Trading cost calculator
Spreads and commissions look tiny per trade. See what they add up to in a year.
Broker A
Broker B
| Broker A | Broker B | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per trade | $1.6 | $0.9 |
| Per month | $32 | $18 |
| Per year | $384 | $216 |
Broker B is cheaper by about $168 per year
Costs scale with how often you trade, not with how much you make. An active trader on a wide-spread account can quietly pay more in costs per month than they risk per trade — check before you fund an account.
What this tool actually tells you
This totals what a trade actually costs you — spread, commission and overnight swap — in money rather than pips. Brokers quote each piece separately and in different units, which makes honest comparison harder than it should be.
Which component dominates depends entirely on how you trade. Run your own holding pattern through it before deciding any broker is "cheap".
Worked example
One standard lot of EUR/USD on a raw-spread account: 0.2 pip spread, $7 round-turn commission, held for three nights at roughly $8 a night.
| Spread — 0.2 × $10 | $2 |
| Commission (round turn) | $7 |
| Swap — 3 nights × $8 | $24 |
| Total cost of the trade | $33 |
Swap is 73% of the bill. On this trade the "raw spread" headline was almost irrelevant.
How to read the result
- For intraday trading, spread and commission are nearly the whole cost. For multi-day holds, swap usually dwarfs both.
- Compare the total against your risk budget. A $33 cost against a $20 planned risk means the trade cannot realistically pay.
- Swap is charged at triple rate one night a week (usually Wednesday) to cover the weekend.
Common mistakes
- Comparing raw spreads between brokers without adding each one's commission.
- Forgetting swap entirely on positions you intend to hold for weeks.
- Assuming a swap-free account is free — the financing cost usually reappears as an administration fee or a wider spread.
Put it into practice — risk-free
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Tools
Educational tools only — results are estimates and not financial advice. Real trading involves risk of loss; most beginners lose money.