CMC Markets vs. Interactive brokers
Comparison: CMC Markets vs. Interactive brokers – 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: Interactive brokers with an overall rating of 50%
Basic information
| Basic information |  CMC Markets |  Interactive brokers |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | 1 EUR/USD | 10 EUR/USD |
| Spreads | 0.8 EUR/USD | 1 EUR/USD |
| Established | 1989 | 1978 |
| Currency Pairs (Total Forex pairs) | 158 | 22 |
| Country | UK, Australia | UK |
| Regulation | FCA (UK), ASIC (Australia) | Authorised in the European Union (EU) |
| Trading app | MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Desktop Platform (Windows), Web Platform |
| Number of CFD asset classes | 5 | 5 |
| Broker type | MM | ECN, STP |
| 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. 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 Interactive brokers, which takes the lead with a rating of 50%, while CMC Markets only reaches 36%. CMC Markets requires a minimum deposit of 1 EUR/USD, while Interactive brokers 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 Interactive brokers it is 1 EUR/USD. Tighter spreads make CMC Markets a more advantageous choice. CMC Markets offers 158 forex pairs, while Interactive brokers provides 22. A wider selection gives CMC Markets the advantage. CMC Markets was founded in 1989, while Interactive brokers has been operating since 1978. The older Interactive brokers has the upper hand in this regard. This advantage goes to Interactive brokers, while CMC Markets lacks it. CMC Markets is overseen by 2 regulatory bodies, while Interactive brokers has 1. More regulations at CMC Markets enhance its trustworthiness. CMC Markets supports 1 platforms, while Interactive brokers offers 2. More options are provided by Interactive brokers.
36%
CMC Markets
50%
Interactive brokers
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
Interactive brokers
- Extremely low fees
- Wide range of products
- Many great research tools
- Low margin rates
- No inactivity fee and no withdrawal fee
Comparison by Categories
Comprehensive Comparison: CMC Markets vs Interactive brokers
CMC Markets Interactive brokers Investments
62 % 62 %| Investments | CMC Markets | Interactive brokers |
|---|---|---|
| Currency Pairs (Total Forex pairs) | 158 | 22 |
| CFDs – Total Offered | 4500+ | 100+ |
| Options CFD | No | Yes |
| 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 | Interactive brokers |
|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD *The value is indicative from the broker's website. The spread amount is variable. | 0.8 | 1 |
| 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 % 29 %| Trading app | CMC Markets | Interactive brokers |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes |
| Web Platform | No | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy-Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No |
| Currenex | No | No |
| cTrader | No | No |
Trading Tools
80 % 100 %| Trading Tools | CMC Markets | Interactive brokers |
|---|---|---|
| Financial leverage | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Alerts – Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Charting – Indicators / Studies (Total) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting – Drawing Tools (Total) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting – Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Stop-Loss | Yes | Yes |
| Finacial Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Daily financial news | No | Yes |
| Order Type – Trailing Stop | No | Yes |
Research
50 % 83 %| Research | CMC Markets | Interactive brokers |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Weekly Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Social Sentiment – Currency Pairs | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | No | Yes |
| Research | No | Yes |
Education
33 % 100 %| Education | CMC Markets | Interactive brokers |
|---|---|---|
| Has Education – Forex | Yes | Yes |
| Has Education – CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | No | Yes |
| Videos – Advanced Trading Videos | No | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | No | Yes |
| Education | No | Yes |
Forex
100 % 100 %| Forex | CMC Markets | Interactive brokers |
|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes |
Commodities
27 % 100 %| Commodities | CMC Markets | Interactive brokers |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Yes | Yes |
| Silver | Yes | Yes |
| WIT Oil | Yes | Yes |
| Brent Oil | No | Yes |
| Coffee | No | Yes |
| Cocoa | No | Yes |
| Soybeans | No | Yes |
| Rice | No | Yes |
| Corn | No | Yes |
| Platinum | No | Yes |
| Palladium | No | Yes |
Indicies
60 % 100 %| Indicies | CMC Markets | Interactive brokers |
|---|---|---|
| DAX 40 | Yes | Yes |
| S&P 500 | Yes | Yes |
| Nasdaq | Yes | Yes |
| Dow Jones | No | Yes |
| Nikkei | No | Yes |
Cryptocurrencies
20 % 0 %| Cryptocurrencies | CMC Markets | Interactive brokers |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin | Yes | No |
| Litecoin | No | No |
| Ethereum | Yes | No |
| Ripple | No | No |
| Neo | No | No |
| Stellar | No | No |
| Cardano | No | No |
| Tron | No | No |
| Monero | No | No |
| EOS | No | No |
Regulations
33 % 17 %| Regulations | CMC Markets | Interactive brokers |
|---|---|---|
| Cysec | No | No |
| ASIC (Australia) | Yes | No |
| FCA (UK) | Yes | No |
| Authorised in the European Union (EU) | No | Yes |
| CFTC Registered (USA) | No | No |
| FINMA (Switzerland) | No | No |
Support
100 % 100 %| Support | CMC Markets | Interactive brokers |
|---|---|---|
| Chat | Yes | Yes |
| Phone | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes |
Overall
36 % 50 %| Overall | CMC Markets | Interactive brokers |
|---|
Our Recommendations
Best for Interactive brokers
Thanks to comprehensive educational materials and a user-friendly platform, Interactive brokers is an ideal choice for new traders.
Best Platform Interactive brokers
The trading platform of broker Interactive brokers offers an intuitive interface and advanced features for efficient trading.
Lowest Costs
Both brokers have comparable fee structures and spreads.
CMC Markets Interactive brokers