Investing has never been more accessible, but choosing the right platform can still be tricky. We’ve reviewed the top trading apps available in South Africa to help you find the right fit for your needs – whether you’re focused on local JSE-listed shares, broader international exposure, or both. Here’s our guide to the best platforms in 2026, their features, and what sets them apart.
Best stock trading apps in South Africa
Interactive Brokers | Best for intermediate and advanced investors
Online broker with a sophisticated trading platform that offers a wide range of products. The company, founded in the US, provides the app IBKR GlobalTrader, ideal for beginners.
XTB | Best for Forex and CFDs
Headquartered in Poland and listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, XTB offers access to a range of CFD on stocks on its trading app where you can also trade Forex at a competitive price.
Pepperstone | Best app for CFDs and Forex trading
Broker founded in 2010 that offers a range of investment products, including stocks, forex, and CFDs. Their trading app is popular due to its user-friendly interface, competitive prices, and access to the global financial markets. Their trading app can be used to trade CFDs of stocks.
Plus500 | Ideal for CFDs
Plus500 is a multi-asset online broker that offers no commissions when trading CFDs in Indices, Forex, Commodities, Cryptocurrencies, Shares, Options, and ETFs. It recently launched Plus500 Invest for those who want to invest in real shares.
Disclaimer: 80% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
Best stock trading apps in South Africa compared
| Broker | Fees on stocks | Minimum deposit | Trading apps | Real stocks available |
| Interactive Brokers | From $0.0035 per share on US stocks (min $0.35); 0.01%-0.05% on most other markets | $0 | IBKR GlobalTrader, IBKR Mobile, Trader Workstation (TWS) | ✔ (150+ markets globally) |
| XTB | 0% commission on real stocks and ETFs up to €100k monthly turnover (then 0.2%, €10 min); CFDs on stocks via spread markup | $0 | xStation 5 | ✔ (real stocks and ETFs, plus CFDs) |
| Pepperstone | MT4/MT5: from $0.02/share on US CFDs, 0.07%-0.20% on other markets. cTrader Razor: ~$3.50/side | $0 | cTrader, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView | ✘ (CFDs on stocks only) |
| Plus500 | Plus500 Invest: $0.006/share on US stocks, 0.045% on European stocks (min €2). Plus500 CFD: spread-based | €100 | Plus500 WebTrader, mobile app | ✔ (real stocks via Plus500 Invest, plus CFDs) |
Interactive Brokers at a glance
Interactive Brokers is one of the most reliable brokers in the global market and a strong option for South African investors. Founded in 1978 and publicly listed on NASDAQ (ticker: IBKR), the company has weathered every major financial crisis over nearly five decades – a track record that speaks to its institutional resilience. South African residents can typically open accounts via Interactive Brokers (US) LLC or relevant international entity, with the FAIS Act in South Africa allowing residents to invest offshore within the annual single discretionary allowance (R1 million) and the foreign investment allowance (R10 million per year, subject to SARS tax clearance).
IBKR offers powerful trading apps for stocks with sophisticated tools, an exceptionally wide product range across 150+ markets in 30+ countries (including major US, European, and Asian exchanges), and competitive pricing. The broker offers multiple mobile apps and web-based platforms suited to different experience levels.
The IBKR GlobalTrader mobile app is user-friendly and well-suited to beginners – simplifying the investing experience without sacrificing the powerful execution IBKR is known for. For more advanced users, IBKR Mobile offers a comprehensive trading experience across stocks, ETFs, options, futures, and more. Beginners may find IBKR Mobile overwhelming, in which case starting with GlobalTrader is a sensible entry point.
Alongside the mobile apps, IBKR offers a powerful desktop platform (Trader Workstation – TWS) and web-based platform (Client Portal) with deep analytical tools for accessing global financial markets. Whether you’re new to global investing or an experienced trader who needs institutional-grade execution, IBKR has an option that fits your needs.
One important consideration for South African investors: IBKR doesn’t currently offer direct access to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). If you want to trade local South African stocks (such as Naspers, Sasol, or Anglo American), you’ll need a JSE-registered local broker like EasyEquities, Standard Bank Online Share Trading, or PSG Wealth. IBKR is best suited to South African investors who want international diversification.
If you want to know more, check our Interactive Brokers review.
XTB at a glance
69-80% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
XTB is a Polish company founded in 2002 and listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (ticker: XTB), now serving over 1.9 million clients globally. South African investors are typically served through XTB’s Belize-based subsidiary XTB International Limited, regulated by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) of Belize. XTB Group is also regulated by multiple top-tier authorities globally including the FCA (UK), KNF (Poland), CySEC (Cyprus), and DFSA (Dubai).
The award-winning xStation 5 trading app, available on mobile, web, and desktop, supports a wide range of instruments, advanced technical analysis tools, social/copy trading features, and comprehensive educational resources. Note that South African clients served through XTB International (Belize) are primarily offered CFDs on stocks rather than real share ownership – meaning indirect exposure to the underlying companies via the derivative. CFDs are complex, leveraged financial instruments and a majority of retail accounts lose money trading them, so they’re best suited to experienced traders who fully understand the risks.
With no commission on stock CFDs (cost built into the spread), no minimum deposit, and a free demo account for practising risk-free, XTB is a reliable option for both beginners and more advanced traders looking for CFD exposure to global markets. If you want to find out more, check our XTB review.
Pepperstone at a glance
74-89% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
Pepperstone is a global brokerage company founded in 2010 in Melbourne, Australia, now serving over 400,000 active accounts worldwide. It’s regulated by multiple top-tier authorities including the FCA (UK), ASIC (Australia), CySEC (Cyprus), BaFin (Germany), DFSA (Dubai), and FSCA (South Africa) – making it one of the more comprehensively regulated brokers serving South African investors directly under the South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority.
Pepperstone offers a strong selection of popular trading platforms: MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, cTrader (available for iOS, Android, web, and desktop), and TradingView. The platforms are well-suited to active traders, with rich charting, advanced order types, and support for algorithmic trading (Expert Advisors, cTrader Automate).
The broker also provides social trading integrations including DupliTrade and Myfxbook AutoTrade, where you can copy strategies from other traders directly into your account, plus a free demo account for practising risk-free.
It’s important to highlight that Pepperstone is primarily a CFD and forex broker – the products on offer are leveraged derivatives, not real shares. CFDs are complex, higher-risk instruments and a majority of retail investor accounts lose money trading CFDs. They should be approached with care and only by traders who fully understand the leverage effect and how it can magnify both gains and losses.
Plus500 at a glance
80% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
Plus500 is an online broker founded in 2008 with global operations and headquartered in Israel. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (ticker: PLUS) as a constituent of the FTSE 250 index. It’s regulated by multiple top-tier authorities including the FCA (UK), CySEC (Cyprus), ASIC (Australia), and MAS (Singapore), and is available in over 50 countries including South Africa.
The broker provides a polished mobile app and a web-based platform (Plus500 WebTrader) – both accessible, responsive, and feature-rich. You can practise with a free demo account before committing real money.
It’s important to distinguish between the two account types available within Plus500:
- Plus500 Invest: where you can trade real shares (you own the underlying stock).
- Plus500 CFD: where you can trade CFDs on a range of financial instruments. CFDs are leveraged products and a majority of retail investor accounts lose money trading them – they should be approached with care.
Overall, Plus500 offers solid stock trading platforms for South African investors, combining low costs, reliability, useful features for both beginner and experienced traders, and clean usability. On the downside, the product range doesn’t include ETFs (though CFDs on ETFs are available within Plus500 CFD). If you want to learn more, check our full Plus500 review.
This information is NOT relevant to EU residents who are to be serviced by EU subsidiaries of the Plus500 Group, such as Plus500CY Ltd, authorized by CySEC (Reg. 250/14). Different regulatory requirements apply in Europe, such as leverage limitations and bonus restrictions.
Methodology
When building this list, our goal was to help South African investors make an informed choice when picking a stock trading app. Each of the platforms covered has its own strengths, and we’ve tried to offer a diverse set of options that suit different investor profiles. We evaluated each platform against the following criteria:
- Pricing: price isn’t the only factor when choosing a trading app, but it matters. There’s no reason to pay more for an equivalent or worse service. We looked at commissions, spreads, FX conversion costs (particularly important when funding in ZAR), and any inactivity charges.
- Educational resources: high-quality educational content is a real advantage, especially for newer investors who want to build understanding before committing capital.
- Range of products and markets: does the app offer real stocks and ETFs, or only CFDs? Are local JSE-listed shares available? Crypto? Bonds and ETFs?
- Customer service: regardless of how good a platform is, issues can arise – and responsive, knowledgeable support matters when they do.
- The trading app itself: we assessed the platform’s functionality, ease of use, mobile experience, and any standout features.
- Security and regulation: all platforms covered are regulated by top-tier authorities, whether locally by the FSCA (South Africa) or internationally by entities like the FCA, ASIC, CySEC, or MAS. This is non-negotiable – never trade with an unregulated broker.
Bottom line
To summarise, here’s the list of best stock trading apps in South Africa for 2026:
- Interactive Brokers: best overall (international market access)
- XTB: best for beginner CFD traders
- Pepperstone: best for active CFD and forex trading (FSCA-regulated locally)
- Plus500: ideal for CFDs and accessible mobile trading
Choosing the right stock trading app in South Africa can be challenging given the options available, the regulatory considerations (FAIS Act, offshore investment allowances), and the fact that products differ significantly between brokers – some offer real shares, others only CFDs.
To make the choice easier, we’ve listed what we consider the strongest options for different investor profiles, comparing what they offer and highlighting their respective strengths. Just remember: investing in stocks can be an important part of building long-term wealth, but it carries real risk – particularly when leveraged products like CFDs are involved.
Keep learning, do your own research, understand your investor profile and risk tolerance, and invest wisely.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. CFDs are complex, leveraged products and a majority of retail investor accounts lose money trading CFDs. South African residents investing offshore must comply with SARB and SARS rules including the Single Discretionary Allowance (R1 million) and Foreign Investment Allowance (R10 million with SARS clearance). Always do your own research and consider your own financial situation and risk tolerance before opening an account.
Other FAQs
What is the difference between a stock and stock CFD?
While the stock gives you a property right over a share of the company, the CFD does not. The stock CFD is a derivative contract where the underlying asset is the stock and where the broker promises to pay you back the difference in value between the time you opened the position and the time you close it. CFDs have a leverage effect: if you buy/sell a stock CFD and its price goes down, you will need to borrow money from the broker to keep the position open. This makes the instrument a risky option that is not suitable for beginners.
