Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Swissquote vs IronFX, 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 1996, Swissquote stands out as a well-established and trusted name in the online brokerage world. As a publicly traded company that operates as a bank, Swissquote commands a high level of trust with a perfect ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99 out of 99. It is backed by five highly trusted Tier-1 licenses and two trusted Tier-2 licenses, reinforcing its strong regulatory standing in the financial sector.
In contrast, IronFX was founded in 2010 and does not share the same level of regulatory stature. It is not a publicly traded company nor a bank, and holds three highly trusted Tier-1 licenses with no Tier-2 licenses. IronFX has a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 83 out of 99, categorizing it as a trusted broker but suggesting a higher risk profile compared to Swissquote. While both brokers offer online trading platforms, Swissquote's banking status and impeccable trust rating make it a more appealing choice for those prioritizing regulatory oversight.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
When comparing Swissquote and IronFX based on their commissions and fees, it’s essential to note the appeal of Swissquote’s Swiss banking credentials, though this comes at a slight premium. For UK-based traders, Swissquote Ltd offers competitive options with lower costs and lighter deposit requirements compared to its Swiss and Luxembourg counterparts. Among Swissquote's accounts, the Elite account is notable for its lower spreads and $5 charge per round-turn trade, requiring a $10,000 deposit. The Prime accounts across its branches require higher deposits but offer spreads ranging from 0.6 to 1.1 pips, which vary widely based on the account type and entity.
Contrastingly, IronFX has room for improvement in its pricing, as some spreads are higher than the industry average. Their Standard variable spread account lists a typical spread of 1.8 pips, while the zero fixed-spread account offers spreads starting at zero with an $18 per lot commission. However, overnight clients might experience spread widening to 3 pips. IronFX's fees are slightly more competitive than Swissquote, providing an option for traders seeking lower overall costs.
In terms of ratings, Swissquote scores 3.5 out of 5 stars for its commissions and fees, ranking #53 out of 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. Meanwhile, IronFX has a higher rating of 4 stars and a better ranking at #46, highlighting its slightly more favorable cost structure in comparison. Overall, traders should consider these differences when choosing between Swissquote and IronFX based on their financial priorities and trading expectations.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1000 | $50 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | N/A | 1.2 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| 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 Swissquote and IronFX, both brokers provide opportunities for forex trading, offering it as both CFD and spot contracts. Swissquote offers a wider array of tradeable symbols, boasting 472 options compared to IronFX’s 340. However, IronFX slightly edges ahead in tradeable forex pairs, with 83 as opposed to Swissquote's 80. A significant difference lies in their offerings of exchange traded securities; Swissquote provides access to U.S. and international exchanges, allowing clients to buy shares like Apple and Vodafone directly. In contrast, IronFX lacks this capability, limiting investors to CFD options.
Furthermore, for those interested in cryptocurrencies, Swissquote permits the purchase of both actual cryptocurrencies and derivatives, whereas IronFX only offers derivatives. Both platforms feature options for copy trading, supporting those interested in replicating successful trading strategies. Swissquote earns a top rating of 5 stars for its range of investments, ranking 2nd among 63 brokers in the ForexBrokers.com evaluation. IronFX, ranked 51st, receives a lower rating of 3.5 stars, reflecting a narrower investment range compared to Swissquote.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 472 | 340 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 83 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | 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 the trading platforms and tools of Swissquote and IronFX, it's clear that both brokers offer valuable features, but key differences may influence your choice. Swissquote provides a comprehensive trading experience with its proprietary platform, alongside the widely-used MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, giving traders a variety of options. It stands out with a vast array of 75 drawing tools for chart analysis and the ability to manage 11 columns in watch lists. Both Swissquote and IronFX support simulated trading with free demo accounts and offer the convenience of trading directly from stock charts. However, Swissquote's extra capabilities, like their exclusive platform and the presence of MT5, contribute to their impressive 4.5-star rating and a solid #12 ranking by ForexBrokers.com.
IronFX, while not offering a proprietary platform, still caters to traders with the popular MetaTrader 4 and a user-friendly web-based trading interface. It provides a decent experience with 15 drawing tools and supports copy trading. Yet, its watch lists are somewhat limited with seven columns. IronFX is rated slightly lower for its platforms and tools, receiving a 3.5-star rating and a #61 position in ForexBrokers.com's ranking. While both brokers deliver essential trading functionalities, Swissquote's advanced features and higher rating might appeal more to traders seeking enhanced trading tools and options.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 86 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 75 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When it comes to mobile trading apps, both Swissquote and IronFX offer comprehensive solutions for traders on the go. Whether you're using an iPhone or Android device, each broker provides a mobile app that allows users to access real-time quotes and customize their own watchlists. Traders can set up stock or forex price alerts within both apps, ensuring they never miss a key market movement. Additionally, each app boasts 30 technical studies for charting and support for drawing trendlines or viewing multiple timeframes, such as daily or intraday charts. While these features make both apps versatile tools for traders, neither broker offers syncing of watchlist symbols between their mobile app and online account, meaning changes made in one platform do not automatically reflect in the other.
Despite their similarities, Swissquote and IronFX differ significantly in user ratings and industry rankings. Swissquote's app is highly rated with 4.5 out of 5 stars, while IronFX lags behind with a 3.5-star rating. This difference in user satisfaction is echoed in their rankings by ForexBrokers.com, where Swissquote is positioned at number 12 out of 63 brokers for mobile trading apps, whereas IronFX falls far behind at number 62. These rankings suggest that while both brokers provide essential tools for mobile trading, Swissquote delivers a user experience that is more appealing and satisfactory to its users compared to IronFX.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 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 online brokers Swissquote and IronFX, both platforms provide daily market commentary and access to forex news from premier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. Swissquote stands out by offering technical analysis tools from Autochartist, which IronFX does not provide. On the other hand, IronFX compensates with its integration of Trading Central's technical analysis tools, absent at Swissquote. Neither broker offers a sentiment-based trading tool for those looking to analyze traders' long or short positions, nor do they provide market research from TipRanks or tools from Acuity Trading such as Signal Centre.
Furthermore, both Swissquote and IronFX include economic calendars to keep users informed on global news events across economies. Overall, these brokers are evenly matched in research offerings, each earning a four-star rating. However, Swissquote holds a higher position, ranking 16th out of 63 brokers in the research category according to ForexBrokers.com, while IronFX is positioned at number 28. This suggests that, while both platforms offer substantial research tools, Swissquote might have an edge in overall research services according to industry rankings.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | No | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to educational resources for beginners looking to dive into forex or CFDs trading, both Swissquote and IronFX offer a range of materials, with some key differences that may influence your choice. Swissquote provides more than ten educational pieces, including articles, videos, and archived webinars, ensuring new traders have ample learning opportunities. IronFX matches this by offering a similar array of educational resources. Both brokers maintain a searchable archive of recorded webinars, but only Swissquote hosts monthly online webinars for continual learning, which can be crucial for those who value live interaction and updated insights.
Swissquote shines with its extensive video library for both novice and advanced traders, offering at least ten videos tailored to start your investment journey or challenge seasoned traders who wish to refine their skills. In contrast, IronFX focuses primarily on beginners, lacking advanced video content. Both platforms offer a comprehensive investor dictionary to clarify trading jargon. Despite having equal educational ratings of four stars, Swissquote has a higher overall ranking in ForexBrokers.com’s education category, placing 21st compared to IronFX’s 44th. This higher rank may reflect the broader educational opportunities Swissquote offers to support traders at every stage.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| 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 Swissquote is better than IronFX. Swissquote finished with an overall rank of #11, while IronFX finished with an overall rank of #48.
Traders choose Swissquote for its quality research and vast multi-asset offering – as long as they are willing to pay a premium to have their brokerage account held with a Swiss bank.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 83 |
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Swissquote allows you to purchase actual delivered cryptocurrency as well as cryptocurrency derivatives, whereas IronFX only provides the option to trade in cryptocurrency derivatives without holding the actual digital currency.
When comparing online brokers Swissquote and IronFX, Swissquote offers more diverse funding options, including ACH or SEPA transfers and PayPal, which are not available with IronFX, while both provide the ability to use Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires for depositing or withdrawing funds.
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 | Swissquote | IronFX | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 83 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Swissquote Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Swissquote | IronFX | |
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| Regulation | Swissquote | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 83 | |
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2010 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Swissquote | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | 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) | Swissquote | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| 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) | No | No |
| Investments | Swissquote | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 472 | 340 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 83 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | 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 | Swissquote | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | N/A | 1.2 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Swissquote | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1000 | $50 | |
| 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 | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Swissquote | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Swissquote | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 86 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 75 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Swissquote | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 30 | 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 | Swissquote | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | No | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Swissquote | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Swissquote | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Swissquote Review |
| Overall | Swissquote | IronFX | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 83 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Swissquote Review |
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