Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Pepperstone vs Questrade, 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.
Pepperstone and Questrade are both reputable online brokers, each with its own strengths. Founded in 2010, Pepperstone is distinguished by holding three Tier-1 licenses and two Tier-2 licenses, ratings that underscore a high level of trust and reliability. With a stellar Trust Score of 95 from ForexBrokers.com, Pepperstone is highly trusted within the industry. Although not a publicly traded company or a bank, Pepperstone's regulatory standing makes it a favored choice for those seeking a secure trading platform.
On the other hand, Questrade, established in 2000, holds two Tier-1 licenses and no Tier-2 licenses, which places it in the trusted category with a Trust Score of 86 according to ForexBrokers.com. Like Pepperstone, Questrade is neither a publicly listed company nor a bank, but its solid regulatory credentials provide peace of mind for traders. Both brokers offer unique features, but if regulatory recognition and trust are key considerations, Pepperstone edges slightly ahead, offering more assurances to users.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2000 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
Pepperstone vs. Questrade on commissions and fees: Pepperstone generally offers lower trading costs for forex, especially on its Razor account. Pepperstone is rated 4.5/5 stars and ranks #6 out of 63 for Commissions and Fees at ForexBrokers.com, while Questrade is rated 3/5 stars and ranks #33. On EUR/USD, Pepperstone’s Razor account averages a 0.10‑pip spread and, after adding the commission-equivalent of 0.70 pips, comes to about 0.80 pips all-in (July 2024). By comparison, Questrade’s target spread of 1.9 pips on EUR/USD is steep versus the industry average and higher than Pepperstone’s all-in cost.
Pepperstone offers two pricing options: the commission-based Razor account and a commission-free Standard account. The Standard account lists an average EUR/USD spread of 1.1 pips (July 2024), making it pricier than Razor’s 0.80‑pip all-in. High-volume traders can lower costs further with Pepperstone’s Active Trader program: in the U.K. and EU, Professional clients trading at least £20 million per month can get a 15% rebate on spreads per lot, rising to 25% above £200 million; in Australia, Professional clients qualify from 100 lots over three months for a 10% discount per standard lot (Tier One), with reductions reaching 30% for more than 3,001 lots monthly (Tier Three).
Questrade’s forex pricing is straightforward but less competitive: its 1.9‑pip target spread on EUR/USD sits above both Pepperstone’s Razor all-in cost and the industry average. That gap helps explain Questrade’s lower 3/5 rating and #33 rank for Commissions and Fees, versus Pepperstone’s stronger 4.5/5 rating and #6 rank. If keeping trading costs down is your priority—particularly for active or professional forex traders—Pepperstone’s Razor account plus volume-based rebates can deliver better value than Questrade’s higher target spread.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $250 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.1 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Pepperstone and Questrade both let you trade forex via CFDs/spot contracts. Pepperstone lists more total instruments (1,726 vs. 641), while Questrade offers more currency pairs (110 vs. 65). If you value a larger overall catalog, Pepperstone has the edge; if your focus is forex pairs, Questrade offers the wider selection.
For stock market access, Questrade clearly wins: it lets you buy exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, while Pepperstone does not offer direct share dealing. Both brokers provide crypto CFDs but not actual coins. Pepperstone supports copy trading; Questrade does not. In independent ratings for range of investments, Pepperstone scores 4/5 stars (ranked 23 of 63), and Questrade scores 5/5 stars (ranked 12 of 63).
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1726 | 641 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 110 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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.
Pepperstone and Questrade both provide free demo (paper) accounts, proprietary platforms, and the choice of a downloadable Windows desktop platform or a web-based trading platform. Each lets you place trades directly from charts. The key differences are platform options and social features: Pepperstone supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and offers copy trading, while Questrade does not provide MT4/MT5 or copy trading.
For trading platforms and tools, both brokers earned 4 out of 5 stars. In ForexBrokers.com’s rankings out of 63 brokers, Pepperstone placed #21 and Questrade placed #28. Both include charting and watchlists; exact indicator and watchlist column counts aren’t specified here. If you want MetaTrader and copy trading, Pepperstone is the better fit, while Questrade suits traders who prefer staying within its in-house platform ecosystem.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 64 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Pepperstone and Questrade both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports stock and forex price alerts and keeps your watchlists synced with your online account. Charting on both apps lets you draw trendlines, and your drawings auto-save so you don’t have to redo your work.
The key difference is in technical studies: Pepperstone includes 30 indicators, while Questrade offers 64. Both earn 4 out of 5 stars for Mobile Trading Apps from ForexBrokers.com. In that same category, Pepperstone ranks 19th out of 63 brokers, compared with Questrade at 28th. Choose Pepperstone if a higher third-party ranking matters most, or Questrade if you want more built-in indicators.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 64 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Pepperstone vs Questrade for market research: Pepperstone offers daily market commentary, forex news from top-tier sources, a sentiment tool that shows long/short positioning, Autochartist, and an economic calendar. Questrade provides Autochartist, Trading Central, TipRanks, and an economic calendar, but it does not include daily commentary or a sentiment tool; access to top-tier forex news is not specified.
On performance, Pepperstone is rated 4.5/5 and ranks #12 out of 63 for Research, while Questrade scores 3.5/5 and ranks #34. Choose Pepperstone if you value daily commentary, integrated news, and sentiment data for trading decisions. Pick Questrade if you prefer third-party research like Trading Central and TipRanks alongside technical analysis from Autochartist and a standard economic calendar.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central | No | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | Yes |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Pepperstone vs. Questrade for beginner education: both brokers provide at least 10 beginner-friendly videos to help you learn trading basics. Pepperstone goes a step further with monthly live webinars for clients, giving newcomers a chance to ask questions in real time—something Questrade does not offer. Pepperstone also features 10+ advanced videos, which makes it easier to keep learning as your skills grow, while Questrade lacks an equally deep advanced library.
Ratings reflect the gap. Pepperstone earns 4.5 out of 5 stars for Education and ranks #15 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Questrade scores 3.5 stars and ranks #28. If you want a starter toolkit plus ongoing live sessions and room to advance, Pepperstone has the edge. If you just need beginner videos, both can work.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Pepperstone is better than Questrade. Pepperstone finished with an overall rank of #17, while Questrade finished with an overall rank of #29.
Pepperstone offers a growing range of tradeable markets, good-quality research, and support for multiple social copy trading platforms.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
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Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 86 |
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Pepperstone and Questrade do not support buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both offer cryptocurrency CFD trading, providing derivative crypto exposure without owning the underlying coins.
Comparing online brokers Pepperstone vs Questrade for deposit and withdrawal methods: Pepperstone supports ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wires (not Skrill), while Questrade supports bank wires only and does not offer ACH/SEPA, PayPal, or Skrill.
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 | Pepperstone | Questrade | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Pepperstone Review | Questrade Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Pepperstone | Questrade | |
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| Regulation | Pepperstone | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 95 | 86 | |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2000 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Pepperstone | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Pepperstone | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | Pepperstone | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1726 | 641 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 110 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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 | Pepperstone | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.1 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | No |
| Funding | Pepperstone | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $250 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Pepperstone | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No | |
| cTrader | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | Pepperstone | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 64 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Pepperstone | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 64 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Pepperstone | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | ||
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | Yes | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Pepperstone | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | Pepperstone | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Pepperstone Review | Questrade Review |
| Overall | Pepperstone | Questrade | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Pepperstone Review | Questrade Review |
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