Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FP Markets vs BDSwiss, 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.
FP Markets, established in 2005, and BDSwiss, founded in 2012, are both online brokers that offer a range of trading services. However, they differ significantly in regulatory standing and trust scores. FP Markets is not a publicly traded company nor a bank, and it possesses two Tier-1 licenses, reflecting a high degree of trust in the industry. Additionally, FP Markets holds one Tier-2 license. This compliance reflects positively in its ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 89, indicating it is a trusted broker.
On the other hand, BDSwiss also is not publicly traded or a bank, but it only holds one Tier-1 license and lacks any Tier-2 licenses, influencing its ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 73. This score suggests a moderate level of risk for potential investors. When comparing the two, FP Markets appears to offer a more trusted and reliable trading environment based on their regulatory credentials and trust scores.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2005 | 2012 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
FP Markets emerges as a top choice for traders who prioritize cost-effective pricing, particularly through its MetaTrader and cTrader platforms. Known for its competitive edge, FP Markets offers a Raw ECN account that features spreads averaging 0.1 pips, resulting in an all-in cost of 0.8 pips after including the low commission rate. Its Standard account, however, has wider spreads, averaging 1.1 pips for EUR/USD. FP Markets clinched the Best in Class award for Commissions and Fees in the 2024 Annual Awards due to its attractive pricing model, and holds a 5-star rating, ranked 6 out of 63 brokers in the Commissions and Fees category by ForexBrokers.com.
On the other hand, BDSwiss presents itself as a reliable player but falls short in terms of spread competitiveness. Its Classic account spread of 1.5 pips on EUR/USD is higher than some of its more aggressive competitors. The Raw account attempts to strike a balance with a spread of 0.3 pips plus $5 commission per side, leading to an effective total spread of 1.3 pips. Despite its slightly higher spreads, BDSwiss holds a respectable 4-star rating and is positioned at 30 out of 63 in the Commissions and Fees category according to ForexBrokers.com.
Both brokers cater to different trading needs. FP Markets is tailored more towards those looking for low costs with its DMA offering on the Iress platform plus highly competitive ECN pricing. In contrast, BDSwiss, though less competitive on spreads, still provides dependable execution and a broader account variety. Active traders or those with large balance accounts may find FP Markets more aligned with their cost-efficiency goals, while BDSwiss offers a robust foundation for those seeking varied account structures.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 AUD | $10-$5000 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing the range of investments offered by FP Markets and BDSwiss, both brokers provide a platform for forex trading through CFDs or spot contracts. FP Markets offers a more extensive selection with 10,000 tradeable symbols, significantly surpassing BDSwiss, which provides 1,081 symbols. In terms of forex pairs, FP Markets also has the upper hand with 71 available pairs to trade, compared to BDSwiss's 53 pairs. Although neither broker allows for direct purchases of exchange-traded securities from U.S. or international exchanges, both offer access to cryptocurrencies through derivatives rather than actual ownership.
FP Markets and BDSwiss both support copy trading, an attractive feature for those looking to emulate successful traders. While FP Markets scores higher in range of investments with 4.5 stars and ranks 18th in ForexBrokers.com’s assessment, BDSwiss follows with 4 stars and a ranking of 34th out of 63 brokers. These distinctions highlight FP Markets as the more versatile choice for investors seeking a broader array of trading options.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 10000 | 1081 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 71 | 53 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| 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 FP Markets and BDSwiss, both brokers present a range of trading platforms and tools suitable for traders of different experience levels. Each offers free virtual demo accounts, allowing users to practice trading without financial risk. Both FP Markets and BDSwiss have their own proprietary platforms alongside support for MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), which are popular choices for traders worldwide. You can access their services with both a Windows-based desktop platform and a user-friendly web-based option, ensuring flexibility across devices. They also offer copy trading to help users benefit from experienced traders' strategies.
Both FP Markets and BDSwiss are equipped with the ability to trade directly from stock charts, but FP Markets has a slight edge with 17 drawing tools compared to BDSwiss's 15, giving users more options for analysis. Their watch lists can display up to seven columns, offering a comprehensive view of market data. Although neither offers DupliTrade or ZuluTrade, these brokers maintain competitive standings with ForexBrokers.com rankings, with FP Markets at #23 and BDSwiss closely following at #24. They both receive a commendable four-star rating for their trading platforms and tools, making them both solid choices for traders seeking reliable online brokers.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| 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) | 30 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 17 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both FP Markets and BDSwiss offer mobile apps for iPhone and Android users, providing essential tools for trading on the go. They both feature stock and forex price alerts and allow users to draw trendlines on charts, choose different time frames, and access real-time quotes with their customizable watchlists. While FP Markets and BDSwiss save drawings automatically, neither offers watchlist symbol syncing between their mobile apps and online accounts, which could be a consideration for traders who need seamless device-to-platform integration.
FP Markets stands out by using MetaTrader for chart analysis, which many traders find comprehensive. Meanwhile, BDSwiss offers 30 technical studies in its mobile app, catering to those interested in diverse analytical tools. Both apps receive a fairly high rating of 4 stars for mobile trading. However, FP Markets is ranked slightly higher than BDSwiss, at #18 compared to #24, according to ForexBrokers.com’s evaluation of mobile trading apps among 63 brokers. These factors might help guide users in choosing the platform that best meets their needs.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | MetaTrader (Default) | 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 comparing FP Markets and BDSwiss for market research capabilities, both brokers do provide daily market commentary, making it easy for traders to stay updated with market trends. However, FP Markets edges out with access to forex news from leading sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, a feature BDSwiss lacks. Both brokers offer robust technical analysis tools from Autochartist and Trading Central, catering to traders seeking in-depth insights. Yet, FP Markets offers an additional sentiment-based trading tool, providing unique market sentiment data, which is absent from BDSwiss's toolkit.
On the downside, neither FP Markets nor BDSwiss integrates research from TipRanks or Acuity Trading, leaving a gap in third-party analysis. They both do, however, excel in providing economic calendars that track key global events, benefitting traders focusing on fundamental analysis. Despite these offerings, both brokers share a similar research rating of four out of five stars. In terms of their respective ranks in the research category by ForexBrokers.com, BDSwiss narrowly beats FP Markets, coming in at 24th compared to FP Markets' 25th position among 63 brokers.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
FP Markets and BDSwiss both provide excellent educational resources for beginner traders interested in forex and CFDs. Each broker offers more than 10 educational materials, which include articles, videos, and archived webinars focused on these trading areas. They also host monthly online webinars to assist their clients with learning, and they ensure that past webinars are accessible through searchable archives. Additionally, both brokers supply at least 10 beginner-focused educational videos to help those who are just starting their trading journey understand the fundamentals.
In terms of advanced trading topics, both FP Markets and BDSwiss offer a comprehensive selection of over 10 advanced educational videos. They also provide investing dictionaries that define at least 50 terms, serving as useful guides for traders trying to grasp the jargon. While both brokers boast a strong rating of four stars for education, they are ranked differently by ForexBrokers.com, with BDSwiss holding the 19th spot and FP Markets ranked 23rd out of 63. This suggests that while they both offer substantial resources, BDSwiss is slightly ahead in the educational field according to these rankings.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 FP Markets is better than BDSwiss. FP Markets finished with an overall rank of #19, while BDSwiss finished with an overall rank of #36.
FP Markets shines as a low-cost broker for trading forex and CFDs – as long as you use the MetaTrader platform. The Iress platform suite offers well over 9,000 tradeable symbols, but it’s mostly a share trading platform – and is generally a much pricier option.
| Feature |
FP Markets
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BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 89 | 73 |
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Both FP Markets and BDSwiss do not offer the option to purchase actual delivered cryptocurrencies, instead, they provide the ability to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
In comparing online brokers FP Markets and BDSwiss, FP Markets supports PayPal, Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires for deposits and withdrawals but lacks ACH or SEPA transfer options, whereas BDSwiss provides ACH or SEPA transfers, alongside Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires, but does not support PayPal.
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 | FP Markets | BDSwiss | |
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| Trust Score | 89 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FP Markets Review | BDSwiss Review |
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| Regulation | FP Markets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 89 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 2005 | 2012 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | FP Markets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | 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) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | No | 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) | FP Markets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | FP Markets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 10000 | 1081 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 71 | 53 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| 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 | FP Markets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | 1.6 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.7 | 1.3 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | No |
| Funding | FP Markets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 AUD | $10-$5000 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | FP Markets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | FP Markets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 17 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FP Markets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | MetaTrader (Default) | 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 | FP Markets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FP Markets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | FP Markets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | FP Markets Review | BDSwiss Review |
| Overall | FP Markets | BDSwiss | |
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| Trust Score | 89 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FP Markets Review | BDSwiss Review |
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