Best Alternatives to Fortrade in 2026
People look for Fortrade alternatives usually because they want tighter spreads (Fortrade is spread-only and wider than ECN brokers), no inactivity fee, or to own real shares rather than trade CFDs. Below are the closest alternatives, ranked, with how each compares on cost.
Plus500: 81% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
Additional fees apply, including an Overnight Funding Fee, a Currency Conversion Fee, an Inactivity Fee, and a Guaranteed Stop Order (a wider spread is applied once used).
Plus500CY Ltd is authorized & regulated by CySEC (#250/14).
1. Lightyear
Lightyear is a UK- and EU-available investing app offering commission-free stocks and ETFs, a very low currency-conversion fee, and interest on uninvested cash. UK personal accounts (GIA and Stocks & Shares ISA) pay just 0.10% FX; EU accounts pay 0.35%. There are no account, withdrawal or inactivity fees, and no minimum deposit — making it one of the cheapest ways to hold a global portfolio.
Compare Fortrade and Lightyear side by side →Visit LightyearLightyear
Best low-FX investing app for the UK and EU with interest on cash
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
2. Trading 212
Trading 212 offers genuinely commission-free investing with no withdrawal fee and an Invest/ISA account for UK users. A strong low-cost pick, though product depth is narrower than full-service brokers.
Compare Fortrade and Trading 212 side by side →Visit Trading 212Trading 212
Best for low fees and UK investors
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
3. Robinhood
Robinhood pioneered commission-free trading in the US and now offers UK investors commission-free US shares with a very low 0.10% FX fee and a free Stocks & Shares ISA. It trades US-listed stocks, ETFs and options — no UK-listed shares, and no crypto in the UK. A clean app that is light on research; note the $100 account-transfer-out fee.
Compare Fortrade and Robinhood side by side →Visit RobinhoodRobinhood
Best for commission-free US-stock investing in the US and UK
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
4. Revolut
Revolut bolts simple stock investing onto its popular banking app. Convenient if you already use Revolut, with one free trade per month on Standard, but the 0.25% per-trade commission makes it pricier than dedicated low-cost brokers for active investors.
Compare Fortrade and Revolut side by side →Visit RevolutRevolut
Best for investing inside an all-in-one money app
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
5. XTB
XTB offers commission-free real stocks and ETFs up to €100,000 monthly turnover, a polished platform, and strong regulation. UK investors can hold it in a flexible Stocks & Shares ISA. A low-cost choice for EU and UK investors, with a 0.5% FX fee being the main cost to watch.
Compare Fortrade and XTB side by side →Visit XTBXTB
Best for low-cost stock and ETF investing in the EU/UK
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
6. eToro
eToro is a multi-asset platform best known for copy trading and an extremely beginner-friendly interface. ETF investing is commission-free, but stock positions carry a $1–$2 charge on opening and again on closing, and the withdrawal and currency-conversion fees matter.
Compare Fortrade and eToro side by side →Visit eToroeToro
Best for beginners and social/copy trading
eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. 50% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
7. Trade Republic
Trade Republic is a German neobroker and licensed bank offering stocks, ETFs, bonds and crypto at a flat €1 external-settlement fee per trade, with completely free ETF savings-plan executions. It also pays interest on uninvested cash (linked to ECB rates) and runs a Saveback card scheme. Available across most of the eurozone; a mobile-first, no-frills platform.
Compare Fortrade and Trade Republic side by side →Visit Trade RepublicTrade Republic
Best €1-flat neobroker for low-cost investing in the eurozone
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
8. Scalable Capital
Scalable Capital is a German neobroker offering real stocks and ETFs on two plans. The FREE Broker charges €0.99 per trade (free for €250+ purchases of PRIME ETFs) with no account fee, while PRIME+ Broker (€4.99/month) gives a trading flat rate with €0 per-trade commission. ETF savings-plan executions are free on both plans. Trades run via the European Investor Exchange and gettex, with Xetra as a pricier alternative.
Compare Fortrade and Scalable Capital side by side →Visit Scalable CapitalScalable Capital
Best broker with a free savings-plan tier and an optional flat-rate plan
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
9. Freetrade
Freetrade is a UK mobile-first investing app offering commission-free trading on stocks, ETFs and investment trusts, with a genuinely free Stocks & Shares ISA and SIPP on its Basic plan. The main cost for most users is the FX fee on non-GBP trades: 0.99% on the free plan, dropping to 0.59% (Standard, £5.99/mo) and 0.39% (Plus, £11.99/mo).
Compare Fortrade and Freetrade side by side →Visit FreetradeFreetrade
Best free ISA and SIPP for commission-free UK investing
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
10. Plus500
Plus500 is a CFD-focused broker with a user-friendly trading platform and tight spreads. Good for traders who want straightforward CFD access, but it is not a long-term stock-ownership investing platform.
Compare Fortrade vs Plus500 →Visit Plus500Plus500
Best for CFD trading with a user-friendly platform
81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
11. Capital.com
Capital.com is a CFD broker with tight spreads (from 0.6 pips on EUR/USD), no commission, and no inactivity or withdrawal fees. A low-cost, well-regulated choice for CFD traders — but it is CFD-only, not a share-ownership investing platform.
Compare Fortrade and Capital.com side by side →Visit Capital.comCapital.com
Best for low-cost CFD trading with tight spreads
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
12. Pepperstone
Pepperstone is a top-rated CFD and forex broker built for active traders: very low Razor-account spreads, fast execution, and a choice of MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView, and cTrader. There is no inactivity fee. It is CFD/forex-focused — not a place to buy and hold real shares.
Compare Fortrade vs Pepperstone →Visit PepperstonePepperstone
Best for active forex and CFD traders who want low spreads
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
13. AvaTrade
AvaTrade is an established, multi-regulated CFD and forex broker with a wide platform choice and a beginner-friendly app (AvaTradeGO). Costs sit in the spread, so watch the quarterly inactivity and annual administration fees if you trade rarely. CFD-only — not a share-ownership investing platform.
Compare Fortrade and AvaTrade side by side →Visit AvaTradeAvaTrade
Best for platform choice and copy trading in CFDs and forex
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
Compare alternatives
| Feature | FortradeCFD | Lightyear | Trading 212 | Robinhood | Revolut | XTB | eToro | Trade Republic | Scalable Capital | Freetrade | Plus500CFD | Capital.comCFD | PepperstoneCFD | AvaTradeCFD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.6 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 | 3.6 / 5 | 3.6 / 5 | 3.6 / 5 | 3.2 / 5 |
| Stock commission | No commission; cost is in the spread (EUR/USD ~2 pips) | UK personal accounts (GIA and ISA): no execution fee on UK, US and European stocks or ETFs. EU accounts: GBP 1 per order on UK stocks, EUR 1 per order on EUR-denominated stocks, 0.1% on other European stocks, and 0.10% (min $0.10, max $1) on US stocks. ETFs are execution-fee-free on both. | 0% | $0 / £0 commission on US stocks, ETFs and options (crypto in the US only) | 1 commission-free order a month on Standard (3 on Plus, 5 on Premium, 10 on Metal and Ultra); beyond the allowance 0.25% of the order amount, or 0.12% on Ultra, minimum GBP 0.01; the Stocks and Shares ISA shares the same allowance and rates | 0% up to €100k monthly turnover, then 0.2% (min €10) | $1–$2 per side on stock positions (charged on opening and on closing, varies by country of residence); ETFs 0% | €1 flat per trade (Best Price execution); €2 per order for Direct Price routing to a chosen exchange (Xetra, NYSE, etc., since July 2026) | Until 31 August 2026, on the European Investor Exchange and gettex — FREE Broker: €0.99 per trade, or €0 on purchases of €250 or more in PRIME ETFs (Amundi, iShares, Vanguard, Xtrackers); PRIME+ Broker (€4.99/mo): €0 per trade from €250, else €0.99. Scalable's published schedule then lists a separate 'Xetra and gettex (from 01.09.2026)' tier charging €1.99 per PRIME ETF trade on both plans; Xetra itself was cut to €1.99 with trading-venue fees waived. Check the live schedule before trading on or after 1 September 2026 | £0 commission on all UK & US stocks, ETFs and investment trusts (all plans) | No commission, cost is in the spread | No commission; cost is in the spread (from 0.6 pips on EUR/USD) | Razor: raw spreads plus a fixed commission on FX and Spot Gold (XAU/USD) only — GBP 2.25 per lot per side on a GBP account, USD 3.50 on a USD account, so GBP 4.50 / USD 7 round turn, charged in full when the position opens on MT4 and MT5; cTrader is USD 6 round turn on FX. Standard: no commission on FX, indices or commodities (the cost sits in the spread), but share CFDs cost from 0.1% per side | No commission; cost is in the spread (from 0.9 pips on EUR/USD) |
| Withdrawal fee | Free (some payment methods may charge) | Free by local bank transfer. USD wire payments are charged (up to $8.50 UK, $6.11 EU). | Free | Free (bank/ACH); instant withdrawal 1.75% (US); account transfer out $100 | Free | Free above €100 (some entities charge €10 below €100) | $5 per withdrawal on USD accounts ($30 min); free on GBP/EUR accounts | Free to a linked bank account | Free to a linked bank account | Free standard withdrawals; £5 for same-day withdrawal | Free — Plus500 charges no deposit or withdrawal fees; your own bank or card issuer may charge on international transfers or unsupported-currency conversions | Free | Free, except bank wire withdrawals to an international bank account, which are charged GBP 15 | Free |
| Inactivity fee | USD 10 a month (charged in your account currency) after six consecutive months with no transactions — no deposits, withdrawals or trading activity, including opening a pending order | None | None | None | None | EUR 10/month, only after 365 days with no trade AND no deposit in the previous 90 days. Not charged on ISA accounts, where open positions are held, or on a zero balance. | None (eToro removed the inactivity fee in 2026) | None | None | None | Up to $10/month after 3 months without logging in | None | None | USD 50 a quarter (EUR 50 / GBP 50, by account currency) after three consecutive months of non-use, and every successive quarter, plus an annual administration fee of USD 100 / EUR 100 / GBP 100 after twelve consecutive months |
| Min deposit | $100, €100 or £100 depending on your account currency | None | £1 | None | None | None | $50 | None | None | None | set per payment method, shown in the platform's Funds Management screen (Plus500 publishes no single figure) | $10, €10 or £10 by card or Apple Pay ($50 by bank transfer) | None | $100, €100 or £100 depending on your account currency |
| Fractional shares | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Demo account | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Regulators | FCA, ASIC, CySEC, CIRO | FCA, EFSA | FCA, CySEC | SEC, FINRA, SIPC, FCA | FCA, CySEC | FCA, CySEC, KNF | FCA, CySEC, ASIC | BaFin, Bundesbank | BaFin, Bundesbank | FCA | FCA, CySEC, ASIC | FCA, CySEC, ASIC, SCB | FCA, ASIC, CySEC, BaFin | Central Bank of Ireland, ASIC, FSCA |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best alternative to Fortrade?
Lightyear is the strongest alternative for most users — best low-fx investing app for the uk and eu with interest on cash.
Why switch from Fortrade?
Common reasons include lower fees, different account types, or a simpler interface. Compare the options above against what matters to you.