Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of OANDA vs ActivTrades, 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.
Founded in 1996, OANDA stands out for its trustworthiness in the online brokerage world. Despite not being publicly traded or a bank, OANDA achieves a high level of confidence with a Trust Score of 93 out of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, categorizing it as highly trusted. A key factor contributing to this top rating is its possession of seven Tier-1 licenses, which signals a strong reputation for reliability in the industry.
On the other hand, ActivTrades, established in 2001, holds a Trust Score of 81 from ForexBrokers.com, marking it as a trusted broker but not reaching the same heights as OANDA. While it is also neither publicly traded nor a banking institution, ActivTrades backs its credibility with two Tier-1 licenses and an additional Tier-2 license. This structure provides a sturdy base for reliability, although it does not match the extensive regulatory oversights that OANDA boasts.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of OANDA to ActivTrades, both brokers receive a respectable 4-star rating. However, OANDA is ranked 34th out of 62 brokers in the Commissions and Fees category by ForexBrokers.com, falling behind ActivTrades, which holds the 28th position. OANDA's forex trading costs are relatively high, with its effective spreads being less competitive than some of the best brokers. While its core pricing offers lower spreads at the cost of a per-side commission, it requires a substantial $10,000 minimum deposit. OANDA’s advantage lies in its automated execution and a unique offering that allows trading as low as 1 unit or 0.001 micro lot, appealing to traders who want more flexibility. Additionally, OANDA provides rebates for high-volume traders through its Elite Trader program.
On the other hand, ActivTrades provides a slightly better average spread, although it still falls short of the lowest-cost forex brokers. With its Individual Account type as the primary offering, ActivTrades caters to both beginners and professionals by providing options for Professional and Islamic Accounts. However, it does not offer a specific account for high-volume (active) traders. The spreads at ActivTrades, including the EUR/USD spread averaged at 0.98 pips in May 2024, tend to be favorable across various asset types, although they may fluctuate during trading sessions. The broker caters to different trading strategies with varying asset availabilities depending on the platform used.
In summary, both OANDA and ActivTrades have their strengths in commissions and fees, attracting different kinds of traders. OANDA’s flexibility in trade sizes and automated systems contrasts with ActivTrades’ favorable spreads and varied account options. Understanding these distinctions will help traders choose the right broker that aligns with their financial strategies and trading preferences.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | 0 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.61 | 0.98 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.61 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | 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.
When it comes to the variety of investments, both OANDA and ActivTrades offer a strong set of options, though they cater to slightly different preferences. OANDA provides 3,928 tradeable symbols and shines with its range of 68 forex pairs, allowing traders plenty of choices in the currency markets. Moreover, it supports both CFD and spot contract trading in forex. For cryptocurrency enthusiasts, OANDA enables the purchase of actual cryptocurrencies as well as derivatives. However, it doesn't provide access to exchange-traded securities on either U.S. or international exchanges, which limits its offerings in traditional stocks.
ActivTrades, on the other hand, offers 1,267 tradeable symbols with 49 forex pairs available, and equally supports CFDs in forex trading. While it doesn't match OANDA's forex pair count, it compensates by offering exchange-traded securities on international exchanges, a feature that might appeal to those interested in global stock markets. Like OANDA, ActivTrades supports copy trading and offers cryptocurrency derivatives, but lacks the option to buy actual cryptocurrencies. Both brokers are rated four stars for their range of investments but are slightly differently ranked by ForexBrokers.com, with OANDA at #27 and ActivTrades at #31.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3928 | 1267 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 68 | 49 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | 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.
Both OANDA and ActivTrades provide comprehensive trading platforms and tools that cater to a variety of trading needs. They each offer their own proprietary platforms, Windows-based desktop platforms, and web-based platforms, ensuring versatility for traders. Additionally, both brokers support popular platforms like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, allowing for a familiar trading environment. For traders interested in trying their hand at trading without financial risk, both brokers offer simulated demo accounts. However, neither OANDA nor ActivTrades support DupliTrade or ZuluTrade, limiting options for automated trading strategies. In terms of charting, OANDA stands out by offering an impressive 431 drawing tools, compared to ActivTrades' 15, giving traders more options for technical analysis.
When it comes to creating and managing watch lists, ActivTrades outpaces OANDA by offering 11 customizable fields compared to OANDA's six. Both brokers provide the convenience of trading directly from stock charts, which is a beneficial feature for active traders. Despite these differences, both OANDA and ActivTrades are rated similarly for their trading platforms and tools, earning four out of five stars. In rankings, OANDA is positioned higher at #15 by ForexBrokers.com compared to ActivTrades at #30, indicating a slight preference among users for OANDA's offerings in this category.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | 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 | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 81 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 431 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 6 | 11 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
OANDA and ActivTrades both offer comprehensive mobile trading apps available on iPhone and Android. They share several key features that cater to traders, such as price alerts for stocks and forex, the ability to create watchlists with real-time quotes, and options to draw trendlines and view multiple time frames on charts. Both apps provide 30 technical studies for charting, and automatically save your drawings, although they do not support watchlist symbol syncing with online accounts. This means you would have to manually update watchlists across platforms.
Despite these similarities, OANDA leads in overall ratings and rankings for mobile trading apps. With a perfect 5-star rating, it is ranked #7 among 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, pointing to a strong user experience and reliability. Meanwhile, ActivTrades, although also feature-rich, has a 4-star rating and is ranked #19 in the same category. Traders might prefer OANDA for its higher rating and superior standing, indicating a more favorable experience recognized by users and experts alike.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| 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.
Both OANDA and ActivTrades provide daily market commentary and access to forex news from renowned sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. Both brokers have sentiment-based trading tools to help investors gauge market positions. While OANDA utilizes tools from Autochartist for technical and fundamental analysis, ActivTrades does not offer this feature. Both brokers fall short with Trading Central and Acuity Trading tools, as well as research from TipRanks.
OANDA and ActivTrades also offer economic calendars to keep traders tuned into global news events. Despite offering similar features, OANDA edges out ActivTrades in research tools, earning a perfect five-star rating compared to ActivTrades' four stars. When considering their ranks among 62 brokers evaluated by ForexBrokers.com, OANDA holds the impressive number five spot, while ActivTrades comes in at number 30. This positions OANDA as a more resource-rich choice for research activities.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When evaluating the educational resources for beginners offered by OANDA and ActivTrades, both brokers provide a comprehensive selection of materials. Whether you're interested in articles, videos, or archived webinars focused on forex or CFDs, both platforms have you covered with more than ten educational pieces available. Each broker ensures ongoing learning by hosting at least one educational webinar monthly and provides access to an archive of these sessions for future reference. This makes it easy for traders to find and revisit essential learning resources at their convenience.
For those just starting out or looking to polish their skills, both OANDA and ActivTrades offer educational videos tailored to beginner traders, as well as advanced content for more experienced individuals. However, a difference emerges in the availability of an investor dictionary; OANDA provides a comprehensive glossary of over 50 investing terms, while ActivTrades does not offer this feature. Reflecting these offerings, OANDA scores a 5-star rating for education, ranking at #22 among 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, whereas ActivTrades receives a 4-star rating and is ranked #38. This comparison highlights OANDA's slightly superior position regarding resources for educating new traders.
| Feature |
OANDA
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that OANDA is better than ActivTrades. OANDA finished with an overall rank of #12, while ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #33.
A trusted global brand, OANDA stands out for its reputation and quality market research. Its regulatory track record is strong, and its support for third-party features bolsters its overall offering.
| Feature |
OANDA
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ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 81 |
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When comparing online brokers, OANDA allows users to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency and cryptocurrency derivatives, whereas ActivTrades only offers the ability to buy cryptocurrency derivatives and not actual delivered cryptocurrency.
In comparing online brokers OANDA and ActivTrades, OANDA supports a wider range of deposit and withdrawal options including ACH, SEPA transfers, and PayPal, which ActivTrades does not offer, while both brokers provide options for Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires.
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 | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | OANDA Review | ActivTrades Review |
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| Regulation | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 93 | 81 | |
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3928 | 1267 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 68 | 49 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | 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 | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.61 | 0.98 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.61 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | 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 | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | 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 | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 6 | 11 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 81 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 431 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | OANDA | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | OANDA Review | ActivTrades Review |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | OANDA Review | ActivTrades Review |
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