Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of ThinkMarkets 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.
Founded in 2010, ThinkMarkets is an online brokerage known for its solid regulatory credentials. With a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 92 out of 99, ThinkMarkets falls within the highly trusted bracket. The company holds 5 Tier-1 licenses, demonstrating its commitment to maintaining high standards of regulation. Additionally, ThinkMarkets possesses 2 Tier-2 licenses, further solidifying its reputation as a reliable platform for investors. It should be noted that ThinkMarkets is neither publicly traded nor operates as a bank.
In contrast, BDSwiss began operations in 2012 and carries a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 73 out of 99, placing it in the average risk category. While BDSwiss holds only 1 Tier-1 license and lacks any Tier-2 licenses, it is not publicly traded and does not function as a bank. This regulatory standing indicates that while BDSwiss offers some level of trust, investors may want to compare options based on their risk preferences and investment needs.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2012 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 2 |
ThinkMarkets vs BDSwiss: both earn 4 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees. In ForexBrokers.com’s rankings, BDSwiss places #31 of 63, while ThinkMarkets is #48. One key difference is transparency: ThinkMarkets does not publish average spread data, making it harder to gauge typical costs, whereas BDSwiss provides good order execution statistics even though its spreads are higher than the lowest-cost brokers.
For EUR/USD at BDSwiss, the Classic account spread is about 1.5 pips, which is on the pricey side. The Raw account posts around 0.3 pips plus a $5 commission per side (buy and sell), for an effective cost near 1.3 pips, and the VIP account averages about 1.2 pips. Active traders may find Raw or VIP better value than Classic.
ThinkMarkets’ lack of published average spreads means you’ll want to check live quotes in the platform and confirm any commissions, financing (swap) rates, and other potential charges for your specific account type. Bottom line: both brokers score 4 stars, but BDSwiss ranks higher (#31 vs #48) and provides clearer pricing benchmarks, while ThinkMarkets requires a bit more digging to estimate your all-in trading costs.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $10-$5000 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 1.3 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | 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.
ThinkMarkets delivers a wider overall selection with 4,000 tradeable symbols versus BDSwiss’s 1,081. If your focus is currencies, BDSwiss lists slightly more forex pairs (53 vs. 46). Both brokers support forex trading, offered either as CFDs or spot contracts, and both provide copy trading. For stocks, neither broker lets you buy U.S.-listed shares outright, but ThinkMarkets does offer access to international exchange-traded shares (not CFDs), while BDSwiss does not. Crypto can be traded via derivatives at both brokers, though neither lets you buy actual coins.
Based on ForexBrokers.com’s Range of Investments ratings, ThinkMarkets scores 4.5/5 stars and ranks 24th out of 63 brokers, while BDSwiss earns 4/5 stars and ranks 35th. In short: pick ThinkMarkets if you want more instruments and the option to purchase real international shares; choose BDSwiss if having a few extra currency pairs matters most.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 4000 | 1081 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 53 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | 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.
Both ThinkMarkets and BDSwiss are well-regarded brokers offering strong options in terms of trading platforms and tools. Each provides traders with a free virtual demo account, enabling simulated trading to hone skills without financial risk. Both brokers have developed proprietary trading platforms in-house while also supporting popular options like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. For those who prefer trading on the go or from their desktops, both ThinkMarkets and BDSwiss offer web-based platforms and Windows-based desktop downloads. Tools like copy trading and the ability to trade directly from stock charts are available from both brokers; however, neither supports DupliTrade or ZuluTrade.
When it comes to charting, ThinkMarkets and BDSwiss both offer 15 drawing tools, yet the offering of technical indicators was not specified. ThinkMarkets stands out by providing a more detailed watch list system with 15 customizable columns compared to BDSwiss's 7. While both brokers received 4 out of 5 stars for their trading platforms and tools, BDSwiss holds a slightly higher rank at #24, compared to ThinkMarkets at #28, according to ForexBrokers.com’s evaluation of 63 brokers. Whether prioritizing range in watch list configuration or seeking a slightly higher industry ranking might sway a trader's choice, both platforms clearly stand as competent, versatile options for traders.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
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) | 15 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 15 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Comparing the mobile trading apps of ThinkMarkets and BDSwiss reveals several insights for traders. Both platforms provide iPhone and Android apps, allowing users to trade on the go. They each offer real-time price alerts, the ability to draw trendlines on charts, and view multiple time frames, catering to the needs of active traders. However, ThinkMarkets stands out with 94 technical studies available for charting compared to BDSwiss's 30, appealing to users who rely on technical analysis. While both apps receive a rating of 4 stars for their mobile trading features, ThinkMarkets holds a slightly higher ranking (#20) compared to BDSwiss (#24) in ForexBrokers.com's evaluation of mobile trading apps.
Despite offering real-time quotes in watchlists, both ThinkMarkets and BDSwiss lack watchlist symbol syncing, a feature that could further streamline trading experiences. They do, however, offer the convenience of auto-saving chart drawings, ensuring that traders’ analytical work is preserved. Overall, both brokers provide solid mobile trading platforms, but those deeply invested in technical studies might prefer ThinkMarkets for its more extensive charting options, while others may find BDSwiss’s offering equally satisfying.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 94 | 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.
BDSwiss edges out ThinkMarkets for market research, earning 4/5 stars and a #24 rank out of 63 brokers from ForexBrokers.com, compared with ThinkMarkets’ 3.5/5 stars and #51 rank. Both brokers publish daily market commentary and offer an economic calendar. ThinkMarkets stands out for live forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones—something BDSwiss does not provide. By contrast, BDSwiss includes popular add-ons like Autochartist and Trading Central, which are not available at ThinkMarkets.
Tool sets differ in other ways: ThinkMarkets provides a sentiment tool that shows long/short positioning and integrates Acuity Trading (Signal Centre), while BDSwiss lacks both. Neither broker uses TipRanks. In short, choose BDSwiss if you want Trading Central and automated chart pattern ideas from Autochartist. Choose ThinkMarkets if real-time institutional news, trader sentiment data, and Acuity signals matter most to you—alongside daily commentary and a handy calendar on both platforms.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
ThinkMarkets vs BDSwiss for beginner education: both brokers offer strong learning hubs for new traders. Each provides at least 10 forex and CFD lessons across articles, videos, and archived webinars. You’ll also find live client webinars at least once a month and a searchable library of past sessions, making it easy to learn in real time or on your own schedule.
Both brands include 10+ beginner video lessons, 10+ advanced videos for growing your skills, and an investor dictionary with 50+ trading terms. That said, ForexBrokers.com rates BDSwiss higher for education (4 stars, ranked #22 of 63) than ThinkMarkets (3.5 stars, ranked #52). If education is your top priority, BDSwiss has the edge, while ThinkMarkets still covers the essentials for getting started.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
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 ThinkMarkets is better than BDSwiss. ThinkMarkets finished with an overall rank of #27, while BDSwiss finished with an overall rank of #36.
ThinkMarkets has multiple regulatory license and offers a proprietary trading platform, as well as the entire MetaTrader suite. The broker has made progress in key areas, such as research and education, and the range of markets available, although trails behind the best brokers in these categories.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 92 | 73 |
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Both ThinkMarkets and BDSwiss do not offer the ability to buy delivered cryptocurrency, but they do provide options for trading cryptocurrency derivatives.
ThinkMarkets and BDSwiss both support Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wire transactions for depositing and withdrawing account funds; however, only BDSwiss offers ACH or SEPA transfers, while neither broker provides PayPal as a payment option.
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 | ThinkMarkets | BDSwiss | |
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| Trust Score | 92 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | BDSwiss Review |
| Broker Screenshots | ThinkMarkets | BDSwiss | |
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| Regulation | ThinkMarkets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 92 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2012 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | ThinkMarkets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | ThinkMarkets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | ThinkMarkets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 4000 | 1081 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 53 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | 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 | ThinkMarkets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.1 | 1.6 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 1.3 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | No |
| Funding | ThinkMarkets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $10-$5000 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | 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 | ThinkMarkets | 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 | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | ThinkMarkets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 15 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | ThinkMarkets | 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 | 94 | 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 | ThinkMarkets | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | ThinkMarkets | 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 | ThinkMarkets | 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 | BDSwiss Review |
| Overall | ThinkMarkets | BDSwiss | |
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| Trust Score | 92 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | BDSwiss Review |
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