Oanda and TD Ameritrade are online forex brokers that offer their trading services to traders and investors. Oanda is a highly regulated and trusted forex broker. It is regulated by multiple regulatory authorities including ASIC, CFTC, IIROC, FCA, PFSA, MAS in Singapore, FSA in Japan, FSC in BVI. Similarly, TD Ameritrade is also a regulated forex broker. TD Ameritrade is regulated by multiple regulatory bodies around the world including SEC, FINRA, SIPC. Both brokers have their own strengths and weaknesses.
In this article, we will review and compare the brokerage services offered by Oanda and TD Ameritrade. We will explore options such as regulations, reputations, fees, features, leverage, and more. Additionally, we will analyze and rate the brokers based on macro and micro categories and options. By reviewing these aspects, you will get a clear idea of which broker suits you best for your trading journey.
Oanda vs TD Ameritrade: In a Nutshell
Oanda
Founded by Drs. Stumm and Olsen in the USA in 1996, Oanda is one of the oldest and most experienced forex brokers in the world. The broker expanded into Asia in 2007, opened its London office in 2011, and its Sydney office in 2014. On its platforms, you can trade over 3,000 forex pairs, CFDs, and even real stocks. The broker is regulated by top regulatory authorities including ASIC, CFTC, IIROC, FCA, PFSA, MAS in Singapore, FSA in Japan, and FSC in BVI. Oanda offers multiple trading platforms such as MT4, MT5, the fxTrade app, and TradingView. Oanda is also known for its currency transfer services as well as its MarketPlus trading analytics. To learn more, you can read our review on Oanda, where we cover features, pros, cons, and more
Oanda Overview
- Founded In: 1996
- Founder: Dr. Stumm (a computer scientist), and Dr. Olsen (an economist)
- Headquarters: New York, United States
- Trading Instruments: 100+ trading Instruments including forex, indices, shares, commodities, metals, cryptocurrencies, metals
- Minimum Deposit: No minimum Deposit is required. You may deposit as low as $1
- Maximum Leverage: 1:50 (US), 1:30 (EU), 1:200 (other regions)
- Regulations: ASIC, CFTC, IIROC, FCA, PFSA, MAS in Singapore, FSA in Japan, FSC in BVI
- Trading platform: MT4, MT5, fxTrade app, Tradingview
- Account Types: Standard, Elitetrader
- Trading Fees: Spreads starting from 0.6 pips (EUR/USD pair)
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), VISA, MasterCard, ACH Payments (echeck), BPAY, CHAPS, Check, DBS Bill Payment, Local Bank Deposits, Local Bank Transfers, Neteller, Payment Asia, PayNow, PayPal, SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT), Skrill
- US Traders: Accepted
TD Ameritrade
TD Ameritrade was a well-known stockbroker offering a user-friendly electronic trading platform for various financial assets like common and preferred stocks, futures, ETFs, forex, options, mutual funds, fixed-income investments, margin lending, and cash management services. It made money through interest on margin balances, commissions, and payments for order flow.
Founded in 1975 as First Omaha Securities, the company took a major step in 2006 by acquiring the U.S. operations of TD Waterhouse from TD Bank Group, rebranding itself as TD Ameritrade. This deal also gave TD Bank Group a substantial ownership stake. In 2020, Charles Schwab Corporation acquired TD Ameritrade, and by 2024, all accounts were transitioned to Schwab. To learn more, you can read our review about TD Ameritrade.
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
Oanda vs : TD Ameritrade Features
Oanda:
- Trading Instruments: CFD trading is not allowed for US clients; however, non-US clients can trade CFDs
- Maximum leverage: The maximum leverage of Oanda is 1:200 (global), 1:50 (US), 1:30 (EU)
- Minimum Deposit: No Minimum Deposit.
- Account Types: Two (Standard, Elitetrader)
- Trading Fees: Spreads range from 0.1 to 0.6, and commissions range from 3.5 to 4 per lot (depending on account type).
- PAMM/ MAM:
- 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
Oanda vs TD Ameritrade: Pros and Cons
Oanda
- Regulated by the CySEC, FCA, CFTC, JFSA, IIROC, ASIC, MAS and FSC BVI
- Clients can trade over 1800 forex/CFDs and over 2000 real stocks.
- Platforms: MT4, MT5, and Oanda mobile apps on iOS and Android.
- Trading tools provided are MetaTrader premium tools, Autochartist, Market pulse analysis, etc.
- Customer support is provided in multiple languages and via different channels.
- Fast and user-friendly account opening
- The TradingView platform is available, alongside several VPS services for MT4 hosting.
- Bank withdrawals incur a fee which is transferred to the trader.
- Premium core accounts require a minimum balance of $20,000
- Inactivity fees are charged from dormant accounts.
- No account protection for U.S. clients
- No guaranteed stop-losses for U.S. or U.K. clients
- Traders in the U.S. cannot access single-stock CFDs
- No cent accounts, bonus programme for beginner traders
TD Ameritrade
- 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).
Oanda vs TD Ameritrade: Side-by-Side Comparison
Oanda Vs TD Ameritrade : Our Scores and Ratings
We rated both brokers, Oanda 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.
Oanda :
TD Ameritrade
Final Verdict :
Both OANDA and TD Ameritrade offer similar trading services worldwide. Both brokers are regulated in the USA and accept US clients. The minimum lot size for both is as low as 0.1.
However, there are some differences. For example, OANDA is regulated by 8 regulatory authorities including ASIC, CFTC, IIROC, FCA, PFSA, MAS in Singapore, FSA in Japan, FSC in BVI while TD Ameritrade is regulated by 3 regulatory authorities including SEC, FINRA, SIPC. The trading cost for OANDA is Spread starting from 0.2 pips or commission $5, while the trading cost for TD Ameritrade is Spread starting from Commission from $7 to $9.99. Our score for OANDA is 8.8, and for TD Ameritrade, it is 8.8 (according to our expert ratings, brokers that achieve a score of 8.00 or higher are considered safe and trustworthy).
So, if you are looking for a low-cost broker for forex trading, you can choose OANDA. If you want to use a widely recognized broker, you may consider TD Ameritrade.
