Is FXCM better than TD Ameritrade? In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 50 brokers, FXCM is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 96 out of 99. TD Ameritrade FX is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 99 out of 99. Learn more about Trust Score.
TD Ameritrade vs FXCM 2021
Overall Rating
Feature | TD Ameritrade | FXCM |
Overall | ||
Commissions & Fees | ||
Offering of Investments | ||
Platforms & Tools | ||
Mobile Trading Apps | ||
Research | ||
Education | ||
Trust Score | 99 | 96 |
TD Ameritrade Review | FXCM Review | |
N/A of retail CFD accounts lose money | Between 74% of retail CFD accounts lose money | |
Winner | check_circle |
Regulation
Feature | TD Ameritrade | FXCM |
Trust Score | 99 | 96 |
Year Founded |
1955 | 1999 |
Publicly Traded (Listed) |
Yes | Yes |
Bank |
Yes | No |
Tier-1 Licenses |
5 | 3 |
Tier-2 Licenses |
0 | 3 |
Tier-3 Licenses |
0 | 0 |
Authorised in the European Union |
Yes | Yes |
Tier-1 Licenses (High Trust)
Feature | TD Ameritrade | FXCM |
ASIC Authorised (Australia) |
No | Yes |
IIROC Authorised (Canada) |
No | Yes |
SFC Authorised (Hong Kong) |
Yes | No |
CBI Authorised (Ireland) |
No | No |
FSA Authorised (Japan) |
No | No |
MAS Authorised (Singapore) |
Yes | No |
FINMA Authorised (Switzerland) |
No | No |
FCA Authorised (UK) |
Yes | Yes |
CFTC Registered (USA) |
Yes | No |
FMA Authorised (New Zealand) |
No | No |
Tier-2 Licenses (Average Trust)
Feature | TD Ameritrade | FXCM |
CBRC Authorised (China) |
No | No |
CySEC Authorised (Cyprus) |
No | Yes |
SEBI Authorised (India) |
No | No |
ISA Authorised (Israel) |
No | Yes |
CBR Authorised (Russia) |
No | No |
FSCA Authorised (South Africa) |
No | Yes |
SEC Authorised (Thailand) |
No | No |
DFSA / Central Bank Authorised (UAE) |
No | No |
Tier-3 Licenses (Low Trust)
Feature | TD Ameritrade | FXCM |
SCB Authorised (Bahamas) | No | No |
IFSC Authorised (Belize) | No | No |
Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) |
No | No |
BMA Authorised (Bermuda) | No | No |
FSC Authorised (British Virgin Islands) |
No | No |
FSC Authorised (Mauritius) |
No | No |
VFSC Authorised (Vanuatu) |
No | No |
Investments
Feature | TD Ameritrade | FXCM |
Forex Trading |
Yes | Yes |
CFD Trading |
No | Yes |
Tradeable Symbols (Total) |
N/A | 276 |
Forex Pairs (Total) |
73 | 42 |
US Stock Trading (Non CFD) |
Yes | Yes |
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) |
Yes | Yes |
Social Trading / Copy-Trading |
No | Yes |
Cryptocurrency (Physical) |
No | No |
Cryptocurrency (CFD) |
No | Yes |
Crypto Disclaimer (UK) | 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
Feature | TD Ameritrade | FXCM |
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard |
1.26 pips (August 2021) | 1.4 (Q2 2020) |
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active |
1.26 pips (August 2021) | 1.1 (Q2 2020) |
Active Trader or VIP Discounts |
No | Yes |
Execution: Agency Broker |
Yes | Yes |
Execution: Market Maker |
No | Yes |
Funding
Feature | TD Ameritrade | FXCM |
Minimum Deposit |
$0.00 | Starts from $50 |
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) |
Yes | Yes |
Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) |
No | Yes |
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) |
No | No |
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) |
No | Yes |
Trading Platforms
Feature | TD Ameritrade | FXCM |
Proprietary Platform |
Yes | Yes |
Desktop Platform (Windows) |
Yes | Yes |
Web Platform |
Yes | Yes |
Social Trading / Copy-Trading |
No | Yes |
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) |
No | Yes |
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) |
No | No |
cTrader |
No | No |
DupliTrade |
No | No |
ZuluTrade |
No | Yes |
Trading Tools
Feature | TD Ameritrade | FXCM |
Virtual Trading (Demo) |
Yes | Yes |
Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
Watchlists - Total Fields |
564 | 12 |
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) |
360 | 57 |
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) |
23 | 26 |
Charting - Trade From Chart |
Yes | Yes |
Charting - Drawings Autosave |
Yes | Yes |
Mobile Trading
Feature | TD Ameritrade | FXCM |
Android App |
Yes | Yes |
Apple iOS App |
Yes | Yes |
Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
Watch List |
Yes | Yes |
Watch List Syncing |
Yes | Yes |
Charting - Indicators / Studies |
360 | 59 |
Charting - Draw Trendlines |
Yes | Yes |
Charting - Trendlines Moveable |
No | Yes |
Charting - Multiple Time Frames |
Yes | Yes |
Charting - Drawings Autosave |
Yes | Yes |
Forex Calendar |
Yes | Yes |
Research
Feature | TD Ameritrade | FXCM |
Daily Market Commentary |
Yes | Yes |
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) |
Yes | Yes |
Autochartist |
No | Yes |
Trading Central (Recognia) |
No | Yes |
Delkos Research |
No | No |
Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs |
No | Yes |
Economic Calendar |
Yes | Yes |
Education
Feature | TD Ameritrade | FXCM |
Has 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
Feature | TD Ameritrade | FXCM |
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 |
Overall
Feature | TD Ameritrade | FXCM |
Overall | ||
Commissions & Fees | ||
Offering of Investments | ||
Platforms & Tools | ||
Mobile Trading Apps | ||
Research | ||
Education | ||
Trust Score | 99 | 96 |
TD Ameritrade Review | FXCM Review |
Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2022 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 39 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare FXCM vs TD Ameritrade.
Does FXCM or TD Ameritrade offer lower pricing?
Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spreads data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough annual assessment, FXCM offers better pricing overall for traders.
Is FXCM or TD Ameritrade safer for forex and CFDs trading?
At ForexBrokers.com, we track where each forex and CFD broker is regulated across over 23 international regulator databases. Here's our findings. TD Ameritrade holds 5 global Tier-1 licenses, while FXCM holds 3. FXCM holds 3 global Tier-2 licenses, while TD Ameritrade holds 0. In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 50 brokers, TD Ameritrade earned a higher Trust Score than FXCM.
Which trading platform is better: FXCM or TD Ameritrade?
To compare the trading platforms of both FXCM and TD Ameritrade, 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.
What about MetaTrader and copy trading?
For forex and CFDs traders, copy trading and MetaTrader are both popular platform options. While FXCM offers copy trading, TD Ameritrade does not. FXCM offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4), while TD Ameritrade does not.
How many forex pairs and CFDs are available to trade?
TD Ameritrade provides traders 73 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to FXCM's 42 available pairs. Forex pairs aside, FXCM offers traders access to 276 CFDs while TD Ameritrade has N/A available CFDs, a difference of 276.
Can I trust FXCM?
FXCM's parent company is publicly-traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by three tier-1 regulators (high trust), three tier-2 regulators (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). FXCM is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and via Friedberg Direct, with the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC).
Can I trust TD Ameritrade?
TD Ameritrade FX is publicly-traded, does operate a bank, and is authorised by five tier-1 regulators (high trust), zero tier-2 regulators (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). 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).
Is FXCM good?
For traders who appreciate advanced trading tools and quality market research, FXCM is a winner, especially for algorithmic trading. Its range of tradeable markets is fairly narrow, however, and the pricing at FXCM is just average.
Is TD Ameritrade good?
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.
Overall winner: TD Ameritrade
Read Next: Best Forex Brokers 2022
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Trading CFDs, FX, and cryptocurrencies involves a high degree of risk. All providers have a percentage of retail investor accounts that lose money when trading CFDs with their company. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money and whether you understand how CFDs, FX, and cryptocurrencies work. All data was obtained from a published website as of 01/10/2022 and is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. The ForexBrokers.com staff is constantly working with its online broker representatives to obtain the latest data. If you believe any data listed above is inaccurate, please contact us using the "Contact" link at the bottom of this page.
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