Online brokers & trading platforms in Canada in 2024

Written by
Adam N.
Fact checked by
Updated
Dec 2023

Dive into our top list of regulated and trusted brokers that we tested with real money. Every broker is available in Canada in 2024.

Top 10 Brokers in Canada by BrokerChooser:

  1. Interactive Brokers is the best online broker and trading platform in 2024. Low trading fees and high interest on cash balances. Wide range of products. Many great research tools.
  2. Saxo Bank - Great trading platform. Outstanding research. Broad product portfolio. Interest paid on uninvested cash.
  3. XTB - Commission-free stocks and ETFs (for trades up to €100k per month). Free and fast deposit and withdrawal. Easy and fast account opening. High interest paid on cash.
  4. Webull - Free stock/ETF trading and high 5% interest on uninvested cash. Fast and easy account opening. Great trading platforms.
  5. moomoo - Commission-free stock and ETF trading. Fast and easy account opening. Quality analytical tools and excellent education services. Pays high interest on uninvested cash.
  6. Oanda - Great trading platforms. Outstanding research tools. Fast and user-friendly account opening.
  7. Forex.com - Low forex fees. Great variety of currency pairs. Diverse technical research tools.
  8. Questrade - Low stock and ETF fees. Solid research tools. Great customer service.
  9. CMC Markets - Low forex fees. Great web and mobile platforms. Advanced research and educational tools.
  10. Optimus Futures - Low trading fees and free ACH withdrawal. Great platform and research. Fast customer service.

Can I trust these brokers in Canada?

Yes, BrokerChooser exclusively recommends legit brokers, overseen by at least one globally acknowledged regulator. We track more than 20,000 brokers and trading platforms that we don't recommend. To be sure that a broker is reputable and reliable, use our unique Scam Broker Shield tool.

Key criteria determining a broker's trustworthiness are: regulation, availability of investor protection, as well as a long and spotless track record. Explore the interactive table below, encompassing this array of vital data.

Broker
Top-tier regulators
Trusted broker
Interactive Brokers
FCA in the UK, SEC in the US, and ASIC in Australia
Saxo Bank
FSA in Denmark, FCA in the UK, and FINMA in Switzerland
XTB
FCA in the UK
Webull
SEC and FINRA in the US
moomoo
SEC and FINRA in the US, MAS in Singapore, ASIC in Australia, CIRO in Canada, SC in Malaysia, FSA in Japan
Oanda
FCA in the UK, CIRO in Canada, and ASIC in Australia
Forex.com
CFTC in the US, FCA in the UK, and ASIC in Australia
Questrade
CIRO in Canada
CMC Markets
FCA in the UK, CIRO in Canada, and ASIC in Australia
Optimus Futures
CFTC in the US and member of the NFA
Trust metrics for the best brokers in Canada in 2024
We label a broker as trusted if it has reliable regulation.
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Popularity of Top 10 Brokers in Canada

Interested in what others think? Here's how many people chose these brokers at BrokerChooser in the last 6 months.

Compare Top 10 Brokers in Canada:

Compare key features of Top 10 Brokers in Canada such as overall score, minimum deposit, time to open account, country of regulation, withdawal options, withdawal fees.

Broker
Overall score
Minimum deposit
Interactive Brokers
4.9
/5
$0
Saxo Bank
4.9
/5
$0
XTB
4.8
/5
$0
Webull
4.6
/5
$0
moomoo
4.6
/5
$0
Oanda
4.5
/5
$0
Forex.com
4.5
/5
$100
Questrade
4.5
/5
$1,000
CMC Markets
4.5
/5
$0
Optimus Futures
4.5
/5
$500
Brokers and trading accounts available in Canada

 

For detailed information see the following articles:

 

Stock trading fees in Canada

Now let's check in detail the trading and non-trading fees charged by the best brokers for investing in stocks from Canada. All spreads, commissions and financing rates are for opening a position, holding for a week, and closing.

Broker
US stock
UK stock
Interactive Brokers
$1.0
$3.8
Saxo Bank
$1.6
$3.8
XTB
$0.0
$0.0
Webull
$0.0
-
moomoo
$0.0
-
Oanda
$0.0
-
Forex.com
-
-
Questrade
$5.0
-
CMC Markets
-
-
Optimus Futures
-
-
Stock trading and non-trading fees in Canada

How to invest in stocks from Canada

There are many high-quality online brokers that offer their services for clients in Canada. Among these, you can find providers that offer stocks from Canada, but if you're looking to invest in other global markets, your possibilities open up even more.

Top brokers for investing in stocks

We have compiled a list of brokers that are available in Canada and are great for investing in stocks. We recommend that you pick one of the following brokers:

  1. Interactive Brokers, International broker providing all asset classes
  2. Saxo Bank, Danish investment bank
  3. XTB, Global CFD broker
  4. Webull, US discount broker
  5. moomoo, US zero-fee discount broker

Are you ready to start?

1. Find an online broker

First, you need to make sure that the broker you're looking at is available in Canada.

Would you like to speed up your search?

Our broker finder tool will help you narrow down your choices, showing only those brokers that are available in your country and are suitable for your investment goals and habits. And if you want a detailed, side-by-side comparison of these alternatives, check out our broker comparison table.

Broker
Stock and ETF fee scores
Web platform score
Interactive Brokers
4.6
/5
4.3
/5
Saxo Bank
4.5
/5
5.0
/5
XTB
5.0
/5
4.4
/5
Webull
5.0
/5
5.0
/5
moomoo
5.0
/5
0.0
/5
Oanda
0.0
/5
4.4
/5
Forex.com
0.0
/5
4.5
/5
Questrade
3.7
/5
3.8
/5
CMC Markets
0.0
/5
5.0
/5
Optimus Futures
0.0
/5
0.0
/5
Top brokers for investing in stocks from Canada

Here at BrokerChooser, we only recommend brokers that are regulated by at least one top-tier financial authority. Please note that some global brokers operate via several legal entities, each regulated by a local authority – so for example, US clients would be overseen by a US regulator, and UK clients by a UK financial authority. Some regulators also run investor protection schemes, making you eligible for compensation if your broker goes bankrupt.

If you want to invest in stocks from Canada, it's worth checking if the broker is overseen by the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF). The latter comes with up to CAD 1 million protection if your broker goes bust.

2. Open your account

Opening an account at an online broker is usually easy and straightforward, and takes place fully online. Most of the time, you just need to provide your name, address and other basic information, and maybe answer some questions about your wealth/income status, financial knowledge or trading experience.

Make sure you have your documents at hand, as

  • copies of a photo ID
  • some recent bank statements
  • or utility bills

are usually required to verify your identity and residency.

Many brokers will offer several account types to choose from, such as individual or joint accounts, or various tax-free savings accounts. As a stock investor, you'll be especially interested in the latter.

If you're planning to invest in stocks in order to save for retirement or other long-term goals, a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) or a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) may be ideal for you. Putting stocks in these accounts will make you exempt from paying taxes on price gains and dividends. Investments into an RRSP are tax deductible, and you pay taxes when you ultimately withdraw funds; whereas contributions to a TFSA are not tax-deductible, but withdrawals are not taxed. If you think these account types suit your long-term investment goals, consider choosing a Canada-based broker that offers TFSA or RRSP accounts.

3. Fund your account

So your trading account has been verified; the next step is to fund it – in other words, to deposit money that you will then use for trading stocks. Some brokers require a minimum deposit when you open your account, but most brokers do not have such a requirement, allowing you to take your time before committing any funds.

All brokers will allow you to deposit or withdraw funds via bank transfer; an easy, usually free, though not always super-fast method. Withdrawing money to your bank account can take as long as three days.

Many brokers also let you deposit (though not withdraw) funds using credit or debit cards. A few will also accept so-called electronic wallets such as PayPal, Apple Pay, Skrill or Neteller. The biggest benefit of cards and e-wallets is that transactions take place instantly, allowing you to start investing – or reap the proceeds of a successful stock sale – right away.

4. Find and trade stocks

You may already know which stock(s) you want to trade; if not, it's worth checking out the research section of your broker, which often includes trading ideas and recommendations by in-house experts or third-party analysts. Alternatively, you can do a bit of research on your own, and check the selected stock's earnings multiples, or read up on industry news.

Once you have settled on a stock, it's easy – just

  • select it from the broker's search menu
  • enter the number of shares you want to trade
  • proceed with the trade

Most trading platforms will offer several order types - such as a "Market" order to trade at the current price, or a "Limit" order to trade later at a specific price. To learn more about various order types, read this article.

Trading account from Canada

How to open a trading account from Canada?

There are several factors to consider when opening a trading account, including the user-friendliness of the platform or the minimum deposit amount. Let's deep dive into these.

The time it takes to open an account typically ranges from a few minutes to a few weeks. The identity verification that marks the end of the process differs at various brokers. The account opening process is fully online in most cases, but there are brokers that require customers to mail a copy of their documents. The documents you usually have to upload and/or send (a copy) are of the following:

  • Proof of identity: national ID, passport, driving license, etc.
  • Proof of address: bank statements, utility bills, etc.

There are brokers that require a minimum deposit to authorize your trading account. The minimum deposit is usually $0 or a low amount, but some brokers demand a couple of thousands dollars/euros.

Broker
Broker intro
Time to open account
Interactive Brokers
International broker providing all asset classes
1-3 days
Saxo Bank
Danish investment bank
1 day
XTB
Global CFD broker
1 day
Webull
US discount broker
1 day
moomoo
US zero-fee discount broker
1-3 days
Oanda
US forex broker
1-3 days
Forex.com
Global CFD and forex broker
1-3 days
Questrade
Canadian stockbroker
1 day
CMC Markets
Global CFD broker
1-3 days
Optimus Futures
Global platform provider focusing on futures trading
1 day
Account opening at brokers available from Canada

Broker fees in Canada

Undoubtedly, fees are a crucial factor when selecting a broker. Below you can check the asset classes that individual brokers provide and whether their fees are classified as high, low, or average. This classification is based on how the fees compare to those charged by all the brokers reviewed by us.

Broker
Stock fee class
Forex fee class
Interactive Brokers
Low
Average
Saxo Bank
Low
Low
XTB
Low
Low
Webull
Low
moomoo
Low
Oanda
Low
Forex.com
Low
Questrade
Low
Low
CMC Markets
Low
Optimus Futures
Trading fee classification at brokers in Canada

Non-trading fees are just as important as trading fees. Non-trading fees include charges not directly related to trading, such as withdrawal or inactivity fees.

Broker
Account fee
Inactivity fee
Interactive Brokers
Saxo Bank
XTB
Webull
moomoo
Oanda
Forex.com
Questrade
CMC Markets
Optimus Futures
Non-trading fees at brokers in Canada
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Author of this article

Adam Nasli

Financial Wizard | Trading • Safety • Market Analysis

I bring extensive financial expertise as one of BrokerChooser's earliest team members. Personally, I tested nearly all 100+ brokers on our site, opening real-money accounts, executing trades, assessing customer services, and providing firsthand assessment. My professional background includes roles in the banking sector and a degree from Central European University, where I teach finance. My passions lies in in-depth research of the financial industry, building trading algorithms, and managing long-term investments.

Everything you find on BrokerChooser is based on reliable data and unbiased information. We combine our 10+ years finance experience with readers feedback. Read more about our methodology.

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