TD Ameritrade vs Markets.com 2024

TD Ameritrade FX is publicly-traded, does operate a bank, and is authorised by five Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), zero Tier-2 regulators (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulators (Average Risk), and zero Tier-4 regulators (High Risk). TD Ameritrade FX is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulators: Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), Securities Futures Commission (SFC), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Markets.com is publicly traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by three Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), one Tier-2 regulator (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulator (Average Risk), and one Tier-4 regulator (High Risk). Markets.com is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC).

TD Ameritrade’s thinkorswim platform offers over 70 tradeable currency pairs alongside a plethora of impressive tools, research, and education. For traders in the U.S., TD Ameritrade provides the ultimate trading technology experience.

Thanks to its web-based MarketsX platform, Markets.com is easy to use and new trader friendly. However, Markets.com is pricey and lacks the feature-rich trading tools required to compete with the best trading platforms.

To open a trading account with TD Ameritrade, you'll need to make an initial minimum deposit of $0.

Markets.com requires a minimum deposit of $100 before you can open an account and start trading.

It's important to make sure that your forex broker accepts the funding options and deposit methods that work best for you. TD Ameritrade offers Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) for banking, whereas Markets.com provides Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) and Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw). Neither have PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) and Neteller (Deposit/Withdraw).

Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spread data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough, data-driven testing of each broker's commissions and fees, we found that TD Ameritrade offers better pricing overall for traders.

Methodology: When testing each broker's commissions, fees, and pricing, we analyze multiple trade scenarios and award points based on the expansiveness (or inexpensiveness) of the broker's spreads. We then run multiple scenarios for different investor types, incorporating any miscellaneous fees, to determine an "all-in" cost per trade. Learn more about how we test.

At ForexBrokers.com, we track over 110 international regulatory agencies and sort them by tiers (Tier-1, Tier-2, Tier-3, Tier-4, and Tier-5) to help you choose well-regulated, highly trusted forex brokers. Learn more about our proprietary Trust Score rating system. Based on our research on the regulatory status of over 60 brokers, we've found that TD Ameritrade holds 5 global Tier-1 licenses, while Markets.com holds 3. Markets.com holds 1 global Tier-2 licenses, while TD Ameritrade holds 0.

After evaluating each broker based on their number of held licenses, years in business, and a range of other data-driven variables, we've determined that TD Ameritrade (99) earned a higher Trust Score than Markets.com (96).

To compare the trading platforms of both TD Ameritrade and Markets.com, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, TD Ameritrade offers a better experience. With research, TD Ameritrade offers superior market research. Finally, we found TD Ameritrade to provide better mobile trading apps.

Here’s what trading platforms are available at TD Ameritrade:

• Proprietary Platform - Yes
• Web Platform - Yes
• cTrader - No
• DupliTrade - No
• MT4 - No
• MT5 - No
• ZuluTrade - No
• TradingView - No

Here’s what trading platforms are available at Markets.com:

• Proprietary Platform - Yes
• Web Platform - Yes
• cTrader - No
• DupliTrade - No
• MT4 - Yes
• MT5 - Yes
• ZuluTrade - No
• TradingView - No

The MetaTrader trading platform suite is wildly popular among forex and CFD traders across the globe. Markets.com offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4), while TD Ameritrade does not. Forex traders also appreciate the ability to engage in social copy trading. While Markets.com offers copy trading, TD Ameritrade does not.

TD Ameritrade provides traders 73 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to Markets.com's 57 available pairs. If you are interested in trading CFDs, Markets.com offers traders access to 2179 CFDs, while TD Ameritrade offers access to 0 CFDs; so Markets.com offers 2179 more CFDs than TD Ameritrade.

We found in our testing that TD Ameritrade offers a more diverse selection of investment options than Markets.com, allowing you to trade Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) and Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD). Neither have Cryptocurrency (Physical) and Spread Betting.