Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of XTB vs Swissquote, 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.
Comparing the regulatory frameworks of XTB and Swissquote reveals significant differences. Founded in 2002, XTB is a publicly traded company but not a bank. It holds 2 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses, achieving a Trust Score of 96 out of 99 by ForexBrokers.com, indicating high trust. In contrast, Swissquote, established in 1996, is both publicly traded and a licensed bank. It boasts 5 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses, earning a near-perfect Trust Score of 99, showing its exceptional trustworthiness.
Both XTB and Swissquote are listed on stock exchanges, underscoring their transparency and reliability in the financial sector. However, Swissquote's status as a bank, combined with its greater number of Tier-1 licenses, gives it a notable edge in regulatory trustworthiness. While XTB is highly trusted, Swissquote's almost perfect trust rating and banking status may offer potential clients an additional layer of security.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2002 | 1996 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank | No | Yes |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 5 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
XTB vs Swissquote on commissions and fees: XTB earns 4.5/5 stars and ranks #13 out of 63 for this category, while Swissquote scores 3.5/5 stars and ranks #35. In short, XTB is generally cheaper for typical retail forex traders, whereas Swissquote tends to be pricier, reflecting its Swiss banking pedigree.
At XTB, the Standard account is spread-only and the best fit for most retail clients. Average EUR/USD spreads were 1.0 pip in Q4 2023. The commission-based Professional account is reserved for elective professional clients in the U.K. and EU and is being phased out, so availability is limited. Minimum deposit is 250 in your base currency. Active traders can join XTB’s Lower Spread Group, which rebates 5% to 30% of the spread based on monthly volume (from 20 up to 1000 lots). Overall pricing is around the industry average, though not the absolute lowest.
Swissquote’s pricing varies by entity. In the U.K., active traders who deposit at least $10,000 get the best deal via the Elite account, which combines tighter spreads with a $5 round-turn commission; the Professional account is similar but uses a lower stop-out threshold. The Standard account starts at 1.3 pips on EUR/USD, and the Prime account advertises a 0.6-pip minimum (note this is a minimum, not an average). In Luxembourg, minimum deposits are $1,000 (Standard), $5,000 (Premium), and $50,000 (Prime), with minimum spreads from 0.8 pips (Prime) to 1.5 pips (Standard). In Switzerland, forex accounts start at $1,000 (Standard, from 1.7 pips), $10,000 (Premium, from 1.4 pips), and $50,000 (Prime, from 1.1 pips); custom pricing for high-volume traders is negotiated. Compared with XTB, Swissquote’s trading costs are generally higher.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $1000 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.92 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.92 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
XTB and Swissquote both let you trade forex as CFDs (contracts for difference) and as spot forex, and each supports U.S. and international exchange-traded stocks, so you can buy shares like Apple and Vodafone directly. XTB offers a far larger overall catalog with 7,184 tradeable symbols, while Swissquote lists 472. For currency traders, Swissquote has slightly more choice with 80 forex pairs versus 71 at XTB. Both provide crypto CFDs, but only Swissquote lets you buy actual cryptocurrency. Another difference: Swissquote offers copy trading, whereas XTB does not.
Both brokers earn 5 stars for Range of Investments, yet their industry rankings differ: Swissquote is ranked #2 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while XTB is #14. In short, choose XTB if you want a very wide selection of instruments overall, and look to Swissquote if you value more forex pairs, the ability to buy real crypto, and access to copy trading.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 7184 | 472 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 71 | 80 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | Yes |
| 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.
XTB and Swissquote both deliver strong trading platforms and tools. Each broker offers a free demo (paper) account, a proprietary platform built in-house, a Windows desktop download, and a web-based platform you can use in your browser. Both also let you place trades straight from a chart. On ratings, they tie at 4.5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools, though XTB ranks #9 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com while Swissquote ranks #12.
The biggest differences come down to features. Swissquote supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and includes copy trading, while XTB does not offer MT4, MT5, or copy trading. Choose Swissquote if you want MetaTrader and social-copy features; pick XTB if you prefer an in-house platform experience with chart trading and a free demo. With similar quality scores, XTB earns a slightly higher category ranking.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 39 | 86 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
XTB and Swissquote both deliver capable mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. For forex and stock trading, each app offers price alerts, the ability to draw trendlines on charts, and automatic saving of your drawings. One drawback for both is the lack of watchlist syncing between the mobile app and the online account, so you’ll need to manage symbols in each place.
For charting, XTB includes 39 technical studies, while Swissquote offers 30. Both earn 4.5-star ratings for Mobile Trading Apps; however, according to ForexBrokers.com, XTB ranks #8 and Swissquote ranks #12 out of 63 brokers. If you want more built-in indicators and a slightly higher ranking, XTB has the edge. Otherwise, the overall mobile experience is quite similar.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 39 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
XTB and Swissquote both deliver daily market commentary, real-time forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, and a clear economic calendar to track major events. In independent assessments, XTB earns a 5-star research rating and ranks 9th out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Swissquote holds a 4-star rating and ranks 15th.
The key differences lie in tools. Swissquote integrates Autochartist for trade ideas, while XTB does not. XTB offers a sentiment tool that shows long versus short positioning across instruments, which Swissquote lacks. Neither broker uses Trading Central, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading. Bottom line: choose XTB if you want sentiment data alongside strong commentary and news, or go with Swissquote if built-in Autochartist signals are a priority.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
XTB and Swissquote both make it easy for beginners to get up to speed. Each broker meets the common baseline for forex and CFD education with 10 or more learning pieces, runs client webinars at least once a month, and provides a large video library. You’ll find at least 10 beginner videos and at least 10 advanced videos at both brokers, plus archived sessions that help you learn at your own pace.
Where they differ is in overall quality and recognition. XTB earns 5 stars for Education and ranks 11th out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Swissquote holds 4 stars and ranks 19th. If you want the edge in depth and polish, XTB comes out ahead; if you prefer Swissquote’s ecosystem, you still get frequent webinars and plenty of beginner-friendly videos to build your skills.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 XTB is better than Swissquote. XTB finished with an overall rank of #7, while Swissquote finished with an overall rank of #11.
As a trusted multi-asset broker, XTB offers outstanding customer service, a wide variety of forex and CFDs, and an excellent overall trading experience. Its xStation 5 trading platform is well-designed and packed with innovative features, and XTB’s offers comprehensive educational content and market research.
| Feature |
XTB
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Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 96 | 99 |
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Comparing online brokers, Swissquote lets you buy both real (delivered) cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency CFDs, while XTB supports only cryptocurrency CFDs and does not offer the purchase of actual coins.
When comparing online brokers XTB and Swissquote, both support PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire transfers, but only Swissquote offers ACH/SEPA transfers, while Visa/Mastercard availability is 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 | XTB | Swissquote | |
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| Trust Score | 96 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | XTB Review | Swissquote Review |
| Broker Screenshots | XTB | Swissquote | |
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| Regulation | XTB | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 96 | 99 | |
| Year Founded | 2002 | 1996 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank | No | Yes | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 5 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 2 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | XTB | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| 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) | XTB | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | XTB | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 7184 | 472 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 71 | 80 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | Yes | |
| 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 | XTB | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.92 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.92 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | XTB | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $1000 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | XTB | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | XTB | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 39 | 86 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | XTB | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 39 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | XTB | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | XTB | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | XTB | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | XTB Review | Swissquote Review |
| Overall | XTB | Swissquote | |
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| Trust Score | 96 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | XTB Review | Swissquote Review |
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