Best Mac Forex Trading Platforms for 2022

If you live in the U.S., the best trading platform for your Mac computer is thinkorswim from TD Ameritrade. For non-U.S. residents, Saxo Bank's SaxoTrader Pro desktop trading platform and SaxoTrader GO web and mobile trading app are excellent trading software for Mac users.

Much like a Windows computer, your Mac laptop or desktop machine likely already has a powerful balance of the hardware and software capabilities necessary to run the best trading platforms. Likewise, iOS devices such as the iPhone can run even the most demanding mobile trading app for Macs.

Nearly all Mac computers made in the last decade have a fast processor, large hard drive, and enough RAM to meet your needs regardless of the Mac trading platform you use. Desktop trading platforms can be more resource-intensive when installed locally, compared to using a web-based version, so it's good to know what the system requirements are if you decide to use forex trading platforms for Mac.

Yes, you can trade forex on a MacBook by either using the web or desktop version of the trading platform from your device. Even the smallest MacBook, the 12-inch, can be used for forex trading, in addition to the hardier MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.

To trade forex, you will need to set up a live forex account online, fund it, then either install desktop software on your computer or proceed to use the web version of the trading platform.

Once you identify the currency pair you want to trade and the trade direction (long or short), you can create an order by specifying the amount of currency (e.g., 10,000 units is one mini lot). Be sure to have enough margin available depending on your risk/reward targets and use a stop-loss and limit to manage risk.

The MacBook Air is an ideal laptop for those trading on the go, such as when working remotely or traveling. At 2.8 pounds (1.29 kilos), it is lighter than most MacBook Pros, yet still powerful enough to run nearly any trading platform.

It's important to keep in mind that desktop-based platforms that require installation on your MacBook Air may consume more memory and battery, compared to using the web version of the forex trading platform offered by your broker.

I've found that with the right settings, you can get at least 6 hours of battery life when using a MacBook to trade forex (provided that the condition of your battery is good and can hold a charge like a new battery).

The best trading platforms cover all the bases, offering low commissions, a wide range of markets, news, research, powerful charts, and plenty of trading tools in a user-friendly software design. The following forex brokers offer the best software for trading:

• Saxo Bank - SaxoTraderGO - best platform suite and mobile app
• IG - IG Trading - best smartphone app
• CMC Markets - NextGeneration - best platform technology
• Interactive Brokers - TraderWorkstation (TWS) best for professional traders
• TD Ameritrade - thinkorswim - best desktop platform
• FXCM - Trading Station - best for algorithmic traders
• eToro - eToro Platform - best for social copy trading

ForexBrokers.com's comparison tool can help narrow down the options important to you when choosing a broker.

Unfortunately, MetaTrader only runs natively on Windows. MetaQuotes Corporation does have what appears to be a Mac version of MetaTrader, but it requires a Windows Emulator in order to actually work on a macOS device. If you are looking for MetaTrader 4 for Mac, you can download the installation file directly from the developer here (and the MT5 version is available here). Once you launch the software, the Wine Gecko Installer will look for a Gecko package (which is needed for MetaTrader to run on your Mac), and if not found it will give you the option to download and install it.

Pro tip: Many brokers that offer MetaTrader for Mac provide it as an installation file, but their .dmg files have the emulator packaged together with the application to create the Windows simulated environment. You can also install an emulator yourself, and then from within that Windows virtual machine install the Windows version of MetaTrader on your Mac.

The most established Windows emulators for Mac are Parallels Desktop software, which requires a paid subscription, or VMWare, which allows you to install other Windows applications on your Mac in a virtual environment. There are also free, open-source emulators, but they can be less stable, such as Wine version 6.1 and PlayOnMac version 4.3.

MT4 offers dozens of plugins by default, and there are thousands more available from third-party providers and within the MQL5 community. Traders love its charting and technical analysis capabilities, and MetaTrader is one of the most popular investment trading platforms across the globe.

However, you might not be a fan of MT4 on Mac, as it provides a sub-par MetaTrader experience compared to the Windows version — unless you are running an emulator that can perfectly simulate the Windows environment.

Having tested MT4 on my Mac using the Parallels Desktop software, I can report that it felt just like the Windows version with no noticeable differences. However, I can't say the same when using the WINE emulator – which is best avoided.

The Stocks app is a program and widget that is available by default on MacOS, version Mojave 10.14 and later, and can be customized in the notifications center or by launching the app. Search for "Stocks.app" on your Mac using the finder lookup tool, and launch the program to see stock quotes powered by Yahoo Finance, charts, and news headlines from various top-tier providers like the Wall Street Journal and CNBC.

Apple’s only “trading” platform is for trading your used devices – not for investing in financial markets. The closest thing to an official Apple financial markets trading platform would be Apple Pay (available for web and iOS devices), but it does not yet support investing or trading securities.

Almost every Apple computer comes now by default with a fast processor, powerful video card, plenty of storage, and enough RAM to satisfy even the most demanding trading platforms used for day trading.

Pro tip: When building a trading rig for Mac trading software, Apple desktop and laptop computers can be configured to be very powerful and can easily cost several thousand dollars depending on setup (i.e., 64GB of RAM, 4.0 GHz processor, 1 TB SSD). In almost all cases, that will be more than is necessary for trading platforms, even if you have a decade-old Apple computer with base model specifications.

Unless you want a desktop Mac that sports multiple monitors, and is nearly powerful enough to mine cryptocurrency, Apple's flagship MacBook Pro laptop has powerful specs and is a great choice for day trading — even when you choose the base version with no upgrades.

Depending on the year of the model, most versions come with 16GB of RAM, and the latest Macbook Pro iterations have even faster processors. I use a 16-inch (2019 model) MacBook Pro with a 2.3 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9 Processor, 16GB of 2267 MHz DDR4 RAM, and an AMD Radeon Pro 5500M Graphics card with 4GB of dedicated RAM.

Having run the most demanding trading platforms from over 40 brokers, I can say that Mac devices are ultra-reliable, and perfect for day trading and running desktop trading software, or having numerous browser tabs open while logged into your brokerage accounts.

The current version of the TradeStation platform is designed for Windows; the developer suggests using an emulator such as Parallels Desktop to run it in a virtual environment on a Mac. I've personally found that Parallels version 16 works very well for running the TradeStation desktop trading platform on macOS (version 10.5 or later).

Trading on a Mac computer is no different than on any other computer, except that if you want to install a desktop-based platform, you must be sure there is a compatible Mac version. Otherwise, you'll be limited to using web-based trading platforms and mobile apps. Many of the best brokers offer Mac versions of their desktop software, or their web-based versions are excellent alternatives.