How I Test and Rank Brokers: RevenueLand Methodology
Last update: September 30, 2026. Written by Sal Cocurullo, investor since 2006.
Every broker ranking on RevenueLand follows the same method. I open accounts with my own money, collect fees from official price lists, and score each broker with weights published on the page. Every ranking shows the date its data was checked.
This page explains how I test, how the scores work, where the numbers come from and how RevenueLand earns money. If you disagree with a weight, the scores are there so you can recompute them.
Who Tests the Brokers
I am Sal Cocurullo, and I test every broker myself. I have invested my own money since 2006 in ETFs, bonds, listed stocks and P2P loans. I hold the CFA Institute Investment Foundations certificate and completed Yale’s Financial Markets course with Robert Shiller.
I also run renditepassive.net, an Italian personal finance site online for over 11 years. My work has been cited by Money.it and referenced in Il Sole 24 Ore. RevenueLand has no team of writers: every ranking reflects my own accounts and my own judgment.
What I Test on Every Broker
A price list tells you what a broker promises. An account tells you what it delivers. These are the eight checks I run with real money before a broker enters a ranking.
| Check | What I look at | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Account opening | Documents, time to approval, legal entity on the contract | The entity decides your regulator and your protection |
| Deposit | Methods, fees, time to credit, currencies accepted | A slow or costly deposit is a cost you pay every time |
| Order execution | Speed, venue, order types, fractional shares | Execution quality is invisible in the price list |
| Fees charged | Commissions on the statement against the price list | Confirms the published fee is the fee you pay |
| Currency conversion | Rate applied against the market rate | The largest hidden cost for European investors |
| Support | Chat, email and phone, language, response time | You need it when something goes wrong |
| Tax documents | Annual report, W-8BEN, local tax reporting | Missing documents cost hours at tax time |
| Withdrawal and exit | Withdrawal fee and time, securities transfer out | Leaving must be possible and priced in advance |
When a broker appears in a ranking without a funded account, the page says so. For example, I have not tested Trading 212 with my own money, so it stays out of my ranked lists.
How the Scores Work
Each broker gets a score from 1 to 5 on each criterion. The final score is the weighted average. Weights change by ranking, because an ETF saver and an international investor need different things.
| Ranking | Criteria and weights | What decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Best brokers in Europe | Support 25%, costs 20%, product range 20%, regulation 10%, platform 10%, research 10%, tax reporting 5% | The all-round experience of a European investor |
| Best ETF brokers for Europeans | Platform 25%, ETF range 20%, regulation 20%, support 15%, ETF costs 10%, savings plans 10% | The tool you use every month for years |
| Best international stock brokers | Countries accepted 25%, market access 25%, costs and FX 20%, platform 15%, protection 15% | Whether you can open the account and reach the market |
Calculated scores. Where a criterion can be measured, I calculate it instead of judging it. On the ETF ranking, for example, the cost score comes from the annual commissions on a fixed test portfolio: €200 per month plus two purchases of €2,000 per year.
Judged scores. Platform, support and research are my judgment from daily use. I publish every score, so you can see exactly where my opinion enters the ranking. The weights are an editorial choice, and I explain the reason for them on each page.
Where the Numbers Come From
| Data | Source |
|---|---|
| Commissions and fees | The broker’s official price list and my own account statements |
| Regulation and licences | Public registers of the regulators: BaFin, CySEC, FCA, KNF, Central Bank of Ireland |
| Countries accepted | The broker’s official country list or help center |
| Company facts | Annual reports and official fact sheets, such as client numbers and listing dates |
| CFD loss percentages | The risk warning each provider publishes, copied as written |
When an official source is missing and I rely on a third party, I say so on the page. I do not publish forecasts of returns, and I do not quote performance I cannot verify.
How Often Rankings Are Updated
The date at the top of each ranking is the date I last checked its data, not the date I last edited a word. If a page is older than a broker’s latest price change, trust the broker’s price list and tell me.
How RevenueLand Makes Money
RevenueLand earns money through affiliate links. When you open an account through some links on this site, the broker pays me a commission. You pay nothing extra.
What this means in practice
Affiliate links are marked, and each page carries an affiliate disclosure near the first link.
Brokers without an affiliate agreement are ranked and reviewed with the same method.
Every score and every weight is published, so a commercial choice cannot hide inside a ranking.
Risk warnings required by each provider appear under its button, as written by the provider.
Nothing on RevenueLand is personalised financial advice. I am not a financial advisor. Read the full disclaimer.
How I Review P2P Lending Platforms
P2P platforms carry different risks from brokers, so the checks differ. I invest my own money on the platforms I review, mainly Mintos and Estateguru, and on Debitum since 2019.
| Check | What I look at |
|---|---|
| Licence | ECSP licence or investment firm licence, and the register entry |
| Loan originators | Financial statements, defaults, skin in the game |
| Recoveries | Money recovered from defaulted loans, and how long it took |
| Buyback and liquidity | Whether the buyback was honoured, and the secondary market |
| My own results | Net return on my account after defaults and fees |
Corrections
If you find a wrong fee, an outdated country list or a broken figure, tell me through the about page. I verify each report against the official source. If you are right, I correct the page and update the date.
FAQ: RevenueLand Methodology
Do you test brokers with real money?
Yes. I open accounts with my own money, deposit, trade and withdraw before a broker enters a ranking. When a broker is listed without a funded test, the page states it.
Do affiliate commissions affect the rankings?
RevenueLand earns commissions from some brokers, and every affiliate link is disclosed. Brokers without an agreement are ranked with the same method. All scores and weights are published, so you can check every position yourself.
Why do weights differ between rankings?
Because readers need different things. An ETF saver uses the platform every month, so platform weighs 25%. An investor outside the EU first needs a broker that accepts their country, so countries accepted weigh 25%.
How current are the fees on RevenueLand?
Each ranking shows the date its data was last checked against the official price lists. Rankings are rechecked on a schedule, after price changes, after new rules and after reader reports.
