Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Swissquote vs ThinkMarkets, 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.
When choosing between Swissquote and ThinkMarkets for online trading, understanding their regulatory credentials can help inform your decision. Swissquote, founded in 1996, distinguishes itself as a bank and a publicly traded company, adding an extra layer of transparency and trust for investors. It holds an impressive ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99 out of 99, reflecting its strong standing in the industry. Swissquote's credibility is further supported by five Tier-1 licenses and two Tier-2 licenses, signifying both high trust and added reliability.
ThinkMarkets, on the other hand, began operations in 2010 and is not publicly traded, nor is it a bank. Nonetheless, it maintains a very respectable ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 92. Like Swissquote, ThinkMarkets is fortified by five Tier-1 licenses, ensuring a high level of confidence. It also holds two Tier-2 licenses, similar to Swissquote, marking it as a trusted choice in the online brokerage landscape. Whether prioritizing a longstanding, bank-backed institution or a relatively newer broker, both options bring reliable regulatory assurances to the table.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
ThinkMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 5 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
When it comes to commissions and fees, ThinkMarkets scores better than Swissquote in independent testing: ThinkMarkets earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks 48th of 63 brokers for the Commissions and Fees category, while Swissquote earns 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks 54th of 63. ThinkMarkets does not publish average spread data, which makes an exact, apples-to-apples comparison difficult, but its higher rating and ranking suggest it tends to be the cheaper choice overall.
Swissquote’s pricing varies by entity and account type, and you do pay a small premium for the safety and brand appeal of a major Swiss banking group. The U.K. entity generally offers the lowest costs and lighter deposit requirements (though with a narrower product list). For active traders who can deposit at least $10,000, the U.K. Elite account uses commission pricing with a $5 round-turn charge and lower spreads; the Professional account is similar but has a lower stop-out threshold. Less compelling are the Standard account (EUR/USD from 1.3 pips) and the Prime account’s tighter but minimum—not average—spread from 0.6 pips. In Luxembourg, minimum spreads range from 1.5 pips (Standard, $1,000 minimum) to 0.8 pips (Prime, $50,000). In Switzerland, forex accounts start at 1.7 pips (Standard, $1,000 minimum), 1.4 pips (Premium, $10,000), and 1.1 pips (Prime, $50,000), with custom pricing available for high-volume traders.
By contrast, ThinkMarkets doesn’t provide average spread figures publicly, but its 4/5 star score and better category ranking indicate generally more competitive trading costs than Swissquote. If transparent, published averages are a must-have for you, Swissquote lists more detailed spread and commission info by region and account; if your priority is likely lower overall pricing, ThinkMarkets has the edge based on the ratings.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
ThinkMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1000 | $50 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | N/A | 1.1 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Swissquote and ThinkMarkets both support forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts and offer copy trading. ThinkMarkets lists far more total instruments (about 4,000 tradeable symbols) than Swissquote (472). That said, Swissquote leads in currency coverage with 80 forex pairs versus 46 at ThinkMarkets. For Range of Investments, Swissquote earns 5 stars and ranks #2 of 63 brokers with ForexBrokers.com, while ThinkMarkets scores 4.5 stars and ranks #24.
If you want direct share dealing, Swissquote lets you buy exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, so you can purchase stocks like Apple or Vodafone without using CFDs. ThinkMarkets offers exchange-traded shares on international markets but not U.S. exchanges. For crypto, Swissquote supports both delivered cryptocurrency and crypto derivatives; ThinkMarkets offers crypto derivatives only. In short, ThinkMarkets suits traders seeking a large list of symbols, while Swissquote suits those who want more forex pairs, access to U.S. and global shares, and the option to buy real crypto.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
ThinkMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 472 | 4000 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 46 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| 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 and ThinkMarkets both deliver a wide platform choice for forex and CFD trading. Each offers a free demo (paper) account, an in-house proprietary platform, a Windows desktop download, and a web-based platform. Both support MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), include copy trading options, and let you place trades directly from charts—useful for quick, visual order entry.
For trading platforms and tools, Swissquote holds a slight edge: it’s rated 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #12 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. ThinkMarkets is close behind with 4 out of 5 stars and a #28 ranking. If you want a broader platform experience with higher-rated tools, Swissquote is the stronger pick; if you prefer a similar lineup with solid MetaTrader support, ThinkMarkets is a compelling alternative.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
ThinkMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Swissquote and ThinkMarkets both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, with price alerts, trendline drawing, and auto-saving of chart annotations. Neither app syncs watchlist symbols between mobile and web. For charting depth, ThinkMarkets stands out with 94 technical studies compared with Swissquote’s 30, which may appeal to traders who rely heavily on indicators.
In overall quality, Swissquote earns 4.5 stars and ranks #12 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps on ForexBrokers.com, while ThinkMarkets scores 4 stars and ranks #20. Details about multi-timeframe chart views and creating real-time quote watchlists were not specified for either app in the data provided.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
ThinkMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 94 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
For market research, both Swissquote and ThinkMarkets provide daily market commentary, top-tier forex news from sources like Bloomberg or Reuters, and a clear economic calendar to track upcoming events. The key differences are in their tools: Swissquote includes Autochartist for technical and fundamental ideas, while ThinkMarkets does not. ThinkMarkets counters with a sentiment tool that shows the ratio of long vs. short positions and adds Acuity Trading (e.g., Signal Centre) for trading signals. Neither broker offers Trading Central or TipRanks.
Ratings reflect these differences. Swissquote earns 4 stars and ranks #16 out of 63 brokers for Research at ForexBrokers.com, signaling stronger overall research depth. ThinkMarkets scores 3.5 stars and ranks #51, making it a better fit if you value sentiment insights and Acuity’s signals, while Swissquote suits traders who want Autochartist integrated with news and daily analysis.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
ThinkMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | No | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Swissquote vs ThinkMarkets for beginner education: both brokers host online webinars every month and offer sizable video libraries. Each provides at least 10 beginner trading videos to help you learn the basics, plus 10 or more advanced videos for later skills. This mix of short lessons and live sessions makes it easier to understand forex and CFD topics step by step.
Where they differ is in overall educational strength. On ForexBrokers.com, Swissquote earns 4 stars and ranks 20th out of 63 brokers, while ThinkMarkets scores 3.5 stars and ranks 52nd. We couldn’t confirm whether either broker has a searchable archive of past webinars, a forex/CFD education library with 10+ articles or videos, or a large investor dictionary of 50+ terms. If those extras matter, check each site directly; otherwise, beginners may lean toward Swissquote’s higher rating as a simple tiebreaker.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
ThinkMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 ThinkMarkets. Swissquote finished with an overall rank of #11, while ThinkMarkets finished with an overall rank of #27.
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
|
ThinkMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 99 | 92 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Commissions & Fees |
|
|
| Platforms & Tools |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
When comparing Swissquote and ThinkMarkets for cryptocurrency trading, Swissquote provides the option to purchase actual delivered cryptocurrency and also offers cryptocurrency derivatives, whereas ThinkMarkets only provides the ability to trade in cryptocurrency derivatives without the option to buy the actual cryptocurrency.
Between online brokers Swissquote and ThinkMarkets, Swissquote supports ACH/SEPA, PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire deposits/withdrawals, while ThinkMarkets offers Skrill and bank wires but lacks ACH/SEPA and PayPal.
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.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | Swissquote | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Commissions & Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Platforms & Tools |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 99 | 92 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Swissquote Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Swissquote | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
| Regulation | Swissquote | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 92 | |
| 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 | 5 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 2 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Swissquote | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| 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 | Yes | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Swissquote | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Swissquote | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 472 | 4000 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 46 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | N/A | 1.1 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Swissquote | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1000 | $50 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Swissquote | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
| Trading Tools | Swissquote | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 86 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Swissquote | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 94 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Swissquote | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | No | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Swissquote | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Swissquote | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Overall | Swissquote | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Commissions & Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Platforms & Tools |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 99 | 92 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Swissquote Review |
IG
CMC Markets
FOREX.com
XTB
eToro
AvaTrade
Plus500
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill