Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of XTB vs Saxo, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, investment options, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
Your capital is at risk.
Alongside the cost per trade, most UK online brokers also charge a monthly, quarterly, or annual management fee, which varies based on the account type and balance. Based on our thorough review, XTB offers better pricing than Saxo for share dealing.
What type of trader are you?
New to the world of investing? See our picks for the Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners. More experienced traders should read our guide to the Best UK Trading Platforms for Active Traders.
XTB vs Saxo for UK investors: both offer share, ETF and CFD trading. XTB does not offer crypto, funds, corporate or government bonds (gilts), or investment trusts, and it does not provide adviser services. Saxo adds broader access with crypto, funds, corporate and government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts; adviser services are also not offered. Spread betting availability was not specified for either broker.
According to UK.StockBrokers.com, XTB is rated 4.5 out of 5 for investment choices and ranks 13th of 21 brokers, while Saxo is rated 5 out of 5 and ranks 1st of 21.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Saxo
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | Yes |
| Investment Trusts | No | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | Yes |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Investment Choices |
|
|
Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
For charting, XTB lets you display corporate events (earnings, splits, dividends) directly on charts, add notes, and apply index and stock overlays. Saxo does not show corporate events or allow chart notes, and it lacks index overlays, but it does support stock overlays. In terms of tools, Saxo offers more drawing tools (20 vs 4) and many more technical indicators (64 vs 13). Both brokers provide a browser‑based trading platform.
For alerts and data, Saxo supports price alerts for stock updates, while XTB does not. However, XTB provides real‑time market data, whereas Saxo does not. In short, pick XTB if on‑chart events and real‑time data matter most; choose Saxo if you want a wider range of drawing tools, indicators, and price alerts.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Saxo
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 13 | 64 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 4 | 20 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
When comparing online brokers XTB and Saxo for retirement account options in the UK, it is important to note that both offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs). However, if you're looking to open a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), Saxo stands out as the better choice since XTB does not provide this option. Therefore, while both platforms cater to ISA investors, SAXO might be more suitable for those seeking a comprehensive retirement savings solution that includes SIPPs.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
XTB and Saxo both provide iPhone and Android apps for their users in the UK, ensuring convenient access to trading on the go. When rated by UK.StockBrokers.com, XTB's mobile app receives a commendable rating of 4.5 stars, placing it at a respectable 6th position out of 21 brokers for mobile app offerings. Conversely, Saxo's mobile app earns a top-notch 5-star rating, securing the coveted 1st position in the same ranking. This indicates a slightly superior mobile app experience with Saxo compared to XTB, according to these reviews.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors in the UK comparing XTB and Saxo, Saxo stands out for education: it runs client webinars with on-demand replays and covers share trading, funds and retirement, while XTB offers no webinars or archives and focuses on share trading only. Both teach share trading basics, but only Saxo adds guidance on funds and retirement planning. Reflecting this, UK.StockBrokers.com rates XTB 4.5/5 (ranked 9th of 21) and Saxo 5/5 (ranked 3rd of 21) for beginner education. If you value webinars and broader topics, Saxo is stronger; if you only need share trading content, XTB still scores well.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Saxo
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | No | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | No | Yes |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
For UK investors comparing XTB vs Saxo on market research: both offer shares and ETF research, but Saxo adds funds and bonds research, research reports for funds, and the ability to view portfolio allocation by asset class—none of which XTB provides. Choose Saxo if you want fuller coverage of funds, bonds, and allocation tools; XTB suits those focused mainly on straightforward shares and ETF research.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Saxo
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | No | Yes |
| Research - Funds | No | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | No | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | No | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, XTB or Saxo? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found XTB to be a better trading platform overall.
XTB has set itself up as a strong competitor in commission-free share trading. Its low fees and solid educational content will make XTB particularly attractive to newer investors. It does not, however, offer an ISA or SIPP.
| Feature |
XTB
|
Saxo
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Charges & Fees |
|
|
| Investment Choices |
|
|
| Mobile App |
|
|
| Website |
|
|
| Ease of Use |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
In the XTB vs Saxo comparison for cryptocurrency trading, Saxo offers crypto trading while XTB does not.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | XTB | Saxo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Charges & Fees |
|
| |
| Investment Choices |
|
| |
| Mobile App |
|
| |
| Website |
|
| |
| Ease of Use |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Review | XTB Review | Saxo Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | XTB | Saxo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | No | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Mutual Funds | No | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | No | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | No | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | XTB | Saxo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £0 | $1 / £3 / €3 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £0 | $1 / £3 / €3 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £0 | $1 / £3 / €3 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £0 - £250,000 | N/A | 0.4%, 0.2%, 0.1% | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | N/A | 0.4%, 0.2%, 0.1% | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | N/A | 0.4%, 0.2%, 0.1% | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | N/A | 0.4%, 0.2%, 0.1% | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | N/A | €20 minimum | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | N/A | €20 minimum | |
| ETFs - Fee | £0 | From $1 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A | 0.03/0.06/0.08% | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | N/A | £50 |
| Broker Screenshots | XTB | Saxo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand) |
|
| |
| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Platforms & Tools | XTB | Saxo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | No | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 13 | 64 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 4 | 20 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
| Research | XTB | Saxo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | No | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | No | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | No | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | No | Yes |
| Education | XTB | Saxo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | No | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | No | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes |
| Overall Summary | XTB | Saxo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Charges & Fees |
|
| |
| Investment Choices |
|
| |
| Mobile App |
|
| |
| Website |
|
| |
| Ease of Use |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Review | XTB Review | Saxo Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
Trading 212 Review
Interactive Brokers Review
Hargreaves Lansdown Review
XTB Review
IG Group Review
eToro Review
Saxo Review
CMC Invest Review
Freetrade Review
Halifax Review
Vanguard Review