Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Questrade vs GBE brokers, 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 2000, Questrade is an online broker that operates without being publicly traded or functioning as a bank. It holds two Tier-1 licenses, a mark of high trust according to ForexBrokers.com. With a Trust Score of 86 out of 99, Questrade is rated as a trusted broker, falling in the range of scores that suggests reliability for users seeking safe and dependable online trading services.
In comparison, GBE brokers entered the scene in 2013 and, similar to Questrade, is neither publicly traded nor a bank. It holds one Tier-1 license, indicating a reputable level of trust. However, its Trust Score is 71, placing it in the average risk category. While GBE brokers offer certain assurances of trustworthiness, the score suggests increased caution may be warranted compared to Questrade.
| Feature |
Questrade
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2000 | 2013 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
When comparing Questrade and GBE brokers on their commissions and fees, there are notable differences that could impact your choice. Questrade charges a higher target spread of 1.9 pips for the popular EUR/USD pair, which is considered steep compared to the industry's average. This contributes to Questrade receiving a rating of 3 out of 5 stars in the Commissions and Fees category by ForexBrokers.com. Additionally, Questrade is ranked at 57 out of 62 brokers in this category, highlighting areas where it may not be as competitive.
On the other hand, GBE brokers do not have readily available average spread data, making it a bit trickier to directly compare costs for specific trades. However, GBE brokers have earned a better impression in terms of overall commission costs, receiving a 4-star rating from ForexBrokers.com. GBE brokers are ranked at 36 out of 62 brokers for Commissions and Fees, indicating a more favorable position than Questrade in terms of cost-effectiveness.
| Feature |
Questrade
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $250 | $500 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | N/A | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing the investment offerings of Questrade and GBE brokers, Questrade stands out with a broader range of trading options. Questrade provides access to 641 tradeable symbols, including an impressive selection of 110 forex pairs. It also supports trading in exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, allowing clients to purchase some of the biggest stocks, like Apple and Vodafone. Additionally, Questrade offers the option to trade cryptocurrency derivatives, though it does not support buying actual cryptocurrency or engage in copy trading.
In contrast, GBE brokers offer 500 tradeable symbols, including 71 forex pairs, which may appeal to traders focused on forex and CFDs. While it also provides access to cryptocurrency derivatives, it lacks the ability to trade in exchange-traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges, limiting the direct purchase of major stocks. However, GBE does offer copy trading, appealing to investors looking to replicate successful strategies. Overall, Questrade receives a higher rating of 5 stars for its range of investments, ranking #11 among 62 brokers, whereas GBE holds a 3.5-star rating and ranks #44.
| Feature |
Questrade
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 641 | 500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 110 | 71 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
When comparing the trading platforms and tools of Questrade and GBE brokers, both offer options that cater to different trader preferences. Questrade shines with its proprietary platform tailored to provide a seamless trading experience, alongside a Windows-based desktop and web-based trading platform. It allows trading directly from stock charts, offers 52 fields for watch lists, and features an impressive 20 drawing tools for charting. Although it doesn't provide support for MetaTrader 4 or 5, Questrade makes up for it with DupliTrade compatibility and a well-rounded virtual demo account for practice. On the other hand, GBE brokers stand out by offering both MetaTrader 4 and 5, which are highly popular among forex traders, and supports copy trading features. While also providing paper trading opportunities and a web-based platform, GBE brokers do not have a proprietary platform, nor does it match Questrade's watch list features or drawing tools.
Both Questrade and GBE brokers receive a 4-star rating for their trading platforms and tools, indicating strong capabilities in this domain. However, their ranking by ForexBrokers.com reveals a difference in perception, with Questrade positioned at #34 out of 62 brokers, suggesting a slightly higher regard over GBE brokers, which is ranked at #57. Each platform offers unique strengths: Questrade with its extensive in-house developed features, and GBE brokers with its focus on widely-used platforms like MetaTrader. Choosing between the two may ultimately depend on whether a trader values proprietary innovation or the familiarity and community aspects of MetaTrader and copy trading capabilities.
| Feature |
Questrade
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| DupliTrade | Yes | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 64 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 20 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 52 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Questrade and GBE Brokers both offer mobile trading apps available for iPhone and Android users, catering to investors who need to trade on the go. Each app provides core features like stock and forex price alerts, trendline drawing on charts, and the ability to view multiple time frames ranging from daily to intraday. Users will find watchlists with real-time quotes in both apps, ensuring they can stay updated. Importantly, Questrade shines with its watchlist symbol syncing capability, allowing users' mobile apps to mirror changes made on their online accounts, a feature that GBE Brokers lacks. Additionally, Questrade offers 64 technical studies for charting compared to GBE Brokers' 30, thus providing more in-depth analytical tools to its users.
Both platforms auto-save chart drawings, enhancing the user experience by maintaining key insights for future reference. In terms of user ratings, both apps score a commendable four out of five stars. However, according to ForexBrokers.com's ranking, Questrade is positioned at #34, offering a slightly higher status than GBE Brokers, which stands at #57 out of 62 brokers. Overall, while both mobile trading apps receive similar star ratings, Questrade provides a more comprehensive set of charting tools and smoother portfolio management integration.
| Feature |
Questrade
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 64 | 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 the market research offerings of Questrade and GBE brokers, each has its strengths. Questrade prioritizes analytical depth by providing users with technical analysis tools from reputable sources like Autochartist and Trading Central. Additionally, Questrade offers valuable insights through its partnership with TipRanks and a comprehensive economic calendar. However, traders looking for daily market commentary or sentiment-based trading tools might find Questrade lacking in these areas.
On the other hand, GBE brokers excel in providing daily market commentary, which is crucial for traders who want up-to-date insights to inform their decisions. While it lacks the advanced analytical tools from companies like Autochartist and Trading Central offered by Questrade, GBE brokers include a sentiment-based trading tool to gauge market positions. Both platforms feature an economic calendar, though Questrade edges out slightly with a higher research rating and ranking compared to GBE brokers, scored at 3.5 stars and ranked 51st out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
Questrade
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | No | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | No |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | No | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to educational resources for beginners, Questrade outshines GBE brokers with a broader array of learning materials. Questrade provides more than ten comprehensive educational pieces dedicated to forex or CFDs, offering a variety of articles, videos, and archived webinars. Additionally, it hosts a searchable archive of previously recorded webinars, allowing users to learn at their convenience. Beginners can also access more than ten videos specifically tailored to help them grasp essential trading concepts. In comparison, GBE brokers do not offer the same volume of material focused on forex or CFDs and lack a similar archive of recorded webinars. They also fall short in providing beginner-focused video content.
Although both Questrade and GBE brokers do not host live educational webinars each month or provide comprehensive investor dictionaries, Questrade still maintains a slight edge in overall educational offerings. Rated at 3.5 stars for education compared to GBE brokers' 3 stars, Questrade ranks 36th out of 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, showing a more favorable position in the education category. Meanwhile, GBE brokers occupy the last position at 62, underscoring the need for improvement in supporting beginners with valuable learning resources.
| Feature |
Questrade
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | No | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | No | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Questrade is better than GBE brokers. Questrade finished with an overall rank of #32, while GBE brokers finished with an overall rank of #56.
Regulated in both the U.S. and Canada, Questrade is a trusted full-service multi-asset broker now offering forex and CFDs alongside its stock trading services for active and passive investors. While its scope of educational resources and in-house research is limited, Questrade has an impressive platform lineup.
| Feature |
Questrade
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GBE brokers
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 71 |
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When comparing Questrade and GBE Brokers for cryptocurrency trading, both platforms do not offer the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they do provide options to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
While both Questrade and GBE brokers support Visa, Mastercard, and bank wire transactions for deposits and withdrawals, GBE brokers provides additional flexibility with ACH, SEPA, PayPal, and Skrill options, which are not available with Questrade.
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 | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Questrade Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
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| Regulation | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 86 | 71 | |
| Year Founded | 2000 | 2013 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | 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) | No | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 641 | 500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 110 | 71 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | 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). |
| Cost | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | N/A | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $250 | $500 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | Yes | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 52 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 64 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 20 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 64 | 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 | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | No | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | No | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | No | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | No | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Questrade Review |
| Overall | Questrade | GBE brokers | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Questrade Review |
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