IC Markets vs. ActivTrades
Comparison: IC 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: IC Markets with an overall rating of 60%
Basic information
IC Markets 
ActivTrades Basic information
- Deposit
- 200 EUR/USD
- 10 EUR/USD
- Spreads
- 0.5 EUR/USD
- 0.72 EUR/USD
- Established
- 2007
- 2001
- Currency Pairs (Total Forex pairs)
- 90
- 48
- Country
- UK
- UK
- Regulation
- FCA (UK), ASIC (Australia), Cysec
- FCA (UK), Authorised in the European Union (EU)
- Trading app
- MetaTrader 4 (MT4), cTrader, MetaTrader 5 (MT5)
- MetaTrader 4 (MT4), Desktop Platform (Windows), Web Platform, MetaTrader 5 (MT5)
- Number of CFD asset classes
- 6
- 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. Skrill, Qiwi, FasaPay, PayPal, Poli, 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
In terms of overall rating, both brokers are equal – both have 60%. IC Markets requires a minimum deposit of 200 EUR/USD, while ActivTrades sets it at 10 EUR/USD. Conversely, ActivTrades scores with a lower minimum deposit. For IC Markets, the spread is 0.5 EUR/USD, while for ActivTrades it is 0.72 EUR/USD. Tighter spreads make IC Markets a more advantageous choice. IC Markets offers 90 forex pairs, while ActivTrades provides 48. A wider selection gives IC Markets the advantage. IC Markets was founded in 2007, while ActivTrades has been operating since 2001. The older ActivTrades has the upper hand in this regard. Unfortunately, neither of them offers this option. IC Markets is overseen by 3 regulatory bodies, while ActivTrades has 2. More regulations at IC Markets enhance its trustworthiness. IC Markets supports 3 platforms, while ActivTrades offers 4. More options are provided by ActivTrades.
60%
IC Markets
46%
ActivTrades
Key Strengths
IC Markets
- Competitive spreads and low commissions: Low variable spreads, from 0 pips.
- Wide range of trading instruments: Trading with over 2250 instruments.
- Support for all trading methods: Scalping, HFT, and automated trading.
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: IC Markets vs ActivTrades
IC Markets ActivTrades Investments
75 % 50 %- Currency Pairs (Total Forex pairs)
- 90
- 48
- CFDs – Total Offered
- 300+
- 1000+
- Options CFD
- No
- No
- Share CFDs
- Yes
- No
- Forex CFD
- Yes
- Yes
- Commodities CFD
- Yes
- Yes
- ETF CFD
- Yes
- 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.
- 0.5
- 0.72
- Deposit from
- 200
- 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
43 % 57 %- Desktop Platform (Windows)
- No
- Yes
- Web Platform
- No
- Yes
- Social Trading / Copy-Trading
- No
- No
- MetaTrader 4 (MT4)
- Yes
- Yes
- MetaTrader 5 (MT5)
- Yes
- Yes
- Currenex
- No
- No
- cTrader
- Yes
- No
- Winner
- No
- No
Trading Tools
100 % 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
- Yes
- Yes
- Order Type – Trailing Stop
- Yes
- No
- Winner
- No
- No
Research
100 % 50 %- Daily Market Commentary
- Yes
- No
- Forex News (Top-Tier Sources)
- Yes
- Yes
- Weekly Webinars
- Yes
- Yes
- Social Sentiment – Currency Pairs
- Yes
- No
- Economic Calendar
- Yes
- Yes
- Research
- Yes
- No
- Winner
- No
- No
Education
100 % 50 %- Has Education – Forex
- Yes
- Yes
- Has Education – CFDs
- Yes
- Yes
- Client Webinars
- Yes
- No
- Videos – Advanced Trading Videos
- Yes
- No
- Investor Dictionary (Glossary)
- Yes
- Yes
- Education
- Yes
- 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
91 % 55 %- Gold
- No
- Yes
- Silver
- Yes
- Yes
- WIT Oil
- Yes
- Yes
- Brent Oil
- Yes
- Yes
- Coffee
- Yes
- No
- Cocoa
- Yes
- No
- Soybeans
- Yes
- No
- Rice
- Yes
- No
- Corn
- Yes
- No
- Platinum
- Yes
- Yes
- Palladium
- Yes
- Yes
- Winner
- No
- No
Indicies
100 % 100 %- DAX 40
- Yes
- Yes
- S&P 500
- Yes
- Yes
- Nasdaq
- Yes
- Yes
- Dow Jones
- Yes
- Yes
- Nikkei
- Yes
- Yes
- Winner
- No
- No
Cryptocurrencies
50 % 70 %- Bitcoin
- Yes
- Yes
- Litecoin
- Yes
- Yes
- Ethereum
- Yes
- No
- Ripple
- Yes
- Yes
- Neo
- No
- Yes
- Stellar
- No
- Yes
- Cardano
- No
- Yes
- Tron
- No
- No
- Monero
- No
- No
- EOS
- Yes
- Yes
- Winner
- No
- No
Regulations
50 % 33 %- Cysec
- Yes
- 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
- Yes
- Yes
- Winner
- No
- No
Overall
60 % 46 %- Winner
- No
- No
Our Recommendations
Best for IC Markets
Thanks to comprehensive educational materials and a user-friendly platform, IC Markets 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.
IC Markets ActivTrades