In the fast-paced world of forex trading, choosing the right broker is crucial. Pepperstone and Swissquote are two popular options, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. This comparison will dive into the key features of both platforms,helping you decide which one best suits your trading style and goals.
The radar chart above illustrates the comparison between Pepperstone and Swissquote across several key metrics, with the highest possible score being 100 in each category.
At FxScouts, our mission is to assist traders in finding the broker that best suits their needs. Comparing brokers side-by-side is an effective method to achieve this goal. We evaluated Pepperstone and Swissquote, using our standard criteria: trust and regulation, trading platforms, costs and trading conditions, and educational and market analysis resources.
Trust and regulation are crucial when selecting a Forex broker. A broker’s credibility is largely built on its regulatory status. We spend considerable time verifying the safety of each broker by examining their regulatory licenses. The more top-tier authorities regulating a broker, the higher its trust rating.
In our comparison:
Based on these findings, Pepperstone earned a higher trust rating than Swissquote.
When comparing brokers, trading costs are a significant factor. We consider the minimum deposit required to open an account and ongoing costs, including spreads and commissions. We measure the cost to trade one lot of EUR/USD using the broker’s account with the lowest minimum deposit, including both the spread and any commission charged.
We found that Pepperstone has overall lower trading costs than Swissquote.
Trading Platforms Offered Traders prefer brokers that offer a variety of trading platforms. We rate brokers higher if they support multiple platforms like MetaTrader4, MetaTrader5, cTrader, and proprietary platforms.
Copy trading is beneficial for beginner traders or those unable to trade full-time. In this case both Pepperstone and Swissquote offer copy trading.
A broader range of CFD instruments provides more trading opportunities. Pepperstone offers a greater variety of instruments compared to Swissquote:
For those interested in trading cryptocurrencies, Pepperstone offers 30 cryptocurrencies, while Swissquote offers 12 cryptocurrencies. Therefore, Pepperstone is the better choice for cryptocurrency trading.
Traders prefer brokers with quick and cost-effective deposit and withdrawal processes. We favor brokers that process withdrawals within 24 hours using multiple methods without charging fees.We found that Swissquote charges a withdrawal fee and Pepperstone does not. Overall, Swissquote has better deposit and withdrawal processes than Pepperstone.
We often find that brokers offer very little in the way of educational materials, forcing traders to use other third-party sites or self-educate elsewhere. Beginner traders need well-structured, well-presented materials in multiple formats to get a good start at trading. More experienced traders also benefit from webinars led by experts in the field and advanced trading strategy sections with new trading ideas.
Pepperstone and Swissquote both have moderate educational support. Both Pepperstone and Swissquote offer educational support for more experienced traders.Access to frequent and high-quality market research and analysis is crucial.
We found that Pepperstone offers better research analysis than Swissquote and that both Pepperstone and Swissquote offer frequent webinars.
One of our highest-rated brokers for Malaysian traders, Pepperstone was founded in Australia in 2010 and is globally renowned for its low trading costs and choice of trading platforms. Pepperstone keeps costs low with some of the tightest spreads we've seen, starting from 1.00 (EUR/USD) on its Standard Account. For those who prefer classic ECN trading, the Razor Account has low commissions and spreads averaging just 0.10 pips on the EUR/USD. Neither account has a required minimum deposit. Islamic accounts are also available for Malaysian residents.
Despite the low costs, we are disappointed with Pepperstone's complicated commission structure. But more experienced traders will appreciate Pepperstone’s trading platform options, including MT4, MT5, and cTrader, which integrates seamlessly with the TradingView tool. All are available on desktop and mobile devices. Pepperstone’s education section is not the most extensive we’ve seen, but it is competent and well-structured, making it a good place to start for beginner traders.
A well-regulated broker, Swissquote is a good choice for experienced traders looking for excellent trading tools, a broad range of tradable assets, and flexible trading conditions on the Metatrader platforms.
Part of a larger Swiss banking group, Swissquote offers a range of non-brokerage financial services and is subject to considerably tighter regulation than most brokers. It offers trading on numerous assets, including indices, commodities, bonds, metals, and over 130 Forex pairs - one of the largest sets in the industry.
Because Swissquote targets professional traders, minimum deposits are high, starting at 1000 GBP on its entry-level account with spreads of 1.5 pips on the EUR/USD. Minimum deposits escalate quickly, with the Prime Account requiring a minimum deposit of 50,000 GBP, featuring spreads of 0.8 pips on the EUR/USD. With higher trading volumes, traders can access the Professional Account, with bespoke trading conditions, but a minimum deposit requirement of 500,000 GBP.
Swissquote offers the Metatrader suite of trading platforms with free access to an excellent selection of trading tools, including Autochartist, Metatrader Master Edition, and Trading Central. Most other brokers charge a premium for using these tools, which may justify why the minimum deposits on Swissquote's accounts are so high.
One significant drawback is the poor quality of Swissquote's customer service, which is rarely available on live chat or email.
For more detailed reviews, please read our comprehensive assessments of Pepperstone and Swissquote.
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Broker | Regulated by FCA | Licenced by | Min. Deposit | Cost of Trading | Broker Score | Official Site | Compare |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | USD 0 | USD 10 | |||||
No | USD 25 | USD 6 | |||||
Yes | USD 100 | USD 6 | |||||
No | USD 100 | USD 9 | |||||
No | USD 5 | USD 6 | |||||
No | AUD 100 | USD 6 | |||||
No | USD 200 | USD 8 | |||||
Yes | USD 0 | USD 10 | |||||
No | AUD 0 | USD 4.50 |
Alison and Chris cover a range of topics, including how to choose a Forex broker, safety and regulation, how to reduce your risk, trading psychology, trading platforms, and trading strategies, among others.
The FxScouts podcast helps beginner Forex traders get the best start to their trading careers.