Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Admirals vs BDSwiss, 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.
Admirals, established in 2001, and BDSwiss, founded in 2012, are both online brokers with a focus on providing trading services. Neither company is publicly traded or operates as a bank, differentiating them from some other financial service providers. In terms of regulatory oversight, Admirals has secured a prominent position by holding four Tier-1 licenses and three Tier-2 licenses, reflecting a high level of trust and regulatory compliance.
In contrast, BDSwiss possesses one Tier-1 license and lacks Tier-2 licenses, aligning it with an average risk evaluation. According to ForexBrokers.com, Admirals earns a high Trust Score of 93 out of 99, signaling high reliability, whereas BDSwiss has a Trust Score of 73, indicating an average trust level. These scores and licensing details can be crucial factors for prospective traders when choosing between the two platforms.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2012 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
When comparing Admirals and BDSwiss for commissions and fees, Admirals offers a competitive pricing structure with typical spreads of 0.8 on their Trade account. This pricing is similarly attractive on the Zero account type, making them a cost-effective choice for traders. Admirals receives a high rating of 4.5 stars out of five and is ranked 17th out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com in the Commissions and Fees category.
Conversely, BDSwiss, while known for good order execution statistics, has spreads that are higher than industry leaders. On its Classic account, the spread is 1.5 pips on EUR/USD, which is considered expensive. Their Raw account records a spread of 0.3 pips plus a $5 commission per side, resulting in an effective spread of 1.3. Meanwhile, the VIP account offers a spread of 1.2 pips. Despite this, BDSwiss garners a solid rating of 4 stars out of five and ranks 29th out of 62 brokers in the same category by ForexBrokers.com.
In summary, while both Admirals and BDSwiss provide reliable services, Admirals stands out for its lower and more competitive fees, offering better value for traders looking for cost-efficiency. BDSwiss, though not as competitively priced, remains a reputable option with respectable ratings and rank.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $10-$5000 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.8 | 1.6 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| 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 comparing Admirals to BDSwiss for their available range of investments, Admirals emerges as a versatile choice for traders. Admirals offers a wide variety of 8,702 tradeable symbols and provides access to 82 forex pairs, making it a strong contender for those who prefer extensive options. On the other hand, BDSwiss provides 1,081 tradeable symbols and 53 forex pairs, offering a more concise selection. Both platforms allow forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts and offer copy trading features. However, Admirals stands out by offering exchange-traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges, whereas BDSwiss does not provide this option.
Neither Admirals nor BDSwiss offers the ability to purchase actual cryptocurrencies, though both platforms support cryptocurrency derivatives. Admirals is highly rated with 4.5 stars for its range of investments, ranking #19 out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. BDSwiss, while also commendable with a 4-star rating, is positioned at #34 in the same category. This comparison underscores Admirals’ broader range of investment options, making it a more appealing option for investors seeking diverse market exposure.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8702 | 1081 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 82 | 53 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | 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.
When it comes to the variety of trading platforms and tools, both Admirals and BDSwiss offer a comprehensive range of options to suit different trading styles. Traders looking to test their strategies or beginners wanting to learn risk-free can take advantage of the free virtual demo accounts available with both brokers. Admirals and BDSwiss each provide a proprietary platform developed in-house, alongside well-known platforms like MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), which are available as desktop downloads for Windows, web-based platforms, and even copy trading features.
While both brokers are well-equipped for chart-based trading with the ability to trade directly from stock charts, Admirals edges slightly ahead in terms of charting tools with 106 drawing tools compared to BDSwiss's 15. Additionally, they both offer seven columns for watch lists, allowing traders to customize their trading views with essential information. Admirals and BDSwiss each received a four-star rating for their trading platforms and tools, but Admirals ranks slightly higher, securing the 19th spot compared to BDSwiss's 24th out of 62 brokers reviewed by ForexBrokers.com. Overall, both brokers deliver solid offerings that cater to trading needs efficiently.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| 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) | 30 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 106 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both Admirals and BDSwiss offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android users, attracting traders with their unique sets of features. Admirals and BDSwiss provide stock or forex price alerts and have similar technical capabilities, including 30 technical studies for charting, the ability to draw trendlines, and options to view multiple time frames. Admirals and BDSwiss mobile apps include real-time watchlist quotes, although neither supports watchlist syncing with their respective online accounts. Furthermore, their mobile apps allow automatic saving of chart drawings, making it easier for users to track market trends effectively.
When it comes to user ratings, both Admirals and BDSwiss score an identical 4 out of 5 stars for their mobile trading apps. However, Admirals holds a slight edge in the ForexBrokers.com rankings, coming in at number 23 out of 62 brokers, just ahead of BDSwiss at number 24. This close competition suggests that both platforms offer competitive trading solutions with their mobile apps, appealing to both novice and seasoned traders looking for versatile and reliable trading options on the go.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| 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.
When comparing Admirals and BDSwiss for market research offerings, both brokers provide daily market commentary to keep traders informed. Admirals stands out by delivering forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, a service that BDSwiss does not offer. In terms of technical and fundamental analysis tools, Admirals utilizes Trading Central and provides a sentiment-based trading tool that displays the ratio of long or short positions across various instruments, while BDSwiss relies on Autochartist and lacks a sentiment-based tool. Admirals further enhances its research capabilities with access to TipRanks and Acuity Trading tools, which are absent from BDSwiss' offerings.
Both brokers offer an economic calendar to display important global news events, yet Admirals seems to have an edge with its more comprehensive research toolkit. As a result, Admirals has secured the 15th spot in ForexBrokers.com's research rankings out of 62 brokers, while BDSwiss ranks 24th. Despite both being rated four stars for research, Admirals' broader array of research options may better cater to users looking for in-depth market insights.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational resources offered by Admirals and BDSwiss for beginners interested in forex or CFDs, both brokers provide excellent learning opportunities. Admirals and BDSwiss each offer a wide range of educational materials, including more than 10 articles, videos, and archived webinars focused on forex and CFDs. Both platforms host monthly online webinars and maintain searchable archives of past sessions, ensuring that clients can access a wealth of knowledge anytime. Furthermore, each broker offers a comprehensive library of over 10 beginner videos covering trading topics designed specifically for those new to trading.
In addition to beginner content, Admirals and BDSwiss cater to experienced traders with over 10 advanced educational videos available on each platform. They also provide investor dictionaries with definitions of at least 50 investing terms, enhancing user understanding of complex concepts. Rated four stars for their educational offerings, both Admirals and BDSwiss exemplify high-quality providers in this category. However, Admirals holds a slight edge, ranked at #12 by ForexBrokers.com among 62 brokers for Education, compared to BDSwiss's rank of #19.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Admirals is better than BDSwiss. Admirals finished with an overall rank of #18, while BDSwiss finished with an overall rank of #36.
Traders choose Admirals for its excellent investor education and advanced MetaTrader features – such as the Supreme add-ons – alongside an extensive range of shares, forex and CFD markets, and premium research content.
| Feature |
Admirals
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BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 73 |
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Both Admirals and BDSwiss do not provide the capability to purchase actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but they each offer the option to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
Admirals and BDSwiss both support ACH/SEPA transfers, Skrill, and Visa or Mastercard for depositing or withdrawing account funds, but only Admirals offers PayPal, with both platforms also accepting 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 | Admirals | BDSwiss | |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 73 | |
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| Review | Admirals Review | BDSwiss Review |
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| Regulation | Admirals | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 93 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2012 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Admirals | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | 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 | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Admirals | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | Yes | No |
| Investments | Admirals | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8702 | 1081 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 82 | 53 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | 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 | Admirals | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.8 | 1.6 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | 1.3 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | No |
| Funding | Admirals | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $10-$5000 | |
| 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 | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Admirals | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Admirals | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 106 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Admirals | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Admirals | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Admirals | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Admirals | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Admirals Review | BDSwiss Review |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Admirals Review | BDSwiss Review |
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