Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of ThinkMarkets vs Trade Nation, 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.
ThinkMarkets and Trade Nation are both online brokers established in the past decade, with ThinkMarkets founded in 2010 and Trade Nation in 2014. Neither broker is a bank or publicly traded. When evaluating the level of trust, ThinkMarkets holds a significant edge with a higher Trust Score of 92 out of 99, ranking them as highly trusted. In contrast, Trade Nation scores 85, placing them in the trusted category according to ForexBrokers.com. This higher rating aligns with ThinkMarkets' coverage of five Tier-1 licenses, compared to Trade Nation's two.
Beyond Tier-1, ThinkMarkets also carries two Tier-2 licenses while Trade Nation has one, further adding to their trust credentials. Both firms offer a reliable background for investors, yet ThinkMarkets' higher rating and broader regulatory coverage make it a more attractive option for individuals seeking confidence in their online broker.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2014 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 2 |
ThinkMarkets and Trade Nation offer different approaches to commissions and fees, catering to traders with varying needs. ThinkMarkets, rated 4 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees, takes a straightforward approach. However, without specific average spread data, precise comparisons with other brokers are challenging. This broker is ranked #48 out of 63 by ForexBrokers.com in the Commissions and Fees category, indicating room for improvement but still maintaining a competitive edge in certain areas.
Trade Nation, on the other hand, prides itself on its competitive fixed-spread pricing. Rated 5 out of 5 stars and ranked #7 out of 63 by ForexBrokers.com in the Commissions and Fees category, Trade Nation distinguishes itself through transparent pricing. The broker offers fixed spreads, such as 0.6 pips for the EUR/USD pair, which can widen slightly during daily rollover periods. This creates a true average spread of approximately 1 pip, providing consistency and predictability for traders.
Additionally, Trade Nation’s account options cater to both novice and experienced traders. With three main account types, the choices include a MetaTrader-based Raw Spread account with a $7 charge per round trip per standard lot and a commission-free account. The TN Trader account, designed for its proprietary platform, likely offers the lowest spreads when accounting for all costs. The fixed spreads and varied account offerings make Trade Nation a competitive choice in the world of online trading.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.1 | 0.6 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 0.6 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
ThinkMarkets offers a wider range of markets than Trade Nation, with about 4,000 tradable symbols versus Trade Nation’s 1,000. Both brokers support forex trading (CFD/spot) and list 46 currency pairs each. For overall range of investments, ForexBrokers.com rates ThinkMarkets 4.5 out of 5 stars (ranked 24th of 63) compared with Trade Nation’s 3.5 out of 5 stars (ranked 39th of 63), giving ThinkMarkets the edge for choice.
There are key differences in what you can buy. Neither broker lets you purchase U.S.-listed shares directly, and neither supports buying actual cryptocurrencies, but both offer cryptocurrency CFDs and copy trading. A notable plus for ThinkMarkets is access to exchange-traded shares on certain international markets, which Trade Nation does not provide. If you want more symbols and the option to trade some non-CFD international stocks, ThinkMarkets is the stronger fit; if you need a simpler lineup with the essentials, Trade Nation covers the basics.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 4000 | 1000 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 46 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| 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). | 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.
ThinkMarkets and Trade Nation both cover the essentials for traders who want choice and ease of use. Each broker provides a free demo account, a proprietary platform, and access to MetaTrader 4 (MT4). You can trade via a Windows desktop download or a web-based platform, and both support copy trading—useful if you want to mirror experienced traders. This mix works for beginners and active traders who prefer familiar tools.
Key differences appear in advanced features. ThinkMarkets also supports MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and lets you place trades directly from a chart, while Trade Nation does not offer MT5 and does not enable chart trading. Both earn 4 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools, but in ForexBrokers.com’s 63-broker comparison, ThinkMarkets ranks higher (#28) than Trade Nation (#45). If MT5 or chart trading matters to you, ThinkMarkets may be the better fit; if you mainly want MT4 with a straightforward web and desktop setup plus copy trading, Trade Nation remains competitive.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 115 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
ThinkMarkets and Trade Nation both deliver full-featured mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts, lets you draw trendlines on charts, and automatically saves your drawings. For charting tools, Trade Nation offers 99 built-in technical studies, while ThinkMarkets provides 94—both sizable libraries that cover common indicators traders expect.
The biggest usability difference is watchlists: Trade Nation syncs watchlists between mobile and your online account, while ThinkMarkets does not. Both apps earn 4 out of 5 stars, yet their category rankings differ on ForexBrokers.com—ThinkMarkets sits at #20 out of 63 brokers, compared to Trade Nation at #46. If cross-device watchlist syncing matters most, Trade Nation has the edge; if overall mobile experience and rankings weigh more for you, ThinkMarkets is the stronger pick.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 94 | 99 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
ThinkMarkets and Trade Nation both deliver daily market commentary and offer forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones. Each broker includes a sentiment tool that shows long/short positioning and provides research from Acuity Trading (including Signal Centre). On the flip side, neither platform integrates Autochartist or Trading Central tools, and neither features TipRanks.
A key difference is the economic calendar: ThinkMarkets includes a global events calendar, while Trade Nation does not. Even so, both brokers earn 3.5 out of 5 stars for research. In ForexBrokers.com’s 63-broker comparison, Trade Nation ranks higher at #43 versus ThinkMarkets at #51. Choose ThinkMarkets if an in-platform economic calendar matters to you; pick Trade Nation if you prioritize its higher placement while still getting news, commentary, sentiment tools, and Acuity-powered signals.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners comparing ThinkMarkets and Trade Nation, both brokers provide at least 10 video lessons for newcomers and at least 10 for advanced traders, so you’ll find a solid library of how‑to content either way. A key difference is live learning: ThinkMarkets runs client education webinars at least once per month, while Trade Nation does not offer monthly webinars. If you value real-time sessions for questions and walkthroughs, ThinkMarkets has an edge.
The data provided doesn’t confirm whether either broker’s overall library includes 10 or more forex- or CFD-focused pieces beyond those video counts. In terms of quality signals, both earn 3.5 stars for Education, but ForexBrokers.com ranks Trade Nation higher (#41 of 63) than ThinkMarkets (#52 of 63). Pick ThinkMarkets if recurring webinars matter to you; choose Trade Nation if a slightly stronger education ranking is your priority. Either way, beginners will find plenty of video-based learning to get started.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| 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 ThinkMarkets is better than Trade Nation. ThinkMarkets finished with an overall rank of #27, while Trade Nation finished with an overall rank of #34.
ThinkMarkets has multiple regulatory license and offers a proprietary trading platform, as well as the entire MetaTrader suite. The broker has made progress in key areas, such as research and education, and the range of markets available, although trails behind the best brokers in these categories.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 92 | 85 |
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When comparing online brokers ThinkMarkets and Trade Nation, neither offers buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both provide access to cryptocurrency trading via CFDs.
In the ThinkMarkets vs Trade Nation comparison, both online brokers allow funding via Skrill and bank wire transfers, while neither supports ACH/SEPA or PayPal for deposits or withdrawals.
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 | ThinkMarkets | Trade Nation | |
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| Trust Score | 92 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Trade Nation Review |
| Broker Screenshots | ThinkMarkets | Trade Nation | |
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| Regulation | ThinkMarkets | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 92 | 85 | |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2014 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | ThinkMarkets | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | ThinkMarkets | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | ThinkMarkets | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 4000 | 1000 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 46 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| 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). | 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 | ThinkMarkets | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.1 | 0.6 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 0.6 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | ThinkMarkets | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | ThinkMarkets | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | ThinkMarkets | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 115 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | No |
| Mobile Trading | ThinkMarkets | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 94 | 99 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Research | ThinkMarkets | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Education | ThinkMarkets | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | ThinkMarkets | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Trade Nation Review |
| Overall | ThinkMarkets | Trade Nation | |
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| Trust Score | 92 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Trade Nation Review |
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