Skilling and TD Ameritrade are Forex and CFD brokers offering online trading services to traders and investors worldwide. Both brokers are regulated by top-tier regulatory authorities. Skilling is regulated by CySEC, FSA, and FCA (recently deregistered from FCA). On the other hand, TD Ameritrade is regulated by 3 regulatory authorities, including SEC, FINRA, SIPC. These two brokers offer almost similar services. However, each broker has its strengths and weaknesses.
In this article, we will compare Skilling with TD Ameritrade regarding trading platforms, regulations, tradable assets, fees, customer support, and overall trading experience score. We will also explore if Skilling is better than TD Ameritrade. This comparison lets you understand which broker is better for your trading style and preferences.
Skilling vs TD Ameritrade: In a Nutshell
Skilling
Established in 2016 by Scandinavian entrepreneurs, Lennart Clausen, André Lavold, Henrik Ekdahl, and Mikael Harstad, Skilling is a regulated and innovative forex broker. It offers traders access to more than 900 forex and CFDs on its Skilling Trader, cTrader, and MT4 platforms. The broker’s Premium account features competitive spreads and low commissions, ideal for advanced traders. Skilling.com provides forex pairs, CFDs, commodities, shares, indices, gold, silver, oil, bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies for your personal investment and trading options. Additionally, Skilling provides tools like TradingView, an economic calendar, market news, and detailed analysis to enhance trading decisions.
Skilling Overview
- Founded In: 2016
- Minimum Deposit: 25 € or equivalent
- Maximum Leverage: Up to 1:1000 for non-EU retail traders,1:30 for EU retail traders. 1:200 for professional traders
- Regulations:CySEC, FSA, and FCA (recently deregistered from FCA)
- Trading platform: MT4, MT5, cTrader, Skilling Trader, and Skilling Copy
- Account Types: Offers 3 account types: Standard, Premium, MT4
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), VISA, MasterCard, CoinsPaid, Directa24, FasaPay, Klarna, Neteller, Ngan Luong, Pagsmile, PayPal, PayRetailers, PayTrust88, Skrill, Swish, Trustly, UnionPay, WebMoney
- 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
Skilling vs TD Ameritrade: Side By Side Comparison
Skilling vs TD Ameritrade: Features
Skilling
- Trading Instruments: 800+ forex, CFDs, commodities, shares, indices, and cryptocurrencies
- Maximum leverage: up to 1:1000 for non-EU retail traders,1:30 for EU retail traders. 1:200 for professional traders
- Minimum Deposit: $25 for the Non-EU standard account, $100 for the EU standard account, and $5000 for the premium account.
- Account Types: Offers 3 account types: Standard, Premium MT4
- Fees: starting from 0.8 pips for a standard account,
- Social Copy Trading: Yes,
- Zulutrade: No
- 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
Skilling vs TD Ameritrade: Pros and Cons
Skilling Pros & Cons
- Regulated by CySEC, FSA, and FCA.
- The Maximum leverage is as high as 1:1000 for global entities, 1:30 for EU traders, and 1:200
- Fully Digital Account Opening ( Easy Sign and Verification Process)
- Demo Accounts are Available
- Low Trading fees starting from 0.8 pips for standard accounts, and 0.10 pips for premium accounts
- Offers both leverage and non-leverage cryptos of trading
- Educational resources with a new 'Trading Study Hub' for beginner investors to learn more about investing
- Offers a variety of trading platforms and tools including MT4, Ctrader, Skilling Social Copy Trading, and Skilling own trading platform
- Straightforward fees, no hidden charge
- No deposit and withdrawal fees
- Higher minimum deposit of $100 for Standard accounts, and $5000 for Premium accounts in the EU
- Degegistered from FCA regulations
- Service is not available in many countries including Canada and the US
- 1:2 leverage for cryptocurrencies
- Only Forex and CFDs are offered
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).
Skilling Vs TD Ameritrade: Our Scores and Ratings
We rated both brokers, Skilling 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.
Skilling:
TD Ameritrade
Final Verdict :
TD Ameritrade and Skilling are regulated forex and CFD brokers in the industry. They offer similar trading services. Both brokers allow scalping, hedging, EA trading, and Copy trading. 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 TD Ameritrade is $0., whereas the minimum deposit for Skilling is 25 € or equivalent. Additionally, the maximum leverage for TD Ameritrade is 1:50. In contrast, the maximum leverage for Skilling is up to 1:1000 for non-EU retail traders, 1:30 for EU retail traders. 1:200 for professional traders. TD Ameritrade offers passive investment programs like MAM and PAMM, while Skilling does not have any passive investment programs.
Our score for TD Ameritrade is 8.8, and for Skilling, it is 8.8 So, if you are looking for the most trusted forex brokers with MAM and PAMM services, you may choose TD Ameritrade. However, if you prefer another forex brokers that offer similar services, you may choose Skilling.
