Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of XTB vs Questrade, 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 it comes to choosing an online broker, both XTB and Questrade are noteworthy contenders, established in 2002 and 2000, respectively. Both brokers are not banks; however, XTB takes the edge by being publicly traded, while Questrade remains privately held. This distinction may appeal to investors seeking brokers with greater transparency and credibility. Evaluating their trustworthiness, XTB shines with a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 96, indicating it is highly trusted, whereas Questrade holds a respectable score of 86, categorizing it as trusted.
Looking at regulatory credentials, both XTB and Questrade are equipped with 2 Tier-1 licenses, indicating a high level of trust. However, XTB distinguishes itself further by holding 2 additional Tier-2 licenses, while Questrade holds none. This could be a significant factor for those prioritizing strong regulatory oversight. Ultimately, both brokers offer a secure trading platform, but XTB’s higher rating and public trading status could make it a more attractive option for discerning investors.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2002 | 2000 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
When comparing XTB and Questrade in terms of commissions and fees, XTB offers competitive pricing with its two account types: the spread-only Standard account and the commission-based Professional account. However, the Pro account is being phased out and is primarily for legacy clients in the U.K. and Europe who qualify as professional traders. The Standard account, with a minimum deposit of 250, offers average forex spreads of 1 pip on the EUR/USD pair. XTB also provides an active trader program, known as the Lower Spread Group, which offers rebates on spreads for traders who meet specific volume thresholds. This helps XTB, ranked 11th out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, maintain a competitive edge and earn a 4.5-star rating in this category.
On the other hand, Questrade has target spreads of 1.9 pips on the EUR/USD, which is considered steep compared to the industry average. With no mention of volume-based rebates or active trader discounts, Questrade falls short when it comes to rewarding high-volume traders. As a result, it receives a lower rating of 3 stars for commissions and fees and is ranked 57th out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com.
In summary, XTB stands out for its competitive pricing structure, particularly for those who trade in larger volumes or qualify for rebates through regular high activity. Despite offering basic services, Questrade's higher spreads make it less attractive for traders focused on minimizing costs. This comparison highlights XTB's strength in the commission and fees category, making it a more favorable choice for cost-conscious traders.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $250 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.00 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.00 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
XTB and Questrade offer comprehensive options for online trading, featuring forex trading in both CFDs and spot contracts. XTB boasts a wide variety of trading symbols with a selection of 7,184 instruments, including 71 forex pairs, enabling traders looking for extensive market opportunities. In comparison, Questrade provides 641 tradeable symbols, with a slightly higher variety of forex pairs at 110, appealing to forex-focused investors.
Both brokers provide access to U.S. and international exchange-traded securities, allowing clients to invest in popular stocks like Apple and Vodafone. However, neither platform supports copy trading or the purchase of actual cryptocurrencies. For those interested in cryptocurrency trading, both XTB and Questrade offer cryptocurrency derivatives. Notably, both brokers secure a five-star rating for their range of investments, but Questrade edges out slightly in industry rankings, coming in at #11 compared to XTB's #14.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 7184 | 641 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 71 | 110 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No |
| 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 exploring the trading platform offerings of XTB and Questrade, both online brokers provide a suite of tools to meet diverse trading needs. Both platforms allow users to experience their services with free virtual demo accounts and have developed their own proprietary platforms. Additionally, they support trading across various setups, offering a Windows-based desktop download and a web-based platform that can be accessed through any browser. While neither XTB nor Questrade offers the popular MetaTrader platforms or dedicated copy trading options, Questrade stands out slightly with its integration of DupliTrade, unlike XTB. However, both brokers allow users to trade directly from stock charts, providing a seamless trading experience.
For those interested in charting capabilities, XTB offers 32 drawing tools compared to Questrade's 20. However, Questrade offers more columns for creating comprehensive watch lists, featuring 52 fields against XTB’s 8. In terms of ranking, XTB earns a better score with an impressive 4.5-star rating and a higher placement as the 9th best out of 62 brokers in the Trading Platforms and Tools category according to ForexBrokers.com. Questrade follows with a solid 4-star rating but is ranked 34th in the same category. Overall, both brokers offer strong platforms, catering to various trading preferences and experiences.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No |
| DupliTrade | No | Yes |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 39 | 64 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 32 | 20 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 8 | 52 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When it comes to mobile trading apps, both XTB and Questrade are solid choices for any investor using iPhone or Android devices. Both platforms provide the capability to send price alerts and draw trendlines on charts, which is essential for traders monitoring stock or forex market movements. You can also view different time frames and create watchlists with real-time quotes on both apps. Where XTB stands out is in its ranking; ForexBrokers.com places it at #8 out of 62 brokers, whereas Questrade is at #34. Additionally, XTB offers 39 technical studies compared to Questrade’s 64 studies, yet it still manages to have a higher user rating of 4.5 stars, as opposed to Questrade’s 4 stars.
One feature that may sway users in favor of Questrade is the ability to sync watchlists within the mobile app with the online account, allowing changes in one location to reflect in the other seamlessly—a feature XTB does not currently offer. Both apps do, however, allow chart drawings to save automatically, making them user-friendly for technical analysis. While XTB might rank higher and have a slightly better user satisfaction, individual preferences, such as the importance of watchlist syncing or the number of available technical studies, will ultimately dictate which app is better suited for your trading needs.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 39 | 64 |
| 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 XTB and Questrade for market research capabilities, XTB holds a distinct advantage in several areas. It provides daily market commentary and access to forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters, features not available with Questrade. XTB also offers a sentiment-based trading tool showing the ratio of long and short positions across various instruments, along with a comprehensive economic calendar. Although Questrade also offers an economic calendar, it lacks the breadth of news coverage and sentiment tools that XTB provides.
In contrast, Questrade shines by offering technical and fundamental research tools from Autochartist and Trading Central, which XTB does not provide. Additionally, Questrade offers market insights through TipRanks, further enhancing its research offerings. Despite these tools, XTB still garners a higher research rating with 5 stars, compared to Questrade’s 3.5 stars. ForexBrokers.com ranks XTB at #7 out of 62 brokers for research, significantly higher than Questrade’s rank of #51, highlighting XTB as a more comprehensive choice for those prioritizing market insights and commentary.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | Yes |
| 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 at XTB and Questrade, both platforms provide a solid foundation in forex and CFDs education with a comprehensive selection of over 10 educational pieces, including articles, videos, and archived webinars. While both brokers maintain a searchable archive of recorded client webinars, XTB distinguishes itself by offering live online educational webinars every month, which is not available at Questrade. Additionally, XTB caters to traders at all skill levels with their collection of both beginner and advanced educational videos, while Questrade focuses mainly on beginner content.
Furthermore, when evaluating their overall education offerings, XTB receives a higher rating with 5 stars, compared to Questrade's 3.5 stars. This distinction is further reflected in their rankings by ForexBrokers.com, where XTB ranks 11th out of 62 brokers, whereas Questrade comes in at 36th. Both brokers lack an investor dictionary with definitions of at least 50 investing terms, suggesting a potential area for improvement. Overall, XTB provides a more comprehensive educational experience for budding traders, especially those seeking live learning opportunities and advanced trading insights.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | 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 XTB is better than Questrade. XTB finished with an overall rank of #7, while Questrade finished with an overall rank of #32.
As a trusted multi-asset broker, XTB offers outstanding customer service, a wide variety of forex and CFDs, and an excellent overall trading experience. Its xStation 5 trading platform is well-designed and packed with innovative features, and XTB’s offers comprehensive educational content and market research.
| Feature |
XTB
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Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 96 | 86 |
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Both XTB and Questrade do not offer the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they do provide options to trade cryptocurrency derivatives instead.
While both XTB and Questrade support Visa, Mastercard, and bank wire transfers for depositing and withdrawing funds, XTB additionally offers PayPal and Skrill options, which are not available with Questrade, and neither platform supports ACH or SEPA transfers.
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 | XTB | Questrade | |
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| Trust Score | 96 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | XTB Review | Questrade Review |
| Broker Screenshots | XTB | Questrade | |
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| Regulation | XTB | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 96 | 86 | |
| Year Founded | 2002 | 2000 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | XTB | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| 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 | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | XTB | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | XTB | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 7184 | 641 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 71 | 110 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No | |
| 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 | XTB | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.00 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.00 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | No |
| Funding | XTB | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $250 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | XTB | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | Yes | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | XTB | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 8 | 52 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 39 | 64 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 32 | 20 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | XTB | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 39 | 64 | |
| 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 | XTB | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | Yes | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | XTB | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | No | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | XTB | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | XTB Review | Questrade Review |
| Overall | XTB | Questrade | |
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| Trust Score | 96 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | XTB Review | Questrade Review |
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