Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Swissquote vs Pepperstone, 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.
Swissquote vs Pepperstone: both are well-regulated online brokers, but their profiles differ. Swissquote was founded in 1996, is publicly traded, and operates as a bank. Pepperstone launched in 2010, is privately held, and is not a bank. On the ForexBrokers.com Trust Score scale—where 90–99 is highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and below 59 not trusted—Swissquote earns 99 while Pepperstone scores 94; both fall in the highly trusted range.
Regulation and licenses shape oversight and client protections. Swissquote holds 5 Tier-1 licenses (considered highly trusted by ForexBrokers.com) and 2 Tier-2 licenses (trusted). Pepperstone holds 3 Tier-1 and 2 Tier-2 licenses. In short, both offer strong regulatory coverage, with Swissquote adding a longer track record and the transparency of a listed, banking institution.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
Pepperstone beats Swissquote on pure trading costs. Pepperstone earns 5/5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #6 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Swissquote scores 3.5/5 stars and ranks #35 out of 63. If low spreads and clear pricing are your priority, Pepperstone generally comes out cheaper; Swissquote’s appeal is the Swiss banking brand, but that adds a pricing premium.
Swissquote’s pricing varies by entity and account. In the U.K., the Elite account suits active traders who can deposit at least $10,000, pairing tighter spreads with a $5 round‑turn commission; the Standard account starts from 1.3 pips on EUR/USD and Prime lists a 0.6‑pip minimum (not an average). Luxembourg accounts range from 0.8 pips (Prime, $50,000 minimum) to 1.5 pips (Standard, $1,000 minimum). In Switzerland, forex accounts start higher: Standard from 1.7 pips, Premium from 1.4 pips, and Prime from 1.1 pips (custom discounts are negotiable for high volume). Overall, Swissquote’s costs trend above the lowest-cost forex brokers.
Pepperstone’s Razor account uses a commission-based model and listed an average 0.10‑pip EUR/USD spread; adding the commission-equivalent of 0.70 pips brings the all‑in cost to about 0.80 pips (as of July 2024). The Standard account is commission‑free but averages 1.1 pips on EUR/USD, making it pricier than Razor. High‑volume traders can cut costs further with Pepperstone’s Active Trader program, which pays spread rebates on tiered volume in the U.K./EU and Australia.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1000 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | N/A | 1.1 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 0.8 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing the range of investments at Swissquote and Pepperstone, both let you trade forex. Pepperstone offers a broader catalog with about 1,726 tradeable symbols versus Swissquote’s 472. That said, Swissquote lists more currency pairs (80 vs. 65) and also lets clients buy exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges (for example, Apple on NASDAQ or Vodafone in London), which Pepperstone does not. Reflecting this breadth, ForexBrokers.com rates Swissquote 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks it #2 of 63 brokers; Pepperstone earns 4 stars and ranks #23.
Both brokers support copy trading. For crypto, Swissquote offers both actual delivered cryptocurrency and crypto CFDs, while Pepperstone offers crypto CFDs only. In short, pick Pepperstone if you want a very wide selection of CFD markets; choose Swissquote if you want multi-asset investing with real shares, more forex pairs, and the option to own cryptocurrency.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 472 | 1726 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 65 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | 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). | 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.
Swissquote vs Pepperstone: both brokers cover the essentials for trading platforms and tools. Each offers a free demo (paper) account, a proprietary platform built in-house, and full support for MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). You can trade via a Windows desktop download or a web browser, use copy trading, and place orders directly from charts. Both provide popular technical indicators and watch lists to help you analyze markets and act quickly.
Independent ratings show a slight edge for Swissquote in this category. According to ForexBrokers.com, Swissquote earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks 12th out of 63 brokers, while Pepperstone scores 4 out of 5 stars and ranks 21st. If platform ratings matter to you, Swissquote comes out ahead; if you mainly want MetaTrader access, web and desktop options, and copy trading, either broker can work well.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 86 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Swissquote vs Pepperstone: both brokers deliver full-featured mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts, 30 technical studies for charting, trendline drawing, and auto‑saving of chart annotations. That means you can analyze markets and keep your work intact across sessions on your phone or tablet.
The key difference is watchlist syncing. Pepperstone syncs watchlists between the mobile app and your online account, while Swissquote does not. In independent testing by ForexBrokers.com, Swissquote earned 4.5 stars for Mobile Trading Apps and ranked 12th out of 63 brokers; Pepperstone received 4 stars and ranked 19th. If seamless watchlists matter most, Pepperstone has the edge. If higher overall mobile app ratings and ranking sway you, Swissquote comes out ahead.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Swissquote and Pepperstone both deliver daily market commentary and forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg or Reuters. Each broker integrates Autochartist for trade ideas and provides an economic calendar that tracks global events. Neither offers Trading Central, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading tools. The main difference is sentiment analysis: Pepperstone includes a tool that displays the long-vs-short positioning across instruments, while Swissquote does not.
Both brokers earn 4.5 out of 5 stars for research. In ForexBrokers.com’s rankings, Pepperstone is #12 for Research and Swissquote is #15 out of 63 brokers. Choose Pepperstone if a built-in sentiment gauge matters to you; pick Swissquote if you’re focused on daily commentary, top-tier news, Autochartist, and an easy-to-use economic calendar.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | No | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Swissquote and Pepperstone are both strong picks for beginner traders who want clear forex and CFD education. Each broker offers at least 10 beginner-focused videos to help you learn the basics step by step, plus monthly live webinars where you can ask questions and see concepts in action. As you progress, both also provide at least 10 advanced videos, so you can keep building skills without switching platforms.
Both brokers earn 4.5 out of 5 stars for Education from ForexBrokers.com. Pepperstone holds a slight edge in the category ranking (#15 of 63) compared with Swissquote (#19 of 63). If a small advantage in overall education standing matters to you, Pepperstone may be the pick, while Swissquote remains an excellent option for beginners who value a wide range of videos and frequent webinars.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | 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 Pepperstone. Swissquote finished with an overall rank of #11, while Pepperstone finished with an overall rank of #17.
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
|
Pepperstone
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 94 |
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Swissquote vs Pepperstone: Swissquote allows you to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies and trade crypto CFDs, while Pepperstone offers only cryptocurrency CFD trading and does not provide access to buying real crypto.
Comparing online brokers, Swissquote and Pepperstone both support ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wire transfers, only Swissquote supports Skrill, and card options (Visa/Mastercard) are not specified for either.
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 | Pepperstone | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 94 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Swissquote Review | Pepperstone Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Swissquote | Pepperstone | |
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| Regulation | Swissquote | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 94 | |
| 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 | 2 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Swissquote | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| 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 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Swissquote | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 472 | 1726 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 65 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | 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). | 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 | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | N/A | 1.1 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 0.8 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Swissquote | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1000 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Swissquote | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | Yes |
| Trading Tools | Swissquote | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 86 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Swissquote | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Swissquote | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | No | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Swissquote | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Swissquote | Pepperstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Swissquote Review | Pepperstone Review |
| Overall | Swissquote | Pepperstone | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 94 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Swissquote Review | Pepperstone Review |
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