Scoring Matrix
How every broker scores, category by category
Each broker we review is scored out of 10 across five weighted categories: fees and cost (30%), platform and usability (30%), market and product access (20%), research and tools (10%), and customer support (10%). Every score below is built from named sub-components, then color-coded by band.
Safety and trust is not a scored category. It is a pass or fail listing gate: every broker here is CIRO regulated and a CIPF member with a clean record, so it does not differentiate them and is covered in prose in each review rather than scored.
Overall Scores
Weighted category scores and the overall Broker Guide Score, columns ordered by overall score, strongest first. Scroll horizontally on mobile.
| Category / Weight | IndependentInteractive Brokers | IndependentQuestrade | IndependentQtrade | IndependentWealthsimple | Big BankTD | InternationalMoomoo | InternationalWebull |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fees and cost30% of score | 9.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 4.9 | 7.4 | 7.0 |
| Platform and usability30% of score | 7.0 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 7.9 | 7.0 | 6.9 |
| Market and product access20% of score | 9.6 | 6.9 | 6.0 | 5.8 | 8.4 | 5.1 | 4.6 |
| Research and tools10% of score | 8.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 4.0 | 8.3 | 7.7 | 7.1 |
| Customer support10% of score | 5.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 6.0 | 7.2 | 6.4 | 5.0 |
| OverallBroker Guide Score | 8.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 6.8 | 6.3 |
| Tier | Excellent | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Fees and cost components
Six components blended at fixed sub-weights, columns ordered by Fees score, strongest first.
| Component / Weight | IndependentInteractive Brokers | IndependentWealthsimple | IndependentQuestrade | IndependentQtrade | InternationalMoomoo | InternationalWebull | Big BankTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock and ETF commissions25% | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 4 |
| FX and currency conversion25% | 10 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 4 |
| Account and inactivity fees15% | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 6 |
| Margin interest15% | 10 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| Options pricing10% | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 4 |
| Other transaction fees10% | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 |
| Fees scoreBlended | 9.0 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 7.0 | 4.9 |
Platform and usability components
Six components blended at fixed sub-weights, columns ordered by Platform score, strongest first. Account types is scored by the gap-count rule.
| Component / Weight | IndependentWealthsimple | Big BankTD | IndependentQuestrade | IndependentQtrade | IndependentInteractive Brokers | InternationalMoomoo | InternationalWebull |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile app20% | 10 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Web platform20% | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Ease of use15% | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Functionality and utility20% | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Account opening and funding10% | 10 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 9 |
| Account types15% | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Platform scoreBlended | 8.5 | 7.9 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.9 |
Market and product access components
Nine components blended at fixed sub-weights, columns ordered by Market score, strongest first.
| Component / Weight | IndependentInteractive Brokers | Big BankTD | IndependentQuestrade | IndependentQtrade | IndependentWealthsimple | InternationalMoomoo | InternationalWebull |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian and US equities and ETFs20% | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| International market access15% | 10 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Options15% | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| USD in registered accounts15% | 10 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 3 |
| Fixed income, bonds and GICs10% | 10 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Fractional shares10% | 10 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 3 |
| Direct crypto5% | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 2 |
| Mutual funds5% | 9 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Other niche instruments5% | 10 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Market scoreBlended | 9.6 | 8.4 | 6.9 | 6.0 | 5.8 | 5.1 | 4.6 |
Research and tools components
Seven components blended at fixed sub-weights, columns ordered by Research score, strongest first.
| Component / Weight | IndependentQtrade | Big BankTD | IndependentInteractive Brokers | InternationalMoomoo | InternationalWebull | IndependentQuestrade | IndependentWealthsimple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fundamental and analyst research25% | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 |
| Charting and technical analysis20% | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 |
| Screeners15% | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 2 |
| Market data and news15% | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 4 |
| Options analysis10% | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 |
| Portfolio analytics and planning10% | 10 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Education5% | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| Research scoreBlended | 9.0 | 8.3 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 4.0 |
Customer support components
Five components each weighted equally, columns ordered by Support score, strongest first.
| Component / Weight | IndependentQuestrade | IndependentQtrade | Big BankTD | InternationalMoomoo | IndependentWealthsimple | IndependentInteractive Brokers | InternationalWebull |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channels offered20% | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| Availability and hours20% | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Responsiveness20% | 10 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| Resolution quality20% | 9 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| Self-serve resources20% | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Support scoreBlended | 9.0 | 9.0 | 7.2 | 6.4 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
Scores are set by the Broker Guide Canada editorial team against a fixed, weighted rubric and verified against primary sources. They are independent of any commercial relationship. Some links on this site are affiliate links; see our disclosures. Last reviewed June 15, 2026.