Review methodology
Exactly how we score platforms — and why affiliate partnerships never change a ranking.
Our ratings and rankings are designed to compare platforms using consistent, reader-focused criteria. We adjust criteria by category because a stock broker, a prop firm, a crypto exchange and a charting platform should not be judged by exactly the same factors.
The core principle: affiliate independence
Affiliate relationships do not buy higher scores. We may earn commissions from some platforms, but ratings should be based on the criteria listed on this page. Our rankings are a function of platform quality and user fit — neverof what we earn. A platform's affiliate status is not an input to its score. We enforce this with an automated unit test that fails the build if changing a platform's affiliate status changes its overall score.
How the overall score is built
Each platform is rated on the dimensions below, each on a 0–100 scale. The overall score is a fixed weighted average of these sub-scores. Weights are published here and applied uniformly.
Dimensions & weights (standard platforms)
| Dimension | What it measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Regulation & Trust | Regulatory standing, licensing and account protection. | 20% |
| Fees & Hidden Costs | How cheap and how transparent the total cost of trading is. | 18% |
| Ease of Use | How approachable the platform is, especially for beginners. | 15% |
| Tools & Features | Depth of charting, order types, research and automation. | 13% |
| Customer Support | Availability and quality of help when you need it. | 10% |
| Beginner Education | Quality of learning material for newer traders. | 9% |
| Mobile App | Quality and completeness of the mobile experience. | 8% |
| Platform Reliability | Uptime and execution stability under load. | 7% |
Prop firms are weighted differently
Prop firms live or die on payout reliability and rule fairness, so we add a Payout & Rule Transparency dimension (20% weight) and rebalance the others. This is why a firm with great tools but murky payout terms won't top our rankings.
What we evaluate
- Pricing and fees: headline commissions plus the hidden costs we decode on every review — spreads, FX fees, data charges, withdrawal and inactivity fees.
- Regulation & trust signals (where relevant): licensing, regulator standing (US: SEC/FINRA/NFA; UK: FCA; EU: national regulator) and account protection (SIPC / FSCS / EU schemes). Prop firms and tools are not regulated brokers, so we weigh transparency and track record instead.
- Rules and restrictions: account requirements, regional availability, product limits — and for prop firms, drawdown rules, consistency rules and news-trading rules.
- Payout terms for prop firms: payout frequency, profit split, activation fees and payout-reliability signals.
- Charting/data features for trading tools: coverage, data quality, alerting, backtesting and journaling workflows.
- Ease of use, platform features, support, education, mobile, reliability: the day-to-day experience for the platform's intended user, including account types or plans.
- Transparency, risk and limitations: how clearly a platform explains its own costs and rules, and the best-fit use cases where it makes sense — and where it doesn't.
What scores mean
Scores are comparative and educational: they say how a platform stacks up against the others we review on the criteria above. They are not personalized recommendations, and a high score does not mean a platform is right for you.
Updates, freshness & sourcing
Platform information can change. We update reviews when we identify meaningful changes in fees, rules, features, offers, risk disclosures or availability. Every platform shows a real last checked date; data older than our freshness threshold is flagged for review. We link to official and regulatory sources on each review so you can verify claims yourself.
Reader responsibility
Always verify fees, account requirements, rules and risks directly with the platform before signing up.
What we will never do
- Let commissions change a ranking.
- Publish fake reviews or invented affiliate links.
- Show a platform as available where it legally isn't.
- Promise profits or give personalised investment advice.
Questions about our process? Read how we make money or our editorial policy.