Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Swissquote vs Markets.com, 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.
Swissquote and Markets.com are both seasoned players in the online brokerage field, with Swissquote having been established in 1996 and Markets.com following shortly after in 1999. While Swissquote stands out as a publicly traded bank, Markets.com operates solely as an online broker without a listing on a stock exchange. When assessing trust and safety, Swissquote holds a significant edge with a perfect Trust Score of 99 on ForexBrokers.com, supported by five Tier-1 licenses, which reflect the highest degree of regulatory trust. In contrast, Markets.com, with a reputable Trust Score of 93, holds three Tier-1 licenses.
Both brokers hold one Tier-2 license, indicating a strong level of trust. However, Swissquote's status as a bank and its perfect Trust Score position it as one of the most trusted options in the financial trading industry. On the other hand, Markets.com, despite not being a bank, still maintains a solid level of investor trust and regulatory compliance. These distinctions allow prospective traders to clearly compare the trustworthiness and regulatory standing between the two brokers, aiding in making an informed decision based on their priorities and needs.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1996 | 1999 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
Swissquote, known for its reputable Swiss banking background, provides various accounts across its entities in the U.K., Luxembourg, and Switzerland, each attracting slightly higher costs. The U.K. branch offers the most competitive rates, with the Elite account as a preferred choice for active traders due to its lower spreads and $5 charge per round-turn trade. For everyday traders, the Standard account with a starting spread of 1.3 pips might not be as appealing, while the Prime account offers a minimum spread from 0.6 pips but requires a significant deposit. Swissquote's Luxembourg branch similarly offers tiered accounts with spreads from 0.8 to 1.5 pips, while its Swiss entity leans towards higher spreads starting at 1.1 pips for a Prime account. Overall, Swissquote's commission structure is slightly above average, earning a 3.5-star rating and ranking 52nd among 62 brokers for commissions and fees.
Markets.com, by comparison, does not provide specific average spread data, making it challenging to directly compare cost efficiency. However, it also receives a 3.5-star rating for its commissions and fees structure and is ranked slightly better than Swissquote, standing at 49th out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. This suggests that while both brokers offer similar ratings, Markets.com might have a slight edge in terms of perceived value for cost among brokers.
In summary, Swissquote and Markets.com both present viable options for traders with different strengths in their commissions and fees structures. Swissquote draws attention due to its esteemed Swiss banking reputation with a premium cost, while Markets.com remains a slightly higher-ranked option with an equivalent star rating, yet lacks detailed spread data. Prospective users should consider these factors when choosing a broker that aligns with their trading needs and financial strategies.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1000 | $100 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | N/A | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| 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 comparing Swissquote and Markets.com on the range of investments, both platforms offer forex trading as either CFDs or spot contracts, catering to diverse trading preferences. Swissquote gives access to a noteworthy selection of 472 tradeable symbols and shines with 80 forex pairs. In contrast, Markets.com provides a broader array of 2179 tradeable symbols but offers fewer forex pairs, numbering just 57. Swissquote further distinguishes itself by providing direct access to exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, enabling clients to buy stocks like Apple and Vodafone directly, whereas Markets.com does not have this capability.
Both Swissquote and Markets.com support copy trading, appealing to those who prefer mirroring successful trading strategies. When it comes to cryptocurrency, Swissquote offers a strong advantage with the ability to buy actual cryptocurrencies, alongside cryptocurrency derivatives, whereas Markets.com is limited to the latter option. Swissquote's diverse investment options earn it a top-tier rating of 5 stars for the range of investments, placing it impressively at #2 out of 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com. Meanwhile, Markets.com, with its 4-star rating, ranks at #29 in the same category, reflecting its extensive, yet slightly more limited offerings in direct security purchases and crypto investments.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 472 | 2179 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 57 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| 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.
When comparing trading platforms and tools between Swissquote and Markets.com, both brokers offer robust options for traders. Each provides simulated trading through a free virtual demo account and employs a proprietary platform developed in-house. Traders can access both Windows-based desktop platforms and web-based platforms with either broker, ensuring versatile trading experiences across devices. While Swissquote and Markets.com each support popular platforms like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, neither offers DupliTrade or ZuluTrade. Both brokers allow copy trading, though Swissquote stands out with significantly more drawing tools available for charting, offering 75 compared to Markets.com's 4. Additionally, Swissquote enables direct trading from stock charts, a feature absent from Markets.com.
For watch lists, Swissquote provides more customization options with 11 columns, outperforming Markets.com's 6 columns. This broader range of features contributes to Swissquote receiving a higher rating of 4.5 stars for its trading platforms and tools, compared to Markets.com's 4 stars. This rating is reflected in their overall ranks by ForexBrokers.com, where Swissquote is positioned at #11 out of 62 brokers, significantly ahead of Markets.com, which ranks #26. These differences highlight why traders might gravitate toward Swissquote for its comprehensive platform features and higher market ranking.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| 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) | 86 | 89 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 75 | 4 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 6 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When it comes to mobile trading, both Swissquote and Markets.com provide apps for iPhone and Android users, ensuring flexibility for traders on the go. Each platform offers essential features like price alerts for stock and forex, trendy technical drawings, and watchlists with real-time quotes. However, key differences exist that may sway some traders. Swissquote's app is noted for its advanced capabilities, boasting 30 technical studies for charting and enabling users to view various time frames like daily or intraday. It also automatically saves chart drawings, adding an extra layer of convenience for users who rely on these annotations.
On the other hand, Markets.com shines with features such as watchlist symbol syncing, allowing seamless synchronization between its mobile app and the user's online account. Despite this, Swissquote edges ahead with a higher overall mobile app rating of 4.5 stars and a ranking of 10th among 62 brokers, compared to Markets.com’s 4-star rating and 33rd position. While both apps provide essential functionalities, Swissquote delivers a more integrated and technically enriched experience, making it a preferred choice for those who value comprehensive charting and reliability in mobile trading.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | (default on MT4, none on Markets app) |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing Swissquote and Markets.com for market research capabilities, both brokers provide daily market commentary and deliver forex news from high-quality sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. They also provide traders with access to an economic calendar featuring global news events. However, Swissquote stands out by offering research tools from Autochartist, aiding in technical and fundamental analysis, whereas Markets.com does not feature this particular tool.
On the other hand, Markets.com distinguishes itself by providing a sentiment-based trading tool, which allows users to view the ratio of long or short positions across various instruments, something that Swissquote lacks. Additionally, neither broker offers tools from Trading Central, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading. Both Swissquote and Markets.com share a research rating of 4 stars, with Swissquote ranked slightly higher at #16 compared to Markets.com at #17 among 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | No | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational resources available for beginners on Swissquote and Markets.com, Swissquote comes out ahead in offering comprehensive learning materials. Swissquote provides a variety of educational content, including over ten articles, videos, and archived webinars specifically on forex and CFDs, alongside a searchable archive of these webinars for easy access. Additionally, they offer a wide range of beginner videos and an investor dictionary with more than 50 terms. Both Swissquote and Markets.com conduct monthly online educational webinars and present a selection of beginner and advanced trading videos. However, Markets.com does not match Swissquote's depth in some areas, lacking a dedicated investor dictionary and not providing a searchable webinar archive.
In terms of educational quality, both platforms received similar ratings, with Swissquote and Markets.com each earning four stars. Despite this, the educational ranking on ForexBrokers.com places Swissquote at #21 out of 62 brokers, whereas Markets.com sits further down at #34. Overall, while both offer valuable learning resources, Swissquote presents a more comprehensive package for beginner traders looking to deepen their understanding of the financial markets.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| 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 Swissquote is better than Markets.com. Swissquote finished with an overall rank of #11, while Markets.com finished with an overall rank of #23.
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
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 |
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Swissquote allows investors to purchase actual cryptocurrency, while both Swissquote and Markets.com provide the option to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
Swissquote stands out for its extensive deposit and withdrawal options, offering ACH or SEPA transfers, PayPal, Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires, whereas Markets.com provides Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires but lacks support for ACH, SEPA transfers, and PayPal.
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 | Markets.com | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Swissquote Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Swissquote | Markets.com | |
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| Regulation | Swissquote | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Year Founded | 1996 | 1999 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Swissquote | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| 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) | Swissquote | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | Swissquote | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 472 | 2179 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 57 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | Swissquote | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | N/A | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Swissquote | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1000 | $100 | |
| 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 | Swissquote | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Swissquote | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | No | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 6 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 86 | 89 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 75 | 4 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Swissquote | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | (default on MT4, none on Markets app) | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Research | Swissquote | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Swissquote | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | Swissquote | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | No | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | Swissquote Review |
| Overall | Swissquote | Markets.com | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Swissquote Review |
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