All platforms, ranked

Every platform we have reviewed, in order of overall score. Availability differs by country, so check your country page before you choose.

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Comparison table

#				Fees	Regulated by	Assets	CFD loss	Actions
1	Veltra InvestNeo-broker (cash equities)	8.7	$1	€1 flat per trade, free recurring plans	AFM, DNB	StocksETFsBondsCrypto	—	Visit Compare
2	Northgate MarketsMulti-asset broker	8.6	$50	Commission-free shares, spreads from 0.6 pips	FCA, CySEC, ASIC	StocksETFsForexIndices+2	68%	Visit Compare
3	Kestrel TradingForex & CFD broker	8.6	$200	Raw spreads from 0.0 pips + $3.50 per lot per side	ASIC, FCA, DFSA, FSCA	ForexIndicesCommoditiesStocks+2	71%	Visit Compare
4	Lumen SecuritiesMobile brokerage	8.6	None	US$0 commission on US stocks, 0.03% on HK/SG	MAS, ASIC, SFC	StocksETFsOptionsFunds	—	Visit Compare
5	Tidewater InvestOnline brokerage & robo-advisor	8.5	None	C$0 on ETFs, C$4.95 on stocks, 0.4% managed	CIRO, FINRA, CNBV	StocksETFsOptionsBonds+1	—	Visit Compare
6	Meridian BrokersFull-service broker	8.3	None	€4.90 + 0.25% per order, capped at €69	BaFin, CySEC	StocksETFsBondsOptions+2	—	Visit Compare
7	Pinnacle DigitalCrypto & equities platform	8.2	$10	0.5% crypto, €0 stocks, staking from 2.5%	CBI, CySEC	CryptoStocksETFs	—	Visit Compare
8	Orbit CapitalSocial trading platform	8.2	$100	Zero commission, spreads from 1.0 pip	CySEC, FSA	StocksETFsForexIndices+2	74%	Visit Compare
9	Halden & CoWealth manager & brokerage	8.1	$10,000	0.35% p.a. custody + 0.15% per trade	FINMA, BaFin, DFSA	StocksETFsBondsFunds+2	—	Visit Compare
10	Sable MarketsForex & CFD broker	8.1	$25	Spreads from 0.8 pips, no commission on Standard	DFSA, FSCA, CMA, SCA	ForexIndicesCommoditiesStocks+1	76%	Visit Compare

Our take on each

Veltra Invest

Neo-broker (cash equities) · Amsterdam, Netherlands

8.7 Excellent

Veltra Invest is built for people who want to put money to work every month without thinking about it. It is not a trading platform, and it does not pretend to be one.

Pros

Extremely low cost for buy-and-hold
Automatic monthly investing into ETFs or stocks
Interest paid on idle cash

Cons

No demo account
Limited to EU-listed venues for some instruments
No advanced order types

What we found in testing

Who it suits

Beginners and passive investors. If your plan is a global ETF every payday plus a handful of individual companies, Veltra is hard to beat on price.

Costs in practice

A single euro per order, nothing for scheduled savings plans, and no custody or inactivity fees. Currency conversion on US shares is charged at a transparent 0.25%.

Platform and tools

The app is deliberately simple. You get portfolio breakdowns, dividend tracking and a savings-plan builder. What you do not get is level-2 data, options or margin.

Safety

Securities are held with a regulated custodian and cash is placed with partner banks covered by the Dutch deposit guarantee scheme.

Northgate Markets

Multi-asset broker · London, United Kingdom

8.6 Excellent

Northgate Markets is the platform we point most first-time comparers to when they want one account that can hold long-term share positions and still trade short-term CFDs.

Pros

Strong three-regulator footprint
Wide instrument range for a retail broker
Fast, well-designed mobile app

Cons

Inactivity fee kicks in after one year
Research tools are thinner than a full-service broker

What we found in testing

Who it suits

Investors who want to buy real shares and ETFs but occasionally hedge or speculate with leverage. The two account types sit side by side and share a single funding wallet, so there is no juggling of transfers.

Costs in practice

Share dealing is commission-free with a small FX conversion fee on non-base-currency stocks. CFD spreads are mid-pack: not the tightest we have seen, but there are no hidden platform fees. The inactivity charge only matters if you walk away for a year.

Platform and tools

The proprietary web platform is quick and clean, and power users can route orders through MetaTrader 4/5 or TradingView. Charting, alerts and a basic screener are all included at no cost.

Safety

Client money is held in segregated accounts and retail clients are covered by negative balance protection in every jurisdiction where Northgate is licensed.

Kestrel Trading

Forex & CFD broker · Sydney, Australia

8.6 Excellent

Kestrel Trading is a specialist. If you already know what a lot size is and care about execution latency, this is the most complete offer on our list.

Pros

Institutional-grade execution speed
Every popular third-party platform supported
No inactivity or withdrawal fees

Cons

$200 minimum deposit
Share CFDs only, no real equities
Education aimed at experienced traders

What we found in testing

Who it suits

Active forex and index traders, algorithmic traders running Expert Advisors, and anyone who wants cTrader or a FIX API.

Costs in practice

The Raw account charges $7 round-turn per lot on top of near-zero spreads, which works out cheaper than a spread-only account for most strategies. A Standard account with wider spreads and no commission exists for smaller traders.

Platform and tools

Kestrel does not push a proprietary platform; instead it hosts MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView with identical pricing across all four. VPS hosting is free above a modest monthly volume.

Safety

Client funds are segregated at tier-one banks and the group publishes its execution statistics quarterly, which is rare at this size.

Lumen Securities

Mobile brokerage · Singapore

8.6 Excellent

Lumen Securities feels like a fintech app first and a broker second, in the best sense: onboarding takes minutes and the pricing is about as low as regulated equity trading gets.

Pros

Very low cost for US and Asian equities
Slick app with real-time quotes
Money-market sweep pays interest on cash

Cons

Web platform is a thin version of the app
No forex or commodities
Support is chat-only

What we found in testing

Who it suits

Investors in Asia-Pacific who want US and regional stocks without paying per-trade commissions, and who are comfortable doing everything on a phone.

Costs in practice

US trades are free; exchange and regulatory fees are passed through at cost. Asian markets carry a tiny percentage fee. Currency conversion is 0.2%, competitive for the region.

Platform and tools

The app includes an options chain, a stock screener, earnings alerts and a paper-trading mode. Level-2 data is a paid add-on.

Safety

As a MAS capital-markets licensee, Lumen must keep client money in trust and file audited reports. Securities are held in omnibus accounts at a top-tier custodian.

Tidewater Invest

Online brokerage & robo-advisor · Toronto, Canada

8.5 Excellent

Tidewater Invest is a sensible default for Canadian residents: local registration, registered accounts and a hands-off option if you do not want to pick securities yourself.

Pros

Supports Canadian tax-advantaged accounts
Choice of self-directed or managed
Strong phone support

Cons

Stock commissions are not zero
Limited coverage outside North America
App lags the web platform in features

What we found in testing

Who it suits

Canadians and, through partner entities, US and Mexican residents who want a broker that understands their tax wrappers.

Costs in practice

ETF purchases are free, which makes a passive portfolio nearly costless. Stocks cost C$4.95 per trade. The managed service charges 0.4% a year plus the ETF expense ratios.

Platform and tools

The web platform includes portfolio analytics, goal tracking and a decent options interface. Fractional shares were added recently and cover the largest 500 US companies.

Safety

Canadian accounts are protected by CIPF; US accounts by SIPC. Cash is held at insured banks.

Meridian Brokers

Full-service broker · Frankfurt, Germany

8.3 Very good

Meridian is the closest thing to a traditional bank brokerage on our list, with the depth of product and the price tag to match.

Pros

Widest instrument coverage on this list
Serious research and analyst notes
Personal phone support that picks up

Cons

Per-order fees add up for small trades
Desktop platform has a learning curve
No CFDs or crypto

What we found in testing

Who it suits

Investors with larger portfolios who want bonds, options and access to less common exchanges, and who value speaking to a human.

Costs in practice

The percentage fee is capped, so large orders are competitive, but a €500 ETF purchase costs roughly €6. Savings plans on a curated ETF list are free, which softens the blow for regular investors.

Platform and tools

The desktop terminal is powerful and dense. The mobile app covers the essentials. Research, earnings calendars and bond screeners are included for all clients.

Safety

BaFin supervision, German deposit protection on cash, and securities held in the client's own name at a domestic custodian.

Pinnacle Digital

Crypto & equities platform · Dublin, Ireland

8.2 Very good

Pinnacle Digital is for investors who want crypto exposure without leaving the regulated world, and who like seeing their coins and their index funds on the same screen.

Pros

One app for crypto and traditional assets
Transparent flat crypto fee
Recurring buys and staking

Cons

Crypto fee is higher than pure exchanges
Equity range is limited to large caps
Support quality varies at peak times

What we found in testing

Who it suits

People allocating a slice of a diversified portfolio to digital assets. It is not built for high-frequency crypto trading.

Costs in practice

A flat 0.5% on crypto buys and sells, zero on shares and ETFs, and network fees at cost on crypto withdrawals. Staking rewards are paid net of a disclosed 15% platform cut.

Platform and tools

Clean portfolio view, recurring buys, price alerts and tax reports that export to the common tools. No advanced charting.

Safety

The crypto arm is registered under the EU MiCA framework with segregated cold storage and a third-party insurance policy. Equities are held via the CySEC-licensed investment firm.

Orbit Capital

Social trading platform · Limassol, Cyprus

8.2 Very good

Orbit Capital turns investing into something you do with other people. The copy-trading engine is the headline, but the free academy is the reason many users stay.

Pros

Best-in-class education for beginners
Transparent copy-trader statistics
Fractional stock and crypto positions

Cons

Wider spreads than specialist brokers
Fees on withdrawals and inactivity
International entity offers weaker protections

What we found in testing

Who it suits

Beginners who want guidance and a community, and people who would rather allocate to a handful of vetted traders than manage every position themselves.

Costs in practice

You pay through the spread rather than a commission. That is convenient but not cheap: expect about a pip on EUR/USD and up to 1% on crypto. Copying a trader carries no extra charge.

Platform and tools

The interface is social-media-like, with feeds, comments and follow buttons. Risk scores for each copied trader are recalculated daily and you can cap losses per copy relationship.

Safety

EU clients sit under the CySEC entity with investor compensation cover. Clients onboarded through the Seychelles entity get higher leverage but less protection; we recommend the EU entity where available.

Halden & Co

Wealth manager & brokerage · Zürich, Switzerland

8.1 Very good

Halden & Co is the option for people whose priority is safekeeping rather than cost. It is expensive for small accounts and excellent for everything else.

Pros

Highest level of client protection on our list
Multi-currency accounts with competitive FX
Estate and tax planning support

Cons

CHF 10,000 minimum
Custody fee makes it costly for small balances
No leveraged trading or crypto

What we found in testing

Who it suits

Investors with six-figure portfolios, expatriates who need multi-currency custody, and anyone who wants an advisor they can actually call.

Costs in practice

A 0.35% annual custody fee plus 0.15% per trade. On CHF 100,000 that is CHF 350 a year before trading, which is a lot compared with the neo-brokers above but includes reporting, tax statements and advice.

Platform and tools

The client portal is functional rather than flashy. Performance reporting, consolidated tax documents and a research library are the strengths; charting is basic.

Safety

Swiss securities are segregated and would be returned to clients even in a bankruptcy. Cash benefits from the Swiss depositor protection scheme up to CHF 100,000.

#10

Sable Markets

Forex & CFD broker · Dubai, UAE & Johannesburg, South Africa

8.1 Very good

Sable Markets stands out for being licensed where its clients live. That matters in regions where many competitors operate purely offshore.

Pros

Genuine local licences rather than offshore-only
Deposits in AED, ZAR, KES, NGN
Multilingual support that understands the region

Cons

Smaller instrument list
No real shares
Highest published loss rate on our list

What we found in testing

Who it suits

Traders in the Gulf and sub-Saharan Africa who want to fund in local currency and deal with a regulator that can actually help them.

Costs in practice

The Standard account is spread-only from 0.8 pips; the Pro account tightens spreads and adds a $3 per-lot commission. Deposits and withdrawals to local methods are free, which is unusual.

Platform and tools

MetaTrader 4 and 5 are the primary platforms, with a proprietary mobile app for quick trades. Copy trading is available through the MT5 signals marketplace.

Safety

Client money is segregated under each licence. Negative balance protection applies to retail clients of the DFSA and FSCA entities.