Admiral Markets vs ActivTrades

Admiral Markets or ActivTrades – which is better for UK traders 2025? Compare Admiral Markets and ActivTrades in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.

Admiral Markets vs ActivTrades Comparison Table 2025
Admiral Markets ActivTrades
rating empty
rating full
3.6
rating empty
rating full
4
Admiral Markets is ranked #66 among CFD brokers. ActivTrades is ranked #57 among CFD brokers.
Admirals is a well-regulated broker, offering a wide array of leveraged instruments such as forex, stocks, indices, ETFs, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and more. It supports the MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and TradingCentral platforms. Providing both spread betting and CFDs along with thousands of instruments, it offers greater flexibility compared to many competitors. ActivTrades, a UK-based CFD and forex broker since 2001, is renowned for its award-winning services. It holds licences from esteemed regulators, including the UK’s FCA. The firm offers trading on more than 1,000 instruments across seven asset classes, with an impressive 93.60% of trades executed at the desired price.
Forex & CFDs are complex products, not suitable for everyone, and come with the high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Pros
  • Low minimum deposit from $100
  • MetaTrader 4 platform and application integration
  • Comprehensive investment options include cryptocurrencies and spread betting.
  • Use a demo account to evaluate the broker before committing to real-money trading.
  • Admirals is a highly regulated broker renowned for numerous industry awards and recognitions.
  • Admiral Markets is an excellent choice for active traders due to its tight spreads and minimal or no commissions.
  • The minimal deposit requirement, access to fractional shares, and straightforward three-step account setup are attractive to novice traders.
  • ActivTrades provides competitive spreads, especially for forex trading, starting at 0.5 pips on major currency pairs without extra commissions. Additionally, the €/£10 inactivity fee is only applied after 52 weeks, benefiting active traders.
  • While cTrader isn't supported, MT4, MT5, TradingView, and the broker's ActivTrader platform accommodate various trading requirements. The firm's web-based platform has proven user-friendly and visually appealing for novices during testing.
  • ActivTrades is a reputable firm with over 20 years in the financial sector. It holds authorizations from three top-tier regulatory bodies, according to DayTrading.com's Regulation & Trust Rating. For UK traders, it offers enhanced protection with £1 million in investor compensation, surpassing the £85,000 provided by the FSCS, should the firm face insolvency.
  • Based on our tests, ActivTrades offers swift and reliable support via live chat, email, and phone in multiple languages. This makes it an excellent choice for both traders and newcomers seeking quality assistance.
  • With execution speeds averaging 4ms and an order completion rate of 93.6%, ActivTrades provides an outstanding platform for traders. It supports rapid strategies without imposing limits on short-term approaches.
Cons
  • Monthly inactivity fee
  • US traders not accepted
  • The demo account expires after 30 days
  • The platform lacks features for copy or social trading, which is a disadvantage for traders interested in passive investing or replicating the trades of seasoned traders. This is particularly evident when compared to eToro and Vantage.
  • The selection of over 1,000 markets includes forex, commodities, indices, and ETFs. However, the overall choice of asset classes is limited, with no stocks available outside the US, UK, and Europe. In comparison, BlackBull provides access to more than 26,000 markets.
  • Its research tools are decent, although somewhat lacking. The expanding 'Analysis' hub is useful, but the absence of Trading Central or Autochartist means advanced technical insights are missing. This limitation may hinder traders seeking to spot opportunities in volatile markets.
  • ActivTrades needs improvement in educational resources to compete with firms like XTB and CMC Markets. While it offers well-presented and informative webinars, the selection of courses and quizzes remains limited, hindering a more comprehensive and engaging learning experience for traders.
Awards
  • Best Education & Training (Germany) - 2020
  • Best Forex Broker (Spain) - 2020
  • Best Forex Company - 2019
  • 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
FCA Regulated
Yes Yes
Instruments
Forex, CFDs, indices, shares, commodities, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, bonds, spread betting CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Bonds, ETFs, Futures, Cryptos (location dependent)
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$100 $0
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots 0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, CySEC, ASIC, JSC, CMA, CIRO, AFM FCA, CMVM, CSSF, SCB
Mobile Apps
Yes iOS & Android
Trading App

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.

iOS App Rating
rating empty
rating full
4.6
rating empty
rating full
4.9
Android App Rating
rating empty
rating full
3.4
rating empty
rating full
3.8
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
MetaTrader 4
Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5
Yes Yes
cTrader
No No
AlgoTrader
No No
OmniTrader
No No
TradingView
No Yes
Autochartist
No No
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
Yes No
STP Account
Yes Yes
ECN Account
No No
DMA Account
Yes No
MAM Account
No No
PAMM Account
No No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
No No
Robo Advisor
No No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes Yes
Market Maker
No Yes
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
No No
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader Yes (APIs), Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
No No
Social Trading
Yes No
Trade Signals
Yes (MetaQuotes) Yes
VPS Hosting
Yes No
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
No No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No No
Inactivity Fee
$10 €/£10
Islamic Account
Yes Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • SEK
  • CHF
  • CZK
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CHF
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Natural Gas
  • Orange Juice
  • Copper
  • Platinum
  • Silver
  • Cocoa
  • Cotton
  • Sugar
  • Nickel
  • Lithium
  • Gold
  • Oil
  • Natural Gas
  • Wheat
  • Copper
  • Cocoa
  • Coffee
  • Corn
  • Orange Juice
  • Palladium
  • Platinum
  • Silver
  • Soybeans
  • Sugar
CFD
Engage in CFD trading across a range of markets including forex, stocks, indices, commodities, ETFs, bonds, and cryptocurrencies, with leverage options up to 1:30. The broker offers significant benefits; traders enjoy six complimentary trades daily on stocks from the US, UK, and Europe, benefit from competitive forex spreads, and incur minimal commissions when trading ETFs. ActivTrades specialises in CFD trading, providing access to over 1,000 instruments, including currencies, shares, indices, and commodities. Renowned for its award-winning trading environment, the broker ensures swift and dependable order execution, coupled with clear margin requirements for traders.
Leverage
1:30 (EU), 1:500 (Global) 1:30 (UK and EU), 1:400 (Global & Pro)
FTSE Spread
0.8 0.6
GBPUSD Spread<
1.3 0.8
Oil Spread
0.03 0.03
Stocks Spread
0.5 Variable
Forex
Access over 80 major, minor, and exotic forex pairs. Benefit from this competitive selection, including more than 50 exotic options. Traders enjoy swift execution and additional tools like a pip calculator. MetaTrader 4 is also tailored specifically for online forex trading. ActivTrades provides competitive fees in forex, offering excellent spreads on major pairs like EUR/USD starting from 0.5 pips, with no commission charges. The enhanced ActivTrades platform, along with the renowned MetaTrader 4, equips traders with essential tools to navigate the FX market with confidence.
Assets
50 50+
GBPUSD Spread
1 0.8
EURUSD Spread
0.6 0.5
EURGBP Spread
1 0.8
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • USD
Cryptocurrency
Engage in trading with 42 crypto CFDs, covering 10 crypto cross pairs and 32 fiat pairs involving USD and EUR. This portfolio offers competitive, diverse, and flexible options for traders through a CFD broker. Trade over 15 popular cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Engage in trading these digital assets 24/7, with transparent fees. Access up to 1:10 leverage on leading tokens like BTC.
Spread
1% Variable
Coins
  • BTC
  • BCH
  • DSH
  • EOS
  • ETC
  • ETH
  • LTC
  • XLM
  • XMR
  • XRP
  • ZEC
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • LTC
  • BCH
  • DOT
  • EOS
  • LINK
  • XLM
  • NEO
  • ADA
  • SOL
  • XRP
  • BNB
  • XMR
  • AVAX
  • DOGE
Crypto Lending
No No
Crypto Mining
No No
Crypto Staking
No No
Auto Market Maker
No No
Admiral Markets ActivTrades
Forex & CFDs are complex products, not suitable for everyone, and come with the high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
More Comparisons
Admiral Markets
vs

ActivTrades
vs