Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Questrade vs GBE brokers, 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 2000, Questrade is an online broker that operates without being publicly traded or functioning as a bank. It holds two Tier-1 licenses, a mark of high trust according to ForexBrokers.com. With a Trust Score of 86 out of 99, Questrade is rated as a trusted broker, falling in the range of scores that suggests reliability for users seeking safe and dependable online trading services.
In comparison, GBE brokers entered the scene in 2013 and, similar to Questrade, is neither publicly traded nor a bank. It holds one Tier-1 license, indicating a reputable level of trust. However, its Trust Score is 71, placing it in the average risk category. While GBE brokers offer certain assurances of trustworthiness, the score suggests increased caution may be warranted compared to Questrade.
| Feature |
Questrade
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2000 | 2013 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of Questrade and GBE brokers, Questrade presents a somewhat higher cost structure. With a target spread on the EUR/USD at 1.9 pips, it stands above the industry average. This translates to higher costs for traders, affecting overall profitability. This factor contributes to Questrade receiving a 3-star rating for commissions and fees according to ForexBrokers.com, placing it at a rank of 58 out of 63 brokers in this category.
On the other hand, GBE brokers appear to offer a more appealing pricing model in terms of commissions and fees, despite the unavailability of specific average spread data. This is reflected in its higher rating of 4 stars and a better rank of 37 out of 63 brokers for the same category.
In summary, those looking for better cost structures might lean towards GBE brokers. While Questrade offers a range of services, its higher spreads can be a consideration for traders prioritizing cost-efficiency.
| Feature |
Questrade
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $250 | $1000 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | N/A | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When it comes to the variety of investments available, Questrade and GBE brokers offer distinct features for traders to consider. Questrade provides a rich selection with 641 tradeable symbols and 110 forex pairs, delivering a broad spectrum for diverse trading strategies. It enables clients to access U.S. and international exchange-traded securities, allowing for direct investment in popular stocks like Apple and Vodafone. Although Questrade doesn’t provide copy trading or the ability to buy actual cryptocurrencies, it offers trading in cryptocurrency derivatives, which adds a modern twist to its investment offerings.
In contrast, GBE brokers includes 500 tradeable symbols and 71 forex pairs in its portfolio and supports copy trading, catering to those interested in mirroring the trades of successful investors. However, GBE brokers falls short by not offering direct purchases of exchange-traded securities on U.S. or international exchanges, a limitation not present with Questrade. While both brokers present cryptocurrency derivatives, neither supports transactions in actual cryptocurrencies. Questrade is rated higher with 5 stars for its range of investments and ranks 11th out of 63 brokers, while GBE brokers holds 3.5 stars, ranked 44th for its investment range. These factors highlight Questrade’s broader appeal for investors seeking extensive trading options.
| Feature |
Questrade
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 641 | 500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 110 | 71 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
When comparing the trading platforms and tools of Questrade and GBE brokers, both offer a virtual demo account to help traders practice before committing real funds. Questrade shines with its proprietary, in-house developed platform that can be used on both Windows-based desktops and through web browsers. While it doesn’t support MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or MetaTrader 5 (MT5), traders can benefit from the DupliTrade feature for copy trading-like experiences. Additionally, Questrade provides a more comprehensive charting experience with 20 drawing tools and the ability to trade directly from stock charts, alongside an extensive watch list customization with 52 fields. This feature-rich environment earns Questrade a solid 4-star rating in trading platforms and tools, ranking it 34th out of 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com.
GBE brokers, on the other hand, offer a different set of advantages with access to both MT4 and MT5 for traders who prefer these popular platforms. GBE brokers also provide a Windows-based and web-based trading platform option, but lack a proprietary platform of their own. While their charting tools are slightly less equipped with 15 drawing tools, GBE brokers excel in offering traditional copy trading options. Despite having a more limited watch list with 7 fields, their comprehensive tools and features also receive a 4-star rating for trading platforms and tools, although they are ranked lower at 57th place in the ForexBrokers.com reviews.
| Feature |
Questrade
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| DupliTrade | Yes | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 64 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 20 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 52 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both Questrade and GBE brokers provide traders with mobile apps compatible with iPhone and Android devices. Users of either platform can receive stock and forex price alerts directly on their mobile devices, ensuring they stay informed about market shifts. However, a notable difference is found in the ability to sync watchlists with their online accounts. Questrade offers watchlist symbol syncing, allowing users to make changes across platforms seamlessly, while GBE brokers do not provide this feature.
When it comes to charting capabilities, Questrade stands out by offering 64 technical studies, compared to GBE brokers' 30. Both apps include essential functionalities like drawing trendlines and viewing multiple time frames, which are crucial for technical analysis. Additionally, both apps auto-save chart drawings and enable users to create watchlists with real-time quotes. Despite GBE brokers having fewer charting tools, both platforms receive a 4-star rating for their mobile trading apps. However, Questrade is slightly ahead in rankings by ForexBrokers.com, positioned at 34th out of 63 brokers, while GBE brokers hold the 57th spot.
| Feature |
Questrade
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 64 | 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 market research offerings, Questrade and GBE Brokers each provide unique benefits tailored to different traders. While GBE Brokers stands out with daily market commentary and sentiment-based trading tools, Questrade excels with access to forex news from top-tier sources and advanced analysis tools from Autochartist and Trading Central. Questrade also offers market insights through TipRanks, and both brokers provide an economic calendar for tracking important global financial events.
In terms of industry recognition, Questrade is rated slightly higher at 3.5 stars for research services compared to GBE Brokers' 3 stars. Furthermore, Questrade is ranked #51 out of 63 brokers for research by ForexBrokers.com, while GBE Brokers trails at #62. This suggests that Questrade may have a slight edge in offering comprehensive research options to its users, making it a potentially favorable option for traders seeking more in-depth analysis and news coverage.
| Feature |
Questrade
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | No | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | No | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational resources available for beginners between Questrade and GBE brokers, Questrade stands out significantly. Questrade delivers extensive educational content targeted towards newcomers, including a minimum of 10 forex or CFDs educational pieces such as articles and videos. Additionally, they provide a searchable archive of previously recorded client webinars and offer more than 10 videos specifically tailored for beginners in trading. Although Questrade lacks in offering monthly live webinars and advanced educational videos, its overall education rating is 3.5 stars, making it a more favorable option for those new to trading.
On the other hand, GBE brokers are more limited in their educational offerings for beginners. They do not meet the criteria of providing at least 10 forex or CFDs educational pieces and also fall short in offering beginner-focused videos. Like Questrade, GBE brokers do not host monthly online webinars or an investor dictionary. With an education rating of 3 stars and a ranking of last out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, GBE brokers may not be the optimal choice for those seeking comprehensive educational resources in the trading world.
| Feature |
Questrade
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | No | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | No | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Questrade is better than GBE brokers. Questrade finished with an overall rank of #32, while GBE brokers finished with an overall rank of #57.
Regulated in both the U.S. and Canada, Questrade is a trusted full-service multi-asset broker now offering forex and CFDs alongside its stock trading services for active and passive investors. While its scope of educational resources and in-house research is limited, Questrade has an impressive platform lineup.
| Feature |
Questrade
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GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 71 |
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When comparing Questrade and GBE Brokers for cryptocurrency trading, both platforms do not offer the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they do provide options to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
While both Questrade and GBE brokers support Visa, Mastercard, and bank wire transactions for deposits and withdrawals, GBE brokers provides additional flexibility with ACH, SEPA, PayPal, and Skrill options, which are not available with Questrade.
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 | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Questrade Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
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| Regulation | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 86 | 71 | |
| Year Founded | 2000 | 2013 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | ||
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 641 | 500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 110 | 71 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | 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). |
| Cost | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | N/A | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $250 | $1000 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | Yes | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 52 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 64 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 20 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 64 | 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 | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | No | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | ||
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | ||
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | No | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | No | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | No | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Questrade Review |
| Overall | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Questrade Review |
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