Qtrade vs Questrade used to be a question of which broker charged less per trade. That question is settled: Qtrade’s pricing page lists $0 for equities and ETFs, and Questrade’s lists $0 to buy and sell Canadian and U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs. What separates them in 2026 is options pricing, US-dollar account fees, mutual funds, bonds, margin rates and the welcome offer each one runs. This comparison goes through each difference with worked dollar examples, so you can see which costs apply to the way you invest.
Qtrade vs Questrade at a glance
YieldMaple checked Qtrade’s pricing, fees, interest-rate, accounts, investment-choices and OFFER2026 terms pages, and Questrade’s pricing, administrative-fee, transaction-fee, margin-interest, account-types and promotions pages, on October 8, 2026. Every figure in the table comes from those pages.
| Feature | Qtrade Direct Investing | Questrade |
|---|---|---|
| Online stock and ETF commission | $0 (all ETFs on Canadian and US exchanges) (better on this row) | $0 to buy and sell Canadian and U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs (better on this row) |
| Options | $0 plus $0.75 per contract on all options; a flat $30 per assignment | $0 commissions on US equity options contracts; Canadian-listed options CA$0.99 per contract |
| Mutual funds | $0 commission (better on this row) | $9.95 per trade |
| Bonds | $1 per $1,000 face value ($24.99 minimum, $250 maximum) | $0 in commission to buy or sell (Questrade's pay is built into the bond's price instead) (better on this row) |
| Fractional shares | Not listed on Qtrade's pricing or investment-choices pages | hundreds of eligible Canadian and US stocks and ETFs, from $1, commission-free, in any self-directed account (better on this row) |
| Holding US dollars | cash, margin, TFSA and RRSP accounts can each be opened in Canadian or US dollars; registered: US$15 a quarter per account for a US-dollar RRSP, RRIF or TFSA (no fee on FHSAs; waived for Investor Plus) | free — every account can hold both Canadian and US dollars (better on this row) |
| Converting CAD to USD | not published on Qtrade's pricing page, which says only that currency conversion may apply and that Qtrade may earn revenue on foreign exchange transactions | 1.5% on Canadian-to-US-dollar conversions and back, built into the exchange rate Questrade applies |
| CAD margin rate | prime + 1.55% on debit balances under $100,000 and prime + 1.0% from $100,000; prime 4.45% (better on this row) | CAD prime + 4.25% on debit balances under $100,000 (CAD prime + 3.25% from $100,000); prime 4.45% |
| Interest on uninvested cash | 0.00% on cash balances up to $2,000,000 (Canadian and US dollars) | 0% at current prime rates — Questrade's formula for CAD cash is prime minus 8.50%, and a negative result pays 0% |
| Account types | TFSA, FHSA, RRSP and spousal RRSP, RESP (individual or family), RRIF, LIRA, LRSP and LIF, plus cash and margin accounts; cash accounts for individuals, joint holders, companies, trusts, estates, investment clubs, societies and religious organizations | TFSA, RRSP, spousal RRSP, FHSA, RESP (individual and family), LIRA, locked-in RRSP, LIF, RRIF, cash and margin (individual and joint), corporate, trust, estate, partnership, sole proprietorship, and Forex & CFD accounts |
| Account minimum | no minimum deposit | free to open, with no minimum balance |
| Transfer out | $150 | $150 per account, for a full or partial transfer (sales tax added where applicable) |
| Transfer-in fee reimbursement | up to $150 (plus applicable taxes) when you transfer $15,000 or more | reimbursed up to $150 per account (better on this row) |
| Welcome offer | Promo code OFFER2026: up to $5,000 in cash back, new clients only (better on this row) | a 0% margin offer on the first US$5,000 for 6 months, free transfers (fees reimbursed up to $150 per account), $50 each for referring a friend, and a free first 30 days of Questrade Plus (no cash-back funding offer is listed) |
| Research and platform | analyst recommendations from Morningstar, in-depth research and planning tools | free access to Questrade Pro; free real-time Level 1 streaming quotes, plus free snap quotes |
| Owned by | Aviso Wealth, which is owned 50% by Desjardins and 50% by a partnership of the five provincial credit union centrals and The CUMIS Group | Questrade Financial Group Inc. |
| Investor protection | a division of Aviso Financial Inc., which is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF) | a registered investment dealer and a member of both the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) and the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF) |
Sources: qtrade.ca pricing, fees, interest rates, accounts, trading accounts, investment choices, trading platform and OFFER2026 terms pages, and aviso.ca/en/legal; questrade.com pricing-fees, administrative fees, transaction fees, margin interest, account types, fractional shares and promotions pages. All checked October 8, 2026. Margin rates are each broker's standard rates. Qtrade charges fees in the currency of the account.
Is Qtrade or Questrade cheaper for stocks and ETFs?
Neither: Qtrade charges $0 commission on online stock and ETF trades, and Questrade charges $0.
Qtrade’s investment-choices page applies that price to Canadian stocks on the TSX, TSX Venture, CSE and NEO exchanges, to US stocks on the NYSE and Nasdaq, and to all ETFs on Canadian and US exchanges. Questrade’s pricing page describes its own price as $0 to buy and sell Canadian and U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs. An investor who buys an all-in-one ETF every month and rebalances once a year pays no commission at either broker.
Neither broker charges for simply having an account. Qtrade has no minimum deposit, and no annual account fee or inactivity fee appears on its fee schedule. Questrade’s accounts are free to open, with no minimum balance, and its annual and inactivity fees are none — no annual account fees and no inactivity fees.
Orders placed by phone are the exception at both. Qtrade’s phone commission schedule for stocks and options carries a $45 minimum. Questrade charges $45 per trade, on top of any regular commission for trades through its trade desk.
Where does Questrade cost less than Qtrade?
Questrade costs less for US equity options and for US dollars held in registered accounts, charges no separate bond commission, and sells fractional shares, which Qtrade’s pricing pages don’t list.
- US equity options. Questrade lists $0 commissions on US equity options contracts. Qtrade charges $0 plus $0.75 per contract on every options trade, and a flat $30 when an option you wrote is assigned. Questrade charges $24.95 to exercise an option (assignment is free); Qtrade processes exercises as representative-assisted trades. Canadian-listed options are the exception, covered in the next section.
- US dollars in a TFSA or RRSP. At Questrade, dual-currency is free — every account can hold both Canadian and US dollars. Qtrade charges US$15 a quarter per account for a US-dollar RRSP, RRIF or TFSA (no fee on FHSAs; waived for Investor Plus).
- Bonds. Questrade’s bond trades cost $0 in commission to buy or sell (Questrade's pay is built into the bond's price instead). Qtrade charges $1 per $1,000 face value ($24.99 minimum, $250 maximum).
- Fractional shares. Questrade offers them on hundreds of eligible Canadian and US stocks and ETFs, from $1, commission-free, in any self-directed account. Qtrade’s pricing and investment-choices pages don’t mention fractional trading, so plan on whole shares and whole ETF units there.
- Collapsing an RRSP. A full RRSP withdrawal costs $100 at Questrade and $125 at Qtrade. RESP withdrawals at Questrade are free — no fee for a full or partial RESP withdrawal.
- Transfer-fee reimbursement. Questrade says a transfer-out fee charged by your old institution is reimbursed up to $150 per account. Qtrade reimburses up to $150 (plus applicable taxes) when you transfer $15,000 or more, so smaller transfers don’t qualify there.
Where does Qtrade cost less than Questrade?
Qtrade costs less for mutual funds, margin borrowing and Canadian-listed options, and it runs the only cash-back offer of the two for new deposits.
- Mutual funds. Qtrade’s pricing page lists $0 for mutual funds. Questrade charges $9.95 per trade. One catch at Qtrade: the short-term trading fee is 1% (minimum $45) if you sell or switch a fund held less than 90 days (money market funds excepted).
- Margin. Qtrade’s rate is prime + 1.55% on debit balances under $100,000 and prime + 1.0% from $100,000. Questrade’s is CAD prime + 4.25% on debit balances under $100,000 (CAD prime + 3.25% from $100,000). Both brokers list the same Canadian prime rate, 4.45%, so the gap on the lower tier is 2.70 percentage points. Those are each broker’s standard rates for Canadian-dollar margin accounts.
- Canadian-listed options. Qtrade’s pricing page lists one options price, $0 plus $0.75 per contract, with no separate rate by market. Questrade’s transaction-fee page lists CA$0.99 per contract for options traded in Canadian dollars, which is $0.24 more per contract.
- Welcome offer. Qtrade’s OFFER2026 pays up to $5,000 in cash back to new clients. Questrade’s promotions page lists no cash-back offer for funding an account.
- Research. Qtrade’s platform page lists analyst recommendations from Morningstar, in-depth research and planning tools, along with screening tools that sort through thousands of stocks, mutual funds and ETFs. That is a feature difference rather than a fee, and it costs nothing extra.
Which is cheaper for US stocks and US dollars, Qtrade or Questrade?
Questrade is cheaper for holding US dollars in registered accounts, because Qtrade charges a quarterly fee for each US-dollar RRSP, RRIF or TFSA and Questrade doesn’t.
Questrade. Dual-currency is free — every account can hold both Canadian and US dollars. Its pricing page adds that you can hold USD in registered accounts, so US trades don't force a conversion. When you do convert, the fee is 1.5% on Canadian-to-US-dollar conversions and back, built into the exchange rate Questrade applies. On a conversion of $10,000, that is $150.
Qtrade. Per its accounts page, cash, margin, TFSA and RRSP accounts can each be opened in Canadian or US dollars. No fee is listed for US-dollar cash or margin accounts. US-dollar registered accounts cost US$15 a quarter per account for a US-dollar RRSP, RRIF or TFSA (no fee on FHSAs; waived for Investor Plus). That is US$60 a year for one US-dollar TFSA, or US$120 a year for a US-dollar TFSA and a US-dollar RRSP. Investor Plus removes the fee, but qualifying takes $500,000 or more in total assets with Qtrade, or 150 or more trades in the previous calendar quarter.
Qtrade’s conversion cost is harder to pin down: it is not published on Qtrade's pricing page, which says only that currency conversion may apply and that Qtrade may earn revenue on foreign exchange transactions. Ask Qtrade for the rate it would apply before a large conversion, and compare it with Questrade’s published fee.
How does Norbert’s Gambit compare at Qtrade and Questrade?
Questrade publishes a price for the journaling step of Norbert’s Gambit, and Qtrade’s public pricing pages don’t mention one.
Norbert’s Gambit converts currency by buying a security that trades in both Canadian and US dollars, moving (“journaling”) it to the other currency side of the account, and selling it there. At Questrade, journaling costs $9.95 per online journaling request (free and unlimited with Questrade Plus), and Questrade Plus costs $19.99 a month. Paying for Plus only to journal pays off from three journaling requests a month. With $0 commission on both trades, a single gambit at Questrade costs the journaling fee plus the bid-ask spread on the security you use.
Qtrade’s pricing and fee pages, checked October 8, 2026, don’t describe journaling or list a charge for it. Confirm the steps and any cost with Qtrade before you rely on the technique there. The Norbert’s Gambit guide for Canadian investors explains the mechanics, and the Questrade Norbert’s Gambit walkthrough covers Questrade’s process.
Which accounts can you open at Qtrade and Questrade?
Both offer the main registered accounts plus company, trust and estate accounts; partnership, sole-proprietorship and Forex and CFD accounts appear only on Questrade’s list.
Qtrade’s lineup is TFSA, FHSA, RRSP and spousal RRSP, RESP (individual or family), RRIF, LIRA, LRSP and LIF, plus cash and margin accounts. On its popular-accounts page the cash account is available as individual, joint and group accounts, and its trading-accounts page lists cash accounts for individuals, joint holders, companies, trusts, estates, investment clubs, societies and religious organizations. Formal trust accounts cost $100 to set up, then $50 a year after the first year.
Questrade’s lineup is TFSA, RRSP, spousal RRSP, FHSA, RESP (individual and family), LIRA, locked-in RRSP, LIF, RRIF, cash and margin (individual and joint), corporate, trust, estate, partnership, sole proprietorship, and Forex & CFD accounts. Questrade says holding its registered accounts is free for a TFSA, RRSP, FHSA, RESP or RRIF.
Investment-club, society and religious-organization accounts appear on Qtrade’s list and not on Questrade’s.
Two points older comparisons got wrong. Neither broker’s account list, as checked on October 8, 2026, includes an RDSP. And US-dollar versions of registered accounts are separate, fee-carrying accounts at Qtrade, while at Questrade each account holds both currencies.
Which welcome offer is worth more in October 2026?
Qtrade’s is the only cash offer: OFFER2026 pays up to $5,000 in cash back on new deposits, while Questrade’s current promotions don’t pay cash for funding an account.
Qtrade. The offer is for new clients only who apply with promo code OFFER2026. You must apply by January 5, 2027 and fund the account by February 5, 2027. The cash back is 5% of net new deposits from $1,000 to $10,000; then $550 up to $25,000, $600 up to $50,000, $700 up to $100,000, $1,000 up to $250,000, $2,500 up to $500,000 and $5,000 above that. Qtrade’s own example is $500 cash back on a $10,000 deposit kept in the account until February 5, 2028. There is also an extra $100 if you fund the new account with at least $25,000 within 30 days of opening it. The money has to stay in the account until February 5, 2028 (withdrawals or transfers out before then reduce the bonus), and Qtrade pays the cash back on or around March 5, 2028 (the $100 sign-up bonus on or around March 5, 2027). That is a long hold, so the offer only fits money that can sit untouched until 2028.
Questrade. Its promotions page lists a 0% margin offer on the first US$5,000 for 6 months, free transfers (fees reimbursed up to $150 per account), $50 each for referring a friend, and a free first 30 days of Questrade Plus (no cash-back funding offer is listed). The referral bonus is $50 each for you and the friend who opens and funds an account with your referral code, and one client can refer up to 30 people a year. Older pages, including an earlier version of this one, described a Questrade cash-back bonus for funding a new account; that offer is not on Questrade’s promotions page today.
Promotions change often. Read both sets of terms on the day you apply.
How much would a year cost at Qtrade and at Questrade?
For a buy-and-hold ETF investor, nothing at either; the costs show up with options, mutual funds, margin and US-dollar registered accounts.
- Monthly ETF purchases in a TFSA. No commission at either broker, on the buys or on a later sale.
- An options trader using 20 US equity contracts a month. Questrade lists $0 commissions on US equity options contracts. Qtrade: $180 a year in contract fees, before any assignment fees. With 20 Canadian-listed contracts a month instead, the order flips: Qtrade is still $180 a year, and Questrade is $237.60 a year.
- A mutual fund investor making one purchase a month. Qtrade: no commission. Questrade: $119.40 a year.
- Borrowing $20,000 on margin for a year (Canadian dollars, rates unchanged). Qtrade: $1,200. Questrade: $1,740. The difference is $540 a year in Qtrade’s favour.
- Holding US dollars in a TFSA and an RRSP. Questrade: no account fee. Qtrade: US$120 a year, unless you qualify for Investor Plus.
- Buying one bond with $10,000 of face value. Questrade: no separate commission, because its pay is built into the bond’s price. Qtrade: $24.99 in commission.
To test your own mix of trades, use the Canadian brokerage fee calculator.
What research, platforms and apps do Qtrade and Questrade offer?
Qtrade advertises Morningstar analyst recommendations and portfolio analysis tools, and Questrade includes its Questrade Pro platform and streaming quotes at no charge.
Qtrade’s platform page lists analyst recommendations from Morningstar, in-depth research and planning tools, plus screening tools that sort through thousands of stocks, mutual funds and ETFs. Its order entry supports market orders plus stop-loss, stop-limit and trailing-stop orders. Its homepage describes Portfolio Score, which assesses risk across five financial dimensions, and Portfolio Simulator, which tests ideas before you commit to them. Qtrade’s mobile app, on Android and iOS, lists biometric login, an account dashboard, real-time quotes and order entry for stocks, ETFs and options. Before funding anything you can open a free 30-day trial account with research, screeners and watchlists. Qtrade’s homepage also says it has been ranked Canada's #1 online investing platform 28 times in the past 18 years and #1 online broker for client service 8 times in the past 6 years; those are Qtrade’s own statements about third-party rankings.
Questrade’s standard plan includes free access to Questrade Pro, and its free market data is free real-time Level 1 streaming quotes, plus free snap quotes. The paid Questrade Plus tier costs $19.99 a month plus applicable taxes (free for the first 30 days).
Which interface feels better is a matter of taste that a pricing page can’t settle. Qtrade’s trial account is the practical way to judge its side before you move money.
Are Qtrade and Questrade safe?
Yes, in the sense that matters for a brokerage: both are members of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF).
Qtrade Direct Investing is a division of Aviso Financial Inc., which is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF), and it belongs to Aviso Wealth, which is owned 50% by Desjardins and 50% by a partnership of the five provincial credit union centrals and The CUMIS Group. Questrade, Inc. is a registered investment dealer and a member of both the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) and the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF); it and Questrade Wealth Management Inc. are wholly owned subsidiaries of Questrade Financial Group Inc..
CIPF protection is custodial in nature — CIPF does not provide protection against any other type of risk or loss. It does not cover a fall in the market at either broker. Qtrade publishes an Internet Security Guarantee of 100% reimbursement of losses from unauthorized online activity that happened through no fault of your own. For Questrade’s equivalent, see the Questrade review.
Which older Qtrade vs Questrade claims are out of date?
Five claims from older reviews, including earlier versions of this comparison, no longer match either broker’s pricing pages:
- “Qtrade charges a flat commission on stock trades.” Qtrade’s pricing page lists $0 for equities and ETFs.
- “Only a list of about a hundred ETFs is free at Qtrade.” Commission-free pricing covers all ETFs on Canadian and US exchanges.
- “Questrade charges to sell ETFs.” Questrade’s price is $0 to buy and sell Canadian and U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs.
- “Both charge quarterly inactivity fees on small accounts.” Questrade’s annual and inactivity fees are none — no annual account fees and no inactivity fees, and no such fee appears on Qtrade’s schedule.
- “Questrade pays cash back for funding a new account.” Its promotions page lists a 0% margin offer on the first US$5,000 for 6 months, free transfers (fees reimbursed up to $150 per account), $50 each for referring a friend, and a free first 30 days of Questrade Plus (no cash-back funding offer is listed).
Decision framework: Qtrade or Questrade?
Pick Questrade if:
- You trade US equity options
- You hold US stocks in a TFSA or RRSP and want US dollars there without a quarterly account fee
- You invest small amounts and want fractional shares
- You buy individual bonds and want no separate commission
- You need a partnership or sole-proprietorship account, or Forex and CFD trading
Pick Qtrade if:
- You buy mutual funds as well as stocks and ETFs
- You borrow on margin
- You trade Canadian-listed options
- You value Morningstar analyst recommendations, screeners and portfolio analysis tools
- You’re a new client bringing in money you can leave untouched until 2028 for the OFFER2026 cash back
- You want a brokerage that is part-owned by the credit union system
Either works if:
- You buy and hold Canadian-listed ETFs in a TFSA, RRSP or FHSA and rarely sell
The verdict
With stock and ETF commissions equal at $0, Questrade is the lower-cost fit for US equity options traders, for investors who keep US dollars in registered accounts and for anyone who wants fractional shares or bond trades without a commission. Qtrade is the lower-cost fit for mutual fund investors, margin borrowers and traders of Canadian-listed options, advertises Morningstar research and portfolio tools, and is the only one of the two paying cash back on new deposits right now. For a plain buy-and-hold ETF portfolio the fee difference is nil, and the choice can rest on which platform you’d rather use.
This page is general education, not financial advice. Fees and promotions change, so check both brokers’ pricing pages before you move money.
If a third option is on the table, Wealthsimple vs Questrade and Wealthsimple vs Qtrade run the same comparison against Wealthsimple.
Editorial pick
Questrade
Stocks and ETFs: $0 to buy and sell Canadian and U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs. Options: $0 commissions on US equity options contracts.
Read next
- Questrade Review: fees, accounts and platform in detail
- Wealthsimple vs Questrade: the broader broker comparison
- Norbert’s Gambit at Questrade: converting currency step by step
- Canadian ETFs compared: what to hold once the account is open