EC Markets vs Qtrade Direct Investing - BrokerCue
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Broker Comparison

EC Markets vs Qtrade Direct Investing

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

EC Markets

EC Markets

Active forex and CFD traders

EC Markets is a multi-regulated forex and CFD broker offering over 100 instruments across STD, ECN and PRO ac…

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

EC Markets vs Qtrade Direct Investing
Feature EC Markets Qtrade Direct Investing
Minimum deposit - -
Stock trading fee - $0 per trade (Canadian and U.S. exchanges)
Regulators FCA, ASIC, FSA, FSC, FMA, FSCA, CMA CIRO, CIPF
Best for Active forex and CFD traders Canadian self-directed investors seeking research tools
Markets & account
Stocks
-
ETFs
-
Forex
-
CFDs
-
Crypto
-
Bonds
-
Options
-
Margin
Multi Currency
-
Demo Account
Funds
-
Ready Made Portfolios
-
Business Account
-

Pros & cons

EC Markets

EC Markets

Pros

  • Regulated by FCA (UK) and ASIC (Australia)
  • ECN spreads from 0.0 pips
  • Low ECN commission of $1.50 per lot per side
  • No inactivity fee
  • No deposit or withdrawal fees for most payment methods
  • Low minimum deposit of $10 on STD and ECN accounts
  • Supports MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5
  • Free demo account available

Cons

  • No individual stock or ETF trading
  • No proprietary web trading platform
  • PRO account requires $5,000 minimum deposit
  • STD account spreads from 1.0 pip are wider than ECN
  • POLi deposits carry a 4% processing fee
  • Limited educational resources
  • USA, Canada and Japan residents not accepted
  • Crypto available as CFDs only - no direct ownership
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
EC Markets

EC Markets

EC Markets is a multi-regulated forex and CFD broker offering over 100 instruments across STD, ECN and PRO account types on MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5.

Visit EC Markets 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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