Best Online Trading Platform 2025 Open A Trading Account Online

Online trading has surged in popularity in recent years as more and more people want to participate in the financial markets and learn more about them.

To help you choose the best online trading platform to start your own trading journey, the following guide highlights the most important things to look out for.

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Explore numerous markets with CFDs - Over 5,000 instruments available

One of the most appealing facets of trading CFDs is that they allow traders to gain exposure across numerous markets. A CFD allows you to speculate on most major financial asset classes.

At CAPEX, we want our clients to have as many options as possible, which is why we offer trading in over 5,000 different instruments. These include Forex, indices, cryptocurrencies, stocks, commodities, ETFs and blends.

By providing a wide range of instruments, we offer our clients a comprehensive trading experience that allows them to stay active across global markets.

Trade with low commissions

No one wants to trade through a platform that eats into their returns by charging extortionate fees. Different operators will have different pricing structures, but by shopping around you will find that some offer better value than others.

Here at CAPEX, we offer a commission-free trading platform in terms of transactional fees, as we don’t charge a set fee for opening and closing trades, and tight spreads. We also offer zero commissions for deposits and withdrawals, excluding fees or costs charged by your bank or online payment provider.  The cost of trading at CAPEX is simply reflected in the spread on the buy/sell price of the instrument in question – you’ll find no hidden fees with us!

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Regulation - Always check a platform’s credentials

In order to offer online trading of CFDs and other financial instruments, a platform must have the necessary licensing to operate in a given jurisdiction. Not only does this ensure that the operator is completely above board and operating within the confines of the law, but it also offers a certain degree of quality control and, more importantly, user protection.

Online trading platforms that operate globally will usually be licensed in more than one authority. For example, CAPEX is authorized and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission for operations across Europe. However, we are also authorized and regulated by the South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority, the Romanian Financial Supervisory Authority, the Spanish National Securities Market Commission, and the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Financial Services Regulatory Authority.

A platform should make its regulatory credentials readily available – including any relevant membership or licence numbers. Usually, you will find this information at the bottom of the main website, as is the case with CAPEX.

Get Started with CAPEX

Experience a new level of trading with the right support when you need it. Sign up for a free account and trade smart with CAPEX.com.

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Customer support - Help when you need it

There’s no getting away from it, a trading platform can be a complicated and often confusing place for the uninitiated. With this in mind, it’s important to choose an operator that has adequate customer support.

Most online trading sites will offer some sort of help or contact options, but these tend to vary considerably. It is common nowadays for online trading brokers to simply offer web chat as the only means of getting in touch. However, here at CAPEX we think it’s important that our users have a choice of contact options, which is why we offer web chat along with email and telephone support.

Learn to trade - Educational resources

One factor that many would-be traders overlook when choosing a platform for CFD trading online, is the information resources available. Trading can be very rewarding but it’s fair to say there is a fairly steep learning curve and the most successful traders are the ones that stay informed and never stop learning.

Learn at the CAPEX Academy

For example, at CAPEX our site has a dedicated area for learning to trade – the CAPEX Academy, our online trading school. Here, you’ll find various articles and guides, covering everything from the different asset classes available, to explanations of some more commonly used trading strategies – spending some time studying in our academy can really pay dividends later down the line.

The best online trading platform should not only offer powerful tools with which to open and close positions, but also the means for traders to build essential skills and habits that will give them the best chance of success in the future. Another important factor to consider when choosing a trading platform is whether to trade CFDs or ETFs. It’s also worth noting that many traders have accounts with multiple brokers to take advantage of different opportunities in the market. At CAPEX, our Academy is available for traders who want to learn more about CFD trading, and we also offer access to ETFs through our platform.

Knowledge is Power!

When it comes to your money - it's priceless.

An investment in learning how to trade always pays the best dividends. Get access to the right resources, tools and information so you can trade with all the information available!

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Trading platforms - What level of trader are you?

Most of the top exchanges and brokers will offer a choice of trading platforms. The offering will vary from one provider to another but you will normally be able to choose between a web-based trader that has been developed in-house and a downloadable software package from the MetaTrader family of trading platforms.

At CAPEX, we have our proprietary WebTrader, which offers one of the most customisable and complete trading experiences you’re likely to find anywhere on the market. Alternatively, we also offer the MetaTrader 5 platform, which has long been the gold standard for CFD and forex trading.

Some traders like to use different platforms for different instruments – i.e one for the online trading of shares and another for forex. The important thing is to find a trading platform that offers all the functionality you need, but one with which you feel comfortable using.

 

Accessibility - Trade from your mobile device

The great thing about CFD trading online is that you can do it anywhere there is a secure internet connection. Inevitably, this means that mobile trading has proven particularly popular as traders can conveniently open and close positions from their mobile or tablet as and when it suits them.

Different operators have different approaches when it comes to trading via a mobile device. Most web-based platforms will port to mobile devices, but at CAPEX we believe in putting functionality and user experience first, which is why we have developed a dedicated mobile app that can be downloaded for IOS or Android and allows for maximum functionality for mobile users.

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How to start trading online

1: Open an online trading account

First thing’s first, if you want to start trading online then you’ll need to open an account with a reliable trading platform. Hopefully, this guide to CFD online trading will help you to identify the important features to look for.

If you’re completely new to trading, then it might be a good idea to find a provider that allows you to trade with virtual funds. At CAPEX, for example, all our account types offer trading with demo account – the perfect way to sharpen your skill set and test your trading strategies.

2: Create a budget

You may have seen advice suggesting that you should only ever invest what you can afford to lose. This is a good rule of thumb for novice traders and you should spend some time figuring out a budget and basic trading strategy. This might include a set trading time or number of trades per week, as well as a monthly spending limit.

Not even professionals win every trade, but by having a strategy and budget in place you stand a much better chance of overall success.

3: Research your chosen market(s)

Many traders who end up being unsuccessful do so because they do not do their homework. There is a lot to learn about trading in general and the mechanics of particular markets, so it is crucial that any novice traders spend the time to learn the ropes.

Our CAPEX Academy is the perfect place to do this, as we have numerous guides on everything related to trading, including explanations of the different markets, how to get to grips with charting and how to trade with leverage.

4: Start making trades

There will come a time when you have chosen the most suitable platform for CFD trading online, completed your budget and carried out adequate research. Now it’s time to start making trades. For the online trading of CFDs, you can choose to go long if you think the price of an asset will go up, or go short if you think it will go down.

Most platforms will also allow you to set stop loss or take profit orders. As the names suggest, these allow you to mitigate losses if a position turns against you, or close a position once a target has been met if you believe things will change direction after that point.

Get Started with CAPEX

Experience a new level of trading with the right support when you need it. Sign up for a free account and trade smart with CAPEX.com.

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What are CFDs?

Contracts for Difference are a type of derivative that allow traders to speculate on the price movement of a currency, stock commodity or suchlike, without ever having to own the underlying asset itself. One of the great things about CFDs is that you can profit whether the value of the underlying asset goes up or down.

If you think the asset will increase in price, you open a buy (going long). Alternatively, if you think it will go down, then you make a sell order (going short). Effectively, you enter into an agreement with another party – in most cases the broker or trading platform – to pay the difference.

Of course, this does mean that you can end up losing money if a position moves against you – i.e you issue a buy order but the asset decreases in value, or vice-versa.

Pros and cons of CFDs

As we’ve discussed, CFD online trading is a highly versatile and accessible way to access numerous financial markets via a single instrument. In fact, CFDs are now among the most popular trading instruments world wide. Here’s a snapshot of their pros and cons:

Pros

  • Offer access to numerous markets
  • Traders can speculate on price movement in either direction
  • Online trading of CFDs is more accessible than ever
  • CFDs trading is much more straightforward than buying and selling assets

Cons

  • It is possible to lose money trading CFDs – but that’s true of any trading instrument
  • When trading CFDs, you don’t own the underlying asset
  • Trading with leverage represents a higher risk for traders

 

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Start trading with CFDs and over 5000 other instruments.

Choosing the right trading account – Other things to consider

Many of the factors we have discussed hitherto should really be considered prerequisites when choosing the best online trading platform. It goes without saying that your preferred operator will give you access to the markets you will require and have all the regulatory credentials to operate in your jurisdiction. However, it’s also important to consider personal preference.

The usability, look and feel of online trading websites can differ significantly – and this can be an important feature for some traders. After all, you are likely to spend a fair amount of time on the website and trading window so finding one that feels easy to use and appealing to the eye is a definite bonus.

With this in mind, you might also want to check out the trading platforms offered. Some brokers have a single, proprietary trading platform that operates in your web browser, whilst others may offer the MetaTrader family of platforms alongside their own software, just like us here at CAPEX.

Final points – It’s essential to learn more about trading

CFD online trading is highly versatile but most traders choose to open and close positions in a relatively short space of time, looking to take advantage of the small fluctuations that occur in financial markets throughout the day.

Often, the returns they make are comparatively small, which in theory means hundreds of trades need to be made in order to make it worthwhile. However, most traders instead choose to take advantage of leverage.

Effectively, using leverage means borrowing funds to gain more market exposure and maximize returns even if there has only been slight price movement for a given asset. However, just as leverage can boost returns it can also amplify losses, so novice traders should approach with caution.

In the end, it pays to learn about trading before investing your real money. That’s why we encourage our clients to visit the CAPEX Academy and use our CFD demo account to practice, two of the benefits of joining CAPEX.

Conclusion – Researching the right broker is time well invested

Choosing the best online trading platform is an important decision and one that requires a little research. People might have different preferences in what they are looking for, but there are a few key features that you need to be aware of.

As we’ve discussed, you should always ensure a platform is completely above board and is licensed to operate in your jurisdiction. You also need to make sure that a platform allows trading in your preferred markets.

If you’re looking for a platform that allows you to trade CFDs across numerous markets, then why not try out CAPEX by taking advantage of our demo account feature? This way you’ll be able to get a feel for the markets and our trading platform before committing any actual funds.

Best Online Trading Platform 2025 – FAQ

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