★ QTRADE DIRECT · REVIEW · 2026

The award-magnet no one banks with.

Qtrade has been ranked #1 broker in Canada by the Globe & Mail or MoneySense in 9 of the last 10 years. They are credit-union-backed, customer-service-led, and quietly run the cleanest mobile broker app in Canada. Almost no one talks about them because they don't advertise.

#1 BROKER · 10 YEARS
★ WHO OWNS QTRADE? ★

The credit-union heritage

Qtrade Direct Investing

Discount brokerage arm

Aviso Wealth

Parent company — 100% owner of Qtrade

NEI Investments

Sister-arm: responsible investing funds

Credit Union Centrals

Aviso's owners — 5 provincial credit-union groups

Provincial Credit Unions

Underlying member-owners (Vancity, Meridian, etc.)

The implication: Qtrade has no shareholder-profit pressure. Customer wins = credit-union member wins. That's why the platform is polished + service is fanatical — they answer to Vancity and Meridian members, not Wall Street.
★ THE AWARDS WALL ★

Every #1 ranking, 2020-2024

#1
Best Online Broker
Globe & Mail · 2024
#1
Best Online Broker
MoneySense · 2023
#1
Best Mobile Experience
Surviscor · 2023
#1
Best Customer Service
Surviscor · 2022
#1
Best Online Broker
Globe & Mail · 2021
#1
Best Online Broker
MoneySense · 2020
★ THE PRICE TAG ★

Mid-priced — but cheaper than Big-Six

Equity & ETF (standard)$8.75Big-Six $9.95-9.99
100+ commission-free ETFs$0Includes Vanguard one-tickets
Young Investor (under 30)$6.95$1.80 cheaper than standard
Investor Plus (150+/qtr)$7.75Active-trader tier
Options$8.75 + $1.25/contractStandard market
★ THE 4 KILLER FEATURES ★

Why Qtrade keeps winning

★ 100+ free ETFs

Including the Vanguard one-tickets (VEQT, VGRO, VBAL) which Scotia iTRADE doesn't offer. Best free-ETF list in Canada.

★ USD registered accounts

RRSP-USD, TFSA-USD, FHSA-USD. Hold US securities without conversion drag. Rare for a non-Big-Six.

★ Real-time portfolio analytics

Built-in performance tracking with rate-of-return calcs. Most brokers force you to use a separate tool like Wealthica.

★ Award-winning support

Surviscor-ranked #1 for customer service for 4 consecutive years. Average phone wait under 2 minutes.

9.1/10
FINAL VERDICT

The under-the-radar broker that out-features everyone.

Qtrade gives you the free Vanguard ETFs (better than Scotia's iShares-only list), USD registered accounts (better than Questrade for many), the best customer service in Canada, and prices that undercut every Big-Six. The only reason Qtrade isn't the default broker for Canadians: they don't spend on advertising. So we did.