Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Tickmill 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.
Tickmill and Trade Nation, both founded in 2014, are reputable online brokers in the trading landscape. Neither is publicly traded nor operates as a bank. When it comes to regulatory credentials, both brokers boast two Tier-1 licenses, recognized as highly trusted by ForexBrokers.com. However, Tickmill edges out slightly by holding two Tier-2 licenses compared to Trade Nation's one Tier-2 license. This is reflected in their Trust Scores, with Tickmill earning a score of 86 and Trade Nation close behind at 85, indicating that both brokers are considered trustworthy, though Tickmill has a slight advantage.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2014 | 2014 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
Tickmill and Trade Nation each offer unique benefits when it comes to commissions and fees, catering to different trading styles and preferences. Tickmill offers a Classic account that is fully commission-free, relying solely on the bid/ask spread. However, these spreads are notably higher at 1.76 pips as of August 2023 compared to their Raw account. The Raw account, with its recently increased commission of $3 per side, equates to $6 per standard lot traded. Despite the increase, Tickmill remains a top choice for active traders due to its low average spreads and an all-in cost of 0.71 pips for the EUR/USD pair. This account, once known as the Pro account, also boasts a low entry barrier with a minimum balance requirement of just $100 and is ideal for those who engage in algorithmic trading.
On the other hand, Trade Nation provides fixed-spread pricing, making it stand out in the market. With a fixed spread of 0.6 pips for the EUR/USD pair, Trade Nation offers transparency and predictability that some traders might find appealing. While the spread can widen up to 1.4 pips during the rollover period, the average spread typically remains around 1 pip. Trade Nation presents three primary account options, including the Raw Spread account charging a $3.50 commission per side, and the TN Trader account, which offers lower spreads. These fixed-spread accounts appeal to traders who favor predictability over fluctuating variable spreads.
In terms of ratings, Tickmill and Trade Nation both achieve a stellar 5-star rating for their commissions and fees. Among 63 brokers, Tickmill takes the #4 spot, with Trade Nation not far behind at #7 according to ForexBrokers.com. Each platform provides significant value for traders, tailored through their respective pricing strategies: Tickmill with competitive spreads that cater to high-frequency trading, and Trade Nation with consistent and transparent pricing through fixed spreads.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $0 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.51 | 0.6 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.31 | 0.6 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Tickmill and Trade Nation both cater to traders interested in forex, offering forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts. While Tickmill provides 63 tradeable forex pairs, Trade Nation offers slightly fewer at 46. However, Trade Nation outpaces Tickmill in terms of overall tradeable symbols by featuring 1000 symbols compared to Tickmill's 725. Neither broker offers direct access to exchange-traded securities on U.S. or international exchanges, meaning traders cannot directly buy shares like Apple or Vodafone.
Both brokers include options for investors looking to engage in copy trading, allowing users to mirror trading strategies of experienced traders. They also support trading in cryptocurrency derivatives, although direct purchase of actual cryptocurrency is not available. Tickmill and Trade Nation each receive a rating of 3.5 stars for their range of investments and are fairly close in rankings by ForexBrokers.com for this category, with Tickmill at #42 and Trade Nation slightly ahead at #38.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 725 | 1000 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 63 | 46 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No |
| 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). | 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.
When comparing Tickmill and Trade Nation for their trading platforms and tools, both brokers offer traders a chance to practice with a free virtual demo account. While both provide access to widely-used options like MetaTrader 4 (MT4), Tickmill stands out with support for MetaTrader 5 (MT5), which Trade Nation lacks. Furthermore, Tickmill users can directly trade from a stock chart, adding an extra layer of convenience that Trade Nation does not offer. On the other hand, Trade Nation features a proprietary platform and provides a wider range of drawing tools—39 compared to Tickmill's 15—which can be beneficial for in-depth chart analysis.
In terms of user experience, both brokers deliver desktop and web-based trading platforms, reinforcing their commitment to accessibility and flexibility across devices. Trade Nation benefits from a distinctive edge with more watchlist customization, offering 14 columns for greater transparency into market trends, whereas Tickmill offers seven. Both brokers receive a four-star rating for their trading platforms and tools, but Tickmill is ranked higher, holding the #32 position compared to Trade Nation's #44 ranking among 63 brokers. These features and rankings highlight the unique strengths and potential trade-offs each broker presents to traders.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | No | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 115 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 39 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 14 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When it comes to mobile trading apps, both Tickmill and Trade Nation have made their presence felt among traders using iPhones and Android devices. Both platforms provide stock and forex price alerts, offering essential information in the palm of your hand. While both apps allow for drawing trendlines and viewing charts in multiple time frames, Tickmill and Trade Nation ensure that any drawings made are auto-saved, enhancing the trading experience. One notable difference lies in watchlist synchronization. Trade Nation offers watchlist symbol syncing across accounts, but this feature is missing in Tickmill's app.
For those who rely heavily on technical analyses, Trade Nation takes the lead by offering a more extensive selection of technical studies, with 99 compared to Tickmill's 30. Creating a watchlist with real-time quotes is seamless on both apps, making it easy for users to stay updated on market movements. Despite these distinct differences, both apps have received a solid four-star rating for their performance. According to ForexBrokers.com, Tickmill ranks higher at #32 compared to Trade Nation’s #45 in the Mobile Trading Apps category, offering traders additional insight when choosing between these two platforms.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 99 |
| 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.
Tickmill and Trade Nation both excel in offering comprehensive market research for their users, providing daily market commentary and access to forex news from esteemed sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. Both brokers also feature sentiment-based trading tools, which help traders understand market positions across various currency pairs. Additionally, they offer research tools from Acuity Trading, such as Signal Centre, enhancing their offerings in insightful analysis. However, neither broker provides technical analysis or fundamental tools from companies like Autochartist or Trading Central, nor do they offer market research from TipRanks.
One key difference is that Tickmill provides an economic calendar with updates on global news events, a feature not available with Trade Nation. This distinction, alongside other strengths, likely contributes to Tickmill's higher research rating of 4 stars compared to Trade Nation's 3.5 stars. Tickmill holds the 22nd spot in the research category ranking by ForexBrokers.com, whereas Trade Nation is positioned at 42nd. These rankings reflect Tickmill's slight edge in offering more thorough market research and tools for traders seeking comprehensive insights.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing educational resources for beginners, Tickmill and Trade Nation both offer a variety of options to support new traders. Both brokers provide at least ten educational pieces focusing on forex and CFDs, including articles, videos, and archived webinars, offering newcomers essential insights into trading. However, Tickmill stands out by hosting online educational client webinars at least once a month and providing a searchable archive of these sessions. In contrast, Trade Nation doesn't offer any online educational webinars, a notable gap for those seeking live interactive learning sessions.
In terms of video resources, both Tickmill and Trade Nation offer over ten educational videos specifically designed for beginners and the more experienced traders. Additionally, each broker includes an investor dictionary with definitions of over 50 investing terms. Despite these similarities, Tickmill has a higher overall educational rating of 4 stars compared to Trade Nation’s 3.5 stars. This higher rating is supported by Tickmill's more frequent webinars and comprehensive library, which likely contributes to its higher ranking of #15 in the Education category on ForexBrokers.com, while Trade Nation ranks at #41.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Tickmill is better than Trade Nation. Tickmill finished with an overall rank of #22, while Trade Nation finished with an overall rank of #34.
Tickmill is a run-of-the-mill MetaTrader broker that offers a limited selection of tradeable securities. The broker does offer very competitive commission-based pricing for professionals through its VIP and Pro accounts.
| Feature |
Tickmill
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Trade Nation
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 85 |
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Both Tickmill and Trade Nation do not provide the option to purchase actual delivered cryptocurrency, but they each offer the ability to buy cryptocurrency derivatives instead.
In comparing online brokers Tickmill and Trade Nation regarding their funding and withdrawal options, neither offers ACH or SEPA transfers, while Tickmill supports PayPal unlike Trade Nation; both brokers accept Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wire transfers.
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 | Tickmill | Trade Nation | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Tickmill Review | Trade Nation Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Tickmill | Trade Nation | |
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| Regulation | Tickmill | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 86 | 85 | |
| Year Founded | 2014 | 2014 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Tickmill | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| 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 | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Tickmill | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | Tickmill | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 725 | 1000 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 63 | 46 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| 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). | 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 | Tickmill | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.51 | 0.6 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.31 | 0.6 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Tickmill | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | Tickmill | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | No | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Tickmill | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 14 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 115 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 39 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | No |
| Mobile Trading | Tickmill | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 99 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Research | Tickmill | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Education | Tickmill | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Tickmill | Trade Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Tickmill Review | Trade Nation Review |
| Overall | Tickmill | Trade Nation | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Tickmill Review | Trade Nation Review |
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