BDSwiss vs Alpari: For deposit and withdrawal funding options, BDSwiss supports ACH/SEPA, Skrill, and bank wire transfers, while Alpari lacks ACH/SEPA but offers Skrill and bank wires; neither broker supports PayPal, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either.
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 | BDSwiss | Alpari | |
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| Trust Score | 73 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | BDSwiss Review |
| Broker Screenshots | BDSwiss | Alpari | |
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| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Regulation | BDSwiss | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 73 | 68 | |
| Year Founded | 2012 | 1998 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | BDSwiss | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| 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). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | BDSwiss | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | BDSwiss | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1081 | 105 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 53 | 46 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | 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 | BDSwiss | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.6 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.3 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts [DELETED] | |||
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | BDSwiss | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $10-$5000 | $20 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) [DELETED] | |||
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | BDSwiss | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading 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 [DELETED] | |||
| ZuluTrade [DELETED] |
| Trading Tools | BDSwiss | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields [DELETED] | |||
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) [DELETED] | |||
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | BDSwiss | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | 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 - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | BDSwiss | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | ||
| Client sentiment data | No | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | BDSwiss | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | |||
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) [DELETED] | |||
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) [DELETED] |
| Major Forex Pairs | BDSwiss | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | BDSwiss Review |
| Overall | BDSwiss | Alpari | |
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| Trust Score | 73 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | BDSwiss Review |
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