Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of ThinkMarkets 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.
When comparing ThinkMarkets and GBE brokers, investors will find crucial differences in their regulatory standings. Founded in 2010, ThinkMarkets holds a higher ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 92, which classifies it as highly trusted. With five Tier-1 licenses, ThinkMarkets demonstrates a strong commitment to regulatory compliance. In addition, ThinkMarkets maintains two Tier-2 licenses, further ensuring its reputation as a reliable broker. Although not publicly traded or a bank, ThinkMarkets' regulatory adherence positions it as a preferred choice for many traders seeking security.
In contrast, GBE brokers was established in 2013 and carries a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 71, placing it within the average risk category. It has obtained one Tier-1 license but holds no Tier-2 licenses, suggesting a less expansive regulatory backing compared to ThinkMarkets. Like ThinkMarkets, GBE brokers is neither publicly traded nor a bank. These factors should be carefully considered by potential investors who prioritize trust and regulation when choosing an online broker.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2013 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
ThinkMarkets and GBE Brokers both offer competitive rates in the online trading landscape, each earning a noteworthy rating of 4 out of 5 stars for their commissions and fees. While specific average spread data is not available for either broker, both have managed to impress with their fee structures. ThinkMarkets is ranked at #48 out of 62 brokers in the Commissions and Fees category by ForexBrokers.com, suggesting that while they offer a good deal, there might be better options above them.
GBE Brokers, on the other hand, is ranked slightly higher at #36 out of 62 brokers in the same category. This indicates that GBE Brokers might provide a more attractive fee structure compared to ThinkMarkets based on the rankings. Like ThinkMarkets, GBE Brokers does not have available average spread data, but their higher ranking could reflect better perceived value or services related to costs.
When choosing between ThinkMarkets and GBE Brokers, both appear to deliver solid options for traders, despite the lack of specific spread data. However, GBE Brokers' higher ranking suggests it might be favored for those who prioritize lower commissions and fees, while ThinkMarkets remains a reliable choice with a consistent 4-star rating.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $500 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.1 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
ThinkMarkets and GBE brokers both offer forex trading as CFDs, allowing traders to capitalize on currency price movements. When it comes to the variety of tradeable symbols, ThinkMarkets stands out with an impressive offering of 4,000 symbols, which significantly surpasses GBE brokers’ availability of 500 symbols. However, GBE brokers provides access to 71 forex pairs, which is more than ThinkMarkets’ selection of 46 forex pairs, making it appealing to forex enthusiasts who seek more trading options within this specific market.
In terms of stock trading, neither broker offers exchange-traded securities on U.S. exchanges, such as Apple shares. ThinkMarkets, though, does allow trading stocks from international exchanges, like Vodafone shares from the London Stock Exchange, a feature not available with GBE brokers. Both platforms support copy trading and offer cryptocurrency derivatives, despite not facilitating the purchase of actual cryptocurrencies. Consequently, ThinkMarkets earns a commendable rating of 4.5 stars for its range of investments and ranks 21st out of 62 brokers. In contrast, GBE brokers receives a 3.5-star rating, ranking 44th, indicating a lesser but still noteworthy offering in investment range.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 4000 | 500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 71 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | 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.
ThinkMarkets and GBE Brokers both provide traders with the option to engage in simulated trading through free demo accounts, ensuring a risk-free way to practice and refine strategies. ThinkMarkets stands out with its proprietary trading platform, developed in-house, while GBE Brokers does not offer this feature. Both brokers allow access to popular trading tools like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, offering a choice between Windows-based desktop platforms and browser-based platforms. Features such as copy trading are supported by both, providing diversification opportunities for users.
In terms of charting, both ThinkMarkets and GBE Brokers offer 15 drawing tools and enable trading directly from stock charts. However, ThinkMarkets delivers a more extensive watch list functionality, supporting up to 15 columns compared to GBE Brokers' 7 columns. As a result, ThinkMarkets earns a higher rank of #27 in the Trading Platforms and Tools category by ForexBrokers.com, as opposed to GBE Brokers, which is ranked at #57. Both brokers are awarded 4 stars, highlighting their strong capabilities in providing accessible and effective trading tools.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No |
| 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) | 15 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 15 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both ThinkMarkets and GBE Brokers provide mobile trading apps compatible with iPhone and Android devices, offering features essential for traders on the go. Each app allows users to set stock or forex price alerts, draw trendlines on charts, and auto-save their drawings. Additionally, traders can create watchlists with real-time quotes using both platforms. However, neither app currently supports watchlist symbol syncing with online accounts, which might be a consideration for traders who frequently switch devices.
When it comes to technical analysis, ThinkMarkets stands out by offering 94 technical studies for charting, significantly more than GBE Brokers' 30 studies. This might be a decisive factor for those who rely heavily on technical indicators. Despite both apps receiving a solid 4-star rating for mobile trading, ThinkMarkets holds a higher rank, coming in at #20 out of 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, compared to GBE Brokers at #57. This higher ranking could reflect ThinkMarkets' more comprehensive charting capabilities, appealing to users seeking advanced trading tools in a mobile platform.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 94 | 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 ThinkMarkets and GBE Brokers in terms of market research offerings, both platforms deliver daily market commentary, assisting traders with timely insights. However, ThinkMarkets takes a clear lead by providing forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Dow Jones, which GBE Brokers does not. Both brokers lack technical and fundamental analysis tools from Autochartist and Trading Central, but each offers sentiment-based trading tools, displaying a ratio of long or short positions across various instruments. While neither offers research from TipRanks, ThinkMarkets provides additional resources by incorporating Acuity Trading's tools, such as Signal Centre, unlike GBE Brokers.
Additional features like an economic calendar are available on both platforms, helping traders stay informed about current and upcoming global events. In terms of performance ratings, ThinkMarkets scores a 3.5 out of 5 stars for research, whereas GBE Brokers receives a slightly lower 3-star rating. When ranked among 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, ThinkMarkets holds the 50th position in the Research category, making it a more favored choice compared to GBE Brokers, which stands at 61st.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners seeking educational resources in forex and CFDs trading, ThinkMarkets offers a comprehensive range of materials compared to GBE brokers. ThinkMarkets provides over 10 educational pieces, such as articles, videos, and webinars focused specifically on forex and CFDs. Additionally, they host at least one live educational webinar each month and maintain a searchable archive of past webinars. To further support learning, ThinkMarkets offers a selection of over 10 beginner-level educational videos as well as more advanced content for experienced traders, alongside a comprehensive investor dictionary with definitions for over 50 investing terms. Meanwhile, GBE brokers fall short, lacking in comparable educational resources and offerings.
When it comes to educational ratings, ThinkMarkets earns a slight edge with a 3.5-star rating, while GBE brokers receive 3 stars. According to ForexBrokers.com, ThinkMarkets is ranked at 52nd out of 62 brokers in the Education category, whereas GBE brokers ranks lower at 62nd. Despite both brokers having room for improvement in their educational offerings, ThinkMarkets provides a more advantageous platform for beginners eager to dive into trading with a wealth of accessible learning tools.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| 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 ThinkMarkets is better than GBE brokers. ThinkMarkets finished with an overall rank of #27, while GBE brokers finished with an overall rank of #56.
ThinkMarkets has multiple regulatory license and offers a proprietary trading platform, as well as the entire MetaTrader suite. The broker has made progress in key areas, such as research and education, and the range of markets available, although trails behind the best brokers in these categories.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
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GBE brokers
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 92 | 71 |
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ThinkMarkets and GBE Brokers both provide options for purchasing cryptocurrency derivatives, yet neither broker facilitates the purchase of actual, delivered cryptocurrency.
In comparing online brokers ThinkMarkets and GBE brokers, GBE brokers stands out by offering ACH or SEPA transfers and PayPal for account deposits and withdrawals, whereas ThinkMarkets does not offer these options, though both brokers provide Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wire options.
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 | ThinkMarkets | GBE brokers | |
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| Trust Score | 92 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
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| Broker Screenshots | ThinkMarkets | GBE brokers | |
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| Regulation | ThinkMarkets | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 92 | 71 | |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2013 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | ThinkMarkets | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | ThinkMarkets | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | ThinkMarkets | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 4000 | 500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 71 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | 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 | ThinkMarkets | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.1 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | ThinkMarkets | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $500 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | ThinkMarkets | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No | |
| 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 | ThinkMarkets | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 15 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | ThinkMarkets | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 94 | 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 | ThinkMarkets | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | ThinkMarkets | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | ThinkMarkets | 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 |
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| Trust Score | 92 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review |
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