Saxo review
- Price per trade
- £3
- Min. initial deposit
- £0
- Offer
- Get up to £200 back in online trading fees during your first 3 months. T&Cs apply.
Our verdict
Saxo is a well-established trading platform that’s recently dropped down its prices to be more competitive. There’s a lot on offer but it can be a confusing place to invest.
We chose Saxo as our best platform for trading ETFs because it has over 7,000 to choose from and charges competitive commissions to buy and sell ETFs from around the globe.
We think Saxo is a solid all-rounder. It’s got every product under the sun (over 36,000 stocks, bonds, ETFs, and more) from 50 global markets and is a widely respected provider and Danish bank. When reviewing the platform, we discovered a wealth of information to help you invest, such as market analysis, webinars, and the latest news.
There are plenty of trading tools available, like charts and stock analytics, but if you’re more interested in a passive approach, Saxo offers managed portfolios and investments. There is no minimum deposit for the Classic account, which is good news if you have a smaller portfolio.
We think Saxo has a lot to offer, but the target audience is those with more experience and larger portfolios (who get access to the best deals and perks).
Pros
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Great range of overseas markets
-
Lots of charts and research tools
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Plenty of educational resources
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No minimum deposit
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Invest in an ISA or a pension
Cons
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Complicated fee structure
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Expensive for smaller trades
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Not an ideal platform for beginners
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Emphasis on trading over investing
How we rated Saxo's investment features
Feature | Rating | Details |
---|---|---|
Fees | 3.7 ★★★★★ | Saxo offers decent value, recently reducing many fees, but it’s still a complex system. |
Investment choice | 4.5 ★★★★★ | Saxo offers one of the largest and most diverse selection of investments available. |
Safety and security | 5.0 ★★★★★ | It offers a safe and secure place for people to invest and trade. |
Account types and products | 4.2 ★★★★★ | Saxo offers a decent range of account types and tax wrappers. |
Ease of use | 3.8 ★★★★★ | Saxo offers a comprehensive investing experience that most customers seem happy with. |
Tools, resources and features | 4.2 ★★★★★ | Saxo offers plenty of resources and tools for investing and trading analysis, lacking only in social features. |
Established over 30 years ago, Saxo provides an online platform to trade stocks, shares, mutual funds, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), contracts for difference (CFDs), currencies (forex), and even ready-made portfolios – just about every type of asset you can imagine.
It’s designed for both new and experienced traders, but better suited to those who have a decent understanding of markets and asset types. By providing access to global markets with cutting edge technology and industry-leading expertise, Saxo aims to equip ordinary investors with the same tools as professional traders and fund managers.
Find out more about what it offers in our review, what you can invest in and the cacophony of fees to expect.
"Saxo is an interesting brokerage because it actually offers two different trading platforms (along with a third ‘pro’ version). The SaxoTraderGo platform is its classic option that comes with all the tools and in-built customisation features that more experienced traders may want to use. Then you also have the newer SaxoInvestor platform, which is designed with a simpler interface.
The concept was to provide a more straightforward investing experience for those that are focused on a long-term portfolio building and aren’t necessarily interested in trading. For what it’s worth, I think both are great and even though SaxoInvestor is the one that’s designed to be simpler, I don’t think the TraderGo platform will overwhelm investors who already have experience placing trades elsewhere."
Saxo fees
Fees score | 3.7 ★★★★★ |
---|---|
Platform fee | Stocks/ETFs/ETCs/Bonds 0.12% Funds 0.4% |
UK shares | Classic* 0.08% (£3 minimum) |
US stocks | Classic* $0.015/share ($1 minimum) |
International shares | 0.03% – 0.3% (€2 to €10 minimum)** |
Funds/ETFs | Mutual funds £0 ETFs (Classic)* UK 0.08% (£3 minimum) US $0.015/share ($1 minimum) Europe 0.08% to 0.3% depending on exchange (€2 to €10 minimum) |
Foreign exchange (FX) fee | 0.25% |
Regular investing | No |
Withdrawal/deposit fee | £0 |
Inactivity fee | £0 |
*Full tier pricing below
**Prices depend on international exchange and account tier, more details below.
We weren’t fibbing when we said Saxo’s prices and fees can be quite confusing (to put it modestly). In January 2024, Saxo’s investment fees underwent a big overhaul to make things cheaper (notably the minimum trading commissions and the FX fees). The FX fee is now a flat 0.25% across all account tiers.
However, Saxo hasn’t done much to simplify the rest of the fee structure. This is the one major downside to all the investment options and global markets available. And to throw a spanner in the works of a fees table built from spanners, Saxo offers account tiers based on your portfolio size with different prices.
We’ll try and explain all of Saxo’s fees in the most straightforward way possible, but please bear with us because it would probably be easier to explain the basics of Einstein’s theory of relativity.
The first bugbear with Saxo’s fees is that they’re all in different formats, and that’s just the trading commissions! Some trades (like US assets) are arranged on a per share basis, so you pay $0.015/share ($1 minimum) when buying or selling US stocks and ETFs. The fees are slightly lower on the higher account tiers but these won’t apply to the majority of investors.
Then, for other investments, you pay a percentage fee based on the size of the trade. For example, buying or selling UK shares and ETFs incurs a 0.08% (£3 minimum) fee (with the Classic tier).
We’re also not big fans of the fact that Saxo claims to have no platform fee when it does, it just calls it a custody fee. This is 0.12% annually for most investments and 0.4% when you hold funds. Speaking of funds, this is one area that is simple because there’s no commission to buy or sell mutual funds. A rare piece of simplicity in the enigma that is Saxo’s fees.
Here are some tables breaking down the bulk of Saxo’s investing fees across the various account tiers and global exchanges for buying or selling stocks and shares or investing in ETFs:
Also, Saxo’s ability to let you deposit 18 different currencies means you can minimise the impact of currency fluctuations. However, if you want to open sub accounts in a different currency to let you switch between with ease, you’ll need to be a Platinum or VIP client.
Saxo investment choice and stocks
Investment choice score | 4.5 ★★★★★ |
---|---|
Asset options | 10+ |
Markets | 50+ |
Number of investments | 23,500+ |
Number of ETFs/funds | 7,000+ |
Fractional shares | |
Minimum deposit | £0 |
Minimum investment | £1 (must be at least one full share) |
Saxo’s superpower is its range of assets and investments available, it’s pretty unstoppable. The only blemish in our opinion is the fact that you can’t buy or sell fractional shares.
Fractional shares aside, Saxo is hard to beat for investment choice. There are more than 23,500 investments available, over 10 asset types and you get access to more than 50 global stock exchanges.
If diversity of assets and access to stock exchanges in the farthest corners of the earth is what you’re after, you’ll find more options than you can shake a stick at with Saxo. That being said, beginners may not need such a breadth of choice. But more experienced investors and traders will have plenty to satiate your investing appetite.
There’s now no minimum funding requirement for the Classic account tier (it used to be £500) and although there’s no minimum investment required, it must be at least a full share and remember there are minimum investing commissions.
What financial instruments can I invest in with Saxo?
Investment type | Description |
---|---|
Shares | A piece of a company. |
Funds | A collection of investments. |
ETFs | A type of fund made up from stocks and traded on an exchange. |
Forex | Buying and selling foreign currencies. |
Bonds | An IOU from a company or government. |
Options | A contract with the option to buy or sell an investment in the future at a set price. |
Futures | A contract to buy or sell an investment in the future at a set price. |
Commodities | A material or product, such as gold or corn. |
Is Saxo safe?
Safety and security score | 5.0 ★★★★★ |
---|---|
Biometric login/2FA | |
FCA regulated | |
FSCS protection | |
SSL certificate | |
Public company |
Saxo is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and is a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), so your deposits of up to £85,000 are protected should Saxo go bust.
Because Saxo is part of Saxo Bank, a publicly traded and highly-regulated bank, there’s also some additional peace of mind that you’re investing with one of the most respected names in online banking, trading and investment.
Although as always when you invest, your capital is at risk.
Saxo account types and products
Account types and products score | 4.2 ★★★★★ |
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General investment account (GIA) | |
Stock and shares ISA | |
Self-invested personal pension (SIPP) | |
Lifetime ISA (LISA) | |
Junior ISA (JISA)/Junior SIPP (JSIPP) | |
Business Account | |
Interest on cash balances |
Saxo has a decent range of accounts on offer, including a:
- Personal account
- Joint account
- Professional account
- Business account
The personal and joint accounts are pretty self-explanatory, they’re accounts that let you invest as an individual or with other people (first-line family members only).
The professional and business accounts require a little more explanation.
Professional account
If you’ve got appropriate experience, you might be able to classify yourself as an elective professional to waive regulatory protections that are on the standard account.
To qualify, you must meet at least 2 of the following criteria:
- Have a financial portfolio that exceeds €500,000
- Have placed at least 10 relevant trades in significant sizes over the last 4 quarters
- Work, or have worked, in the financial sector for at least 1 year
What protections are waived with the professional account?
There are protections applied to your Saxo account automatically that are in place to protect those with less experience in investing. By applying for elective professional status, you waive these protections.
- Leverage restrictions. You are able to trade with increased leverage.
- Negative balance protection. Should your account fall into a negative balance, you are obliged to make additional payments. This means that your losses can exceed your deposits.
- Product restrictions. You have no product restrictions imposed on you, as you understand the risks associated with trading complex financial products.
- Standardised risk warnings. As you already understand the risks, you may not be provided with any standardised risk warnings.
Business account
Saxo’s corporate account gives you access to the same instruments as the personal account, but you also get dedicated one-on-one support from one of its expert account managers.
You must already have a corporate bank account and deposit at least £100,000. You’ll also need to provide the following documents:
- Memorandum and Article of Association
- Certificate of Incorporation
- Proof of the company’s business address if different to its registered address (e.g. a company bank statement or utility bill less than three months old and issued in the company’s name)
- Latest financial statement
- Group structure diagram (for entities within complex group structures only)
You also need copies of these documents for each beneficial owner with a 25% or greater company holding and each company director:
- Passport
- Proof of residency
Tax-efficient accounts with Saxo
On top of the various account types, Saxo also offers 2 tax-efficient accounts:
- Stocks and shares ISA. A tax-efficient way to invest, protecting most of your returns from tax and each year you can invest up to your annual allowance (£20,000 for the 2023/2024 tax year).
- Self-invested personal pension (SIPP). Allows you to invest for retirement. It’s designed for investors who want full control over their pension investment strategy — you have the flexibility to choose what your pension is invested in.
You’re also able to use a general investment account (GIA) but you may be subject to dividend or capital gains tax (CGT).
Saxo ease of use
Ease of use score | 3.8 ★★★★★ |
---|---|
Apple iOS rating | 4.5/5 |
Google Play rating | 4.6/5 |
Ways to contact customer service | Phone, email and online chat |
UI/UX | Bad |
Desktop or mobile app | Both |
Saxo scored fairly well in our ease of use assessment. We like that there are a few ways to reach the customer support team and most reviewers on the App Store and Google Play speak positively about the platform and you can invest using either the mobile or desktop app.
On the App Store, Saxo scores 4.5 out of 5, and on Google Play it scores a slightly lower 4.6 out of 5 (as of January 2024).
Although we like the fact that you can invest using either the mobile or desktop app, we don’t think Saxo’s overall interface is the best. Unless you’re an experienced investor, you’ll probably find the platform quite difficult to navigate and use. Even those with investing experience will probably need to take some time to get comfortable with.
Saxo customer reviews
Score | Rating |
---|---|
Trustpilot | 4/5 |
User reviews | N/A |
Trustpilot reviewers gave Saxo UK a solid 4 out of 5 “great” rating (as of September 2024).
Saxo tools, resources and features
Tools, resources and features | 4.2 ★★★★★ |
---|---|
Analysis features | |
Tools for investing/trading | |
Social features | |
Learning resources | |
Additional Features |
As Saxo is built for sophisticated traders and investors (very fancy), there are plenty of trading tools and analysis features available – along with a bunch of learning resources.
The only thing lacking with Saxo is some form of social investing aspect to discuss investments or copy trades. It is worth having some understanding of the trading platforms Saxo lets you invest with.
Saxo trading platforms
Saxo is unique in that it has a couple of different platforms to trade with — these offer different tools for different types of investors. The platforms are called Saxo TraderGO and Saxo TraderPro. The former account is for day to day investors, while the Pro account is for professional investors. We’ve detailed some of the features of each account below.
SaxoTraderGO
Saxo TraderGO is suitable for investors on the go. Some features include:
- Cross-device use – use your mobile, tablet and laptop
- Stay up to date with access to a news feed, market data, economic releases and live charting
- A fast, reliable and intuitive interface that allows for simple and quick trades
SaxoTraderPro
Saxo TraderPro is designed for professional investors. Some benefits include:
- Turns your desktop into a sophisticated trading environment
- Customise your trading environment to make it right for your needs
- Advanced charts, technical indicators, instrument views and in-chart annotations
Saxo account tiers
There are three account tiers, each with benefits. You are placed into a tier based on how much funding is in your account.
Classic
Minimum funding: £0
- Tight entry prices
- Digital service and support
- 24/5 technical and account support
Platinum
Minimum funding: £200,000
- Up to 30% lower prices
- Digital service and support
- 24/5 technical and account support
- Priority local language customer support
VIP
Minimum funding: £1,000,000
- Saxo’s best prices
- Digital service and support
- 24/5 technical and account support
- Personal relationship manager
- Access to trading experts
- 1:1 SaxoStrats access
- Event invitations
Who might Saxo suit?
This platform is going to be best-suited for those who want a huge selection of investments and global markets at their fingertips. This isn’t the most straightforward or cheapest place to invest, but that’s the trade-off for access to a professional trading platform and a wide array of investments from all over the world.
If you don’t think that sounds like it would suit you, why not compare share trading platforms to find the right fit to match your style.
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