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Stock Trading Platform Awards methodology
Picking stocks is complex enough without having to worry about whether you have a good broker.
So to help, we launched an extensive review of what stock trading platforms were offering Canadian customers.
The goal was pretty simple: to find the best stock trading platform for investors at different stages of their investing journeys. As such, we looked over 18 brokers across 4 categories and 35 criteria. Each category was weighted differently.
How do we choose our award winners?
Finder’s Awards are data led. Our data and editorial team worked together to create an algorithm that ranks stock trading platforms based on a set of criteria.
The criteria are weighted differently for each award.
The platform that scored highest in each award was named the winner, with the products that scored second and third highest each receiving a highly commended award.
In the event of a tie, standardized fee data was used to determine a winner, with the lowest fees dictating the winner.
What features do we compare?
Our awards are based on a comprehensive list of 35 individual criteria that broadly fall into one of the following four categories:
US stocks
OTC markets
Total markets (CA, US, Intl)
Bonds
GICs
Mutual funds
ETFs
Fractional shares
Derivatives
Forex (currencies)
Crypto
Limit orders
CA stock (1 trade)
CA stock (150+ trades)
US stock (1 trade)
US stock (150+ trades)
ETF (1 trade)
ETF (150+ trades)
Options (1 trade)
Options (150+ trades)
Options (per contract fee)
Deposits
Withdrawals
Currency conversion fee
Currency conversion fee (+10) trades
Account maintenance fee
Inactivity fee
Real-time quotes
Demo/practice account
Margin account
Research tools
Investor education
Beginner friendliness
Customer support options
Average app store rating
How did we weigh each broker category?
The weighting of each category for individual awards is outlined below.
Stock trading platform – Best overall
Markets available: 11%
Securities & orders: 27.5%
Fees: 37.5%
Features: 24%
Stock trading platform – CA stocks
Markets available: 0%
Securities & orders: 4%
Fees: 77%
Features: 19%
Stock trading platform – International stock trading
Markets available: 20%
Securities & orders: 8.5%
Fees: 51.5%
Features: 20%
Stock trading platform – Active traders
Markets available: 7%
Securities & orders: 16.5%
Fees: 43%
Features: 33.5%
Stock trading platform – Long term investors
Markets available: 5%
Securities & orders: 18%
Fees: 55%
Features: 22%
Stock trading platform – Beginners
Markets available: 0%
Securities & orders: 14%
Fees: 21%
Features: 65%
Stock trading platform – Features
Markets available: 0%
Securities & orders: 14%
Fees: 15%
Features: 71%
Stock trading platform – Low cost broker
Markets available: 0%
Securities & orders: 2%
Fees: 83%
Features: 15%
Stock trading platform – US stocks
Markets available: 0%
Securities & orders:12.5%
Fees: 66.5%
Features: 21%
Stock trading platform – Stock trading app
Markets available: 0%
Securities & orders: 5%
Fees: 30%
Features: 65%
Does Finder compare all stock trading platforms?
Our data collection team sourced brokers registered by The Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada.
We try to be as full market as possible; however, if you think we’ve missed anyone, please email awards@finder.com.
Award eligibility
To be eligible for Finder’s best investment platform awards, stock brokers need to meet the following criteria:
Have an online or mobile platform available for Canadian residents
Offer customers the option to directly purchase and sell stocks (e.g. futures or ETF only platforms were not accepted)
Offer customers the option to buy or sell non-leveraged equities
Offer stock trading services to retail investors
If a trading platform has multiple accounts, only the fees and features of the most basic or “standard” account were considered for our “Best broker” award categories.
All information collected was sourced from broker websites or by reaching out to broker representatives. In the case where information could not be sourced, our team attempted to contact brokers directly. If they did not respond within 3 weeks, they were excluded from the awards.
Cameron Micallef is an investments writer for Finder. He has previously worked on titles including Smart Property Investment, nestegg and Investor Daily, reporting across superannuation, property and investments. Cameron has a Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies/ Commerce from the University of Wollongong. Outside of work Cameron is passionate about all things sports and travel.
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finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which finder.com receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. finder.com compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don't provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service.
