Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Swissquote 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.
Swissquote and Questrade are both recognized names in the field of online brokerage, yet they differ significantly in their regulatory and trust standings. Founded in 1996, Swissquote is a publicly traded entity and also operates as a bank, adding a layer of reliability to its financial services. With an impressive Trust Score of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, Swissquote is highly trusted, reinforced by its possession of five Tier-1 and two Tier-2 licenses, adding to its credibility.
On the other hand, Questrade, established in 2000, is not publicly traded nor does it operate as a bank. Its Trust Score of 86 reflects a trusted, yet less pronounced, standing in comparison to Swissquote. Questrade holds two Tier-1 licenses but lacks any Tier-2 licenses according to ForexBrokers.com. This comparison highlights Swissquote’s stronger regulatory framework and perceived trustworthiness within the industry.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2000 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | |
| Bank | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
When comparing Swissquote and Questrade, both online brokers have distinct fee structures that cater to different types of traders. Swissquote, with its appeal of strong Swiss banking connections, charges slightly higher fees, reflecting the prestige of holding an account with a Swiss institution. The commissions and spreads vary depending on the entity you choose – Swissquote Ltd in the U.K., Swissquote Bank Ltd in Switzerland, or Swissquote Bank Europe SA in Luxembourg. In the U.K., lower costs are available with Swissquote, featuring premier options like the Elite account, which requires a $10,000 deposit and $5 per round-turn trade, offering competitive lower spreads. Conversely, Luxembourg and Swiss branches present a different pricing model with varying minimum deposits and spreads starting from 1.3 to 1.5 pips for standard accounts, making them less competitive cost-wise.
In comparison, Questrade offers slightly less competitive target spreads on the EUR/USD at 1.9 pips, which is above the industry average. Questrade's commissions and fees are straightforward but notably higher than many competitors. Looking at the broker ratings, Swissquote scores 3.5 out of 5 stars, ranking 53rd out of 63 brokers, while Questrade scores 3 stars, ranking lower at 58th in the same category.
Whether you prioritize the assurance that comes with a Swiss financial entity or prefer a straightforward fee schedule, both Swissquote and Questrade provide different value propositions. For those seeking lower entry thresholds with competitive spreads, Swissquote's U.K. accounts are worth considering, whereas Questrade might be suited for traders prioritizing simplicity despite the higher spread rate on major currency pairs.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1000 | $250 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | N/A | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Both Swissquote and Questrade offer impressive ranges of investment options for traders seeking variety in their portfolios. Swissquote provides access to forex trading as both CFD and spot contracts, featuring a remarkable 472 tradeable symbols and 80 forex pairs. While Swissquote grants its clients the ability to buy actual cryptocurrencies and their derivatives, Questrade allows only the purchase of cryptocurrency derivatives. In addition, Swissquote supports copy trading, adding another layer of flexibility for investors looking to mimic successful strategies. On the other hand, Questrade offers a larger selection of 641 tradeable symbols and 110 forex pairs, ensuring that traders have extensive options to choose from.
Both platforms empower traders with the capability to engage in exchange-traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges, making investments in major companies like Apple and Vodafone attainable. Swissquote holds the advantage in the niche offering of actual cryptocurrencies, which increases its allure for crypto enthusiasts. Both brokers are highly rated at five stars for their range of investments, but Swissquote ranks higher at #2 compared to Questrade's #11 according to ForexBrokers.com. This highlights Swissquote's slightly broader investment offerings and nuanced features, suggesting it might be the better choice for those prioritizing an extensive range of investment products.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 472 | 641 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 110 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | |
| 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.
Swissquote and Questrade both offer comprehensive trading platforms that cater to different investment needs. Each broker provides a proprietary platform developed in-house, available for download on Windows and accessible via web browsers. Both Swissquote and Questrade support simulated trading through free virtual demo accounts, which is excellent for beginners needing practice before investing real money. When it comes to trading tools, Swissquote is equipped with several advanced features, including the ability to trade directly from stock charts and a vast array of 75 drawing tools. Additionally, Swissquote supports popular platforms like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, a significant advantage for forex traders. Meanwhile, Questrade offers 20 drawing tools and a notable 52 fields for watch lists, providing investors with ample resources for organizing stocks and tracking markets.
While both platforms offer strong services, Swissquote holds a slightly higher rating of 4.5 stars compared to Questrade's 4 stars for their trading platforms and tools. This reflects Swissquote's broad range of features, including support for copy trading. In contrast, Questrade users benefit from integration with DupliTrade, enhancing the platform's versatility. When examining their rankings by ForexBrokers.com, Swissquote stands out at #12 among 63 brokers, whereas Questrade ranks #34. These distinctions highlight Swissquote's edge in technological tools and services, making it an appealing choice for those seeking a diverse and feature-rich trading experience.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | |
| DupliTrade | Yes | |
| ZuluTrade | ||
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 86 | 64 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 75 | 20 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 52 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both Swissquote and Questrade offer versatile mobile apps for both iPhone and Android users, pleasing traders who rely on their mobile devices for market access. These apps allow users to receive stock and forex price alerts, ensuring you're always up to date on market movements. While both platforms feature the ability to draw trendlines and view multiple time frames on charts, Swissquote falls behind Questrade when it comes to the number of technical studies available, offering 30 compared to Questrade's 64. Despite this, both platforms support watchlist symbol syncing and real-time quote watchlists, streamlining the trading experience across devices.
When it's time to rate these mobile trading platforms, Swissquote earns a slight edge with 4.5 stars, compared to Questrade's 4 stars. Reflecting their commitment to user experience, ForexBrokers.com ranks Swissquote significantly higher at 12th place out of 63 brokers, while Questrade comes in at 34th. Both platforms auto-save chart drawings, offering users added convenience. Whether you prioritize a higher app ranking or more technical studies, both Swissquote and Questrade provide solid options for mobile trading enthusiasts.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 64 |
| 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 it comes to market research, Swissquote and Questrade each offer distinct advantages to traders seeking informed investment decisions. Swissquote provides daily market commentary, keeping investors updated with the latest trends. It also delivers forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, ensuring access to high-quality financial insights. For traders utilizing technical analysis, Swissquote offers tools from Autochartist, known for its predictive analytics. Both Swissquote and Questrade feature economic calendars that display global economic events, but Swissquote takes a slight edge with its higher research rating of four stars compared to Questrade’s 3.5 stars.
Questrade, on the other hand, might appeal to traders keen on leveraging Trading Central’s technical analytics and market research from TipRanks, which are not available through Swissquote. While both brokers lack sentiment-based trading tools and research from Acuity Trading, their offerings suit different investor focuses. Swissquote is ranked higher at 16th for research among 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, suggesting a slightly more comprehensive suite of research tools compared to Questrade, which is placed at 51st. The decision between the two may ultimately depend on an investor's specific research needs and the value they place on different market intelligence offerings.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | ||
| TipRanks | Yes | |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | ||
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to educational resources for beginners exploring the world of online trading, both Swissquote and Questrade offer a comprehensive array of tools, yet there are key differences. Swissquote provides beginners with education on forex and CFDs through more than ten articles, videos, and archived webinars dedicated to these topics. Complementing this, they also offer online client webinars monthly, alongside a searchable archive of past webinars. For those just starting their trading journey, Swissquote presents a helpful selection of at least ten beginner-focused educational videos. Additionally, Swissquote caters to advanced traders with another set of videos specifically designed for seasoned learners. The platform also includes an investor dictionary, defining over 50 trading terms to boost users' familiarity with the niche terminology.
On the other hand, Questrade also equips beginners with over ten educational pieces focused on forex and CFDs. They maintain a library of archived webinars, where users can delve into previously recorded sessions. Newcomers to trading can benefit from Questrade's ten educational videos focusing on foundational topics. However, the availability of advanced videos specifically targeting experienced traders and an expansive investor dictionary is not indicated. Evaluating their educational offerings, Swissquote garners a commendable four-star rating and stands at the 21st spot out of 63 online brokers, while Questrade receives a 3.5-star rating and ranks 36th in the same review. Overall, both platforms endorse strong educational foundations, with Swissquote having a slight edge in advanced trader education and additional resources.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | 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 Questrade. Swissquote finished with an overall rank of #11, while Questrade finished with an overall rank of #32.
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
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Questrade
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 86 |
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Swissquote allows users to purchase actual delivered cryptocurrency and also offers cryptocurrency derivatives, while Questrade provides the option to trade cryptocurrency derivatives but does not offer the ability to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency.
When comparing online brokers Swissquote and Questrade, Swissquote offers more versatile transaction options including ACH/SEPA transfers, PayPal, and Skrill, alongside Visa/Mastercard and bank wire transfers, whereas Questrade provides Visa/Mastercard and bank wire transfers but lacks ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and Skrill support.
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 | Questrade | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Swissquote Review | Questrade Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Swissquote | Questrade | |
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| Regulation | Swissquote | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 86 | |
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2000 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | ||
| Bank | Yes | ||
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Swissquote | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | |||
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | |||
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | |||
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | |||
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Swissquote | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | |||
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | ||
| India (SEBI Authorised) | |||
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Swissquote | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 472 | 641 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 110 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | ||
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | ||
| 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 | Swissquote | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | N/A | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | ||
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | ||
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes |
| Funding | Swissquote | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1000 | $250 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Swissquote | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | ||
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | ||
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | ||
| cTrader | |||
| DupliTrade | Yes | ||
| ZuluTrade |
| Trading Tools | Swissquote | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 52 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 86 | 64 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 75 | 20 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Swissquote | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | ||
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 64 | |
| 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 | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | ||
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | ||
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | ||
| TipRanks | Yes | ||
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | |||
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Swissquote | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | ||
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | ||
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Swissquote | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Questrade Review |
| Overall | Swissquote | Questrade | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Swissquote Review | Questrade Review |
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