ActivTrades and CMC Markets are Forex and CFD brokers offering online trading services to traders and investors worldwide. Both brokers are regulated by top-tier regulatory authorities. ActivTrades is regulated by 5 regulatory authorities , including the FCA, SCB, CMVM, BACEN, and FSC. On the other hand, CMC Markets is regulated by 10 regulatory authorities, including ASIC, FCA, IIROC, FFAJ, MFSA, MAS, CFTC, NFA, and BVI FSC. These two brokers offer almost similar services. However, each broker has its strengths and weaknesses.
In this article, we will compare ActivTrades with CMC Markets regarding trading platforms, regulations, tradable assets, fees, customer support, and overall trading experience score. We will also explore if ActivTrades is better than CMC Markets. This comparison lets you understand which broker is better for your trading style and preferences.
ActiveTrades vs CMC Markets: In a Nutshell
ActiveTrades
ActivTrades is an online forex and CFD broker that offers MT4, MT5, and the ActivTrader proprietary web and mobile trading platforms. Alex Pusco founded ActivTrades as a stock brokerage in Switzerland in 2001. Later he moved to London in 2005. The broker added MetaTrader 4 in 2007. It also added CFDs on indices and commodities to its offer in 2008. ActivTrades offers over 45 currency pairs, Indexes, ETFs, as well as Commodities and Shares CFDs for your personal investment and trading options.
ActivTrade At a Glance

- Founded In: 2001
- Founder: Alex Pusco
- Headquarters: London, UK
- Minimum Deposit: No Minimum Deposit. However Chinese and Brazilian traders require a $500 Minimum Deposit.
- Maximum Leverage: 1:200 for retails traders, and 1:400 for Pro traders
- Regulations:FCA, SCB, CMVM, BACEN and CVM
- Trading platform: MT4, MT5, ActivTrader and Tradingview
- Account Types: Professional Account, Retail Account
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), VISA, MasterCard, Maestro, Ngan Luong, PayPal, Skrill, SOFORT
- US Clients : Not Accepted
CMC Markets
Founded in 1989, CMC Markets is a publicly traded broker (Ticker: CMCX). The broker is regulated in the UK, Australia, Canada, and Singapore. It offers over 9800 trading instruments, including Forex, Indices, Cryptocurrencies, Shares & ETFs, and Commodities. There is no minimum deposit requirement on IC Markets; you may deposit as low as $1. CMC Markets allows EA trading and news trading. The broker uses the most popular trading platform, MetaTrader (MT4), as its trading platform.
ActivTrades vs: CMC Markets Features
ActivTrades
- Trading Instruments: 1000+Trading instruments including Forex ( Major, minor, exotics), shares, Indices, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, Commodities, Bonds, etc
- Maximum leverage: The maximum leverage is as high as 1:1000 for the Mauritius entity (FSC regulation). 1:30 for retail traders of UK and European branch, 1:400 for professional accounts, 1:200 for SCB
- Minimum Deposit: For the Chinese account, the 2nd account requires a $500 minimum deposit. For the Brazilian account, both the 1st and 2nd accounts require $250 each.
- Account Types: Two ( Professional, Retail)
- Trading Fees: ActiveTrades charges spread. The spread starts from as low as 0.5 pips. It does not charge any commission.
- MAM: Available
- PAMM: Not available
- Zulutrade: Available
- Scalping: Allowed
- News Trading: Allowed
- EA/ Robot Trading: Allowed
CMC Markets:
- Trading Instruments:Â 12000+ trading instruments including forex, indices, Cryptocurrencies, Commodities, Shares, Share baskets, Treasuries, etcÂ
- Maximum leverage:Â Up to 30:1 ( FCA, ASIC), up to 1:50 (IIROC), and up to 500:1 for a professional account.
- Minimum Deposit:Â No Minimum Deposit. However, Pepperstone recommends $200 or equivalent for the margin requirement.Â
- Account Types:Â Three (Spread Betting Account, CFD Account, Corporate Account)
- Trading Fees:Â only Spread is charged (Commission is only for Shares account). Variable spreads from 0.3 pips. A rollover commission is applied on open positions overnight. For the Shares account commission starts from $7.Â
- PAMM/ MAM:Â Not AvailableÂ
- Scalping:Â AllowedÂ
- News Trading:Â Allowed
- EA/ Robot Trading:Â Allowed
ActivTrades vs CMC Markets: Pros and Cons
ActivTrades
- Regulated by FCA, SCB, CMVM, BACEN, and FSC
- For the Chinese account, the 2nd account requires a $500 minimum deposit. For the Brazilian account, both the 1st and 2nd accounts require $250 each.
- The maximum leverage is as high as 1:1000.
- Free deposit and withdrawal.
- Allows scalping, news trading, and EA trading.
- Has MT4, MT5, TradingView, and ActivTrades platforms.
- Offers 1000+ trading instruments.
- Spreads start from 0.5 pips.
- Provides fast order execution.
- Lloyds of London insurance up to $1,000,000.
- Offers 24-hour customer support in 14 languages.
- Supports a variety of bank accounts.
- Available to customers in more than 140 countries
- Not regulated by ASIC or CySEC.
- Only forex and CFDs are offered; no real tradable instruments are available.
- No passive investment programs like PAMM or MAM accounts.
- Mediocre customer support.
- Not authorized to trade real stocks.
- Offers 24/5 support.
- A bank wire withdrawal fee is applicable.
- Wide spreads in crypto pairs.
- An inactivity fee may be charged.
- The minimum deposit for Brazilian and Chinese traders is $500.
CMC Markets
- Regulated by FCA, ASIC, IIROC, MAS, FMA
- Founded in 1989, CMC Markets is publicly traded company
- The minimum deposit is as low as $1
- Comparatively low spread starting from 0.7 pips
- Allows news trading, EA/Robot trading
- Extensive range of tradable assets
- Excellent education and research resources
- Offered only MT4, no MT5, cTrader trading platforms
- Maximum leverage is only 1:300
- No passive investment programme or social trading platforms ( No PAMM, MAM accounts)
- Does not accept US clients
- Only CFD Trading
- High CFD spreads for certain Indices
- Spread betting only for UK residents
ActivTrades vs CMC Markets: Side-by-Side Comparison


ActivTrades Vs CMC Markets: Our Scores and Ratings
We rated both brokers, ActivTrades and CMC Markets, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 0.1 increments. To achieve a comprehensive rating, we broadly grouped all services offered by brokers into 6 macro categories and assigned percentage weights to them. Each macro category is subdivided into several data points which contributes to the total score of 1.0-10.0 assigned to each macro category. Since all categories are not equally important, our weight percentage plays a significant role in assessing the broker accurately. For example, Regulation and Security contributes a total weight of 40% to the whole ratings because this is the most important rating category. To learn more, read our methodology.
ActivTrades :
CMC Markets:
Final Verdict :
ActivTrades and CMC Markets are regulated forex and CFD brokers in the industry. They offer similar trading services. Both brokers allow scalping, hedging, EA trading, and Copy trading. The minimum order size for both of them is 0.01.
However, there are a few areas where you may find some differences. For example, Activtrades the minimum deposit For the Chinese account, the 2nd account requires a $500 minimum deposit. For the Brazilian account, both the 1st and 2nd accounts require $250 each, whereas the minimum deposit for CMC Markets is $0. Additionally, the maximum leverage for ActivTrades is 1:1000. In contrast, the maximum leverage for CMC Markets is 500:1. ActivTrades offers passive investment programs like MAM, while CMC Markets does not have any passive investment programs.
Our score for ActivTrades is 9, and for CMC Markets, it is 8.8 So, if you are looking for the most trusted forex brokers with MAM and PAMM services, you may choose ActivTrades. However, if you prefer another forex brokers that offer similar services, you may choose CMC Markets.