Best Online Trading Platforms
Trading platforms are software that enable you to practically trade online over the internet: without a platform you can’t start investing! Choosing the perfect trading platform is the first step if you want to start trading on a successful basis.
However, finding the best online trading platforms is not an easy task. For those who are just getting started in the world of online trading, or simply for those who want to open an online demo trading account, the advice is to rely only on the brokers that experts have studied and proposed in the rankings.
Choosing the best online trading platform is the first fundamental step in any trader’s experience. The broker is the intermediary that provides the tools for trading, the products and markets on which to operate (CFDs, forex, cryptocurrencies, commodities), establishes the commissions for the trader and the deposit/withdrawal methods. In summary, choosing the best broker is really essential whatever your trading experience (beginner or professional).
Before moving on to the analysis, let’s define the concept of brokers and trading platforms. The broker is a company authorised to act as an intermediary between the individual and the financial market. Trading platforms are the software used to trade CFDs and forex. Some brokers have their own native platform (e.g. eToro), others use platforms common to other brokers (e.g. MetaTrader 4). In common terminology, however, “brokers and platforms” have almost the same meaning, so we will often use the terms interchangeably in our ranking.
Trading sites are the first step for those who want to start playing the stock market from home, an activity that was once restricted to many. Brokers offer several advantages: very low commissions, even small investible capital, total convenience (trading from app or PC), complete autonomy, instant operations and attractive earnings.
In addition to choosing today’s best platforms you will also need to have a good knowledge of the markets and the basic concepts of trading, without which you risk losing a lot of money. In addition, it is important to know how reliable the brokers operating on the market are, so as not to run into frequent online scams. Let’s find out together.
The platforms that we have listed currently represent the best possible choice for a trader who is looking for the most reliable platform. Let’s go, therefore, to see in detail the individual platforms highlighting for each broker the most important criteria for making the right choice:
- Platform and tools made available by the broker;
- Security and authorizations in possession;
- Customer assistance;
- Costs and commissions for the trader.
For a more in-depth broker review please refer to the guides we have dedicated to each platform.
The platforms currently available are perfect for every type of trader. Both small and big experts in this business can work with simple but also professional tools. You can choose to trade from home in the tranquillity of your own home, or from a mobile device with applications that can be downloaded to your iOS or Android smartphone.
You can discover that many brokers have developed their own apps for online trading. This is a great advantage for you. This means that it has become much more straightforward to find the platform that best matches your needs and trading style.
The differences between the platforms, as you are about to discover, are not overwhelming, but they are present. They are mostly seen in the additional services offered from broker to broker. The most important thing to point out is that all the platforms we are talking about here have the same feature: they are user-friendly.
The reality is that today you can purchase and sell all kinds of assets with just a few clicks. By following the bullish and bearish trends of the market it becomes possible to make very lucrative trades, especially if you have good analytical skills. The platforms offered by the interactive brokers mentioned in the list below ensure a high standard of professionalism and security.
Perhaps the most important feature of a trading platform is the fact that it allows you to analyse and make decisions about your trades.
Every platform presents you with a real-time chart of the asset’s price in the form of a pattern, i.e. a line chart, candlestick or bar chart. The charts are full of meaning and useful information. On the best platforms you have all the tools you need to come up with an excellent chart analysis and then trade with full knowledge of what might happen in the markets you are interested in.
– Technical Analysis
This is the best type of analysis for those who appreciate investing in the very short, short and medium term. This analysis is carried out using a series of technical tools that, on the basis of calculations made on the history of the market, help you to make predictions on the next movements, which statistically are very often accurate.
By mastering chart reading with graphical and technical tools you can become a fully-fledged trader and will be able to maximise your profits and limit your losses to a minimum. The best platforms (such as eToro) are equipped with a large number of analysis tools but keep in mind that they are not all necessary to invest, you only need one at a time or at most a couple depending on market conditions and the asset you have chosen to invest.
– Fundamental analysis
Fundamental analysis, on the other hand, is useful for all types of traders and bears fruit whether you like to invest for the long or medium term. On high quality platforms you can do this analysis thanks to services focused on market news and thanks to the economic calendar, a useful tool to know the exact dates when important macroeconomic data is released.
We hope that you now understand the importance of trading platforms in your career as a trader and encourage you to try the platforms of the best interactive brokers.