TradingSmart
Our experts have tested a dozen online trading platforms to help you choose the one that suits you best. We have tested the various functionalities offered by these platforms depending on the financial instruments: Forex, stocks, bonds or even derivatives such as options and futures.
This research focused on various aspects of the platforms: technical and fundamental analysis tools, the security of client funds, fees, the ability to connect to multiple brokers, as well as its ease of use. In this guide, we provide you with a summary of our research and introduce you to the best trading platforms, especially for European traders and investors.
Based on our various detailed tests carried out on the most reputable platforms, three programs stood out, ProRealTime, Metatrader, and TradingView. So why this selection?
Top 3 Trading Platforms
ProRealTime: Best Day Trading Platform
ProRealTime is an advanced platform suitable for trading stocks and derivatives. It offers an excellent experience for online trading, especially for day trading. ProRealTime is one of the favorite platforms for professional traders for a reason. It also allows you to connect to the most reputable brokers. PRT’s professional trading experience makes this platform the best of our selection to trade like a pro.
Metatrader: Best Platform for Forex
Metatrader 4 and Metatrader 5 are offered by virtually all Forex and CFD brokers. These are therefore platforms that offer a wide choice of brokers. Metatrader is equipped with fairly complete charting and technical analysis tools and allows the user to create trading strategies that he can apply to any market in two clicks. Metatrader is great to start day trading Forex and CFDs.
TradingView: Best Chart Analysis Platform
TradingView is one of the most popular platforms around. It’s not accidental as TradingView offers a complete technical analysis solution from beginners to pros. The platform also offers some fundamental analysis tools for the stocks listed on its platform. With the platform you’ll be able to also create your own scripts for both automated trading or to create your own technical indicators.
| Platforms | ProRealTime | MT4 / MT5 | TradingView | NinjaTrader | eToro | AvaTrade | Saxo Bank | ZuluTrade | MetaStock | TT |
| Highlight | Day trading | Forex | Technical analysis | Day | Social trading | CFD Stock | Markets | Copy trading | Technical analysis | Futures |
| General rating | 4.9 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 3.7 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 | |
| Charges | 4.6 / 5 | 5/5 | 4.8 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 3.5 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 2/5 | 3/5 |
| Account opening | 4.8 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 5/5 | 3.8 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 | 3/5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Deposit and withdrawal | – | – | – | – | 4.5 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 | – | – | – |
| Suitability for day trading | 5 / 5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 4.5 / 5 | – | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Financial markets and products | 4.6 / 5 | – | 5/5 | 4.5 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 | – | 4.8 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 |
| Data quality | 4.8 / 5 | 3.5 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4/5 | 4.3 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | – | 4.9 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 |
| Webtrader | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AvailableBrokers | IG, Interactive Brokers UK | Pepperstone, AvaTrade, XTB, Plus500, CMC Markets | Oanda, Saxo, FOREX.com | Oanda, Saxo Bank | eToro | AvaTrade | Saxo Bank | Pepperstone, FXCM, AvaTrade, OANDA | – | AMP, Optimus |
What Makes a Good Trading Platform?
There are several factors that come into play when it comes to choosing your trading platform. The 3 most important are: fees, features offered by the platform, and customer support.
Fees
Some platforms are independent. They offer you technical analysis tools and the possibility of sending orders to brokers. This kind of platform can be free and offer paid features. Most of them open up great analysis tools, but it’s important that they allow the ability to connect to multiple brokers.
With regard to the platforms that are proprietary to a broker, it will be necessary to take into account the trading costs. If you are interested in Forex, the spread is an important criterion of choice, the tighter it is, the better. For stocks, indices and derivatives, a low commission is ideal.
Some brokers offer several types of accounts, with different rates. In general, the larger your deposit, and therefore the larger volumes you trade, the more discount you will receive.
Most retail traders use leverage. This is limited to 1:30 in Europe, which has the effect of limiting the margin required to open a position.
Platform Features
In general, independent platforms offer more features for technical analysts. If you want to test or create your trading strategies, or program trading robots, these will be the best fit. The independent platforms offer historical data to backtest your strategies. They also provide the best quotes and access to more financial products because they have more data sources than a broker.
Independent platforms often differ in terms of functionality and charting tools. Some provide a better experience than others. It is important that you are able to customize the platform to your liking.
You should also consider the research and analysis tools provided if you are interested in the stock market. In this case, it is important to have an efficient screener able to identify the best opportunities. Portfolio management tools are also essential if you diversify your investments.
Speed of Execution
The speed of execution of orders is a factor to be taken into account. Most brokers maintain that their own platform offers the best possible experience. However, there are many factors that can influence the speed of execution, including volatility, liquidity, and the location and quality of their servers.
Ultimately, the best platforms are the ones that offer the most flexibility and are user-friendly enough for the average investor. Accessibility, from several platforms (mobile, web and PC), as well as the possibility of connecting to several brokers are considerable advantages.
Customer Support
The platforms and brokers in our comparison all have a customer support department able to answer any of your questions. Live chat and an FAQ are handy, but not as convenient as a forum and a strong community around the platform can be.
Reviews of the Most Popular Trading Platforms
ProRealTime
ProRealTime is an advanced platform ideal for scalping and day trading futures, stocks, Forex and CFDs. It allows you to connect to two brokers: Interactive Brokers UK and IG.
Strengths
| Platform | Strengths | General rating | Fees | Account opening | Deposit and withdrawal | Day trading ability | Financial markets and products | Data quality | Webtrader | Demo account | Available Brokers |
| ProRealTime | Day trading | 4.9 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 | – | 5/5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 | No | Yes | IG, Interactive Brokers UK |
ProRealTime (PRT) has advanced analysis and charting tools and is ideal for professional traders. It offers excellent trading experience and fast execution, which is popular with professional and non-professional traders. It is one of the most used trading platforms.
Fees
- Full license: € 29.96 / month
- Premium: € 79.99 / month
PRT’s monthly license is € 29.96 / month. The platform then offers you the real-time data for the Forex currency pairs. Access to the European equity, futures and options markets is from € 9 per month.
Order fees depend on the product and the exchange where the asset you are trading is located. These fees are reduced if you are an active trader trading multiple orders per day. We invite you to consult the broker’s rates page for more information.
Account Opening
ProRealTime is much more intuitive than MetaStock, which is also an advanced platform. The free trial period is, however, limited to 2 weeks. The platform is only linked to two brokers, Interactive Brokers UK and IG. These two brokers are among the most famous brokers in the world. Interactive Brokers is ideal for futures, stocks and Forex trading, while IG and best suited for CFDs.
Deposit and Withdrawal
PRT is not a broker. The amount of your deposits will therefore depend on its partner brokers. If you go through PRT, the minimum deposit at Interactive Brokers is € 3000, while IG only requires € 300.
Platform Features
- Cutting edge screener
- Eight types of orders
- Over 100 technical indicators
- Backtesting
- ProScreener
- Automated Trading
- Without programming
- Based on the cloud
- Detailed reports
Day Trading
ProRealTimeis a much coveted platform for scalpers and day traders on indices and futures. Lightning-fast execution, reliable brokers and low fees make it an ideal platform for day trading.
Webtrader
PRT does not have a Webtrader and can only be installed on a PC.
Mobile Application
ProRealTime does not have a mobile application available on the App Store and Google Play. But the platform has created a web version suitable for mobile browsing. The latter is available on ProRealTime.com. On its site, the platform recommends creating a shortcut of this link on your smartphone and voila, you have PRT on mobile!
Markets and Financial Products
Products
- Indices
- Futures
- Equities
- Forex
- Spread
- Cryptocurrencies
Markets
- Europe
- North America
ProRealTime’s offer is limited to European and American markets. Emerging markets are not yet offered. Cryptocurrencies are nevertheless available from € 9 / month.
TradingView
TradingView is the platform that offers the best technical analysis experience of our selection. Although it is free, TradingView offers advanced analysis tools that are suitable for both professionals and beginners.
Strengths
| Platform | Strengths | General rating | Fees | Account opening | Deposit and withdrawal | Day trading ability | Data quality | Financial markets and products | Webtrader | Demo account | Available brokers |
| TradingView | Technical analysis | 4.7 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 | 5/5 | – | 4/5 | 4.7 / 5 | 5 / 5 | Yes | Yes | Oanda, Saxo, Bank, FOREX.com |
TradingView offers chart history on a large number of financial instruments around the world. It is the leader in technical analysis. In addition, it is a very user-friendly and easy-to-use platform which also allows you to trade with a few brokers. TradingView is also a social trading platform.
Fees
- Basic: Free
- PRO: $ 14.95 / month
- PRO +: $ 29.95 / month
- Premium: $ 59.95 / month
You will find that TradingView is free and thus a great tool to get started. Without a subscription, you will be able to access chart data of stocks, ETF indices, cryptocurrencies and commodities. TradingView offers a monthly subscription at $ 14.95 for additional features like the “PRO” badge and ad-free service.
Account Opening
Open a TradingView account in two clicks using social networks. You can then participate in its social network by publishing your own analysis.
For trading, TradingView allows you to connect to several brokers, including Oanda and Saxo Bank. You will therefore first need to open a trading account with these brokers in order to then be able to connect to them from TradingView.
Deposit and Withdrawal
TradingView does not allow deposits or withdrawal requests. You must first open an account with one of their partner brokers and, from their dashboard, make a deposit.
Platform Features
- Average screener and backtest tools
- Price level alert and indicator alert
- Pine Script
- HTML5 chart
- More than 1000 technical indicators
Day Trading
Suitability for day trading depends on the broker you chose to go along with TradingView. FXCM is one of the brokers that offers the best day trading capabilities.
Webtrader
TradingView is completely online based. No installation needed! You can therefore find your analysis and drawings from any computer. This offers considerable flexibility compared to platforms that require installation on a PC.
Mobile App
TradingView offers the best mobile app for usability and technical analysis. All drawing tools and indicators are available through the application. They faithfully reproduced the webtrader to adapt it to the mobile. The mobile application is synchronized with the webtrader, so you will find all your analysis and your charts on the TradingView application.
Markets and Financial
Products
- Indices
- Futures
- Stocks
- Bonds
- ETF
- CFDs
- Forex
- Cryptocurrencies
Markets
- Europe
- North America
- South America
- Asia
- Pacific
- South Africa
TradingView is a leader in financial quotation data. You will find virtually all tradable assets in the world, even the ones listed on the less popular exchanges. Historical cryptocurrency data is also available through the platform.
Metatrader 4 and Metatrader 5 (MT4 and MT5)
Metatrader is the most popular platform in our comparison. It is suitable for beginners as it’s free and allows you to connect to several brokers. It also allows you to copy trade or sell your own trading signals using robots.
Strengths
| Platform | Strengths | General rating | Fees | Account opening | Deposit and withdrawal | Day trading ability | Data quality | Financial markets and products | Webtrader | Demo account | Available brokers |
| MT4 / MT5 | Forex | 4.6 / 5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | – | 4/5 | 3.5 / 5 | – | Yes | Pepperstone, AvaTrade, XTB, Plus500, CMC Markets |
Metatrader platforms are well known in the online trading industry. They were developed by MetaQuotes, a Russian trading software development company. MT4 is very popular in the Forex industry and the majority of Forex brokers make it available. It is easy to use and very customizable. You can move or resize the different windows that make it up: graph, market observation, browser, etc.
MT5 is the version of Metatrader which succeeds MT4. It has the same functionality and also is more user friendly for CFD trading.
Metatrader offers all the tools you need for trading: pending orders, trailing stop loss and other position management tools. But its real strength lies in the fact that there is a large community of developers around this software. It is therefore easy to have any trading strategy programmed. The built-in programming languages, MQL4 and MQL5 are easy to learn and allow you to create trading robots in minutes.
The other advantage of Metatrader is the large number of brokers you can connect to through the platform. Hundreds of brokers offer MT4 or MT5, this ability makes Metatrader one of the best trading platforms.
Fees
Metatrader 4 and Metatrader 5 are completely free. It is not for nothing that they are the most popular platforms. For a beginner, Metatrader allows trading with an unlimited demo account. Even if you haven’t found a broker yet, MetaQuotes gives you access to the Forex market, and a demo account to practice. This is an advantage over NinjaTrader and ProRealTime, whose demo offers are limited.
The fees that you will pay with a real trading account are charged by your broker and not the platform provider themselfs.
Opening an Account
Opening a live account on Metatrader requires going through a broker. With a broker offering Metatrader 4 or Metatrader 5 such as Pepperstone, you will be able to download its own version of Metatrader from its dashboard. Just install the software and connect to the broker’s server.
Deposit and Withdrawal
MT4 and MT5 do not credit your trading account. It will therefore be necessary to do it from the dashboard of your broker. The same is true for withdrawal requests.
Platform Features
- Limited screener and backtest tools
- Thousands of trading robots
- Advanced technical analysis
- Connection to multiple brokers
- Copy-trading
- MT4 Multi-terminal
- Automated trading
- Easy language programming
- Fast backtesting
Day Trading
Metatrader platforms are ideally suited for day trading. The execution is quite fast, the trader can even scalp on these platforms. Note, however, that these are third-party platforms. Most brokers maintain that the execution of orders on their own platform is faster than on that of Metatrader. It is therefore a factor to take into account.
Webtrader
Metatrader has created a web-based platform to access your trading account. With the same username and password as for your Metatrader PC account, you will be able to log into the MT4 and MT5 Webtrader.
It is important to note that Metatrader webtraders do not currently allow automated trading and do not support custom indicators.
Mobile App
MT4 and MT5 have their mobile apps, available for iOS and Android. These applications have changed little since their creation. They are not very user-friendly, the scrolling of the charts is not smooth. MT4 and MT5 mobile applications are not synchronized to webtraders or PC versions.
Financial Markets and Products
Financial instruments available for trading on Metatrader are actually offered by your broker. But the choices on Metatrader are quite limited. Most brokers only offer Forex currency pairs and a few CFDs on stocks, indices and commodities.
NinjaTrader
NinjaTrader is an advanced analysis platform, ideal for scalping and day trading. It allows you to send orders to ten online brokers.
Strengths
| Platform | Strengths | General rating | Fees | Account opening | Deposit and withdrawal | Day trading ability | Data quality | Financial markets and products | Webtrader | Demo account | Available brokers |
| NinjaTrader | Day Trading | 4.3 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 3.8 / 5 | – | 5/5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | No | Yes | FXCM, Oanda, Interactive Brokers, FOREX.com |
The latest version of NinjaTrader is ideal for traders who are more active in the markets. The platform offers many technical indicators as well as advanced charting tools. It is very flexible and allows technical indicators to be customized.
NinjaTrader provides access to thousands of plugins to improve user experience. With Market Replay you will be able to replay the price action history of a given financial instrument. Ideal for practicing or doing backtests.
Fees
- Free with a deposit on NinjaTrader Brokerage
- Lease: $ 720 / year
- Own: $ 999, single payment
Trading fees at NinjaTrader vary widely, as they depend on your needs and the financial products you want to trade.
For the free subscription to NinjaTrader, the futures commission is $ 0.29 per contract. It is reduced to $ 0.19 per contract for “Lease” members who will pay $ 60 per month. The minimum margin is set at $ 50 on certain futures, such as the Micro E -mini S&P 500.
It should be noted that “Lease” members also have additional features: OCO orders (one cancels the other) and the option to trade from charts.
Opening an Account
NinjaTrader offers its own Futures and Forex brokerage service called NinjaTrader Brokerage. If you don’t go for the Lease or Own offers, this will be your only option. If you want to benefit from the features of NinjaTrader with another broker, FXCM, Oanda and Interactive Brokers allow you to use the platform.
Deposit and Withdrawal
NinjaTrader Brokerage requires a minimum deposit of $ 1000. The deposit methods offered are Skrill, Neteller, and credit or debit card deposits.
Platform Features
- Cutting edge backtest and creener tools
- Advanced charting
- Alerts on indicators and automated triggering of orders
- SuperDOM
- Tick Replay
- Backtesting
- Automated Trading
- Trading strategy templates
- Semi-automated strategies (ATM Strategy)
- Stop loss and conditional take profit
Day Trading
NinjaTrader is an excellent platform for day trading and futures scalping. The platform offers competitive fees. Like ProRealTime, NinjaTrader offers a great day trading experience.
Webtrader
NinjaTrader is unfortunately not available online with a webtrader.
Mobile App
NinjaTrader also does not offer a mobile app.
Markets and Financial Products
Products
- Futures
- Options
- Forex
Markets
- Europe
- United Kingdom
- United States
NinjaTrader is a platform oriented for futures and Forex trading. In particular, you will find futures listed on the CME, such as the Eurodollar, the Bitcoin futures, and the E-mini S&P 500.
eToro
eToro is the largest social trading platform. The user-friendliness of this platform has made it popular with newbies. However, the fees are quite high. eToro is recommended for swing trading or medium and long term trading.
Strengths
| Platform | Strengths | General rating | Fees | Account opening | Deposit and withdrawal | Day trading ability | Data quality | Financial markets and products | Webtrader | Demo | Available brokers |
| accounteToro | Social trading | 4/5 | 3/5 | 4.8 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 4.8 / 5 | Yes | Yes | eToro |
eToro is very suitable for beginners in the learning phase. The platform makes it possible to follow other more experienced investors and traders. By subscribing and following these traders, you are able to copy their trades automatically. The platform also makes it possible to buy real cryptocurrencies or in the form of CFDs.
Fees
With eToro you will not pay commissions on CFDs. However, a spread applies to all your trades. The spread is not one of the most competitive in the industry, but it is still acceptable. On EUR / USD, it is around 3 pips. eToro is therefore more suitable for swing trading than short-term trading.
We have noticed that most customers are unhappy with the $ 25 withdrawal fee. It is important to take this into account before depositing your funds, this will prevent you from surprises when withdrawing.
Opening an Account
There is only one type of account with eToro, the standard account. The opening of an account with this broker is one most streamline processes among the platforms that we tested. You will have to fill out ten short forms. Then you just need to have your identity verified before you can make a deposit.
Deposit and Withdrawal
The minimum deposit with this broker is $ 200, or € 180. eToro offers more deposit methods than other platforms. To credit your account, you will have the choice between PayPal, Skrill, Giropay, Webmoney as well as the transfer and the bank card.
Platform Features
- Screener and backtest tools are not available
- Social trading
- Technical analysis
- Portfolio copy trading
- Cryptocurrency
- Unlimited demo account
Day Trading
eToro is not well suited for day trading due to its fairly high spreads.
Webtrader
It is completely online based. The platform is not very customizable. You cannot change the size of the windows or even close them. To access available assets more quickly, you can use the search bar. You then have the option of adding the financial instrument to your favorites list.
The chart features are rather basic compared to the other platforms in our comparison. However, eToro has the necessary indicators and charting tools to conduct simple technical analysis.
Mobile Application
The eToro application is available on Google Play and on the App Store. It has the same functionalities as the web platform. The navigation on the application is user-friendly, by scrolling sideways, it displays the different sections of the platform: favorite products, the order terminal, the graph, etc.
Markets and Financial Products
Products
- Indices
- Stocks
- Commodities
- CFDs
- Forex
- Cryptocurrencies
Markets
- Europe
- North America
More than 1,500 CFDs are offered by eToro on all asset classes: stocks, indices, commodities, Forex and cryptocurrencies.
AvaTradeGO, AvaOption and the AvaTrade Webtrader
AvaTrade offers Forex and CFD trading. It has a mobile, webtrader and a PC application for options. The charting tools on all the platforms are quite limited.
Strengths
| Platform | Strengths | General rating | Fees | Account opening | Deposit and withdrawal | Day trading ability | Financial markets and products | Data quality | Webtrader | Demo account | Available brokers |
| AvaTrade | CFD | 4.3 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 | 4/5 | 4.5 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 | Yes | Yes | AvaTrade |
AvaTradeGO is a trading application which is only available with AvaTrade and it provides access only to the markets offered by the broker. It has basic charting analysis tools, but allows you to follow the market and manage multiple trading accounts at the same time.
The AvaTrade Webtrader has recently been launched to complement AvaTrade’s platform options. It is made up of several windows and allows quick access to the various functions. The main one is the market observation window. The size of these windows can be changed to suit the trader’s needs.
AvaOption is a platform dedicated to investors using options in their investment strategies. The options are mainly offered on Forex currency pairs (FXOption). With AvaOption, you will be able to implement advanced strategies: straddle, strangle, bull bear spreads, etc.
Fees
AvaTrade does not charge commissions for trading currency pairs because it is integrated in their spread. For EUR / USD, the average spread is 1.3 pip. On the other hand, for CFDs on stocks, indices and cryptocurrencies, there is no spread, but a commission is charged.
A commission is also deducted for options. It is variable and depends on several factors, including market volatility and the type of option (Call or Put).
Opening an Account
The use of these different platforms requires of course that you open a trading account with AvaTrade. However, you can test these platforms as a demo without taking any risk. They can be downloaded or launched (webtrader) from the AvaTrade dashboard.
Deposit and Withdrawal
For AvaTrade Europe customers, deposit and withdrawal methods are limited to wire transfer and deposit by credit and debit card. The minimum deposit per card is € 100. This goes up to € 500 when it comes to bank transfers.
Platform Features
- Limited screener and backtest tools
- Options trading
- Sentiment indicators
- Partial closure of positions
- Cryptocurrencies
- Automated trading
Day Trading
The spreads are not very competitive but the broker is well suited in day trading. However, when it comes to scalping, the situation changes and the cost of your positions may significantly reduce your profits.
Webtrader
AvaTrade actually offers two webtraders, Metatrader and its own platform. The MT4 webtrader offers a better experience for traders because it is much more flexible. However, AvaTrade’s web trader turns out to be faster in terms of execution. If you are day trading it can be more efficient.
Mobile Application
AvaTradeGO is AvaTrade’s mobile solution. This app has a neat design with a small graph that allows you to track in real time the products available. The platform allows you the option of creating a list of our favorite products for a faster order placement.
Markets and Financial Products
Products
- Indices
- Actions
- Options
- CFDs
- Forex
- Cryptocurrencies
Markets
- Europe
- North America
AvaTradeGO and the AvaTrade web trader allow you to trade Forex as well as CFDs on indices, commodities, shares, ETFs and cryptocurrencies. Most of the platforms in our comparison provide access to these markets, but AvaTrade stands out with its AvaTradeGO options platform.
SaxoTraderGO and SaxoTraderPRO from Saxo Bank
Saxo Bank provides over 19,000 stocks that can be traded through its advanced and very well-equipped trading platforms: SaxoTraderGO, SaxoTraderPRO and its mobile application.
Strengths
| Platform | Strengths | General rating | Fees | Account opening | Deposit and withdrawal | Day trading ability | Data quality | Financial markets and products | Webtrader | Demo account | Available brokers |
| Saxo Bank | Equity markets | 4.5 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 | Yes | Yes | Saxo Bank |
Saxo Bank offers more than 40,000 financial instruments on its platforms. The broker is one of the most competitive on commissions for stock trading. In addition, 182 currency pairs are offered, this is the largest number of pairs offered in our comparison.
Fees
Saxo Bank only applies a spread for Forex currency pairs and a commission for stocks and ETFs. The spread is variable and quite competitive. For EUR / USD, it averages 1.4 pip. The commission on stocks and ETFs is fixed at 0.085%. Commissions on bonds are also fixed and amount to 0.2%.
Opening an Account
You have the option of transferring your accounts from another platform to Saxo Bank. The opening of an account is quite fast and you can create a demo account very quickly to test the platforms.
Deposit and Withdrawal
The minimum deposit is 2000 €. The methods available to you are payment by card and bank transfer. Deposits can be made directly from the SaxoTraderGO and SaxoTraderPRO trading platforms.
Platform Features
- State-of-the-art screener and backtest tools
- Analyst sentiment
- Advanced fundamental analysis
- Trading signals
- Advanced portfolio analysis
- Batch order management
Day Trading
With low stock commissions Saxo Bank is ideally suited for day stock trading. SaxoTraderGO incorporates essential functions for day trading, such as one-click trading and a stop loss based on total account losses. This can be very useful if there is a sudden increase in volatility.
Webtrader
SaxoTraderPRO is more advanced than the SaxoTraderGO webtrader. However, the latter is well enough equipped to suit professional traders. You will be able to trade from charts and benefit from more than 50 technical indicators and charting tools. However, the platform is not at the same level as ProRealTime when it comes to flexibility and trading experience.
Mobile Application
The Saxo Bank app is available on Android and iOS systems. You can find a search bar, which allows you to quickly identify a financial instrument. The application also has a chartist screener thanks to the integration of AutoChartist.
Markets and Financial Products
Products
- Indices
- Futures
- Stocks
- Bonds
- ETF
- CFDs
- Forex
- Options
- ETN cryptos
Markets
- Europe
- North America
- Asia
- Pacific
- South Africa
With more than 40,000 instruments on offer, we can assure you that you will have no trouble finding the asset that interests you on Saxo Bank. The broker also offers ETNs (Exchange-Traded Notes) on Bitcoin and Ethereum. These derivatives allow you to speculate on the evolution of the price of these cryptocurrencies without having to buy the corresponding coins.
ZuluTrade
ZuluTrade is the copy trading platform that offers the most flexibility. It allows you to connect several brokers at the same time. Traders can automate trading signals.
Strengths
| Platform | Strengths | General rating | Fees | Account opening | Deposit and withdrawal | Day trading ability | Data quality | Financial markets and products | Webtrader | Demo account | Available brokers |
| ZuluTrade | Copy trading | 4.5 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 | – | – | – | – | No | Yes | Pepperstone, FXCM, AvaTrade, OANDA |
ZuluTrade is a copy trading and social trading platform. Unlike eToro, it can integrate with over 60 brokers. This gives some flexibility to signal providers. You can use MT4 to send signals to your ZuluTrade account and from there any investor can follow you.
Fees
- Performance Fee: 20%
ZuluTrade is free. The fees for trading will be your broker’s, as ZuluTrade is not a full-fledged broker. The group has nevertheless launched its own trading platform: AAA FX. If you make profit by following other traders, the platform deducts a 20% performance fee to pay your signal providers.
Opening an Account
There are two types of accounts: the classic account for signal providers and the “Profit Sharing” account, suitable for followers. Both accounts have a dashboard that allows you to manage your positions and risk. It is possible to add a demo account to test the different features.
Deposit and Withdrawal
As we have seen, ZuluTrade is not a broker. Deposits and withdrawals will therefore be made on the side of your broker before connecting your account to the platform.
Platform features
- No screener or backtest tools
- ZuluScript
- Account protection tools
- Economic calendar
- Connect to multiple brokers
Day Trading
You will be able to perfectly follow traders who are day trading on ZuluTrade, as long as your broker’s fees and commissions are acceptable for short-term trading. We recommend Pepperstone, which is a very competitive broker in this area and is compatible with ZuluTrade.
Webtrader
ZuluTrade is completely online based and its dashboard allows you to have a good level of control over your accounts. You can set a capital stop loss for each of your signal providers. Other security measures are also taken, such as ZuluGuard which automatically disconnects the trading account of a supplier whose actions suddenly become inconsistent.
Mobile Application
ZuluTrade also has a mobile application. It is developed for Android and iOS. ZuluTrade mobile also allows you to monitor positions opened by your signal providers. It is possible to close your positions from the app and manage the risk.
Markets and Financial Products
If you want to trade a particular instrument, you will need to check that your broker as well as that of your ZuluTrade signal provider offer the same instrument because ZuluTrade only copies trades from one account to another.
MetaStock
MetaStock is a very advanced platform offering many features. It is not linked to any broker and its rates are quite high.
Strengths
| Platform | Strengths | General rating | Fees | Account opening | Deposit and withdrawal | Day trading ability | Data quality | Financial markets and products | Webtrader | Demo account | Available brokers |
| MetaStock | Technical analysis | 04/05/19 | 2/5 | 3/5 | – | 5/5 | 4.9 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 | No | Yes | – |
MetaStock is an advanced platform for technical analysis, backtesting and market forecasting. It is designed for professional traders who want real-time market data as well as sophisticated technical analysis tools. The platform offers financial data and real time news from Reuters. Reuters is the co-owner of the platform, along with the Blackstone group.
Fees
- Platform license: $ 499
- Data access: from $ 69 / month
The platform is quite accessible for professional traders. Priced at $ 69 per month you can have end of day quotes. This offer is perfect for swing traders who make their decision at the end of the day. The price varies depending on the markets from which you want to receive the data. For equities data from Europe plan an additional $ 27.95 per month.
For traders wishing to have real-time data for day trading, the subscription is $ 150 per month for European stocks. The Forex subscription is $ 99 per month.
Opening an Account
You will need to invest time to learn the platform because it is not user friendly and has lots of options. MetaStock nevertheless offers a free month trial to test its various features.
Deposit and Withdrawal
Since it is a charting platform, it is not linked to any broker.
Platform Functionality
- State-of-the-art screeners and backtest tools
- Indicator creation
- Trading robots
- Chart forecaster
- Advanced backtesting
- Over 150 indicators and analysis tools
Day Trading
MetaStock is perfectly suited for intraday market analysis. However, the platform is not linked to any broker and does not allow you to send orders in real time. In addition, the real time data subscriptions are quite expensive.
Webtrader
There is no webtrader or mobile platform for MetaStock. We must admit that the evolution of the platform is rather slow compared to other competitors.
Mobile Application
There is no mobile version available for this platform.
Markets and Financial Products
Products
- Indices
- Futures
- Equities
- Bonds
- Forex
Markets
- Europe
- North America
- Asia
- Pacific
- South Africa
Data for all markets are available on MetaStock provided that you subscribe to the corresponding package: equities, futures, Forex, etc.
Given the slow pace of their platform develpment, you can expect to have to wait a while before cryptocurrency data becomes available.
TT Platform (Trading Technologies)
In the advanced platforms category, TT offers more flexibility and more mobility than any other. This platform is oriented towards futures trading.
Strengths
| Platform | Strengths | General rating | Fees | Account opening | Deposit and withdrawal | Day trading ability | Data quality | Financial markets and products | Webtrader | Demo account | Available brokers |
| TT | Futures | 4.3 / 5 | 3/5 | 4.5 / 5 | – | 5/5 | 4.9 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 | Yes | Yes | AMP, Optimus |
TT is a platform for technical analysis and trading on futures and options. It is available on mobile, webtrader and PC. It’s a very customizable platform and it’s relatively easy to learn.
Fee
- Standard: $ 700 / month
- PRO: $ 1,400 / month
- Some futures brokers offer it at different rates
You will find it provides two packages, one at $ 700 per month for professional traders and another at 1400, for traders seeking a more customized platform adapted to their needs. Other advanced tools are also offered as an option for a better experience, in particular risk management tools.
Opening an Account
We liked the fact that Trading Technologies made it easier to open a demo account to test the different functionalities of the platform for 30 days.
If you want to trade live you will have to open and account with a partner broker or bank. TT is affiliated with more than fifty banks and brokers around the world, including some of the largest banks in the world.
Deposit and Withdrawal
Deposits and withdrawals are done through the partner brokers and banks.
Platform Functionalities
- State-of-the-art screener and backtest tools
- Advanced order types
- Advanced futures strategies
- Spread trading
- Advanced charting tools
- Automated trading
- Visual programming
- Management of robots by mobile
Day Trading
TT’s PC platform allows you to follow the markets on 16 screens. That’s more than enough for the most demanding day traders in the industry. The firm can adapt its offer to your needs.
Webtrader
It is simply the most advanced online trading platform in our comparison. It gives access to the webtrader in two clicks. We also liked the fact that the versions for PC, for mobile, and the webtrader are synchronized, so that you can easily keep and find your workspace when switching platforms.
Mobile Application
Trading Technologies sets itself apart from other advanced trading platforms by its mobile application available on Android and iOS. It has many exceptional features which allow you to manage your positions and your trading robots. A chart is integrated into the platform, you just need to rotate your mobile to display it in full screen mode.
Markets and Financial
Products Products
- Indices
- Futures
- Stocks
- Commodities
- Bonds
- Spread
- Options
- Forex
- Cryptocurrencies
Markets
- Europe
- North America
- Asia
On the platform you will get access to futures, options and trading on more than 60 derivative exchanges around the world. We invite you to visit this page to find the products that interest you.
Security
At <NAME OF THE WEBSITE>, we only recommend regulated brokers who offer some protection to their clients. However, some unscrupulous brokers may offer their brokerage services through independent platforms, like Metatrader 4 (which is otherwise a great platform). It is important to note that the safety of funds takes priority over the functionality and usability of the trading platform.
If you opt for an independent platform, we advise you to turn to the brokers that we recommend. These indeed offer two essential protection measures.
- Segregation of client accounts
- Deposit insurance in the event of broker bankruptcy.
Other technical security measures can be taken at the level of the trading platform, such as two-factor authentication (2 FA) and setting up capital-based stop losses.
Conclusion
Choosing the best platform for you depends on several factors, including the preferences of the trader or analyst. All the platforms in our test provide all the basic functionalities for analyzing the markets.
Depending on your needs, one platform may be better suited than the others. Some are ideal for creating trading strategies, others are effective for analyzing the market in real time and making a decision. We recommend that you download a few demo versions based on your trading requirements to test out the functionalities.
