Swissquote or Saxo – which is better for UK traders 2026? Compare Swissquote and Saxo in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.
Founded in 1996, Swissquote is a prominent Swiss bank and broker, providing online trading opportunities for an impressive portfolio of three million products, including forex, CFDs, futures, options, and bonds. Renowned for its reliability, Swissquote has earned a solid reputation through pioneering trading solutions. It was the first bank to introduce cryptocurrency trading in 2017, and has since expanded its offerings to include fractional shares and the Invest Easy service.
Saxo Markets is a renowned trading brokerage, investment firm, and regulated bank. Featuring over 72,000 trading instruments, alongside investment products and managed portfolios, it provides abundant opportunities for clients. This reputable brand ensures transparent pricing and is protected by top-tier regulations from more than ten agencies, including FINMA, FCA, and ASIC.
66% of retail accounts lose money.
Pros
Swissquote is highly reputable due to its status as a bank, its presence on the Swiss stock exchange, and its authorisations from credible regulators such as FINMA in Switzerland, FCA in the UK, and CSSF in Luxembourg.
Swissquote is designed for rapid trading strategies, including scalping and high-frequency approaches. With an average execution speed of 9ms and a 98% fill ratio, it also supports FIX API.
Swissquote offers robust platforms for traders, including MetaTrader 4/5 and its proprietary CFXD (formerly Advanced Trader). During testing, these platforms stood out with their adaptable layouts, advanced charting tools, and comprehensive technical indicators.
Swissquote offers sophisticated research tools such as Autochartist for technical analysis and real-time news from Dow Jones. The firm's exclusive Market Talk videos and Morning News provide daily expert insights, catering to active traders.
Saxo offers traders genuine multi-asset access through a single account. Our tests showed seamless trading in FX, CFDs, stocks, ETFs, futures, options, and bonds across over 70,000 instruments, all without needing to switch platforms.
Execution was robust during live tests. Saxo's FX order statistics showed average fills at 9–10ms, with approximately 99.3–99.5% completing in under 50ms. This performance aligned with the rapid, precise fills observed on major FX and index CFDs.
Research tools excel with Autochartist integration. It offers filters by pattern type, asset class, and timeframes from 15 minutes to daily, with probability bands reaching over 70%, ensuring genuine utility.
Cons
Swissquote focuses on serving professional and high-net-worth clients, requiring substantial initial deposits, such as $1,000 for Standard accounts. This approach is less favourable for smaller traders who prefer brokers offering higher leverage and no deposit requirements.
Analysis indicates that Swissquote's charges are relatively high. Forex spreads on Standard accounts begin at 1.3 pips, whereas brokers such as Pepperstone or IC Markets offer starting spreads of 0.0 pips. Additionally, transaction fees for non-Swiss stocks and ETFs could accumulate significantly for active traders.
Unlike brokers like eToro that offer social trading capabilities, Swissquote does not provide tools for community interaction or replicating successful traders. This absence can reduce its attractiveness to those who prioritise peer-to-peer learning.
Our analysis shows classic account pricing is costly for traders. The EUR/USD pair typically incurs all-in spreads of 0.8–0.9 pips. Consequently, traders with smaller volumes will often face higher costs compared to leading ECN-style brokers.
Withdrawals are dependable but sluggish. Saxo handled requests within 1-2 business days, but transfers typically reached our bank in 4-5 days due to correspondent banking and SHA fees.
Saxo offers speed but is not ideal for ultra-tight scalping. Around 55-60% of EUR/USD orders experience zero slippage. However, about 20% encounter negative slippage, especially noticeable during news events and in higher-latency conditions of 300-400ms.
Awards
Top Innovative Companies 2025 – Statista
ETF Online Broker of the Year 2024 – Swiss ETF Awards
World’s Most Trustworthy Companies 2024 – Statista
The Swissquote app, honed over time, seamlessly merges banking with trading, offering swift access to a top-tier selection of over three million instruments, such as stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. It surpasses the majority of trading apps we've reviewed, delivering a complete financial app with dynamic charts and distinctive features.
iOS App Rating
4.5
4.6
Android App Rating
3.4
4.6
Margin Trading
Yes
Yes
MetaTrader 4
Yes
No
MetaTrader 5
Yes
No
cTrader
No
No
AlgoTrader
No
No
OmniTrader
No
No
TradingView
No
Yes
Autochartist
Yes
No
eSignal
No
No
Trading Central
Yes
No
STP Account
Yes
No
ECN Account
No
Yes
DMA Account
Yes
No
MAM Account
Yes
No
PAMM Account
No
No
LAMM Account
No
No
Demat Account
No
No
AI / Machine Learning
Yes
No
Robo Advisor
Yes
No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes
No
Market Maker
Yes
No
P2P Trading
No
No
Spot Trading
Yes
Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader and FIX API solutions
Copy Trading
No
No
Social Trading
No
No
Trade Signals
Integrated in CFXD
Yes
VPS Hosting
No
No
Tournaments
No
No
Demo Competitions
No
No
Ethical Investing
Yes
No
Custodial Account
No
No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No
No
Inactivity Fee
$0
Islamic Account
Yes
Yes
Account Currencies
USD
EUR
GBP
CAD
AUD
NZD
JPY
ZAR
TRY
SEK
NOK
CHF
HKD
SGD
PLN
AED
SAR
HUF
THB
QAR
MXN
USD
EUR
GBP
CAD
AUD
NZD
JPY
ZAR
TRY
SEK
NOK
DKK
CHF
HKD
SGD
PLN
CZK
AED
HUF
MXN
Commodities
Oil
Gasoline
Silver
Gold
Palladium
Platinum
Natural Gas
Copper
Cocoa
Sugar
Soybeans
Coffee
Precious Metals
Gold
Silver
Natural Gas
Oil
Copper
Corn
CFD
Swissquote has become a reliable CFD broker, offering trading opportunities across a broad range of global markets with rapid execution. The broker provides the intuitive CFXD platform as well as MetaTrader, and delivers insights from respected third-party sources such as Autochartist and Trading Central.
Trade over 8,900 CFDs, including forex, stocks, indices, commodities, options, and bonds. Utilise advanced tools and signals to enhance your trading experience.
Leverage
1:30
1:30
FTSE Spread
0.9
1.2 pts (Variable)
GBPUSD Spread<
1.7
0.7 (var)
Oil Spread
0.03
0.03
Stocks Spread
N/A
0.10% (subject to min commission)
Forex
Swissquote provides attractive terms for active forex traders, offering over 80 currency pairs. It ensures rapid execution speeds averaging 9ms and grants access to the popular MT4 platform.
Access top-tier liquidity across an extensive selection of 189 currency pairs and spot metals, as well as 130 forwards, with spreads starting as low as 0.4 pips.