To help you find the best trading platform in Europe in 2022, we went ahead and did the research for you. We selected 101 quality online brokers and tested them with real accounts. We scrutinized their web, mobile and desktop trading platforms, as well as their research tools. And now, without further ado ...
Our top picks for brokers with the best trading platforms in Europe in 2022:
- Saxo Bank, Danish investment bank
- Oanda, US forex broker
- NinjaTrader, Global platform provider focusing on futures trading
- CMC Markets, Global CFD broker
All 4 brokers cater to in Europe and provide great trading platforms. To narrow down the options, we also drew up separate top 2 lists for web, mobile and desktop trading platforms.
| Mobile | Desktop | Web | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 Winners | Saxo Bank | Saxo Bank | Saxo Bank |
| 🥈 Runners up | Oanda | NinjaTrader | CMC Markets |
What makes an excellent trading platform? First of all, it needs to be user-friendly. In addition, it should have the following functionalities:
- safe login
- quality search functions
- wide selection of order types
- customizability
- price alerts and order notifications
- clear fee and portfolio report
- quality research tools
Although the level and structure of fees brokers charge was not a selection criteria, we added relevant data on this aspect of their services as well to give you a more comprehensive view of the featured brokers.
The above requirements are easy to list, but hard to figure out. We tested brokers along close to 500 criteria with real accounts and real money. Our assessment is based on first-hand experience. You can find the ranking criteria in our methodology..
And now, let's see the best trading platforms in Europe in 2022 one by one.
#1 Best trading platform for Europeans
Saxo Bank
Saxo Bank, a Danish investment bank founded in 1992, provides online trading and investment services. The company is regulated by several financial authorities globally, including the Danish Financial Services Agency (FSA) and the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Saxo Bank is a global service provider and its subsidiaries are present in the form of separate legal entities in different regions of the world. The services offered by the various entities may differ slightly, especially with respect to fees and product portfolios. In this review, we tested Saxo Bank UK.
Being regulated by top-tier financial authorities, and having a long track record and a banking background, are all good signs for Saxo Bank's safety.
HEADS UP: Recent issues with account opening - Saxo Bank seems to have a delay in sending you a crucial URL to start your account opening. For more info, see Saxo Bank account opening issues in the review's Account opening chapter. If you'd like to open an account regardless, click here to read about Saxo Bank alternatives.
Recommended for investors and traders looking for a great trading platform and solid research
#1 Saxo Bank
Mobile trading platform
Saxo Bank's user-friendly mobile app has the same look and very similar functionalities as the web platform.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • User-friendly | None |
| • Two-step (safer) login | |
| • Good search function |
#1 Saxo Bank
Desktop trading platform
Saxo Bank's desktop trading platform is one of the best on the market. It is well designed, easy to use and offers great customizability.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • User-friendly | None |
| • Clear fee report | |
| • Good customizability (for charts, workspace) |
#1 Saxo Bank
Web trading platform
Saxo Bank's web trading platform is one of the best on the market. Easy to use, the platform also provides features tailored for professionals, such as an advanced order panel.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • User-friendly | None |
| • Clear fee report | |
| • Two-step (safer) login |
#1 Saxo Bank
Research
Saxo Bank's research services have well-developed tools for both fundamental and technical analysis, including recommendations and user-friendly interactive charting.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Good interactive chart | • Most fundamental data is not free |
| • Trading ideas | |
| • Data on asset fundamentals |
#2 Best trading platform for Europeans
Oanda
Oanda is a US-based forex broker founded in 1996. It is a private company and therefore not listed on any stock exchange.
Oanda operates via several entities worldwide and is regulated by top-tier authorities, such as the US Commodity Trading Futures Commission, the National Futures Association (CFTC) and the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Disclaimer: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
The services offered by Oanda's various entities differ slightly. In this review, we mainly focus on the UK one.
Recommended for forex traders who value a user-friendly platform and great research tools
#2 Oanda
Mobile trading platform
Oanda's mobile platform is similar to the web trading platform in functionality, and as a plus, you can also set price alerts.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • User-friendly | • No Touch/Face ID login |
| • Two-step (safer) login | |
| • Good search function |
#2 Oanda
Desktop trading platform
Oanda's desktop platform mimics the web platform in terms of functionality, meaning lots of user-friendly functions but no price alerts.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • User-friendly | • No price alerts |
| • Clear fee report | |
| • Good customizability (for charts, workspace) |
#2 Oanda
Web trading platform
Oanda's web trading platform is user-friendly and safe with good customizability. On the downside, you can't set price alerts.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • User-friendly | • No price alerts |
| • Clear fee report | |
| • Two-step (safer) login |
#2 Oanda
Research
Oanda has a wide range of research tools, including news, technical analysis and an API. However, these features are poorly organized on the site.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Good interactive chart | • No trading ideas |
| • Data on asset fundamentals | • Research tools are poorly organized |
| • Quality news flow | |
| • Great API |
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#3 Best trading platform for Europeans
NinjaTrader
NinjaTrader is a US-based software company that provides a great trading platform with advanced research tools. The company was founded in 2003.
Besides providing the software, NinjaTrader is a registered NFA (National Futures Association) company and an introducing broker of brokers like Phillip Capital and Dorman Trading. The introducing broker status means that your assets and cash are held with a broker, like Phillip Capital, but the platform, fees and customer support are provided by NinjaTrader.
In our review, we tested NinjaTrader's platform and brokerage services through an account opened with Phillip Capital. Phillip Capital is a global broker, regulated by top-tier financial authorities such as the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
You can also connect the following brokerage accounts to NinjaTrader platforms: Interactive Brokers, TD Ameritrade, Oanda, Forex.com, FXCM and City Index. The advantage of connecting these accounts is that you can trade other popular asset classes, like stocks, on NinjaTrader's great platform.
Recommended for active traders focusing on futures
#3 NinjaTrader
Mobile trading platform
At the time of the review, NinjaTrader provided only a desktop platform. We think that a mobile trading platform is a big miss as traders can't follow their positions on the go. Similarly to the web platform, the only way to use a mobile trading platform along with NinjaTrader is to connect an external brokerage account, such as an account with Interactive Brokers or Oanda.
#3 NinjaTrader
Desktop trading platform
NinjaTrader's desktop platform is great for active traders: highly customizable with many advanced features. However, it might feel complicated at first, and also lacks a two-step login.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Clear fee report | • No two-step (safer) login |
| • Good customizability (for charts, workspace) | • Available only on Windows |
| • Good variety of order types | |
| • Many great tools for technical analysis |
#3 NinjaTrader
Web trading platform
At the time of the review, NinjaTrader provided only a desktop platform. The only way to use a web trading platform along with NinjaTrader's desktop trading platform is if you connect an external brokerage account, with a broker like Interactive Brokers or Oanda.
#3 NinjaTrader
Research
NinjaTrader has great research tools for technical trading. Charts are easy to use and have many indicators. Unique features include strategy back-testing and automated trading tools.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Good interactive chart | • No trading ideas |
| • Good set of analytical tools |
#4 Best trading platform for Europeans
CMC Markets
CMC Markets is a global CFD and forex broker, founded in 1989. It is regulated by several authorities globally, including the top-tier UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The company is also listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Having a long track record, being listed on a stock exchange and being regulated by top-tier authorities are great signs for CMC Markets' reliability.
Disclaimer: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Recommended for forex and cfd traders looking for an advanced trading platform with many research tools
#4 CMC Markets
Mobile trading platform
The CMC Markets app shares the strengths of the web platform: a modern design with a strong order panel and search functions as well as safe two-step login.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • User-friendly | None |
| • Good search function | |
| • Good variety of order types |
#4 CMC Markets
Desktop trading platform
CMC Markets doesn't have its own desktop platform, leaving you with MetaTrader 4 as your only option. In design and functionality, MT4 is way behind CMC's web platform.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Clear fee report | • No two-step (safer) login |
| • Good customizability (for charts, workspace) | • Poor design |
| • Price alerts |
#4 CMC Markets
Web trading platform
CMC's 'Next Generation' platform has a clean and modern design, is highly customizable, and boasts an advanced order panel. Two-step authentication is available for login.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Two-step (safer) login | None |
| • Good customizability (for charts, workspace) | |
| • Modern design |
#4 CMC Markets
Research
CMC's research tools are useful for both beginners and advanced traders. They include charting tools for detailed technical analysis, and news feeds to aid fundamental analaysis.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Good interactive chart | None |
| • Trading ideas | |
| • Data on asset fundamentals |
Best trading platform in Europe in 2022
Comparing broker fees
Fees were not a selection factor but we wanted to help you see how much you have to pay if you want to sign up with any of the brokers that offer the best trading platforms in Europe.
If your primary focus is only fees, we recommend you check out our list featuring the best discount brokers.
To recap some of the most important aspects of fees, let's go over some lingo first. What you need to keep an eye on are trading fees and non-trading fees.
- Trading fees occur when you trade. These can be commissions, spreads, financing rates or conversion fees.
- Non-trading fees include charges not directly related to trading, like withdrawal fees and inactivity fees.
You can compare below the trading fees of the 4 featured brokers with regard to the biggest stock markets, the most popular currency pairs and CFDs as well as some non-trading fees.
| Saxo Bank | Oanda | NinjaTrader | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US stock | $10.0 | - | - | - |
| UK stock | $11.2 | - | - | - |
| German stock | $12.0 | - | - | - |
| EURUSD benchmark fee | $7.1 | $7.9 | - | $8.8 |
| GBPUSD benchmark fee | $5.5 | $6.2 | - | $5.8 |
| US micro e-mini stock index futures | $40.0 | - | $3.5 | - |
| S&P 500 index CFD fee | $1.2 | $1.1 | - | $1.4 |
| Europe 50 index CFD fee | $1.6 | $1.1 | - | $1.7 |
| Apple CFD fee | $21.7 | - | - | $21.4 |
| Vodafone CFD fee | $24.5 | - | - | $27.1 |
The difference in trading fees can be enormous even if you want to do a simple US stock trade. For more information on how the fees of different brokers stack up against each other, check out our ultimate comparison table.
Now, let’s take a look at non-trading fees as well.
| Saxo Bank | Oanda | NinjaTrader | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account fee | No | No | No | No |
| Inactivity fee | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Withdrawal fee | $0 | $0 | $40 | $0 |
Best trading platform in Europe in 2022
Keep in mind - safety
BrokerChooser recommends only quality brokers, so you can be sure that none of the listed online brokers is a scam. In order to be sure, we check roughly 20 safety-related criteria, such as regulation, investor protection and the transparency of the broker’s financials. All the brokers you find on BrokerChooser are regulated by at least one top-tier financial authority.
The investor protection amount differs from country to country, so it is worth checking it before you open an account.
| Name | Investor protection | Country of regulation |
|---|---|---|
| Saxo Bank | €100,000 for cash and €20,000 for securities for most European clients; £85,000 for UK clients; CHF 100,000 for Swiss clients; HKD 500,000 for securities at Hong Kong entity; no protection for clients from Singapore, Japan and Australia | Denmark, UK, France, Italy, Switzerland, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia |
| Oanda | £85,000 in the UK, €20,000 in the EU, CAD 1,000,000 in Canada, none in the US, Australia, Asia and other countries | US, UK, Australia, Singapore, Canada, Malta, British Virgin Islands |
| NinjaTrader | No protection | USA |
| CMC Markets | £85,000 for clients under FCA, $1,000,000 under IIROC, no protection under other regulators | UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Germany |
Best trading platform in Europe in 2022
Bottom line
Now that you have seen the details, let's zoom out. Here are the best trading platforms in Europe in 2022:
| Saxo Bank | Oanda | NinjaTrader | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile platform score | 5.0 stars | 5.0 stars | - | 5.0 stars |
| Desktop platform score | 5.0 stars | 4.5 stars | 4.8 stars | 3.4 stars |
| Web platform score | 5.0 stars | 4.5 stars | - | 5.0 stars |
| Research score | 5.0 stars | 4.5 stars | 4.9 stars | 5.0 stars |
| Fees score | 3.3 stars | 4.2 stars | 4.5 stars | 3.6 stars |
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