ActivTrades or VT Markets – which is better for UK traders 2025? Compare ActivTrades and VT Markets in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.
ActivTrades is a UK-headquartered CFD and forex broker established in 2001. The award-winning brokerage has secured licenses from trusted bodies, notably the UK’s FCA, and facilitates trading on over 1000 instruments spanning 7 asset classes, with over 93.60% of orders are executed at the requested price.
Founded in 2015, VT Markets maintains its position as a top Australian multi-asset CFD broker. With 1000+ tradeable instruments and support for the MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 platforms, this broker delivers a wide range of trading opportunities to over 200,000 clients worldwide. VT Markets is regulated by the ASIC, FSCA, and FSC.
Pros
ActivTrades offers tight spreads, particularly for forex trading with spreads starting from 0.5 pips on major currency pairs without additional commissions. The €/£10 inactivity fee doesn’t kick in for 52 weeks either, so it doesn’t penalize active traders.
Although cTrader isn’t supported, MT4, MT5, TradingView and the broker’s ActivTrader cater to diverse trading needs, with the firm’s web-accessible platform hitting the mark for beginners during testing with a slick look and feel.
ActivTrades is highly trusted, boasting 20+ years in the industry, authorization from 3 ‘green tier’ bodies under DayTrading.com’s Regulation & Trust Rating, and it goes the extra mile for UK traders with £1M in investor compensation (exceeding the £85K through the FSCS) in the event of brokerage insolvency.
ActivTrades provides fast, dependable and multilingual support based on our tests of its live chat, email, and phone assistance, making it excellent for active traders and beginners.
With execution speeds averaging just 4ms, an order fulfilment rate of 93.6%, and no restrictions on short-term strategies, ActivTrades offers an excellent environment for fast-paced strategies like trading.
Traders can access a range of analysis tools supplied by reputable providers, including Trading Central’s Market Buzz AI tool and a customizable economic calendar
Market-leading MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 charting platforms are offered, with advanced technical capabilities and access to Expert Advisors (EAs)
Spreads are competitive based on tests, coming in at 0.2 pips for EUR/USD in the ECN account, aligning with top brands like Pepperstone
There’s a strong range of payment methods, including bank wire, credit cards and e-wallets, plus 5 base currencies to choose from
VT Markets offers free 90-day demo accounts allowing traders to thoroughly test their short-term strategies
A proprietary copy trading service, VTrade, is available on two platforms, with access to 100+ providers
Cons
There are no copy trading or social trading features, which is a drawback for traders seeking passive investment opportunities or the ability to mimic the trades of more experienced traders, especially compared to eToro and Vantage.
There's a varied selection of 1000+ markets, such as forex, commodities, indices, and ETFs, but the range of asset classes overall is limited, notably there are zero stocks outside the US, UK and Europe, while BlackBull offers a superior 26,000+ markets.
Its research tools are good but not great, with a growing ‘Analysis’ hub but no Trading Central or Autochartist for advanced technical summaries which could help aspiring traders identify opportunities in fast-moving markets.
ActivTrades still has some way to go to match firms like XTB and CMC Markets in the education department, with some well-presented, informative webinars but limited courses and quizzes for a more comprehensive and engaging learning journey.
The broker’s bonus schemes have stringent terms and conditions, including restrictions on minimum deposits and payment methods used
Unlike similar brands like Fusion Markets, VT Markets does not offer crypto trading
Awards
Safest Global Broker 2023 - International Investor Magazine
Best Online Trading Services 2023 - ADVFN International Financial Awards
Best Forex Broker Europe 2022 - Forex-Awards.com
Most Trusted Global FX Broker 2022 - International Investor Magazine
Best CFD Broker 2021 - Rankia
Safest Global Broker 2021 - International Investor Award Winners
Best FX Broker 2021 - Le Fonti Award
Most Accessible Trading Brokerage 2024, Acquisition International
Fastest Growing Multi Asset Broker Europe 2024, Cosmopolitan The Daily Business Awards
Best Online Trading Services 2024, ADVFN International Financial Awards
Best Forex CFD Broker UAE 2024, Global Business Magazine
Best Multi-Asset Broker MENA 2024, Global Business Review Award Magazine
Fastest Growing Broker Europe 2024, Global Business Review Award Magazine
Most Transparent Forex Broker LATAM 2024, Global Business Review Award Magazine
Best Forex Demo Account UAE 2024, World Business Outlook Magazine
Best Forex Customer Service Broker UAE 2024, World Business Outlook Magazine
Most Reliable Trading Platform MENA 2024, Brands Review Magazine
ActivTrades provides a choice of mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. The proprietary ActivTrader app and support for MT4, MT5, and TradingView give access to real-time market data, advanced charting tools, and customizable trading features. All four apps let you trade and manage you accounts intuitively, but ActivTrades boasts the most seamless trading experience, combining the broker’s ultra-fast execution speeds with dynamic charting and research tools.
VT Markets offers a bespoke app with 230+ assets including forex. Traders benefit from 24/5 customer support, a welcome deposit bonus, real-time market news, and hassle-free account management. The app is available to download to Android and Apple devices.
iOS App Rating
4.9
4.6
Android App Rating
3.8
4.3
Margin Trading
Yes
Yes
MetaTrader 4
Yes
Yes
MetaTrader 5
Yes
Yes
cTrader
No
No
AlgoTrader
No
No
OmniTrader
No
No
TradingView
Yes
No
Autochartist
No
No
eSignal
No
No
Trading Central
No
Yes
STP Account
Yes
Yes
ECN Account
No
Yes
DMA Account
No
Yes
MAM Account
No
Yes
PAMM Account
No
Yes
LAMM Account
No
No
Demat Account
No
No
AI / Machine Learning
No
No
Robo Advisor
No
No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes
Yes
Market Maker
Yes
No
P2P Trading
No
No
Spot Trading
No
Yes
Auto Trading
Yes (APIs), Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
No
Yes
Copy Trading Platform
VT Markets continues to offer copy trading via its proprietary service, VTrade. Followers can choose from 100+ strategy providers through a user-friendly platform, whilst providers can boost their earnings through the rebate scheme.
Social Trading
No
Yes
Trade Signals
Yes
Yes
VPS Hosting
No
No
Tournaments
No
No
Demo Competitions
No
No
Ethical Investing
No
No
Custodial Account
No
No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No
No
Inactivity Fee
€/£10
$0
Islamic Account
Yes
Yes
Account Currencies
USD
EUR
GBP
CHF
USD
EUR
GBP
CAD
AUD
Commodities
Gold
Oil
Natural Gas
Wheat
Copper
Cocoa
Coffee
Corn
Orange Juice
Palladium
Platinum
Silver
Soybeans
Sugar
Silver
Gold
Natural Gas
Oil
Copper
Cocoa
Coffee
Cotton
Sugar
Orange Juice
CFD
ActivTrades specializes in CFD trading, offering over 1000 instruments spanning currencies, shares, indices, commodities, and more. The broker has picked up industry awards for its CFD trading environment, delivering fast and reliable order execution with transparent margin requirements for traders.
VT Markets offers over 1000+ CFDs spanning currencies, stocks, indices, ETFs and commodities. The MetaTrader charting platforms provide dozens of technical tools alongside integrated market analysis resources and zero restrictions on short-term trading strategies.
Leverage
1:30 (UK and EU), 1:400 (Global & Pro)
1:500
FTSE Spread
0.6
From 40
GBPUSD Spread<
0.8
0.4 pips
Oil Spread
0.03
From 16
Stocks Spread
Variable
Variable
Forex
ActivTrades offers its lowest fees in the forex department, with excellent spreads on majors like the EUR/USD from 0.5 pips and zero commissions, keeping pricing simple. Improvements to the ActivTrades platform, alongside access to the industry-leading MetaTrader 4, also give traders the tools they need to navigate the FX market confidently.
VT Markets offers an average selection of 40+ forex pairs with up to 1:500 leverage. Forex spreads in the ECN account are highly competitive, starting from 0.0 pips, although the 1.2-pip minimum quotes in the Standard account are a little higher than the likes of Pepperstone or IC Markets.
Assets
50+
40+
GBPUSD Spread
0.8
0.4 pips
EURUSD Spread
0.5
0.4 pips
EURGBP Spread
0.8
1.4 pips
Currency Indices
USD
Cryptocurrency
Trade 15+ of the most know cryptos, including Bitcoin and Ethereum. Digital currencies can be traded around the clock with no hidden fees. 1:10 leverage is also available on major tokens like BTC.
