Traders consistently seek trusted and reliable trading platforms that suit their trading styles and preferences. BlackBull Markets and TD Ameritrade are top-tier regulated brokers providing online trading services worldwide. BlackBull Markets is known for its social trading and multi-asset platform, regulated in two tier-1 jurisdictions, and one tier-4 jurisdictions including FMA, FSA -S, and FSPR. On the other hand, TD Ameritrade specializes in online forex trading, regulated by three tier-1 jurisdictions including SEC , FINRA , SIPC. While these brokers offer similar services, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses.
In this article, I have compared BlackBull Markets and TD Ameritrade in terms of trading platforms, Pros, Cons, regulations, tradable assets, fees, customer support, and overall trading experience score. This analysis aims to help you determine which broker better suits your trading style and preferences.
BlackBull Markets
Founded in 2014 in Auckland, New Zealand by Michael Walker and Selwyn Loekman, BlackBull is a forex and CFD broker that enables the trading of over 26,000 instruments including forex, CFDs, real stocks, and ETFs. The available platforms are MT4, MT5, TradingView, cTrader, BlackBull shares and BlackBull Trade. Social trading is through BlackBull CopyTrader and ZuluTrade. Trading tools such as free VPS and Autochartist are provided. To learn more about Blackbull Markets, you can read our review where we have covered features, pros, cons, and more.
Blackbull Markets Overview
- Founded In: 2014
- Founder: Michael Walker and Selwyn Loekman
- Trading Instruments: 26000+ trading instruments including Forex, Equities, Commodities (Energies, agriculture, and Metals), Futures, Indices
- Minimum Deposit: between $0 and $20,000 ( $0 for Standard, $2000 for Prime, $20,000 for Institutional Accounts)
- Maximum Leverage: upto 1:500
- Regulations: FMA ,FSA
- Trading platform: MT4,MT5, Ctrader, Tradingview
- Trading Tools: Trading Tools: VPS, Zulutrade, Myfxbook, Calculators,
- Trading Fees: starting from 0.8 pips spreads for Standard account, 0.1 pips spread+$4 per lot for Price account, Spreads 0.0 + $4 per lot for Institutional Account.
- Account Types: Standard, Prime, Institutional
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), VISA, MasterCard, Cryptocurrency, FasaPay, Neteller, Skrill, UnionPay
- US Traders: Not Accepted
TD Ameritrade
Founded in 1971 as Ameritrade, TD Ameritrade is a well-known American online brokerage firm that offers a wide range of financial services including stocks, Forex, options, ETFs Mutual Funds, fixed income and other investment products TD Ameritrade went through a couple of acquisitions and mergers. In 2006, it acquired the US operations of TD Waterhouse, followed by the acquisition of Scottrade in 2017. Finally, in 2020, Charles Schwab Corporation acquired TD Ameritrade. TD Ameritrade provides access to both US and non-US traders to trade on this platform.
TD Ameritrade At a Glance
- Founded In: 1978
- Minimum Deposit: $0
- Maximum Leverage: 1:50
- Regulations: SEC , FINRA , SIPC
- Trading platform: Web Platforms, thinkorswim desktop, thinkorswim® web, Mobile Trading
- Account Types: Standard, Retirement, Education and Specialty accounts.
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), ACH (Automated Clearing House), Check, Physical Stock Certificates, Transfer from Existing Broker
- US Clients : Accepted
BlackBull Markets vs : TD Ameritrade Features
BlackBull Markets
- Trading Instruments: 26000+ trading instruments in 80 markets including Forex, Crypto CFDs, Indices CFDs, Commodities CFDs, Stocks CFDs,
- Maximum leverage: up to 1:500
- Minimum Deposit: $0 for standard, $2000 for Prime, $20,000 for Institutional account
- Account Types: Offers 3 account types including ECN standard, ECN Prime, and ECN institutional.
- Fees: starting from 0.8 pips for a standard account, (0.1 pips + $6) per lot for an ECN Prime Account, and (0.0 Pips +$4) for an Institutional account.
- PAMM/ MAM: Yes,
- Zulutrade: Yes
- Scalping: Allowed
- News Trading: Allowed
- EA/ Robot Trading: Allowed
TD Ameritrade
- Trading Instruments: 4,700+ trading instruments including Stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, options, fixed income, futures, and forex, as well as margin lending and cash management services
- Maximum Leverage: 50:1. Offers both leverage and non-leverage assets.
- Minimum Deposit: TD Ameritrade does not require a minimum deposit to open a trading account
- Account Type: Brokerage and Trading, Retirement Account, Education and Custodian, charitable giving, lending, Small business retirements, Checking and Savings, Robo and Dedicated Advice, credit cards, Annuities, Trust and Estate, Insurance
- Trading Fees: TD Ameritrade offers a $0 account minimum with no charges for trading stocks and ETFs. Bond trades are $1 per bond, and most options contracts cost $0.65 each. Mutual fund trades typically cost around $50, but the firm also provides access to over 3,600 no-transaction-fee funds
- PAMM/MAM: Not Available
- News Trading: Allowed
- Scalping: Allowed
- Automated Trading: Allowed
BlackBull Markets vs TD Ameritrade: Side By Side Comparison
BlackBull Markets vs TD Ameritrade: Pros and Cons
BlackBull Markets Pros & Cons
- Regulated by FMA, FSPR, FSP, FSA-S
- Founded in New Zealand and operating globally
- Professional and Retail Trading options
- No Minimum Deposit Requirement ($0)
- The Maximum Leverage is as high as 1:500
- Allow Scalping, News Trading, EA/Robot Trading
- Offers Multiple Trading platforms including MT4, MT5, WebTrader, TradingView
- Supports multiple third-party copy trading platforms, such as ZuluTrade, Duplitrade, and Myfxbook.
- BlackBull lacks additional Tier-1 regulatory licenses outside of New Zealand.
- $2,000 minimum deposit for Prime Account
- The Ctrader platform is not offered
- Withdrawal fees
- Limited Research Tools
- Not very diverse range of tradable assets
TD Ameritrade Pros & Cons
- ETF, non-penny stock, and options trades are commission-free
- Expansive trading tools and resources for all types of investors
- Low trading fees (free stock and ETF trading)
- Regulated by FINRA, SIBC
- Part of Charles Schwab Corporation since October 2020, with a combined 28 million clients and $6 trillion in assets.
- The company does not charge fees for trading in American and Canadian stocks, options, and ETFs.
- There is a large selection of investments from which to choose
- Broker-assisted trades are somewhat costly
- No direct crypto Trading
- Forex trading via thinkorswim, a trading platform where you can trade forex
- No MT4, MT5, cTraders trading platforms are offered
- Fractional shares are not offered
- Accounts mostly limited to US residents
- As a U.S.-only forex broker, TD Ameritrade does not offer copy trading or MetaTrader (MT4).
BlackBull Markets Vs TD Ameritrade: Our Scores and Ratings
We rated both brokers, BlackBull Markets and TD Ameritrade, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 0.1 increments. To achieve a comprehensive rating, we broadly grouped all services offered by brokers into 6 macro categories and assigned percentage weights to them. Each macro category is subdivided into several data points which contributes to the total score of 1.0-10.0 assigned to each macro category. Since all categories are not equally important, our weight percentage plays a significant role in assessing the broker accurately. For example, Regulation and Security contributes a total weight of 40% to the whole ratings because this is the most important rating category. To learn more, read our methodology.
BlackBull Markets:
TD Ameritrade
Final Verdict :
Both BlackBull Markets and TD Ameritrade are regulated online trading platforms in the industry, offering services to traders and investors. However, there are some differences between them. BlackBull Markets is a multi-asset and social trading platform, providing trading instruments, including forex ,share, CFDs and commodities. It offers both leverage and non-leverage tradable assets. On the other hand, TD Ameritrade is a forex and CFD broker offering stocks,options,ETFs,mutual funds,futures,forex,margin trading,bonds & fixed income.
Our score for BlackBull Markets is 8.2, and for TD Ameritrade, it is 8.8 (based on our research; a score above 8 is considered safe and trustworthy). If you are seeking a social trading platform where you can copy other successful traders and have a one-stop solution for various types of trading, you may choose BlackBull Markets. However, if you prefer online forex and CFD brokers, you may choose TD Ameritrade.
