A UAE investor's portfolio rarely sits in one place: local shares on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) priced in AED, US and global stocks and ETFs in dollars, and often some crypto on the side. This guide compares the portfolio trackers people in the UAE actually use, in plain terms, so you can see which one handles ADX, DFM, AED and foreign holdings together, and decide for yourself.
What does a UAE investor actually need from a portfolio tracker?
A UAE investor needs a tracker that shows ADX and DFM holdings in AED next to US and global assets in one combined view, with the currency effect of each foreign holding made explicit. A portfolio tracker is software that pulls your holdings into one place and reports value, cost, gains and income across every account and currency you own.
In practice, residents of the United Arab Emirates hold a mix that most global trackers were never designed for. The checklist below is what to test before you pay for anything.
- Local exchange coverage: real prices for the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), not just US tickers.
- AED as a base currency: every value convertible to AED, including your dollar and euro holdings.
- Honest currency math: the cost of a foreign holding converted at the rate on the day you bought it, so the currency gain or loss is visible rather than buried.
- Global breadth: US stocks, ETFs and crypto alongside your ADX and DFM shares.
- Alerts you will actually see: price levels delivered by a channel you check daily.
No wrapper like an ISA or a 401(k) applies here, which simplifies things: most UAE retail investors hold plain brokerage accounts, so the job is accurate multi-currency tracking rather than tax-wrapper accounting.
What is the local landscape a UAE investor should research?
The single most important local fact, and the one most old guides get wrong, is the trading week. ADX and DFM trade Monday to Friday, with the weekend on Saturday and Sunday, a change made in 2022. Guides still showing a Sunday-to-Thursday week are out of date.
Trading week and hours
If a tracker's alert engine or market-hours logic still assumes a Gulf weekend, your stock alerts and "market open" status will be wrong. We cover the current schedule in detail in our guide to the trading hours and holidays of the ADX and the DFM, including public-holiday closures.
Brokers UAE investors use
You can hold local and global assets through a range of brokers. Common choices include:
- Sarwa Trade and eToro for US and global stocks and crypto;
- Interactive Brokers and Saxo for broad global market access;
- Emirates NBD Securities, ADCB Securities and FAB Securities for local ADX and DFM trading.
Most investors end up with at least two: a local broker for Gulf shares and a global broker for US exposure. That split is exactly why a single tracker on top of everything is useful.
The tax angle, in plain terms
The UAE has, in the usual case, no personal income tax and no capital gains tax on an individual's investment returns. That removes a whole layer of reporting most trackers are built around. The friction that remains is foreign, and it is qualitative here on purpose:
- US dividend withholding: US-listed holdings can have tax withheld at source on dividends. Filing a W-8BEN with your broker establishes your non-US status and can affect the rate applied.
- US estate exposure: directly held US situs assets can carry US estate-tax exposure for non-residents above certain thresholds. This is an estate-planning question, not a day-to-day tracking one.
We state no percentages here on purpose. Rates and thresholds change, and a stale number in a finance guide is worse than none. Confirm the current figures with your broker or a tax adviser.
How do the main portfolio trackers compare for a UAE investor?
The table below compares the trackers UAE investors most often shortlist. Prices are shown in the currency each tool publishes and are not converted or rounded.
| Tool | Price | Free tier | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| PortfolioTrackr | Starter $9/mo, Pro $19/mo, Lifetime $299 once | 3-day trial, no card | Not an all-in net-worth or budgeting app |
| Delta | PRO $6.99/mo, PRO+ $13.99/mo or $299 lifetime | Basic, 10 assets | No dedicated ADX/DFM AED base; crypto-first |
| Kubera | Essentials $250/yr, Black $2,500/yr | 14-day trial only | Net-worth balance sheet, not deep trade tracking |
| Simply Wall St | Premium 119.40/yr, Unlimited 239.40/yr | 1 portfolio, 10 holdings | Research-first; holding caps on paid tiers |
| Empower | $0 dashboard (advisory fees separate) | Full dashboard free | US-centric; built for US account aggregation |
For a broader head-to-head beyond the UAE angle, see our real-data comparison of six portfolio trackers.
Where does each compared tool stop for a UAE investor?
Each tool below is strong at something, and each has a point where it stops being the right fit for a portfolio anchored in ADX, DFM and AED.
Delta Investment Tracker
Delta is best at crypto-native depth inside a polished mobile app, auto-syncing wallets, exchanges and some stock brokers. For a UAE investor it stops where you need ADX and DFM shares tracked with AED as the base and an explicit currency-gain line; its strengths point at crypto and mainstream US tickers, not Gulf equities.
Kubera
Kubera is best at tracking an entire balance sheet: global bank and brokerage connections alongside crypto, private equity and other assets, with multi-currency support. It is a net-worth tool first. If your main need is detailed per-trade tracking of ADX and DFM positions with buy-rate currency math, the $250/year Essentials tier is a lot to spend on features aimed elsewhere, and there is no permanent free plan.
Simply Wall St
Simply Wall St is best at making a stock's fundamentals readable through its Snowflake visual across 90 markets. It is a research tool with portfolio features attached. The holding caps (30 per portfolio on Premium) and its billing being annual only make it a weaker fit if you want a straightforward, uncapped AED portfolio dashboard rather than company analysis.
Empower Personal Dashboard
Empower is best at free whole-net-worth aggregation with a serious retirement planner, pulling a US financial life into one view. The limitation for a UAE investor is structural: it is built around US accounts and US retirement planning, so ADX, DFM and AED are not its world.
The common thread: these are good tools built for other jobs. A spreadsheet is the DIY alternative, and we weigh that trade-off in portfolio tracker versus spreadsheet if you would rather roll your own.
How does dividend withholding and local tax actually work?
For a UAE resident, the tax that matters is almost entirely foreign, and it attaches to specific holdings rather than your whole portfolio. The concepts, named and kept qualitative:
- W-8BEN: the form you file with a broker to certify non-US status, which governs how dividend withholding on your US holdings is applied.
- US dividend withholding: tax taken at source before a US dividend reaches you. A tracker should record the dividend on its pay-date rate so your AED income figure is honest.
- US estate exposure: a planning consideration for directly held US assets, separate from day-to-day tracking.
Because the UAE typically levies no personal income or capital gains tax on individuals, you will rarely file a local investment tax return. That makes the tracker's job currency accuracy, not tax-wrapper accounting. We deliberately quote no rates; check the current numbers with your broker or adviser.
How does PortfolioTrackr fit a UAE portfolio?
PortfolioTrackr is built for exactly the mixed, multi-currency portfolio a UAE investor holds: local shares and global assets together, with the currency effect made explicit. The verified specifics:
- It supports the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) with prices in AED. You can see the full list on the supported markets page, covering 100 exchanges in total.
- Portfolios are multi-currency, with every value convertible to AED across 100 currencies.
- The cost of a foreign holding is converted at the exchange rate of the day you bought it and its value at today's rate, so the currency gain or loss appears as its own line on the summary card and the P&L chart.
- Price alerts fire at levels you set, sent by WhatsApp, Telegram, email or push, and are checked once a minute while the market is open, around the clock for crypto. Because ADX and DFM close on Saturday and Sunday, stock alerts simply skip the weekend. See how the channels work on the alerts page.
- You can add holdings by hand, by voice, text, CSV or a broker screenshot, and Interactive Brokers connects directly. There are native iPhone and Android apps on the mobile app page.
Pricing is a 3-day free trial with everything in Starter and no card, then Starter at $9/month, Pro at $19/month, or Lifetime at $299 once. Full details are on the pricing page.
Where it is not the right tool, honestly: if what you want is a full net-worth and budgeting hub that aggregates every bank account and mortgage, a dedicated balance-sheet tool like Kubera or Empower is a closer fit. PortfolioTrackr is an investment tracker, not a household-finance dashboard.
How to choose a portfolio tracker for the UAE: a checklist
Run any tool, this one included, against the same questions before you pay. None of these tell you what to buy; they tell you what to verify.
- Does it price ADX and DFM? Search for a local ticker and confirm a real quote appears.
- Can it use AED as the base currency, and does it convert your foreign holdings to AED?
- How does it handle the currency effect? Confirm cost is converted at the buy-day rate, not today's, so the currency gain or loss is separate from the price move.
- Does the trading week match reality? It should treat Saturday and Sunday as the weekend for ADX and DFM.
- Are alerts on a channel you check? WhatsApp, Telegram, email or push, delivered within a minute of your level being hit while the market is open.
- How do you get data in? Direct sync, CSV, screenshot or manual entry, and whether your broker is covered.
- What does it cost once your holdings grow? Watch for per-portfolio and per-holding caps on paid tiers.
Investors in other no-wrapper and wrapper markets face the same comparison, and the local details change the answer. Our UK portfolio tracker guide and Australia portfolio tracker guide walk through how tax wrappers shift the shortlist elsewhere.
The bottom line
For a UAE investor holding ADX and DFM shares in AED alongside US and global assets, the deciding factors are local exchange coverage, AED as a base currency, honest buy-day currency math, and a correct Monday-to-Friday trading week. Most global trackers are strong at something adjacent, net worth, research or crypto, and stop short on at least one of those local needs. Test each tool against the checklist above, hold your own numbers up to it, and decide alone.
Frequently asked questions
Which portfolio tracker supports ADX and DFM shares in AED?
PortfolioTrackr supports both the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) with prices in AED, and lets you convert every foreign holding to AED in one combined view. Many global trackers price US and European stocks well but do not cover Gulf exchanges or offer AED as a base currency.
What days do the ADX and DFM trade each week?
The ADX and DFM trade Monday to Friday, with the weekend on Saturday and Sunday, a change made in 2022. Older guides showing a Sunday-to-Thursday week are out of date. A tracker's market-hours and alert logic should reflect the Saturday-Sunday weekend so stock alerts skip non-trading days.
Do UAE investors pay tax on stock gains and dividends?
In the usual case the UAE levies no personal income tax or capital gains tax on an individual's investment returns. The tax that remains is foreign: US-listed holdings can have dividend withholding at source, which filing a W-8BEN affects. Confirm current rates and estate-tax thresholds with your broker or a tax adviser.
Can I track US stocks, crypto and UAE shares in one app?
Yes. PortfolioTrackr tracks US stocks, ETFs, crypto and ADX or DFM shares together, converting every value to AED and showing the currency gain or loss on foreign holdings as its own line. You can add holdings manually, by CSV, by screenshot, or sync Interactive Brokers directly.
What is the cheapest way to try a UAE portfolio tracker?
PortfolioTrackr offers a 3-day free trial with everything in Starter and no card required, then Starter at $9 per month, Pro at $19 per month, or a one-time Lifetime plan at $299. Several rivals have free tiers too, though most cap the number of holdings or portfolios you can track.