How we rank platforms
One formula, five criteria, fixed weights. Every score on this site can be recomputed from the numbers we publish.
The formula
Each platform receives a score from 0 to 10 on five criteria. The overall score is a weighted average:
overall = 30% × regulation + 25% × fees + 20% × platform + 15% × support + 10% × education
Stars are the overall score divided by two, rounded to the nearest half star. We do not round scores up to make a platform look better in a given country.
The five criteria
- Safety & regulation · 30%Licences held, client-money segregation, compensation cover and disclosure quality.
- Total cost · 25%Spreads, commissions, conversion, financing and the fees that hide in the small print.
- Platform & tools · 20%Speed, reliability, order types, charting and how well the app works on a phone.
- Customer support · 15%Response time, channels, languages and whether a human answers.
- Education · 10%Demo access, structured courses and the honesty of the marketing.
Worked example: Veltra Invest
| Criterion | Score | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety & regulation | 8.8 | 30% | 2.64 |
| Total cost | 9.3 | 25% | 2.33 |
| Platform & tools | 8.9 | 20% | 1.78 |
| Customer support | 7.6 | 15% | 1.14 |
| Education | 8.2 | 10% | 0.82 |
| Overall | 8.7 | ||
Where the evidence comes from
- Regulation: the regulator's public register, the firm's terms of business and its client-money disclosures.
- Fees: the published fee schedule priced against three model trades: a €500 ETF purchase, a one-lot EUR/USD round trip held two nights, and a US share purchase from a euro account.
- Platform: hands-on use of the web and mobile apps on a demo account, plus published uptime and execution statistics where available.
- Support: timed test enquiries by chat and email, and the hours and languages offered.
- Education: demo access, the depth of the learning material and whether marketing claims are honest about risk.
What does not affect a score
Whether a platform pays us, how much it pays, or whether it pays at all. Referral fees fund the site; they are not an input to the formula. If a platform asks for a better score in exchange for a higher fee, we delist it.
Review cadence
Fee schedules are re-checked quarterly. Licences are re-checked when a regulator publishes an enforcement notice, and at least twice a year. Report an error on the contact page and we will re-verify within a week.