Pepperstone and TD Ameritrade are two popular forex and CFD brokers that offer online trading services to traders and investors worldwide. Both brokers are regulated by top-tier regulatory authorities. Pepperstone is regulated by three Tier-1, two Tier-2, and two Tier-4 jurisdictions, including FCA, ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, CMA, and SCB. On the other hand, TD Ameritrade is regulated by three Tier-1 jurisdictions including SEC, FINRA, and SIPC. These two brokers offer similar services. However, each broker has its strengths and weaknesses.
In this article, we will compare Pepperstone with TD Ameritrade regarding trading platforms, regulations, tradable assets, fees, customer support, and overall trading experience score. We will also explore if Pepperstone is better than TD Ameritrade and vice versa. This comparison lets you understand which broker is better for your trading style and preferences.
Pepperstone vs TD Ameritrade: In a Nutshell
Pepperstone:
Founded in 2010 by Owen Kerr and Joe Davenport, Pepperstone is an Australian-based forex and CFD broker that offers online trading services globally. The broker has offices in Melbourne, London, Düsseldorf, Dubai, Limassol, Nassau, and Nairobi. Pepperstone gives you access to trade more than 1,200 forex/CFDs on its powerful platforms: MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView. With its technological infrastructure, Pepperstone offers lightning-speed executions, multiple trading tools, and low trading fees. It is regulated in seven jurisdictions and boasts over 400,000 clients from all over the world. To learn more, you can read our review on Pepperstone, where we have covered its features, pros, cons, ratings, and more
Pepperstone At a Glance

- Founded In: 2010
- Founder: Owen Kerr and Joe Davenport
- Headquarters : Melbourne, Australia,
- Minimum Deposit: None (However, Pepperstone recommends $200 or equivalent for margin requirements.
- Maximum Leverage: Upto 30:1 for ASIC, CySEC, FCA, BaFin, and DFSA jurisdictions, 400:1 for CMA, 200:1 for SCB, and 500:1 for Professional Accounts
- Regulations: FCA, ASIC, CySEC, BaFIN, DFSA, CMA, and SCB
- Trading platform: MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView
- Account Types: Standard, Standard (cTrader/MetaTrader 4&5), Razor (MT4, MT5, cTrader & TradingView)
- Trading Styles: All including Scalping, Hedging, News Trading, EA Trading
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), VISA, MasterCard, BPAY, Local Bank Transfers, M-Pesa, Neteller, PayPal, Poli, Skrill, UnionPay
- US Clients: Not 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
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
Pepperstone vs TD Ameritrade: Features
Pepperstone:
- Trading Instruments: 1250+Trading instruments including Forex, Commodities, Cryptocurrencies, Shares/Stocks CFDs, etc
- Maximum leverage: 1:30 for retail traders of ASIC, CySEC, FCA, and BaFin jurisdictions, 1:200 for SCB Jurisdiction, 1:400 for CMA Jurisdiction, and 1:500 for professional traders.
- Minimum Deposit: No Minimum Deposit. However, Pepperstone recommends $200 or equivalent for the margin requirement.
- Account Types: Two ( Standard account, Razor Account)
- Trading Fees: Spread starting from 1 pip for Standard Account or Commission 3.00 to 3.50 per lot for Razor Account on a Single Trip.
- PAMM/ MAM: Available
- 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
Pepperstone vs TD Ameritrade: Pros and Cons
Pepperstone:
- Regulated in 7 Reputed Jurisdictions (FCA in the UK, CySEC in Cyprus, ASIC in Australia, BaFin in Germany, DFSA in Dubai, CMA in Kenya, and SCB in the Bahamas)
- Fast order execution (fast execution on an average of 30 ms)
- Competitive spread starting from 0.0 pips
- Segregated clients fund with tire 1 bank
- No Inactivity Fees
- Attractive Trading Conditions
- Wide Range of Instruments Offered
- Fast and full online account opening
- MT4 Smart trader tools, Autochartist, Capitalise.ai, and free VPS are some of the trading tools available.
- US Traders not allowed
- Only CFDs are Offered
- No cent/Micro Account
- Minimum deposit 200
- Support works only 24/5
- Limited account protection for non-U.K./E.U. clients
- No guaranteed Stop loss
- 30-day expiry for demo accounts
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).
Pepperstone vs TD Ameritrade: Side-by-Side Comparison:


Pepperstone Vs TD Ameritrade: Our Scores and Ratings
We rated both brokers, Pepperstone 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.
Pepperstone :
TD Ameritrade:
Final Verdict :
Pepperstone and TD Ameritrade are regulated forex and CFD brokers in the industry. Both They offer similar trading services; they both allow scalping, hedging, EA trading, and Copy trading EA. The minimum order size for both of them is 0.01.
However, there are a few areas where you may find some differences. For example, the minimum deposit for Pepperstone is $0 (with $200 recommended), whereas the minimum deposit for TD Ameritrade is $0. Additionally, the maximum leverage for Pepperstone is 500:1 for professional traders and 200:1 for retail traders, whereas the maximum leverage for TD Ameritrade is 1:50. Pepperstone offers passive investment programs like MAM and PAMM, while TD Ameritrade does not have any passive investment programs.
Our score for Pepperstone is 9.4, and for TD Ameritrade, it is 8.8. So, if you are looking for the most trusted forex brokers with MAM and PAMM services, you may choose Pepperstone. However, if you prefer high-leverage forex brokers that offer similar services, you may choose TD Ameritrade.
Disclaimer: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 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