Questrade review 2026

Our review is based on broker disclosures, regulatory records, platform research and available user information checked on 26 August 2026.

Is Questrade regulated?

Questrade holds a tier-one authorisation from CIRO. That matters more than any headline spread: it determines your leverage cap, whether losses can exceed your deposit, and what happens to your money if the firm fails.

CIRO oversees Canadian investment dealers, and few international brokers hold the licence.

How safe is Questrade?

The available evidence supports a favourable assessment. Positive factors include a tier-one licence, segregated client money, a compensation scheme (Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF), generally up to CAD $1 million per eligible account category), audited accounts (Independent external auditors) and 27 years of operating history. Risk factors include no negative balance protection. Regulation can improve oversight and complaint options, but it does not prevent trading losses or guarantee that every dispute will be resolved.

Client money is held separately from the firm's own money, at Canadian regulated financial institutions/custodial arrangements. That separation is what makes your balance recoverable if the company fails, rather than part of the pool its creditors divide up.

There is no negative balance protection. In a fast market a position can gap straight through your stop, and without this the resulting debt is legally yours - you can lose more than you deposited.

Covered by Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF), generally up to CAD $1 million per eligible account category, which pays eligible clients up to its limit if the firm fails owing client money.

Licence information last checked 26 August 2026

Questrade trading conditions

Trading conditions vary by account, platform, legal entity and client classification. The figures below reflect the latest information available to 88 Forex Brokers and should be confirmed before trading.

Spreads and commissions

Questrade advertises spreads from 0.8 pips on Individual Forex & CFDs. The stated commission is $0 on spot FX. Typical or live pricing may be higher than the advertised minimum, particularly outside liquid trading hours or during volatile markets.

Spreads from 0.8 pips suggest an all-in account, where the broker's fee is built into the price rather than charged separately. There is usually no commission on top, which makes the cost easier to predict.

Quoted spreads are best-case figures on the most liquid pair, in normal conditions. What you actually pay widens around news and at the session open.

Questrade lists a minimum deposit of $0. Treat it as the cost of opening an account, not the cost of trading one - position sizing on a small balance is what tends to cause damage.

Spread type

Variable

EUR/USD average spread

1.9 pips target

GBP/USD average spread

Approx. 2.0 pips target

Commission

$0 on spot FX

All-in cost, EUR/USD

1.9 pips target

Leverage and margin

Maximum leverage is reported as 1:50, although the available limit depends on the account entity, instrument, client classification and local rules. Higher leverage increases both potential gains and losses and can lead to rapid account depletion.

Execution model

Questrade describes its execution model as Non-market maker / agency-style execution. The available information indicates an average execution speed of Under 100ms, order types of Market, limit, stop, stop-loss, take-profit and platform-specific conditional orders and servers in North American/global institutional infrastructure. Execution labels are not standardised across the industry, so review the order-execution policy and conflict disclosures rather than relying on a single term.

Trading rules

Expert advisers

No MetaTrader EA support

Copy trading

No

Negative balance protection

No

Scalping, Hedging, Stop-out level and Guaranteed stop loss: the broker does not publish enough information for us to confirm this trading condition.

Questrade account types

Questrade offers 12 reported account types. Compare the minimum deposit, spread model, commission, platform and eligibility before choosing an account.

Questrade runs 12 account types. More choice is not automatically better: the tightest headline spread almost always sits on the account that also charges a commission, so the comparison that matters is the two added together.

Base currencies: CAD, USD. Holding the account in the currency you fund it with avoids a conversion charge on every deposit and withdrawal - a cost that never shows up in a spread comparison.

The smallest position is 1,000 currency units / 0.01 standard lot. For anyone starting carefully this matters more than the minimum deposit, because it sets the least you can put at risk on a single trade.

A demo account is available. Worth using for the platform rather than the results: fills are simulated, so it tells you how the software behaves but very little about execution.

Individual Forex & CFDsCashMarginTFSARRSPFHSARESPRRIFCorporatePartnershipTrustManaged

Minimum deposit

$0

Spreads from

0.8 pips

Commission

$0 on spot FX

Maximum leverage

1:50

Platforms

Proprietary platform

Base currencies

CAD, USD

Available markets

Forex, Metals, Commodities, Indices, Shares, ETFs, Bonds

Minimum trade size

1,000 currency units / 0.01 standard lot

Account opening time

Typically completed online within minutes; verification may take additional time

Demo account

A demo account is reported as available for testing the platform and practising with virtual funds. Demo pricing and execution may not match live conditions.

Islamic account

An Islamic or swap-free option is reported as not available. Alternative charges, holding limits or eligibility conditions may apply.

Questrade fees and trading costs

The total cost of trading can include spreads, commissions, overnight financing, currency conversion, deposit or withdrawal charges and inactivity fees.

Advertised spreads start from 0.8 pips, but typical pricing may be higher.

The reported trading commission is $0 on spot FX.

Overnight financing applies to eligible positions at rates that can change.

The broker reports generally none for deposits.

The broker reports method-dependent for withdrawals.

A currency-conversion charge of 1.5% on standard CAD/USD securities-account conversions may apply.

Spreads from

0.8 pips

Commission

$0 on spot FX

Overnight financing

Both: overnight rollover/financing may be charged or credited

Deposit fee

Generally none

Withdrawal fee

Method-dependent

Inactivity fee

Not confirmed

Currency conversion

1.5% on standard CAD/USD securities-account conversions

Fees can change and may differ by entity, platform, account or payment method. Confirm the full schedule before opening or funding an account.

Trading platforms and apps

Questrade supports Proprietary platform. Availability can differ by account and legal entity.

Questrade offers Questrade Global. A proprietary platform can be excellent, but it means your setup does not transfer if you later change broker.

Proprietary platform

Proprietary platform

Yes

Web platform

Yes

Mobile app

Proprietary

Charting

Advanced built-in technical indicators and drawing/annotation tools

Third-party tools

Saxo Bank trading/liquidity infrastructure

Server locations

North American/global institutional infrastructure

Automated and copy trading

The broker reports support for API access. Automated strategies can fail, amplify losses or behave differently under changing market conditions.

The platform range is broad. Its main advantage is support for Proprietary platform; the principal limitation is the absence of MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5.

Markets available through Questrade

The broker reports access to 1,000+ across FX/CFDs and substantially more including exchange-traded securities instruments across forex, metals, commodities, indices, shares, eTFs and bonds. Product availability depends on the account entity and platform.

Leverage is capped at 1:50, which is the retail limit under tier-one regulation. It is a protection rather than a restriction: it caps how quickly a position can move against your balance.

The product range is strongest for forex, metals and commodities. Traders seeking cryptocurrency cfds may need another broker.

ForexMetalsCommoditiesIndicesSharesETFsBonds

Markets, as published

Forex, Stock CFDs, Index CFDs, Commodity CFDs, Precious Metals, Stocks, ETFs, Options, Bonds, GICs, Mutual Funds

Total instruments

1,000+ across FX/CFDs and substantially more including exchange-traded securities

Currency pairs

110+

Cryptocurrency CFDs

No

CFDs do not provide ownership of the underlying asset. Product terms, leverage and trading hours vary by market.

Deposits and withdrawals

Available funding methods include Interac, Visa Debit, online banking bill payment, pre-authorized deposit, bank transfer/wire and account transfer. Processing times, limits, fees and availability vary by country, currency and account entity.

Withdrawals are stated at Typically 1-5 business days depending on method, against Instant for eligible Visa Debit; bill payment 1-2 business days; FX/CFD PAD generally 5-10 business days for deposits. A gap between the two is normal and not in itself a warning sign - identity checks are a legal obligation, not obstruction. What is worth noticing is a withdrawal that keeps meeting new conditions after those checks are done.

Withdrawal routes: electronic funds transfer, wire transfer and account transfer. Money is usually returned by the route it arrived on, so the deposit method you pick is in effect the withdrawal method you are picking too.

The minimum withdrawal is $1 - relevant if you intend to fund the account lightly, since it sets the smallest amount you can take out at a time.

Identity, payment ownership and source-of-funds checks may be required before a withdrawal is processed.

Deposit methods

Interac, Visa Debit, online banking bill payment, pre-authorized deposit, bank transfer/wire and account transfer

Withdrawal methods

Electronic funds transfer, wire transfer and account transfer

Deposit time

Instant for eligible Visa Debit; bill payment 1-2 business days; FX/CFD PAD generally 5-10 business days

Withdrawal time

Typically 1-5 business days depending on method

Deposit fee

Generally none

Withdrawal fee

Method-dependent

Minimum withdrawal

$1

Local payment methods

Interac; Canadian online bill payment and Canadian EFT

View withdrawal complaints about Questrade

Use a payment method held in your own name. The broker may reject third-party payments or require withdrawals to follow the original funding route.

Customer support

Questrade provides support through Live chat, phone, email/contact form, in-person support during Extended weekday hours; online Help Centre available 24/7. Supported languages include English, French.

Support runs Extended weekday hours; online Help Centre available 24/7. Round-the-clock cover matters more than it sounds: a position held over a weekend or through an unexpected halt is exactly when you need somebody to answer.

Reachable by live chat, phone, email/contact form, in-person support. A published telephone number is the one channel that is hard to fake and hard to ignore, so whether there is one says more than the number of channels does.

Languages: English, French. Being able to raise a complaint in your own language is worth more than it appears, because complaints are where precision matters most.

Education: extensive: questrade learning, investing courses, fx/cfd guides, platform tutorials, options education and educational articles. Treat broker-published material as an introduction rather than as advice - it is produced by a firm whose revenue rises when you trade more.

Support channels

Live chat, phone, email/contact form, in-person support

Support hours

Extended weekday hours; online Help Centre available 24/7

Languages

English, French

Telephone

1-888-783-7866

Email

Not confirmed

Live chat response

Typically within a few minutes

Research and market analysis

Market research, news, technical charting, economic releases, alerts and investment research tools

Education

Extensive: Questrade Learning, investing courses, FX/CFD guides, platform tutorials, options education and educational articles

Is Questrade a good broker?

Your decision should reflect your country, experience, preferred platform, trading costs and tolerance for financial and counterparty risk.

Questrade is best considered by

• Traders who want a tier-one licence behind the account
• Traders who want a small first deposit

Consider another broker if

• You require an Islamic account
• You require copy trading
• You require MetaTrader
• You require negative balance protection

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