TD Ameritrade vs FOREX.com 2023

TD Ameritrade FX is publicly-traded, does operate a bank, and is authorised by five Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), zero Tier-2 regulators (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulators (Average Risk), and zero Tier-4 regulators (High Risk). TD Ameritrade FX is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulators: Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), Securities Futures Commission (SFC), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

FOREX.com is publicly traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by seven Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), one Tier-2 regulators (Trusted), zero tier-3 regulators (Average Risk), and one Tier-4 regulator (High Risk). FOREX.com is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO), Japanese Financial Services Authority (JFSA), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and regulated in the European Union via the MiFID passporting system.

TD Ameritrade’s thinkorswim platform offers over 70 tradeable currency pairs alongside a plethora of impressive tools, research, and education. For traders in the U.S., TD Ameritrade provides the ultimate trading technology experience.

FOREX.com is a trusted brand that delivers an excellent trading experience for forex and CFDs traders across the globe. It offers a wide range of markets and provides an impressive suite of proprietary platforms – alongside limited access to MetaTrader.

To open a trading account with TD Ameritrade, you'll need to make an initial minimum deposit of $0.

FOREX.com requires a minimum deposit of $100 before you can open an account and start trading.

It's important to make sure that your forex broker accepts the funding options and deposit methods that work best for you. TD Ameritrade offers Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) for banking, whereas FOREX.com provides Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) and PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw). Neither have Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) and Neteller (Deposit/Withdraw)

Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spread data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough, data-driven testing of each broker's commissions and fees, we found that FOREX.com offers better pricing overall for traders.

Methodology: When testing each broker's commissions, fees, and pricing, we analyze multiple trade scenarios and award points based on the expansiveness (or inexpensiveness) of the broker's spreads. We then run multiple scenarios for different investor types, incorporating any miscellaneous fees, to determine an "all-in" cost per trade. Learn more about how we test.

At ForexBrokers.com, we track over 110 international regulatory agencies and sort them by tiers (Tier-1, Tier-2, Tier-3, Tier-4, and Tier-5) to help you choose well-regulated, highly trusted forex brokers. Learn more about our proprietary Trust Score rating system. Based on our research on the regulatory status of over 60 brokers, we've found that FOREX.com holds 7 global Tier-1 licenses, while TD Ameritrade holds 5. FOREX.com holds 1 global Tier-2 licenses, while TD Ameritrade holds 0.

After evaluating each broker based on their number of held licenses, years in business, and a range of other data-driven variables, we've determined that TD Ameritrade and FOREX.com have earned the same Trust Score (99).

To compare the trading platforms of both TD Ameritrade and FOREX.com, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, TD Ameritrade offers a better experience. With research, TD Ameritrade offers superior market research. Finally, we found TD Ameritrade to provide better mobile trading apps.

Here’s what trading platforms are available at TD Ameritrade:

• Proprietary Platform - Yes
• Web Platform - Yes
• cTrader - No
• DupliTrade - No
• MT4 - No
• MT5 - No
• ZuluTrade - No
• TradingView - No

Here’s what trading platforms are available at FOREX.com:

• Proprietary Platform - Yes
• Web Platform - Yes
• cTrader - No
• DupliTrade - No
• MT4 - Yes
• MT5 - Yes
• ZuluTrade - No
• TradingView - Yes

The MetaTrader trading platform suite is wildly popular among forex and CFD traders across the globe. Neither broker offers Meta Trader. Forex traders also appreciate the ability to engage in social copy trading. Copy trading is not offered by either broker.

FOREX.com provides traders 91 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to TD Ameritrade's 73 available pairs. If you are interested in trading CFDs, FOREX.com offers traders access to 5500 CFDs, while TD Ameritrade offers access to 0 CFDs; so FOREX.com offers 5500 more CFDs than TD Ameritrade.

We found in our testing that FOREX.com offers a more diverse selection of investment options than TD Ameritrade, allowing you to trade Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) and Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD). Neither have Cryptocurrency (Physical), Social Trading / Copy Trading and Spread Betting.