Backpack review
Updated September 28, 2026 · BrokerCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Backpack charges a stock trade fee of $0 and works on a commission-free basis, so trading costs sit at the floor for anyone building a first share portfolio or adding crypto and futures. It suits a cost-first saver who is happy to handle support by email and to watch cash interest of 6.5%.
Key facts
- Best for
- Cost-first investors who want stocks, ETFs, crypto and futures in one account.
- Stock trade fee
- $0 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Markets
- Stocks, ETFs, Crypto, Futures (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Regulators
- Latvijas Banka, LV LV (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Investor protection
- EU ICS up to EUR 20,000 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Interest on cash
- 6.5% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- "Trek Technologies" SIA (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- Latvia (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2023 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Features
- Crypto, Mobile app
- Pricing model
- Commission-free
- Official website
- backpack.exchange
Pros and cons
Pros
- A stock trade fee of $0, on a commission-free model, means no per-trade dealing charge is listed.
- One account spans stocks, etfs and crypto, so shares, ETFs, crypto and futures sit side by side.
- European oversight through Latvijas Banka and LV LV, with investor protection of EU ICS up to EUR 20,000.
- Cash left on the account earns interest of 6.5% while it waits to be invested.
Cons
- Support runs on email only, with no phone or live chat route listed for urgent problems.
- The protection ceiling of EU ICS up to EUR 20,000 is a real limit once a balance grows past it.
- The market list stops at stocks, etfs and crypto, so there are no forex, CFD or spread betting markets.
Who it suits
- Investors who want shares, ETFs, crypto and futures under stocks, etfs and crypto without a per-trade dealing charge.
- Anyone who wants crypto and a mobile app in one place, both listed under crypto and mobile app.
- Savers who would rather earn interest of 6.5% on uninvested cash than leave it flat.
Who should look elsewhere
- CFI, if you want forex and CFDs alongside your shares, since stocks, etfs and forex covers those as well.
- eToro, if you want the same share and crypto range plus futures and CFDs, listed under stocks, etfs and forex.
- Vantage, if you trade precious metals, since forex, cfds and stocks includes them.
How Backpack compares
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9.1 vs 9.2eToro lists stocks, etfs and forex, the widest spread of the three including futures.
9.1 vs 8.7
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Intellectia
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Where Backpack is available
- Available
- Everywhere except United States
- Licence in Latvia
- Latvijas Banka (MiCA CASP 6488C2PNI17093U2YA18), checked September 26, 2026, also valid in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia
- Licence in Latvia
- LV_LV (PSD_PI LV_FCMC!1024), checked September 26, 2026, also valid in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to buy shares with Backpack?+
The stock trade fee is $0, and the account runs on a commission free basis, so no dealing commission is listed for share purchases. Anything you hold as uninvested cash can earn interest of 6.5% instead of sitting idle.
Who regulates Backpack?+
The broker is authorised in Latvia, with regulators listed as Latvijas Banka and LV LV. The crypto licence reference is MiCA CASP 6488C2PNI17093U2YA18 and the investment services licence is PSD_PI LV_FCMC!1024, both held by "Trek Technologies" SIA based in Latvia.
What protection covers money held at Backpack?+
Deposits sit under EU ICS up to EUR 20,000, so a claim is covered only up to that stated ceiling. A reader holding more than the cap would hold the excess outside the scheme, which is worth weighing before balances grow.
What can I trade on the account?+
The market list reads stocks, etfs and crypto, so shares, ETFs, crypto and futures are available on the same account. Forex, CFDs and spread betting do not appear in that list, so anyone trading those has to weigh a different provider.
Can I run the account from a phone?+
Two features stand out under crypto and mobile app: crypto trading and a mobile app, so the account is built to be run on a phone. That suits readers who place orders away from a desk, and who are comfortable doing research themselves.
How do I get help from support?+
Support runs on email only. That means one channel for account questions, order changes and complaints, and no phone or live chat option listed. Readers who want to talk someone through a problem should weigh that before opening an account.
Who is Backpack likely to suit?+
The fit is an investor who wants shares, ETFs, crypto and futures, listed under stocks, etfs and crypto, in one commission-free account, and who is comfortable with email as the only support route. Oversight by Latvijas Banka and EU ICS up to EUR 20,000 suit readers who prefer a European-regulated broker.
How established is the company behind the platform?+
The platform was founded in 2023 and operates through "Trek Technologies" SIA in Latvia. That makes it a younger name than the long-running platforms on the same comparison list, so the record through a full market cycle is shorter.
Sources
- coingecko.com/en/exchanges/backpack_exchange checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded
“year_established=2023”
- euclid.eba.europa.eu/register/downloads/PSDMD/20260926/do... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Licences
- esma.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2024-12/CASPS.csv checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Investor protection, Headquarters, Legal entity, Regulators
“ae_homeMemberState=LV”
- backpack.exchange checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Markets, Pricing model, Stock trade fee
“Trade stocks 24/7/365 with 0% fees - Real US stocks and ETFs; Perps and spot, one margin system”
- backpack.exchange/stocks/about checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Interest on cash
“Earn up to 6.5% APY on USD, including collateral - stocks account”
- support.backpack.exchange/exchange/programs/referrals checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Features, Support channels
“On the mobile app: Navigate to your Exchange Account - referrals”
Compiled from 6 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Minimum deposit, Account fee, Inactivity fee, Retail accounts that lose money.
Backpack
Cost-first investors who want stocks, ETFs, crypto and futures in one account.