CMC Markets vs. ActivTrades
Comparison: CMC Markets vs. ActivTrades – Which broker is better? A quick comparison of platform, fees, deposits, withdrawals and regulation.
Winner of this comparison: ActivTrades with an overall rating of 46%
Basic information
| Basic information |  CMC Markets |  ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | 1 EUR/USD | 10 EUR/USD |
| Spreads | 0.8 EUR/USD | 0.72 EUR/USD |
| Established | 1989 | 2001 |
| Currency Pairs (Total Forex pairs) | 158 | 48 |
| Country | UK, Australia | UK |
| Regulation | FCA (UK), ASIC (Australia) | FCA (UK), Authorised in the European Union (EU) |
| Trading app | MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | MetaTrader 4 (MT4), Desktop Platform (Windows), Web Platform, MetaTrader 5 (MT5) |
| Number of CFD asset classes | 5 | 4 |
| Broker type | MM | MM |
| Support | Phone, Mail, Chat | Phone, Mail, Chat |
| Funding methods | * Some of the payment methods may not be available in your country. Visa/Mastercard, Bank Wire | * Some of the payment methods may not be available in your country. Skrill, PayPal, Visa/Mastercard, Bank Wire |
| Real Stocks and ETFs | Yes | Yes |
*The value is indicative from the broker's website. The spread amount is variable.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 61 % and 89 % of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 61 % and 89 % of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Comparison Result
If you don’t want to read the full comparison, the winner of our review is ActivTrades, which takes the lead with a rating of 46%, while CMC Markets only reaches 36%. CMC Markets requires a minimum deposit of 1 EUR/USD, while ActivTrades sets it at 10 EUR/USD. Thanks to the lower deposit, CMC Markets is more welcoming to traders with smaller budgets. For CMC Markets, the spread is 0.8 EUR/USD, while for ActivTrades it is 0.72 EUR/USD. Lower spreads at ActivTrades give it the edge. CMC Markets offers 158 forex pairs, while ActivTrades provides 48. A wider selection gives CMC Markets the advantage. CMC Markets was founded in 1989, while ActivTrades has been operating since 2001. The longer tradition of CMC Markets means greater experience. Unfortunately, neither of them offers this option. CMC Markets is overseen by 2 regulatory bodies, while ActivTrades has 2. In terms of regulation, both are equal. CMC Markets supports 1 platforms, while ActivTrades offers 4. More options are provided by ActivTrades.
36%
CMC Markets
46%
ActivTrades
Key Strengths
CMC Markets
- Affordable forex trading with low fees
- High-quality mobile and web platform for easy trading
- Extensive analytical tools and educational materials
- Clients under the supervision of top financial regulators
- CMC Markets Plc is a publicly traded company on the London Stock Exchange
- Built-in negative balance protection
ActivTrades
- Long-term experience and reliability : ActivTrades has over 20 years of market experience and is regulated by several significant regulatory bodies (FCA, SCB, CSSF, BACEN, CMVM).
- High-quality trading platforms : Offers a wide range of trading platforms, including MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView, and its own ActivTrader platform.
- Low spreads and fast execution : Spreads start from 0.5 pips and the average execution time is 0.004 seconds, which is advantageous for day traders.
- Security and fund protection : ActivTrades offers fund insurance up to 1 million dollars and uses secure encryption protocols.
- Education and tools : The broker provides free webinars, educational materials, and advanced trading tools such as SmartCalculator, SmartPattern, and more.
Comparison by Categories
Comprehensive Comparison: CMC Markets vs ActivTrades
CMC Markets ActivTrades Investments
62 % 50 %| Investments | CMC Markets | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Currency Pairs (Total Forex pairs) | 158 | 48 |
| CFDs – Total Offered | 4500+ | 1000+ |
| Options CFD | No | No |
| Share CFDs | Yes | No |
| Forex CFD | Yes | Yes |
| Commodities CFD | Yes | Yes |
| ETF CFD | No | Yes |
| Indicies CFD | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency traded as actual | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency traded as CFD | Yes | No |
Cost
80 % 80 %| Cost | CMC Markets | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD *The value is indicative from the broker's website. The spread amount is variable. | 0.8 | 0.72 |
| Deposit from | 1 | 10 |
| Account fee | No | No |
| Inactivity fee | Yes | Yes |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No |
| Withdrawal fees | No | No |
| Deposit fees | No | No |
Trading app
14 % 57 %| Trading app | CMC Markets | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes |
| Web Platform | No | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy-Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Currenex | No | No |
| cTrader | No | No |
Trading Tools
80 % 70 %| Trading Tools | CMC Markets | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Financial leverage | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Alerts – Basic Fields | Yes | No |
| Charting – Indicators / Studies (Total) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting – Drawing Tools (Total) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting – Trade From Chart | Yes | No |
| Stop-Loss | Yes | Yes |
| Finacial Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Daily financial news | No | Yes |
| Order Type – Trailing Stop | No | No |
Research
50 % 50 %| Research | CMC Markets | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Weekly Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Social Sentiment – Currency Pairs | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | No | Yes |
| Research | No | No |
Education
33 % 50 %| Education | CMC Markets | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Has Education – Forex | Yes | Yes |
| Has Education – CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Videos – Advanced Trading Videos | No | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | No | Yes |
| Education | No | No |
Forex
100 % 86 %| Forex | CMC Markets | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes |
| EUR/USD | Yes | No |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes |
Commodities
27 % 55 %| Commodities | CMC Markets | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Yes | Yes |
| Silver | Yes | Yes |
| WIT Oil | Yes | Yes |
| Brent Oil | No | Yes |
| Coffee | No | No |
| Cocoa | No | No |
| Soybeans | No | No |
| Rice | No | No |
| Corn | No | No |
| Platinum | No | Yes |
| Palladium | No | Yes |
Indicies
60 % 100 %| Indicies | CMC Markets | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| DAX 40 | Yes | Yes |
| S&P 500 | Yes | Yes |
| Nasdaq | Yes | Yes |
| Dow Jones | No | Yes |
| Nikkei | No | Yes |
Cryptocurrencies
20 % 70 %| Cryptocurrencies | CMC Markets | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin | Yes | Yes |
| Litecoin | No | Yes |
| Ethereum | Yes | No |
| Ripple | No | Yes |
| Neo | No | Yes |
| Stellar | No | Yes |
| Cardano | No | Yes |
| Tron | No | No |
| Monero | No | No |
| EOS | No | Yes |
Regulations
33 % 33 %| Regulations | CMC Markets | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Cysec | No | No |
| ASIC (Australia) | Yes | No |
| FCA (UK) | Yes | Yes |
| Authorised in the European Union (EU) | No | Yes |
| CFTC Registered (USA) | No | No |
| FINMA (Switzerland) | No | No |
Support
100 % 100 %| Support | CMC Markets | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Chat | Yes | Yes |
| Phone | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes |
Overall
36 % 46 %| Overall | CMC Markets | ActivTrades |
|---|
Our Recommendations
Best for ActivTrades
Thanks to comprehensive educational materials and a user-friendly platform, ActivTrades is an ideal choice for new traders.
Best Platform ActivTrades
The trading platform of broker ActivTrades offers an intuitive interface and advanced features for efficient trading.
Lowest Costs
Both brokers have comparable fee structures and spreads.
CMC Markets ActivTrades