Qtrade Direct Investing vs XM - BrokerCue
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Broker Comparison

Qtrade Direct Investing vs XM

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

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 mโ€ฆ

VS
XM

XM

Forex and CFD traders globally

XM is a multi-asset CFD and forex broker founded in 2009, offering 1,400-plus instruments across MetaTrader 4โ€ฆ

Head-to-head comparison

Qtrade Direct Investing vs XM
Feature Qtrade Direct Investing XM
Minimum deposit - -
Stock trading fee $0 per trade (Canadian and U.S. exchanges) Shares account: $10,000 minimum deposit; commission rates apply and vary by market
Regulators CIRO, CIPF CySEC, ASIC, DFSA, FSCA, FSC, FSA
Best for Canadian self-directed investors seeking research tools Forex and CFD traders globally
Markets & account
Stocks
ETFs
-
Forex
-
CFDs
-
Crypto
-
Bonds
-
Options
-
Funds
-
Margin
Ready Made Portfolios
-
Demo Account
Business Account
-
Multi Currency
-

Pros & cons

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
XM

XM

Pros

  • Low $5 minimum deposit on Standard and Ultra Low accounts
  • No deposit or withdrawal fees on standard payment methods
  • Regulated by CySEC and ASIC among other authorities
  • Over 1,400 instruments including forex, stock CFDs, indices and commodities
  • Full MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 support with copy trading and automated trading
  • Negative balance protection on all accounts
  • Free demo account with up to $100,000 virtual funds
  • Extensive multilingual educational content and live webinars

Cons

  • Standard account spreads are wide compared to many competitors (EUR/USD from 1.6 pips)
  • $5 monthly inactivity fee after 90 days
  • Zero account (raw spreads) limited to EU entity only
  • No cTrader or TradingView native integration
  • Crypto and some instruments unavailable through all regulatory entities
  • XM brand not available to UK or US residents
  • Shares account requires a $10,000 minimum deposit
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.

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

XM

XM

XM is a multi-asset CFD and forex broker founded in 2009, offering 1,400-plus instruments across MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 with a $5 minimum deposit.

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

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