Questrade vs. TD Direct Investing Review

TD Direct Investing

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• Account Fees $25 fee/quarter for accounts less than $15,000
• Minimum Deposit $0
• Asset Types ETFs, Stocks, Options, Mutual Funds, GICs and more

Questrade

Rated 4.7/5 stars.

Our Review

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• Account Fees $0
• Minimum Deposit $1,000
• Asset Types Stocks, Options, Bonds, ETFs, Mutual Funds
• OTC stock fees $0.01 per share, min $4.95, max $9.95; free ETFs, selling costs $0.01 per share

Questrade vs. TD Direct Investing: Overview

If you’re unfamiliar with both Questrade and TD Direct Investing, you can find an overview of each online brokerage below.

Questrade: Overview

Founded in 1999 and serving only Canadian investors, Questrade is an online-only brokerage offering both web and mobile application trading platforms.

Its trading style comes in two varieties: self-directed, where investors can take matters into their own hands and build their portfolio, and Questwealth Portfolios, where in-house financial experts build plug-and-play portfolios for you.

Questrade is known for its impeccable customer service and on-boarding experience, but its fees aren’t always as low as they say they are.

TD Direct Investing: Overview

Founded in 1984, TD Direct Investing is the largest discount brokerage in Canada.

One of Canada’s Big Five Banks owns and operates TD Direct Investing. Its access to market data and analysis is second to none and provides all the real investment geeks with everything they could want to meticulously pour over.

Their Investment Dashboard feature can be shared easily and comes in a regular or advanced variety.

While TD’s customer service is excellent, it’s also necessary because TD Direct Investing doesn’t interact well with online banking of any kind whether you hold accounts with TD or not.

Plus, its fees are much more expensive than its competition, making them wholly uncompetitive.

Questrade vs. TD Direct Investing: Features

When it comes to features, what both platforms offer is comprehensive, but the investing systems are also very different from each other with one lagging behind the other by a wide margin. To learn more about Questrade and TD Direct Investing’s staple features, read the section below.

Questrade: Features

• Self-directed and set-it-and-forget-it investment options (Questrade Portfolio)
• Dashboards for beginner, intermediate and advanced investors
• Free-to-buy Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)
• Offers all kinds of registered and non-registered investment accounts, from Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSA) to Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP) to corporate accounts and more
• Comprehensive tools like symbol look-up, advanced watchlists, advanced charting, and alert notifications
• Mobile and desktop interfaces
• Live stream market data packages
• Stocks, ETFs, IPOs, mutual funds, and options are available

To trade on Questrade, you can take advantage of a complimentary $50 bonus in free trades on available to our readers.

TD Direct Investing: Features

• Industry-leading market data, analysis, and research from in-house experts.
• Actionable advice, educational videos, and masterclasses for newer investors
• TD GoalAssist is a new service in the mobile app that makes sure your investments align with your financial goals
• Asset allocation feature
• View historical investment orders
• Investment options including stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, GICs, fixed income, and options
• Available accounts include Margin, Cash, TFSA, RSP, RESP, LIRA, RIF, LIF, and RDSP

The Winner: Features

Though TD Direct Investing is great for new investors and its educational resources and in-house market data, research, and analysis are tops, Questrade offers more accounts, more investment options, and interfaces that are more intuitive and modern.

Questrade vs. TD Direct Investing: Fees

One of the most important factors when it comes to banking and investing is the subject of fees. Questrade and TD Direct Investing both offer unique pricing features. Learn more about their fees and pricing modules below.

Questrade: Fees

• No monthly or annual fees except for Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RESPs) with balances under $15,000*, a $50* annual fee
• $24.95* quarterly inactivity fee if your balance is less than $5,000*
• No commission on bond trades, Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs), and Initial Potential Offerings (IPOs) but there is a minimum purchase of $5,000*
• International stocks are 1%* of the trade value ($195* minimum) along with exchange or stamp fees charged in the currency the trade is in
• Stocks cost $0.01* per share, $4.95* min., $9.95* max, on the democratic plan and $0.01* with a $0.01* minimum and a $6.95* maximum on the Advantage Variable Plan
• ETFs are free to buy and regular commission to sell
• Mutual funds are $9.95*

*Rates current as of September 2021

TD Direct Investing: Fees

• U.S. and Canadian stocks are $9.95* per trade, and a frequent-trade discount offering
• No commission to buy, sell or switch mutual funds unless one is held for less than a month
• $43.00* minimum for any telephone brokerage trade
• $35.00* for options
• $125* charged if you empty your account except those designed to be emptied
• $75* for switching brokerages
• $25* per gold and silver trade
• $40* per bond purchase
• $30* for outgoing wire transfers and $17.50* for incoming

*Rates current as of September 2021

The Winner: Fees

Though TD Direct Investing’s fees are competitive with the Big Five Banks, they are considerably more expensive than Questrade.

$9.95* per stock trade across North America simply can’t compare to $0.01* per share with Questrade.

Plus, there are no monthly fees or account opening fees with Questrade, but Exchange Communication Network (ECN) fees still apply under some circumstances.

*Rates current as of September 2021

Questrade vs. TD Direct Investing: Requirements

Like any online brokerage, Questrade and TD Direct Investing have their own set of sign-up requirements. Learn more about what you’ll need before signing up for either below.

Questrade: Requirements

• You must have a minimum of $1,000* in your account to start trading
• You must keep your account information up to date, including address, marital status, employment status, and other general identifiers
• There are certain unacceptable deposits like cash, e-transfers to Questrade e-mails, payments from payment processors, cheques from foreign banks, etc.
• Must be 18 years of age to open an account, but a parent/guardian can grant permission

*Rates current as of September 2021

TD Direct Investing: Requirements

• Must be the age of majority in your province or territory
• Must be a Canadian resident
• Must share identifying and financial information with TD Bank Group
• Must use your own name
• Must have a social insurance number
• Must have a valid government ID
• Must keep a minimum household or individual balance of $15,000* to not incur a maintenance fee of $25* per quarter

*Rates current as of September 2021

The Winner: Requirements

Honestly, this was going to be a tie, as both companies have essentially the same requirements. However, Questrade does not charge maintenance fees and its minimum balance to start trading ($1,000*) is a lot lower than TD’s ($15,000*) to have the maintenance fee ($25* per quarter) waived. It’s also possible to not be Canadian and have an account.

*Rates current as of September 2021

Questrade vs. TD Direct Investing: Accessibility

In the age of instant information, accessibility is crucial when it comes to investing online. Learn more about how Questrade and TD Direct Investing stack up when it comes to direct investing.

Questrade: Accessibility

Available in both mobile and desktop varieties with top-notch customer service if you ever do have issues, Questrade’s trading process and support tools are highly intuitive and natural.

They do have interfaces that cater to the beginner, intermediate, and expert level trader and their Questrade Portfolio service provides a nice robo-advisor option if you don’t want to take as active a role in trading yourself.

It’s easy to withdraw money and there are many ways to fund your account.

TD Direct Investing: Accessibility

TD Direct Investing is also available in mobile and desktop versions, so you can trade on the go. They also have a great and responsive customer service team. However, they are ahead of Questrade in terms of the educational videos and resources they are able to provide the new investor, even though Questrade does have some of these options available.

The Winner: Accessibility

That said, I still can’t give the crown to TD Direct Investing here because it can be difficult to accomplish basic tasks like linking your bank account, funding your account, executing trades (certain mutual funds can trigger a hold on your account), and transferring money between registered and non-registered accounts without calling customer service every time. Questrade wins this round again.

Questrade: Pros & Cons

Pros: The Good Stuff

• Low Fees

• Unlimited free-to-buy ETFs

• Strong web app

• Strong mobile app

• Easy to use

• Scalable features for traders from beginner to expert

• A robo-advisor investing option

Cons: The Not So Good Stuff

• $1,000* minimum balance to start trading

• Lack of market data and analysis

• $24.95* quarterly inactivity fee

• Not as cheap as it says it is (ECN and SEC fees can still factor in)

• High wire transfer and international stock fees

• Slow account opening for international clients

*Rates current as of September 2021

TD Direct Investing: Pros and Cons

Pros: The Good Stuff

• Backed by a reputable bank with powerful resources and business structures

• Essentially launched self-directed investing in Canada

• Tons of market data and analysis

• In-house experts

• Available in both web and mobile formats

• Great educational resources for new investors, including video

• Features for all levels of investor

• Canada’s largest self-directed investment service

• Transfer fee reimbursement for transfers up to $25,000*

Cons: The Not So Good Stuff

• High and uncompetitive fees

• High balance threshold of $15,000* to waive a $25* maintenance fee per quarter

• Basic tasks can require frequent calls to customer service

• Not as integrated with TD Direct Investing as you would think or might require

• The platform is not intuitive or easy to use

• Limited funding options

• Limited account options

*Rates current as of September 2021

Our Final Thoughts

While TD Direct Investing is a great option for those who prioritize reputable bank integration and a solid history or new investors who are looking to learn about the market and how to trade, its high fees, lack of professional portfolio management options, and the need to contact customer service to execute transfers and other basic tasks, means it’s a clean sweep for Questrade in every category.