ActivTrades vs Qtrade Direct Investing - BrokerCue
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Broker Comparison

ActivTrades vs Qtrade Direct Investing

Compare ActivTrades and Qtrade Direct Investing side by side: fees, regulation, platforms.

ActivTrades

ActivTrades

Forex and CFD traders seeking tight spreads

ActivTrades is a multi-asset CFD and spread betting broker founded in 2001, regulated by the FCA, offering fo…

VS
Qtrade Direct Investing

Qtrade Direct Investing

Canadian self-directed investors seeking research tools

Qtrade Direct Investing is a Canadian online brokerage offering zero-commission trading on stocks, ETFs and m…

Head-to-head comparison

ActivTrades vs Qtrade Direct Investing
Feature ActivTrades Qtrade Direct Investing
Minimum deposit - -
Stock trading fee $0.02 per share ($1 min) for US share CFDs; percentage-based commission for European shares (see broker's current schedule); 0.10% (min £1) for UK shares $0 per trade (Canadian and U.S. exchanges)
Regulators FCA, CMVM, SCB, FSC, BACEN, CVM CIRO, CIPF
Best for Forex and CFD traders seeking tight spreads Canadian self-directed investors seeking research tools
Markets & account
Stocks
ETFs
Forex
-
CFDs
-
Bonds
Options
-
Spread Betting
-
Demo Account
Funds
-
Margin
-
Ready Made Portfolios
-
Business Account
-

Pros & cons

ActivTrades

ActivTrades

Pros

  • FCA-regulated with FSCS coverage up to £85,000
  • Additional private client insurance of up to £1,000,000
  • No commissions on forex, indices, commodities, ETFs, and bonds
  • Ultra-fast execution averaging 4 milliseconds
  • Choice of MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, ActivTrader, and TradingView
  • Spread betting available for UK and Irish clients (tax-free profits)
  • No minimum deposit requirement
  • Free demo account with virtual funds

Cons

  • Inactivity fee of £10 per month after 52 weeks
  • $12.50 fee on USD bank wire withdrawals
  • No copy trading or social trading features
  • Weekend customer support unavailable
  • No ISA or SIPP account types
  • Limited educational content compared to some competitors
  • Crypto CFDs unavailable under FCA entity
Qtrade Direct Investing

Qtrade Direct Investing

Pros

  • Zero-commission trading on stocks, ETFs and mutual funds since October 2025
  • No quarterly account or inactivity fees
  • Strong research tools including Morningstar analyst reports and screeners
  • Portfolio analytics with risk exposure and ESG scoring
  • Qtrade Guided Portfolios robo-advisor available for hands-off investors
  • Wide range of registered account types (TFSA, RRSP, FHSA, RESP, RRIF, LIRA, LIF)
  • Pre-market and after-hours trading available for U.S. markets
  • 30-day free trial account for platform exploration

Cons

  • No support for forex, CFDs, crypto, futures or precious metals
  • No fractional share trading
  • Currency conversion markup of approximately 0.9% applies to U.S. trades
  • Stock alerts not available on the mobile app
  • Options fee of $0.75 per contract is not the cheapest in Canada
  • Transfer-out fee of $150 per account
  • Limited to Canadian and U.S. exchanges only
  • 30-day trial account is view-only and does not support simulated trading
ActivTrades

ActivTrades

ActivTrades is a multi-asset CFD and spread betting broker founded in 2001, regulated by the FCA, offering forex, indices, stocks, commodities, ETFs, and bonds across MetaTrader 4/5, ActivTrader, and TradingView.

Visit ActivTrades Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

Qtrade Direct Investing

Qtrade Direct Investing

Qtrade Direct Investing is a Canadian online brokerage offering zero-commission trading on stocks, ETFs and mutual funds, with strong research tools and a robo-advisor option.

Visit Qtrade Direct Investing Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

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