Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Swissquote 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.
Online broker Swissquote, founded in 1996, is a publicly traded company and a bank. ActivTrades, founded in 2001, is privately held and not a bank.
In terms of regulation, ForexBrokers.com data shows Swissquote holds 5 Tier-1 and 2 Tier-2 licenses and has a Trust Score of 99, placing it in the highly trusted 90–99 range. ActivTrades holds 2 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-2 licenses with a Trust Score of 80, which falls into the trusted 80–89 range.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
When comparing commissions and fees, ActivTrades comes out ahead of Swissquote for most everyday forex traders. ActivTrades earns a 4-star rating and ranks #21 out of 36 for Commissions and Fees, with EUR/USD spreads averaging about 0.98 pips in May 2024. Swissquote, by contrast, receives 3.5 stars and ranks #35 out of 36, reflecting pricing that is generally higher than the cheapest forex brokers. For cost-conscious traders, ActivTrades is usually the more affordable choice.
Swissquote’s pricing depends on which entity and account type you use, but even its lower-cost U.K. and Luxembourg offerings are still not especially cheap. The U.K. Elite account has a $5 round-turn commission and tighter spreads, while the Standard account starts from 1.3 pips on EUR/USD. In Switzerland, the Standard account starts from 1.7 pips, with the Prime account at 1.1 pips and a $50,000 deposit requirement. Swissquote can make sense for traders who want a Swiss banking name, but its fees are better viewed as premium pricing.
ActivTrades keeps things simpler with one main retail account, plus Professional and Islamic options, and it does not focus on special pricing for high-volume traders. Its spreads are generally a bit better than the industry average, though they can widen during busy market periods. In plain terms, ActivTrades tends to be the better pick if lower trading costs matter most, while Swissquote is more of a higher-priced option tied to its Swiss banking brand.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1000 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | N/A | 1.08 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 0.92 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When it comes to range of investments, Swissquote offers more variety overall than ActivTrades. Swissquote gives traders access to 472 tradeable symbols and 80 forex pairs, while ActivTrades lists 1,267 tradeable symbols but only 49 forex pairs. Both brokers support forex trading, international exchange-traded securities, copy trading, and cryptocurrency CFDs. Swissquote also stands out because it lets clients buy actual cryptocurrency and trade U.S.-listed shares such as Apple directly, while ActivTrades does not offer exchange-traded U.S. shares or delivered crypto.
For investors who want a wider mix of markets and more ways to invest outside CFDs, Swissquote has the edge. Its range of investments is rated 5 out of 5 stars and it ranks #2 out of 36 brokers for this category, compared with ActivTrades’ 4-star rating and #25 ranking. In simple terms, Swissquote is the stronger choice for asset variety, especially if you want access to U.S. stocks and real cryptocurrency alongside forex and CFDs.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 472 | 1267 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 49 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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.
Swissquote and ActivTrades both give traders a wide choice of platforms and tools, making each broker a strong fit for active users and beginners alike. Both offer free demo accounts for simulated trading, their own in-house platform, Windows desktop and web-based platforms, copy trading, and access to MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Traders can also place trades directly from charts with either broker, which makes managing positions more convenient.
When it comes to platform quality, Swissquote has the edge. ForexBrokers.com rates Swissquote 4.5 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools, compared with 4 out of 5 for ActivTrades. Swissquote is also ranked #12 out of 36 brokers in this category, while ActivTrades is ranked #26 out of 36. In short, both brokers cover the key platform basics well, but Swissquote stands out a bit more for overall trading platform features and tools.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 86 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Swissquote and ActivTrades both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, so traders can manage accounts and place trades on the go with either broker. Each app includes stock and forex price alerts, 30 technical studies for charting, trendline drawing, and auto-saving for chart drawings. One key limitation for both is that watchlists do not sync between the mobile app and the online account, so changes made in one place will not appear in the other.
Where the two brokers differ is in overall mobile app quality and ranking. Swissquote is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars for mobile trading apps and is ranked #12 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades is rated 4 out of 5 stars and ranked #21. For traders who want a slightly higher-rated mobile experience, Swissquote has the edge, though both brokers offer many of the same core mobile features.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Swissquote and ActivTrades both give traders useful market research tools, including daily market commentary, news from major sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, plus an economic calendar for tracking upcoming global events. Swissquote goes a step further with Autochartist, which can help spot chart patterns and trading ideas, while ActivTrades does not offer that tool. ActivTrades, however, includes a sentiment tool that shows whether traders are mostly buying or selling a currency pair or other instrument, which Swissquote does not provide.
Overall, Swissquote has the edge for market research. It is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars for Research and ranks #15 out of 36 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, compared with ActivTrades at 4 stars and #26. Neither broker offers Trading Central, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading research tools, so the main difference comes down to Swissquote’s added Autochartist access and ActivTrades’ sentiment data.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | No | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners looking to learn trading, both Swissquote and ActivTrades offer a wide range of educational support. Each broker provides at least 10 pieces of forex or CFDs education, monthly online client webinars, and more than 10 beginner videos, plus more than 10 advanced videos for traders who want to build on their skills. That means both platforms give new traders plenty of material to start with and room to keep learning over time.
Even so, Swissquote comes out ahead in the education category. It earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #19 out of 36 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades is rated 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #30. In simple terms, both brokers are helpful for education, but Swissquote is the stronger pick if you want the better-rated learning experience.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Swissquote is better than ActivTrades. Swissquote finished with an overall rank of #11, while ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #28.
Traders choose Swissquote for its quality research and vast multi-asset offering – as long as they are willing to pay a premium to have their brokerage account held with a Swiss bank.
| Feature |
Swissquote
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ActivTrades
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|---|---|---|
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| Trust Score | 99 | 80 |
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In the Swissquote vs ActivTrades online broker comparison for crypto, Swissquote allows buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies and trading cryptocurrency CFDs, whereas ActivTrades offers cryptocurrency CFDs only and does not provide delivered coins.
Swissquote vs ActivTrades: For deposits and withdrawals, Swissquote supports ACH/SEPA, PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire transfers, while ActivTrades supports Skrill and bank wire but not ACH/SEPA or PayPal; Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either broker.
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 | Swissquote | ActivTrades | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Swissquote Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Swissquote | ActivTrades | |
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| Regulation | Swissquote | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 80 | |
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Swissquote | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | 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 |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Swissquote | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | Swissquote | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 472 | 1267 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 49 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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 | Swissquote | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | N/A | 1.08 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 0.92 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Swissquote | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1000 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Swissquote | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Swissquote | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 86 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Swissquote | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Swissquote | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | No | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Swissquote | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Swissquote | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Swissquote Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Overall | Swissquote | ActivTrades | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Swissquote Review | ActivTrades Review |
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