Best Trading Apps in the United Arab Emirates: Compare Stocks, ETFs and CFD Apps

How we compared the apps

We selected apps that document availability to UAE customers and represent distinct needs: direct local-share access, international stock and ETF investing, and CFD trading. For each, we checked the provider’s UAE product pages, published tariffs and legal documents for the instrument actually traded, DFM/ADX and global-market access, the company serving the account, and costs beyond the headline commission, including spreads, FX, funding and overnight charges. We also recorded documented mobile functions, deposit options, language availability and customer-support channels where the provider disclosed them, where a feature or account-specific term was not confirmed, the comparison says so. This is a document-based comparison, not a hands-on test of onboarding, execution speed or app reliability, and we do not assign an overall score to unlike products. For a wider comparison of brokerage accounts rather than mobile features, see our best brokers in the UAE page.

Best trading apps by use case

ENBD X — for UAE exchange shares in a banking app

ENBD X is the clearest fit here for an Emirates NBD customer who wants to buy local listed securities from the same mobile app used for banking: its Wealth service explicitly covers DFM, ADX and Nasdaq Dubai, alongside global equities and ETFs. The bank describes opening an investment portfolio in the app, funding a wealth wallet, searching for securities and placing trades, it also documents watchlists and price alerts, while the Arabic product page supports an Arabic-language route. ENBD X is listed for iPhone on the UAE App Store and Android on Google Play, these are store listings, not a test of the trading flow. Its current UAE-equity offer terms state that trades through the app have zero transaction fees, with custody charges continuing and no end date stated, the published digital-wealth schedule separately lists standard DFM and ADX commissions. A global-equity offer reduces the minimum transaction fee to USD 2 through 15 January 2027, while other applicable charges continue. Check the effective rate, custody, FX and market charges shown for your account before placing an order.

Sarwa Trade — for focused US stock and ETF investing

Sarwa Trade suits a UAE resident who wants a focused route to US stocks and ETFs, including fractional shares, DFM, ADX and Nasdaq Dubai trading are not documented for this product. In the app, Sarwa documents market and limit orders, including limit orders for fractional shares, plus stock discovery and news. Trade is a product inside the wider Sarwa app, listed for iPhone on the UAE App Store and Android on Google Play, we have not tested the in-app flow. Its published stock/ETF charge is the greater of USD 1 or 0.25% of each order, so small orders still incur the USD 1 floor. Local AED bank transfers have no transfer fee, but conversion to USD affects the amount invested, optional linked-bank instant funding costs 0.99%, and a local debit-card deposit costs 2.99% plus AED 1. You may deposit less than USD 500, but trading unlocks only after USD 500 in net deposits and then stays unlocked even if the balance falls. Sarwa Digital Wealth (Capital) Limited is regulated by ADGM FSRA, while Alpaca executes Sarwa Trade orders and holds the brokerage account, review both roles in the account documents.

IBKR Mobile — for local exchanges and a broad global account

IBKR Mobile suits an investor who wants DFM or ADX shares alongside international securities in one brokerage account: IBKR’s DFM and ADX pages name the mobile app and explain that eligible clients must request UAE stock-trading permission in Client Portal. The app advertises access to 175+ markets, advanced order types, research, scanners and watchlists, GlobalTrader is a simpler separate app, but its DFM/ADX access has not been confirmed here. The IBKR Mobile app itself is listed for iPhone on the UAE App Store and Android on Google Play, a store listing does not confirm permission for a particular market or account. On IBKR’s published stock tariff, ADX costs 0.10% and DFM 0.25%, each subject to an AED 5 minimum per order plus exchange fees, US stock pricing varies by plan, and the commission-free IBKR Lite offer is restricted to US residents. AED funding and currency conversion are supported, but conversion has its own cost. The account’s contracting IBKR entity and regulator must be read in the agreement presented at signup, the Dubai office and app name do not establish which firm will hold a particular customer’s account.

baraka — for UAE and US shares in one app

baraka suits someone who wants direct DFM and ADX shares alongside US stocks and ETFs in one mobile account: its GCC Wallet funds local trades in AED, and the app documents market and limit orders for whole local shares. The app is listed for iPhone on the UAE App Store and Android on Google Play, verify local-share eligibility and current terms in your own account, as a store listing alone does not establish them. US shares can be fractional, but the published USD 1 stock/ETF fee after one free monthly trade should not be assumed to cover DFM or ADX, baraka says local charges appear in the order review. Its account terms also describe a USD 25 broker-bank withdrawal charge, so check which funding and withdrawal route those terms cover before comparing total costs. Baraka Financial Limited is regulated by the DFSA in the DIFC, while the terms say a regulated third party executes trades and holds assets, DriveWealth is named for US brokerage, and the provider for each market should be confirmed in the account documents. For account-security due diligence, baraka discloses a September 2026 DriveWealth data incident involving historical personal information of some customers who previously contracted directly with DriveWealth, its notice says DriveWealth had no reason to believe passwords or payment details were compromised.

eToro — for selected UAE shares and social investing tools

eToro combines stocks and ETFs with social features such as CopyTrader, and its announcements document an initial selection of DFM companies and more than 30 ADX companies, rather than every UAE listing. Its mobile app is listed for iPhone in the UAE App Store and Android on Google Play, app-store descriptions cover multiple countries and do not establish which securities your UAE account can trade. Product type is the critical check: an eligible unleveraged long order may buy the underlying stock, while short sales and standard leveraged stock trades are CFDs, and some unleveraged buy orders are CFDs because of product restrictions. eToro also describes a separate Stock Margin product that retains underlying ownership while borrowing, we have not confirmed its availability to UAE accounts. The trade window identifies CFDs, so check the product and costs before ordering. A USD 1 or USD 2 stock commission may apply on both opening and closing, depending on residence and exchange, CFDs instead have spreads and may incur overnight charges. AED-to-USD conversion and a USD-account withdrawal fee can add to the total, so review the estimated cost on each ticket. The Middle East provider eToro (ME) Limited is authorised by ADGM FSRA, but confirm that entity in your own account agreement. Copying another investor does not remove market risk or make past results a forecast.

Capital.com — for mobile CFD trading, not share ownership

Capital.com’s UAE mobile app is for traders who deliberately want CFDs across shares, indices, forex and other markets, with chart-based price alerts, stop-loss and take-profit controls, watchlists and post-trade analysis. The UAE App Store lists a Capital.com CFD app published by its MENA company, while Google Play lists the group’s Android trading app, follow the UAE provider’s download route and check the contracting entity during signup. Its advertised 5,500+ markets are CFD instruments: a share CFD does not give you the underlying share, so this app does not meet a goal of owning DFM or ADX stocks even if a related price is available. The UAE fee schedule shows no dealing commission or Capital.com deposit and withdrawal fee, but variable bid-ask spreads, possible overnight funding, a 0.7% currency-conversion mark-up and a charge when a guaranteed stop is triggered. Most 1:1-leverage CFD positions avoid overnight funding, the schedule names exceptions, including natural gas, US cocoa, VIX and TRY currency pairs, so check the instrument’s live terms. The listed minimum deposit is AED 80 or 20 USD/EUR/GBP, depending on account currency and payment method. The UAE site identifies Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C. as CMA-authorised, confirm that entity and the live instrument costs in your agreement and trade ticket. Leverage can amplify losses as well as gains.

Pepperstone — for active CFD traders who want platform choice

The Pepperstone mobile app documents 1,350+ CFDs across forex, indices, commodities, shares, ETFs and crypto, with chart trading, alerts, watchlists, stop-loss and take-profit controls, and optional one-tap orders. This is Pepperstone’s own app, listed for iPhone on the UAE App Store and Android on Google Play, rather than a link to MT4, MT5 or cTrader, the store listing does not identify the contracting company for your account. These are derivatives rather than ownership of the underlying shares, one-tap execution removes the confirmation step, and stop-loss orders do not guarantee a loss limit. On the UAE pricing page, Standard usually includes costs in the spread, but share CFDs carry an exchange-dependent commission that Pepperstone quotes at 0.07%–0.20% per side, plus possible overnight funding. Razor uses raw FX and spot-gold spreads plus commission from USD 3.50 per standard lot per side on Pepperstone’s platform. AED accounts and local funding methods are available, card deposits start at USD 10, while bank transfers have no stated minimum. Pepperstone says it charges no deposit or withdrawal fee, although international bank withdrawals may incur fees. Its UAE legal page says the CMA-regulated local company introduces and arranges accounts with Pepperstone Markets Limited, the Bahamas-regulated CFD issuer, a separate DIFC company is DFSA-regulated. Check the entity named in your agreement and the live spread, swap and commission before trading.

Which app lets you buy DFM or ADX shares?

To own listed UAE shares, start with an app that documents access to the relevant exchange and a securities account: ENBD X lists DFM, ADX and Nasdaq Dubai, IBKR Mobile lists DFM and ADX for eligible accounts with UAE trading permission, baraka lists DFM and ADX through its AED GCC Wallet, eToro offers selected DFM and ADX stocks, but its ticket must confirm that the particular order buys the underlying share. The exchanges’ apps also matter. DFM says iVestor can open a trading account with a partner broker and route DFM trades through that broker, the DFM app also tracks holdings and market data. ADX says its mobile app can obtain an investor number, after which the investor appoints a licensed broker and places orders through that broker’s channels. The steps can differ when an app arranges partner access: baraka says a separate investor-number application is unnecessary for its local-share product. Our guide to buying UAE shares on DFM and ADX explains the process in more detail. A CFD on a UAE share tracks its price but does not make you a shareholder.

What does a trade really cost?

Consider two illustrative round trips in which the security’s price does not change. Once Sarwa Trade’s USD 500 net-deposit threshold has unlocked trading, buying USD 200 of a US ETF and later selling USD 200 would produce a percentage fee of USD 0.50 on each side, so its USD 1 per-order minimum applies twice: USD 2 total, or 1% of the initial position value, before the market spread and any AED/USD conversion. Separately, buying AED 1,000 of a DFM share through an eligible direct IBKR account and selling the same value would produce a 0.25% fee of AED 2.50 on each side, the AED 5 minimum per order therefore makes the brokerage charge AED 10, also 1% of the initial position, before DFM exchange fees and the spread. These examples compare the arithmetic of two different markets, not equal total costs. For an actual order, include currency conversion, funding or withdrawal charges, any custody or CFD overnight cost, and applicable taxes or venue fees, the live order preview and account tariff determine the final amount.

How to check if a trading app is regulated in the UAE

Before depositing, read the proposed account agreement and note the exact legal name of the contracting firm, the issuer or executing broker for your product, and any separate custodian. Search those names and their permitted activities in the appropriate official register: the Capital Market Authority’s Licensed Companies section for federal capital-market licences, the DFSA register for DIFC firms, the ADGM FSRA register for ADGM firms, or the Central Bank register for banks such as Emirates NBD. The federal Securities and Commodities Authority was renamed the CMA effective 1 January 2026, so older documents may say SCA. Match the registered activity to the service: a local firm licensed to introduce clients does not automatically issue a CFD or hold shares, and an affiliate’s licence does not cover every group company. If the agreement names an overseas provider, check its home regulator and the protections that apply to that account.

Sources, update date and risk

This comparison is based on public provider product pages, fee schedules, legal documents and exchange guidance reviewed on 7 November 2026, links accompany the material claims. Regulatory descriptions identify the entity named in those public documents where available, but only the agreement offered to a particular customer and the relevant official register can establish that customer’s provider and its permissions. Tariffs and availability can change, and we did not open live accounts or test execution. HaseedInvest may receive compensation from some affiliate links, commercial relationships do not determine inclusion or favourable treatment. Shares can lose value, while CFDs add leverage, margin and possible overnight costs. Read the live terms and risk disclosure before trading. This is general information, not a personal recommendation.