City Index vs Qtrade Direct Investing - BrokerCue
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Broker Comparison

City Index vs Qtrade Direct Investing

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

City Index

City Index

Active CFD and spread betting traders

City Index is a UK-founded spread betting and CFD broker offering 13,500+ markets across forex, indices, shar…

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

City Index vs Qtrade Direct Investing
Feature City Index Qtrade Direct Investing
Minimum deposit - -
Stock trading fee - $0 per trade (Canadian and U.S. exchanges)
Regulators FCA, ASIC, CySEC, MAS CIRO, CIPF
Best for Active CFD and spread betting traders Canadian self-directed investors seeking research tools
Markets & account
Stocks
-
ETFs
-
Forex
-
CFDs
-
Bonds
Options
Futures
-
Spread Betting
-
Demo Account
Margin
Funds
-
Ready Made Portfolios
-
Business Account
-

Pros & cons

City Index

City Index

Pros

  • Regulated by FCA, ASIC, CySEC and MAS
  • FSCS investor protection for UK clients
  • No account opening, deposit or standard withdrawal fees
  • 13,500+ tradeable markets including forex, indices, shares and commodities
  • Spread betting is tax-free for UK residents
  • TradingView integration with direct trade execution
  • Free demo account with £10,000 virtual funds
  • Negative balance protection for retail clients

Cons

  • Inactivity fee of £12 per month after 12 months
  • Stock CFD commissions apply on every trade
  • Demo account expires after 12 weeks
  • Crypto CFDs unavailable to UK retail clients under FCA rules
  • No MetaTrader 5 support for most regions
  • No copy trading or social investing features
  • No passive investment options such as ready-made portfolios
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
City Index

City Index

City Index is a UK-founded spread betting and CFD broker offering 13,500+ markets across forex, indices, shares, commodities and options, regulated by the FCA, ASIC, CySEC and MAS.

Visit City Index 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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