CMC Markets vs. ActivTrades

Comparison: CMC Markets vs. ActivTrades – Which broker is better? A quick comparison based on the trading platform, fees, deposit or withdrawal options, and regulation in 2026.

Winner of this comparison: ActivTrades with an overall rating of 46%

CMC Markets vs. ActivTrades
CMC Markets
ActivTrades

Basic information

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.

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

  1. Investments 62 50
  2. Cost 80 80
  3. Trading app 14 57
  4. Trading Tools 80 70
  5. Research 50 50
  6. Education 33 50
  7. Forex 100 86
  8. Commodities 27 55
  9. Indicies 60 100
  10. Cryptocurrencies 20 70
  11. Regulations 33 33
  12. Support 100 100
  13. Overall 36 46

Comprehensive Comparison: CMC Markets vs ActivTrades

CMC Markets
ActivTrades

Investments

62 % 50 %
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
Winner
No
No

Cost

80 % 80 %
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
Winner
No
No

Trading app

14 % 57 %
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
Winner
No
No

Trading Tools

80 % 70 %
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
Winner
No
No

Research

50 % 50 %
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
Winner
No
No

Education

33 % 50 %
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
Winner
No
No

Forex

100 % 86 %
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
Winner
No
No

Commodities

27 % 55 %
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
Winner
No
No

Indicies

60 % 100 %
DAX 40
Yes
Yes
S&P 500
Yes
Yes
Nasdaq
Yes
Yes
Dow Jones
No
Yes
Nikkei
No
Yes
Winner
No
No

Cryptocurrencies

20 % 70 %
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
Winner
No
No

Regulations

33 % 33 %
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
Winner
No
No

Support

100 % 100 %
Chat
Yes
Yes
Phone
Yes
Yes
Mail
Yes
Yes
Winner
No
No

Overall

36 % 46 %
Winner
No
No

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