Best options brokers
Ten brokers that offer options - and three fundamentally different products between them. Some sell exchange-listed contracts, some sell over-the-counter options written by the broker, and some sell CFDs whose price tracks an option. Before comparing anything else, work out which one you are being offered.
How this list is orderedBrokers listing options among their markets, ordered by overall rating. Read that carefully: our records show whether a broker offers options, not whether they are exchange-listed contracts, over-the-counter options or CFDs written on an option price - three different products that cannot be compared on price. The page opens with that distinction, and the order is our rating of the broker rather than an assessment of its options desk.Brokers holding no licence are left off these lists. You can still read their reviews.
AvaTradeCentral Bank of IrelandASIC+88.9/10Get started AvaTradeFind out more AvaTrade
easyMarketsCySECASIC+38.3/10Get started easyMarketsFind out more easyMarkets
IGFCAASIC+87.9/10Get started IGFind out more IGPlus500FCAASIC+137.8/10Get started Plus500Find out more Plus500
WebullSECFINRA+17.7/10Get started WebullFind out more Webull
LibertexCySECBaFin7.6/10Get started LibertexFind out more LibertexSaxo BankFSA (Denmark)FCA+77.6/10Get started Saxo BankFind out more Saxo Bank
SwissquoteFINMAFCA+57.6/10Get started SwissquoteFind out more Swissquote
QuestradeCIRO7.3/10Get started QuestradeFind out more Questrade
IQ OptionCySEC7.2/10Get started IQ OptionFind out more IQ Option
What each of the top ten is good at
One line each, expanded into a full profile further down.
- AvaTrade - Dedicated AvaOptions platform. 40+ FX pairs. Real strategy and risk tools.
- easyMarkets - Vanilla options. Flexible strikes and expiries. Fixed-spread trading elsewhere on the platform.
- IG - Extensive options CFDs. Daily to quarterly expiries. Genuine options chain.
- Plus500 - Straightforward options CFDs. Calls and puts on popular markets. Simple platform.
- Webull - $0 contract fees on stock and ETF options. Strong strategy tools. Good mobile.
- Libertex - Options within a broader multi-asset account.
- Saxo Bank - Extensive exchange-listed options. Professional tools. Broad international access.
- Swissquote - Vast derivatives range. US and European listed options. Strong regulation.
- Questrade - $0 contract fees on US equity options. Canadian and US access. Competitive pricing.
Three different products in one list
This is the only page in this section where the brokers are not really selling the same thing. An exchange-listed option is a standardised contract traded on a regulated exchange, which you can exercise. An OTC vanilla option is a contract written by the broker itself, with strikes and expiries you choose. An options CFD is a contract for difference whose price follows an option, is cash settled, and cannot be exercised at all.
They behave differently at expiry, they are priced differently, they carry different counterparty risk, and they suit different people. A trader who wants to own a listed contract and exercise it into shares is not served by a CFD on that contract's price, however similar the screen looks.
What each broker actually sells
Researched for this page rather than held in our broker database, which records only whether a broker lists options at all.
| Broker | Options type | Underlying markets | Multi-leg strategies | Dedicated options platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OTC vanilla | 40+ FX pairs, metals, indices | Yes | Yes, AvaOptions | |
| OTC vanilla | FX, metals and others | Yes | No, inside the main platform | |
| Options CFDs | Indices, FX, commodities, crypto, selected shares | Yes | No, inside the main platform | |
| Options CFDs | Shares, indices and others | Limited | No, inside the main platform | |
| Exchange-listed | US stocks, ETFs and indices | Yes | Yes | |
| Depends on entity | Selected markets | Depends on entity | No | |
| Exchange-listed | Global stocks, indices and more | Yes | Yes, SaxoTraderPRO | |
| Exchange-listed | US and European stocks and indices | Yes | Yes | |
| Exchange-listed | US and Canadian stocks and indices | Yes | Yes |
Five of the ten offer conventional exchange-listed options: Saxo Bank, Swissquote, Charles Schwab, Webull and Questrade. Two offer OTC vanilla options, AvaTrade and easyMarkets. Two offer options CFDs, Plus500 and IG. Libertex depends on the entity you are onboarded to.
The split is not accidental. The listed-options brokers are securities firms with exchange memberships; the OTC and CFD brokers are leveraged-derivatives firms. Which group you want is a bigger decision than which broker inside it.
How the three products differ
| Exchange-listed | OTC vanilla | Options CFD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it trades | A regulated exchange | With the broker directly | With the broker directly |
| Can be exercised | Yes | Yes, per contract terms | No - cash settled only |
| Strikes and expiries | Standardised by the exchange | You choose | Set by the broker |
| Counterparty | The clearing house | The broker | The broker |
| Typical pricing | Per contract commission | In the premium and spread | In the spread |
| Settles into the asset | Possible | Per contract terms | Never |
The counterparty row is the one people skip. With a listed option a clearing house stands behind the contract; with an OTC option or an options CFD, your counterparty is the broker itself, and its regulator and balance sheet are part of what you are buying.
What this ranking is, and what it is not
Every other list in this section ranks on something we measure - education, costs, market range. This one cannot, and it would be dishonest to imply otherwise.
Our records show whether a broker lists options among its markets. They do not record which of the three products it sells, what a contract costs, or whether the platform has an options chain worth the name. So this list is ordered by our overall broker rating, restricted to brokers offering options at all, and the rating column beside each name is that figure.
AvaTrade comes first here and first in the draft this page was built from - but for different reasons, and that is worth being precise about. The draft ranks it first because AvaOptions is a dedicated options platform. We rank it first because it is the best-rated broker on our table that offers options at all. Same answer, different question, and we did not assess AvaOptions to reach it.
If you are choosing an options platform specifically, read the product table above and the pricing table below before you read the order.
What options cost
Pricing follows the product. Exchange-listed options carry a per-contract commission, often a few tens of cents, plus exchange and regulatory fees the broker passes through. OTC options and options CFDs have no separate commission at all - the broker's charge lives inside the premium and the spread, which makes it invisible rather than absent.
That difference makes a single comparison table impossible. A $0.65 per-contract fee and a spread built into a premium are not two versions of the same number.
How each broker charges
| Broker | Pricing model | What you pay | Exercise and assignment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium and spread | Built into the option price | Per contract terms | |
| Premium and spread | Built into the option price | Per contract terms | |
| Spread | No separate commission on most options CFDs | No closing spread at expiry | |
| Spread | The options CFD spread | Cannot be exercised | |
| Per contract | $0 stock and ETF options; $0.50 index options | Conditions apply | |
| Depends on product | Market and account dependent | Depends on product | |
| Per contract | Market and volume dependent | Conditions apply | |
| Per contract | From $1.50 US stock, $1.99 US index | No dedicated fee | |
| Per contract | $0 US equity; CA$0.99 Canadian; US$0.99 US index | $24.95 to exercise |
Researched for this page. Exchange and regulatory fees apply on top of broker commissions on listed options, and published pricing varies by jurisdiction and account.
Among the listed-options brokers, Webull and Questrade charge nothing per contract on US stock and ETF options, Schwab charges $0.65, and Swissquote starts at $1.50. Questrade's US index options move to a flat $0.99 from 28 September 2026, having used volume-based pricing before that.
For the OTC and CFD brokers the honest answer is that the cost is in the price of the option. It can still be perfectly reasonable - IG charges no closing spread on options held to expiry, which is unusual and genuinely valuable - but you cannot compare it to a per-contract fee without pricing the same trade at both.
The tools an options platform needs
Options need more from a platform than a buy and a sell button. The minimum is an options chain showing strikes, expiries, calls, puts, bid and ask, implied volatility and open interest. Beyond that: the Greeks, a strategy builder for multi-leg positions, profit and loss diagrams, and risk analysis across a whole portfolio rather than one position.
Among this ten, thinkorswim at Charles Schwab is the most complete conventional options environment and one of the best-known professional retail platforms anywhere. Saxo's SaxoTraderPRO and Swissquote's derivatives access sit in the same category. Webull's platform is more capable than its zero-fee positioning suggests, with an options screener, probability analysis, volatility tools and P/L diagrams.
AvaOptions is the outlier: not a general platform with options bolted on, but an environment built around them, with portfolio simulation and risk tools designed for multi-leg positions. IG's options chain is the strongest of the two CFD offerings, showing implied volatility and letting you move between expiries directly. Plus500's is deliberately the simplest here.
Platforms
| Broker | MT4 | MT5 | cTrader | TradingView | Own platform | All platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, AvaTrade WebTrader, AvaTrade App, AvaOptions | |
| Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | easyMarkets Web/App, TradingView, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 | |
| Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | IG Trading Platform, MetaTrader 4, ProRealTime, TradingView | |
| No | No | No | No | Yes | Plus500 WebTrader, Plus500 mobile and desktop platforms | |
| No | No | No | No | Yes | Webull Desktop, Webull WebTrade, Webull Mobile App, tablet | |
| Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Libertex, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 | |
| No | No | No | Yes | Yes | SaxoInvestor, SaxoTrader, SaxoTraderPRO, TradingView | |
| Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | CFXD, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView | |
| No | No | No | No | Yes | Questrade Global |
This table shows the split between the two halves of the page more clearly than anything else on it. The leveraged-derivatives brokers run MetaTrader and TradingView alongside their own software; the securities brokers run their own platforms exclusively, because an options chain into a US exchange is not something MetaTrader was built to do.
How much can you lose?
It depends entirely on which side of the contract you are on, and this is the single most important thing to understand before trading options.
Buying an option caps your loss at the premium you paid. If it expires worthless you lose that and nothing more, which is why options are used to define risk in advance.
Selling options is a different business. An uncovered short call has no theoretical maximum loss, because there is no maximum price the underlying can reach. Selling puts, selling spreads and multi-leg positions each carry their own assignment, margin and liquidity risks, and a strategy that looks defined on a diagram can behave differently when one leg cannot be filled.
Time works against the buyer and for the seller: an option loses value as expiry approaches, all else equal. That is the trade the two sides are making.
The Greeks, briefly
| What it measures | Why it matters | |
|---|---|---|
| Delta | Sensitivity to the underlying price | How much the option moves when the market moves |
| Gamma | Rate of change of delta | How quickly your exposure shifts as the market moves |
| Theta | Sensitivity to time passing | What holding the position costs you per day |
| Vega | Sensitivity to implied volatility | How much a change in expected volatility is worth |
| Rho | Sensitivity to interest rates | Usually the smallest, except on long-dated contracts |
Implied volatility is the input worth understanding first. It is the market's expectation of future movement priced into the option, and it means you can be right about direction and still lose money because volatility fell after you bought.
Can I trust these brokers?
Three of this ten score a perfect 100 for regulation on our table - Saxo Bank, Swissquote and Charles Schwab - alongside IG, which is the only other broker we rate that does. This is a well-regulated group by any standard.
One line in the table below needs explaining before it misleads you. Charles Schwab, Webull and Questrade all record no negative balance protection, and that is accurate but not a criticism: they are securities brokers rather than leveraged CFD providers, and negative balance protection is a CFD regime concept. What stands behind them instead is investor compensation - SIPC cover up to $500,000 for the two US firms, and CIPF cover for Questrade - which protects against the broker failing rather than against a position going past zero.
The CFD and OTC brokers work the other way round: negative balance protection where their regulator requires it, and compensation schemes that vary by entity. Different products, different protections, and the table shows both columns for that reason.
Trust metrics
| Broker | Regulators | Founded | Client money segregated | Negative balance protection | Compensation scheme |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Bank of IrelandASICFSA (Japan)+7 | 2006 | Yes | Yes | Irish Investor Compensation Scheme for eligible EU clients; no compensation scheme under several international entities | |
| CySECASICFSA (Seychelles)+2 | 2001 | Yes | Yes | ICF up to €20,000 for eligible CySEC clients | |
| FCAASICBaFin+7 | 1974 | Yes | Yes | FSCS up to £85,000 for eligible UK clients; statutory schemes vary by regulated entity | |
| FCAASICCySEC+12 | 2008 | Yes | Yes | FSCS up to £85,000 for eligible UK clients; ICF up to €20,000 for eligible Cyprus clients | |
| SECFINRACFTC/NFA | 2017 | Yes | No | SIPC up to $500,000, including $250,000 cash sublimit; additional Excess SIPC coverage | |
| CySECBaFin | 1997 | Yes | Yes | Investor Compensation Fund up to €20,000 for eligible clients | |
| FSA (Denmark)FCAASIC+6 | 1992 | Yes | Yes | Danish DGS: cash deposits up to €100,000 and unreturned securities up to €20,000 | |
| FINMAFCACySEC+4 | 1996 | Yes | Yes | Swiss esisuisse deposit protection up to CHF 100,000; eligible EU CFD clients protected up to €20,000 | |
| CIRO | 1999 | Yes | No | Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF), generally up to CAD $1 million per eligible account category |
From our broker records. Negative balance protection is a leveraged-trading protection and does not apply to securities brokers, which carry investor compensation cover instead - read the two columns together.
Non-trading fees
| Broker | Inactivity fee | Currency conversion | Min. withdrawal | Withdrawal time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50 after 3 consecutive months inactivity; $100 administration fee after 12 months where permitted | Currency conversion spread/markup applies where account and instrument currencies differ | $100 | AvaTrade processing within 24 business hours; arrival depends on payment method | |
| $25/month after 12 months inactivity | No separate fixed conversion fee; conversion applies where currencies differ | $10 | Typically within 24 hours for cards/e-wallets; bank transfer typically 3-10 business days | |
| Not on record | 0.5% | $0 | Typically 1-3 business days | |
| Up to $10/month after 3 months without logging in | Up to 0.7% | $50 PayPal/Skrill; $100 bank transfer/cards | 1-3 business days processing plus payment-provider processing time | |
| Not on record | Applicable where currency conversion is required | $1 | ACH typically 1-3 business days; wire typically same or next business day after processing | |
| €10/month after 180 days inactivity | Conversion charge applies where account and instrument currencies differ | €0 bank transfer; €10 PayPal/Skrill/Neteller/cards | E-wallets generally fastest; cards and bank transfers can take several business days | |
| Not on record | 0.25% | No minimum | Typically 1-3 business days | |
| 10 account-currency units/month on applicable international forex accounts | From 0.95% on Swiss banking accounts; entity/account dependent | No general minimum | Typically 1-3 business days | |
| Not on record | 1.5% on standard CAD/USD securities-account conversions | $1 | Typically 1-5 business days depending on method |
From our broker records. Options commissions are not shown here - see the pricing table above, which is researched separately.
The top 9, one by one
AvaTrade
8.9/10Recommended for traders who want to build FX options strategies on a platform designed for them.
- Overall rating
- 8.9 / 10
- Markets rating
- 9.3 / 10
- Minimum deposit
- $100
- Minimum trade
- 0.01 lots
- Spread from
- 0.9 pips
- Commission
- $0
- All-in cost, EUR/USD
- 0.9 pips
- Maximum leverage
- 1:30
- Platforms
- MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, AvaTrade WebTrader, AvaTrade App, AvaOptions
- Demo account
- Yes, unlimited
- Copy trading
- AvaSocial; DupliTrade
- Support
- Monday-Friday, 05:00-21:00 GMT for English support
- Founded
- 2006
- Options type
- OTC vanilla
- Options platform
- AvaOptions
- Expiries
- Overnight to one year
- Regulation
- Central Bank of IrelandASICFSA (Japan)FSRA (ADGM)+6
AvaOptions is the reason to look at AvaTrade for options. It is not options functionality added to a trading platform - it is a separate environment built around them, on desktop, web and mobile, with a demo.
It covers more than 40 currency pairs plus metals and major indices, with European-style vanilla calls and puts, strikes you choose and expiries from overnight to a year. Straddles, strangles, spreads, risk reversals and multi-leg combinations are all constructed within it, alongside portfolio simulation and risk analysis.
The pricing is in the premium and the spread rather than a per-contract fee, which is the normal structure for OTC options and means the cost is harder to see than at a listed-options broker.
AvaTrade ranks first on this page because it is the best-rated broker we cover that offers options at all, not because we have assessed AvaOptions against thinkorswim. On the specific question of FX options, though, it is the strongest offering here.
easyMarkets
8.3/10Recommended for traders who want vanilla options with the cost fixed before they trade.

- Overall rating
- 8.3 / 10
- Markets rating
- 8.2 / 10
- Minimum deposit
- $25
- Minimum trade
- 0.05 lots / 5,000 units on EUR/USD
- Spread from
- 0.6 pips
- Commission
- $0
- All-in cost, EUR/USD
- 0.6 pips
- Maximum leverage
- 1:30
- Platforms
- easyMarkets Web/App, TradingView, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5
- Demo account
- Yes
- Copy trading
- Yes, through third-party/platform integrations
- Support
- 24/5
- Founded
- 2001
- Options type
- OTC vanilla
- Strikes and expiries
- Trader-selected
- Regulation
- CySECASICFSA (Seychelles)FSC (BVI)+1
easyMarkets offers genuine vanilla options - calls and puts with chosen strikes and expiries - rather than a CFD written on an option price, which puts it in the same product category as AvaTrade rather than Plus500.
It suits a trader who wants the flexibility of an OTC contract without a professional derivatives platform to learn. The environment is the same one used for its spot trading, which is deliberately straightforward.
It is also the only broker on this page quoting fixed spreads on its other products, and its risk tools - guaranteed stop-loss, dealCancellation, Freeze Rate - point the same way: knowing the cost in advance.
Founded in 2001 and regulated by CySEC, ASIC and the FSCA among others. Its instrument catalogue is the smallest here at around 200, so this is a focused offering rather than a broad one.
Open an account with easyMarketsRead our full easyMarkets review
IG
7.9/10Recommended for traders who want short-dated options exposure with a serious chain to trade from.

- Overall rating
- 7.9 / 10
- Markets rating
- 8.0 / 10
- Minimum deposit
- $0
- Minimum trade
- 0.01 lots equivalent / instrument-dependent
- Spread from
- 0.6 pips
- Commission
- $0 on standard forex CFDs
- All-in cost, EUR/USD
- 0.85 pips
- Maximum leverage
- 1:30
- Platforms
- IG Trading Platform, MetaTrader 4, ProRealTime, TradingView
- Demo account
- Yes
- Copy trading
- No
- Support
- 24/5
- Founded
- 1974
- Options type
- Options CFDs
- Expiries
- Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly
- Regulation
- FCAASICBaFinFINMA+6
IG's options are CFDs, but its chain is the most complete of the two CFD offerings here: calls, puts, strikes, maturities, implied volatility and prices, with expiries switchable directly from it.
The daily contracts are the genuinely interesting part. They give targeted exposure to a single session without the overnight financing an equivalent cash CFD would accrue, which is a real structural advantage for short-term positions.
Options held to expiry carry no closing spread, which is unusual and worth money to anyone who intends to hold rather than trade out.
IG scores a perfect 100 for regulation on our table - one of only four brokers that does - with ten licences including the FCA, ASIC and BaFin and a history back to 1974. Its markets span indices, FX, commodities, crypto and selected shares.
Plus500
7.8/10Recommended for existing Plus500 users who want simple options exposure without a new platform.

- Overall rating
- 7.8 / 10
- Markets rating
- 8.2 / 10
- Minimum deposit
- $100
- Minimum trade
- Instrument-dependent; generally from micro-position sizes
- Spread from
- 0.6 pips
- Commission
- $0
- All-in cost, EUR/USD
- Approx. 0.6 pips
- Maximum leverage
- 1:30
- Platforms
- Plus500 WebTrader, Plus500 mobile and desktop platforms
- Demo account
- Yes, unlimited
- Copy trading
- No
- Support
- 24/7
- Founded
- 2008
- Options type
- Options CFDs
- Settlement
- Cash only, no exercise
- Regulation
- FCAASICCySECFMA (New Zealand)+11
Plus500 offers options CFDs rather than options: contracts whose price follows a call or a put, cash settled, and explicitly not exercisable into the underlying.
The appeal is that it is the simplest options-linked product on this page, inside the same platform used for everything else Plus500 sells. If you already trade there, there is nothing new to learn.
The cost is in the spread, with no separate commission, and the strategy tooling is the thinnest here - multi-leg construction is limited compared with a proper options environment.
It is one of the most heavily regulated firms in this ten, with the FCA, ASIC, CySEC and MAS on record and FSCS cover up to £85,000 for eligible UK clients.
Webull
7.7/10Recommended for US options traders who want zero contract fees without giving up tools.

- Overall rating
- 7.7 / 10
- Markets rating
- 8.6 / 10
- Minimum deposit
- $0
- Minimum trade
- $5 for fractional stocks/ETFs
- Spread from
- 1.0 pips
- Commission
- N/A; $0 commission on US-listed stocks and ETFs
- All-in cost, EUR/USD
- N/A
- Maximum leverage
- 1:4
- Platforms
- Webull Desktop, Webull WebTrade, Webull Mobile App, tablet
- Demo account
- Yes, Paper Trading
- Copy trading
- No
- Support
- 24/7 online support
- Founded
- 2017
- Options type
- Exchange-listed
- Stock and ETF options
- $0 contract fee
- Index options
- $0.50 per contract
- Regulation
- SECFINRACFTC/NFA
Webull charges no commission and no contract fee on US stock and ETF options, which is the cheapest headline pricing on this page. Exchange and regulatory fees still apply, and index options carry a $0.50 contract fee.
The platform is more capable than the pricing implies. An options screener, probability analysis, an options calculator, volatility analysis, chains and profit-and-loss diagrams, with multi-leg strategies supported across desktop, web and mobile.
Founded in 2017 - not 2016, as it is often listed - and regulated by the SEC and FINRA, with SIPC cover up to $500,000. There is no minimum deposit.
As with the other securities brokers here, our record shows no negative balance protection because the concept belongs to leveraged CFD trading rather than to a US brokerage account.
Libertex
7.6/10Recommended for existing Libertex clients - check what your entity actually offers first.
- Overall rating
- 7.6 / 10
- Markets rating
- 7.7 / 10
- Minimum deposit
- $100
- Minimum trade
- €20 on Libertex; 0.01 lots on MetaTrader
- Spread from
- 0.0 pips
- Commission
- Instrument/platform-dependent; from 0%
- All-in cost, EUR/USD
- Approx. 0.7 pips
- Maximum leverage
- 1:30
- Platforms
- Libertex, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5
- Demo account
- Yes
- Copy trading
- No
- Support
- 24/5
- Founded
- 1997
- Options type
- Depends on entity and product
- Regulation
- CySECBaFin
Libertex is the least clear-cut entry on this page, and that is the honest description rather than a criticism. What options products are available depends on which entity you are onboarded to and which jurisdiction you are in.
Where they exist, they sit inside Libertex's general multi-asset environment alongside forex, stocks, indices, commodities and crypto, rather than in a dedicated options platform.
Founded in 1997 and regulated by CySEC with a BaFin cross-border registration, it carries Investor Compensation Fund cover up to €20,000 for eligible clients and lists around 1,000 instruments.
If options are the reason you are opening an account, confirm with your local entity what you can actually trade before depositing - which is advice worth taking at any broker, and specifically necessary here.
Saxo Bank
7.6/10Recommended for experienced traders who want listed options across international markets.

- Overall rating
- 7.6 / 10
- Markets rating
- 7.8 / 10
- Minimum deposit
- $0
- Minimum trade
- 1,000 currency units / 0.01 lot equivalent
- Spread from
- 0.7 pips
- Commission
- $0 on spot forex
- All-in cost, EUR/USD
- Approx. 1.0 pip
- Maximum leverage
- 1:30
- Platforms
- SaxoInvestor, SaxoTrader, SaxoTraderPRO, TradingView
- Demo account
- Yes
- Copy trading
- No
- Support
- 24/5
- Founded
- 1992
- Options type
- Exchange-listed
- Regulation
- FSA (Denmark)FCAASICFINMA+5
Saxo Bank is where this page shifts from leveraged derivatives to conventional securities. Its options are exchange-listed contracts, cleared and exercisable, across international markets rather than only the US.
It carries more than 71,000 instruments in total - the largest catalogue of any broker we rate - with options sitting alongside stocks, ETFs, bonds, futures and forex in one account, which is what makes it useful for strategies that span asset classes.
SaxoTraderPRO is substantially more capable than the simplified interfaces most retail brokers offer, and TradingView is available alongside it.
It scores 100 for regulation, holding Danish FSA, FCA, ASIC, FINMA, MAS and other licences, with Danish deposit guarantee cover. Its cost score of 63 is among the lowest we award - this is a professional platform priced like one.
Open an account with Saxo BankRead our full Saxo Bank review
Swissquote
7.6/10Recommended for traders who want deep listed-derivatives access from a bank.

- Overall rating
- 7.6 / 10
- Markets rating
- 9.1 / 10
- Minimum deposit
- $1,000
- Minimum trade
- 0.01 lots / 1,000 currency units
- Spread from
- 0.0 pips
- Commission
- €2.50 per side / €5 round turn, Elite
- All-in cost, EUR/USD
- Approx. 0.5 pips, Elite minimum
- Maximum leverage
- 1:30
- Platforms
- CFXD, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView
- Demo account
- Yes
- Copy trading
- No
- Support
- 24/5 for forex trading support
- Founded
- 1996
- Options type
- Exchange-listed
- US stock options
- From $1.50 per contract
- US index options
- From $1.99 per contract
- Regulation
- FINMAFCACySECDFSA (DIFC)+3
Swissquote is a Swiss bank rather than a broker, and its derivatives access reflects that: more than three million instruments on our record, including listed stock and index options in both the US and Europe, with EUREX access for European contracts.
US stock options start at $1.50 per contract and index options at $1.99, subject to minimums and exchange fees - more expensive than the US discount brokers here, and buying a different service.
It scores 100 for regulation, holding FINMA, FCA, CySEC, DFSA, MAS and other licences, with Swiss esisuisse deposit protection up to CHF 100,000.
The barrier is the entry: $1,000 minimum deposit, the highest on this page by a wide margin, and a cost score of 63. This is a bank's derivatives desk, priced accordingly.
Open an account with SwissquoteRead our full Swissquote review
Questrade
7.3/10Recommended for Canadian traders who want US and Canadian options in one account.

- Overall rating
- 7.3 / 10
- Markets rating
- 8.0 / 10
- Minimum deposit
- $0
- Minimum trade
- 1,000 currency units / 0.01 standard lot
- Spread from
- 0.8 pips
- Commission
- $0 on spot FX
- All-in cost, EUR/USD
- 1.9 pips target
- Maximum leverage
- 1:50
- Platforms
- Questrade Global
- Demo account
- Yes, 30-day FX & CFD practice account
- Copy trading
- No
- Support
- Extended weekday hours; online Help Centre available 24/7
- Founded
- 1999
- Options type
- Exchange-listed
- US equity options
- $0 contract fee
- Canadian options
- CA$0.99 per contract
- Exercise fee
- $24.95
- Regulation
- CIRO
Questrade repriced its options substantially in 2026 and is now among the cheapest on this page: no contract fee on US equity options, CA$0.99 on Canadian ones, and a flat US$0.99 on US index options from 28 September 2026, replacing a volume-based schedule.
Its distinguishing feature is coverage rather than price: US and Canadian listed options in the same regulated account, alongside stocks, ETFs, bonds, GICs and mutual funds, which no other broker on this page offers a Canadian resident.
The exercise fee is the one to watch at $24.95 - the highest here, and a reason to close positions rather than exercise them unless exercising is the point.
Regulated by CIRO with Canadian Investor Protection Fund cover, founded in 1999, and no minimum deposit.
Open an account with QuestradeRead our full Questrade review
How we chose these brokers
This list covers every broker we rate that offers options, ordered by our overall rating. That rating assesses the broker rather than its options desk specifically, which is a limitation this page states rather than hides. What we weigh, and what you should:
- Which of the three products the broker actually sells - listed, OTC or CFD
- Whether contracts can be exercised, and what happens at expiry
- Per-contract commissions, and the exchange fees charged on top
- Where the cost sits when there is no commission, which is the premium and spread
- The options chain: strikes, expiries, implied volatility, open interest
- Multi-leg order entry and strategy building
- The Greeks, risk analysis and profit-and-loss visualisation
- Exercise and assignment terms, including their fees
- The regulator, and whether the protection is negative balance cover or investor compensation
- Whether a demo or paper-trading environment exists, which matters more here than anywhere else
The cheapest per-contract fee is not the answer if the product is not the one you want. Work out which of the three structures suits you, then compare inside that group.
Questions people ask about options
A contract giving the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset at a set strike price before or at a set expiry date. A call benefits from the price rising; a put benefits from it falling.
The buyer pays a premium for that right. The seller receives the premium and takes on the obligation, which is why the two sides carry very different risk.
An option is a contract you can exercise. An options CFD is a contract for difference whose price tracks an option - cash settled, never exercisable, and with the broker rather than a clearing house as your counterparty.
Both let you take a view on calls, puts, strikes and volatility. Only one can end with you owning the underlying asset. Plus500 and IG offer the CFD version; Plus500 states explicitly that its options CFDs cannot be exercised.
For US exchange-listed equity and ETF options, Webull and Questrade currently charge no broker contract fee, Schwab charges $0.65 per contract, and Swissquote starts at $1.50. Exchange and regulatory fees apply on top at all of them.
For AvaTrade, easyMarkets, Plus500 and IG the question does not have a comparable answer, because their charge is inside the premium and the spread rather than itemised. Comparing them on a per-contract fee would be comparing a number against no number.
Because we do not score options separately, and pretending otherwise would be the kind of thing this site exists to point out in other people's rankings.
Our records hold whether a broker offers options, not which product, at what price, on what platform. So the order comes from our overall broker rating, and the product and pricing tables above are the ones to read if options are specifically what you want.
As a buyer, no - your loss is capped at the premium. That is the defining attraction of buying options.
As a seller, yes, and potentially by a great deal. An uncovered short call has no theoretical maximum loss because the underlying has no maximum price. Selling options is a margin business and should be treated as one.
They are harder than they look. Knowing what a call and a put are is not enough - premium, time decay, implied volatility, assignment, exercise and margin all bear on whether a position makes money, and it is possible to be right about direction and still lose.
If you want to learn them, paper-trade first, buy rather than sell while you do, and start with single-leg positions. Several brokers here offer demo environments for exactly this.
Because it is priced into every option you buy. High implied volatility makes options expensive; low implied volatility makes them cheap. Buy an option when volatility is elevated and it can lose value even as the market moves your way, simply because expectations calmed down.
It also means options let you trade volatility itself, rather than only direction - which is most of what separates an options strategy from a leveraged bet.
The table of every available contract on an underlying: strikes down one axis, calls and puts across, with bid, ask, volume, open interest and implied volatility for each, split by expiry date.
It is the basic instrument of options trading, and the quality of a platform's chain - whether it shows the Greeks, whether you can build a multi-leg order from it - is a fair proxy for how seriously that broker takes options.
A contract giving the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset at a set strike price before or at a set expiry date. A call benefits from the price rising; a put benefits from it falling.
The buyer pays a premium for that right. The seller receives the premium and takes on the obligation, which is why the two sides carry very different risk.
An option is a contract you can exercise. An options CFD is a contract for difference whose price tracks an option - cash settled, never exercisable, and with the broker rather than a clearing house as your counterparty.
Both let you take a view on calls, puts, strikes and volatility. Only one can end with you owning the underlying asset. Plus500 and IG offer the CFD version; Plus500 states explicitly that its options CFDs cannot be exercised.
For US exchange-listed equity and ETF options, Webull and Questrade currently charge no broker contract fee, Schwab charges $0.65 per contract, and Swissquote starts at $1.50. Exchange and regulatory fees apply on top at all of them.
For AvaTrade, easyMarkets, Plus500 and IG the question does not have a comparable answer, because their charge is inside the premium and the spread rather than itemised. Comparing them on a per-contract fee would be comparing a number against no number.
Because we do not score options separately, and pretending otherwise would be the kind of thing this site exists to point out in other people's rankings.
Our records hold whether a broker offers options, not which product, at what price, on what platform. So the order comes from our overall broker rating, and the product and pricing tables above are the ones to read if options are specifically what you want.
As a buyer, no - your loss is capped at the premium. That is the defining attraction of buying options.
As a seller, yes, and potentially by a great deal. An uncovered short call has no theoretical maximum loss because the underlying has no maximum price. Selling options is a margin business and should be treated as one.
They are harder than they look. Knowing what a call and a put are is not enough - premium, time decay, implied volatility, assignment, exercise and margin all bear on whether a position makes money, and it is possible to be right about direction and still lose.
If you want to learn them, paper-trade first, buy rather than sell while you do, and start with single-leg positions. Several brokers here offer demo environments for exactly this.
Because it is priced into every option you buy. High implied volatility makes options expensive; low implied volatility makes them cheap. Buy an option when volatility is elevated and it can lose value even as the market moves your way, simply because expectations calmed down.
It also means options let you trade volatility itself, rather than only direction - which is most of what separates an options strategy from a leveraged bet.
The table of every available contract on an underlying: strikes down one axis, calls and puts across, with bid, ask, volume, open interest and implied volatility for each, split by expiry date.
It is the basic instrument of options trading, and the quality of a platform's chain - whether it shows the Greeks, whether you can build a multi-leg order from it - is a fair proxy for how seriously that broker takes options.
Every broker that qualifies
All 15 brokers that meet the rule at the top of this page, in the same order. The ten above are the ones we have written about.
AvaTradeCentral Bank of IrelandASIC+88.9/10Get started AvaTradeFind out more AvaTrade
easyMarketsCySECASIC+38.3/10Get started easyMarketsFind out more easyMarkets
IGFCAASIC+87.9/10Get started IGFind out more IGPlus500FCAASIC+137.8/10Get started Plus500Find out more Plus500
WebullSECFINRA+17.7/10Get started WebullFind out more Webull
LibertexCySECBaFin7.6/10Get started LibertexFind out more LibertexSaxo BankFSA (Denmark)FCA+77.6/10Get started Saxo BankFind out more Saxo Bank
SwissquoteFINMAFCA+57.6/10Get started SwissquoteFind out more Swissquote
QuestradeCIRO7.3/10Get started QuestradeFind out more Questrade
IQ OptionCySEC7.2/10Get started IQ OptionFind out more IQ OptionFinecoBank of ItalyCONSOB+17.1/10Get started FinecoFind out more Fineco
SpreadexFCA7.1/10Get started SpreadexFind out more Spreadex
Charles SchwabSECFINRA+16.5/10Find out more Charles Schwab
Interactive BrokersSFC (Hong Kong)6.5/10Find out more Interactive BrokersCity IndexFCAASIC+16.2/10Find out more City Index