BlackBull Markets vs CMC Markets

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

BlackBull Markets vs CMC Markets Comparison Table 2025
BlackBull Markets CMC Markets
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3.7
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4.7
BlackBull Markets is ranked #14 among CFD brokers. CMC Markets is ranked #3 among CFD brokers.
BlackBull, a New Zealand-based CFD broker, offers a wide range of trading options across more than 26,000 instruments. Following a 2023 rebrand, it boasts a contemporary design and provides advanced trading tools along with ultra-fast execution speeds, averaging 20ms. Founded in 1989, CMC Markets is a reputable broker publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange. It holds authorisation from top-tier regulators such as the FCA, ASIC, and CIRO. The brokerage, which has received multiple awards, boasts a global membership exceeding one million traders.
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 70% of retail investor accounts lose money when spread betting and/or trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Pros
  • BlackBull provides everything a trader needs: execution speeds under 100ms, leverage as high as 1:500, and competitive spreads starting at 0.0 pips.
  • BlackBulls's research excels, particularly in the daily 'Trading Opportunities' articles. These publications simplify complex market dynamics into clear insights, enabling traders to effectively capitalise on emerging trends.
  • After collaborating with ZuluTrade and Myfxbook and refining its CopyTrader, BlackBull now provides an exceptionally comprehensive trading experience.
  • BlackBull provides three ECN-powered accounts—Standard, Prime, and Institutional—to cater to traders of all experience levels, from novices to seasoned professionals. The variety of account types allows for flexible options tailored to individual trading needs and available capital.
  • The CMC web platform offers an exceptional user experience with sophisticated charting tools for trading and customisable options, suitable for both novice and seasoned traders. It supports MT4 but not MT5, and TradingView will be available from 2025.
  • We've upgraded the 'Assets & Markets' rating due to frequent product enhancements in early 2025. These include extended trading hours for US stocks and the introduction of new share CFDs.
  • CMC provides competitive pricing with narrow spreads and low trading fees, except for stock CFDs. The Alpha and Price+ programmes offer additional benefits for active traders, including discounts on spreads of up to 40%.
  • CMC Markets is well-regulated by respected financial authorities, ensuring a secure and reliable trading environment. It upholds a strong reputation, providing traders with confidence.
  • The brokerage excels with an extensive array of valuable resources, such as pattern recognition scanners, webinars, tutorials, news feeds, and research from reputable sources like Morningstar.
Cons
  • Despite an expanding range of over 26,000 assets, including new additions to Asia Pacific indices, their offerings are primarily equities. The selection of currency pairs and indices remains average.
  • Unlike many leading brokers, BlackBull imposes a bothersome $5 fee for withdrawals. This charge can reduce the overall cost-effectiveness, particularly for traders who regularly transfer funds.
  • Despite enhancements such as webinars and tutorials in the Education Hub, our review indicates that the courses still require greater emphasis on elucidating broader economic factors affecting prices.
  • BlackBull does not offer its own trading platform, instead utilising MetaTrader, cTrader, and TradingView. Although these platforms are highly regarded, some brokers, such as eToro, provide proprietary platforms with distinct features that cater well to novice traders.
  • Although there have been improvements, the online platform still needs further refinement to match the user-friendly trading experience offered by competitors such as IG.
  • CMC provides a robust range of assets; however, it does not support trading actual stocks, and UK clients are unable to trade cryptocurrencies.
  • Trading stock CFDs comes with a relatively high commission, particularly when compared to low-cost brokers such as IC Markets.
  • A monthly inactivity charge of $10 is imposed after a year's inactivity, potentially discouraging occasional traders.
  • The CMC Markets app provides a comprehensive trading package; however, its design and user experience lag behind market leaders such as eToro.
Awards
  • Fast 50 Index (multiple years) - Deloitte
  • Best Global FX Broker 2022 - Forex Expo Dubai
  • Fastest Growing Exporter for Auckland 2018 - Westpac Auckland Business Awards
  • Best Trading App 2023 - DayTrading.com
  • No.1 Platform Technology 2022
  • No.1 New Tool 2022
  • No.1 Most Currency Pairs 2022
  • Best Trade Execution 2021
  • Best Forex Broker For Beginners 2021
  • Most Transparent Forex Broker Europe 2020
  • Best Trading Platform 2020
  • Best Trading App 2019
  • Best Customer Service 2018
FCA Regulated
No

List of FCA Regulated Brokers

Yes
Instruments
CFDs, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Futures, Crypto CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Treasuries, Custom Indices, Spread Betting
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0 $0
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots 0.01 Lots
Regulator
FMA, FSA FCA, ASIC, MAS, CIRO, BaFin, FMA, DFSA
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS & Android
Trading App
BlackBull delivers a comprehensive mobile trading ecosystem. It provides traders with excellent charting tools and impressive execution speeds of less than 100ms. Options include MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView apps, accommodating varied preferences. CMC Markets' award-winning app has revolutionised mobile trading. Its modern, customisable interface provides a unique user experience that sets it apart. Enhanced with 25 technical indicators, 15 drawing tools, and a swift, stable trading platform, it is an outstanding option for traders.
iOS App Rating
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3.7
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4.1
Android App Rating
rating empty
rating full
3.7
rating empty
rating full
3.7
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
1%
MetaTrader 4
Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5
Yes No
cTrader
Yes No
AlgoTrader
No No
OmniTrader
No No
TradingView
Yes Yes
Autochartist
Yes No
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
No No
STP Account
No No
ECN Account
Yes No
DMA Account
No No
MAM Account
Yes 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
Yes Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, cTrader Automate Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
Yes No
Copy Trading Platform
Blackbull excels with its extensive array of trading solutions, featuring options like CopyTrader, HokoCloud, DupliTrade, and Myfxbook. User-friendly dashboards display detailed metrics to evaluate strategy providers, including annual and percentage returns. This contributes to its reputation as a leading provider of inclusive trading packages available today.
Social Trading
Yes Yes
Trade Signals
BlackBull Research stock recommendation service Yes
VPS Hosting
Yes Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No Yes
Ethical Investing
No No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No Yes
Inactivity Fee
$0 $10
Islamic Account
Yes Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • JPY
  • ZAR
  • SGD
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • SGD
  • PLN
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Oil
  • Gasoline
  • Cocoa
  • Wheat
  • Corn
  • Sugar
  • Coffee
  • Natural Gas
  • Platinum
  • Palladium
  • Copper
  • Aluminium
  • Lead
  • Zinc
  • Gold
  • Oil
  • Silver
  • Copper
  • Coffee
  • Wheat
  • Precious Metals
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Orange Juice
  • Nickel
  • Palladium
  • Steel
  • Cannabis
  • Platinum
  • Livestock
  • Sugar
  • Gasoline
CFD
BlackBull stands out for CFD traders with leverage up to 1:500 and competitive spreads starting at 0.0 pips. It boasts round-the-clock support, which proved outstanding in tests, instilling confidence for traders in dynamic markets. CMC enables trading of CFDs on over 12,000 assets, including currencies, indices, commodities, shares, ETFs, and treasuries. In 2025, new equities will feature sectors like quantum computing, AI learning, and digital car sales. Enjoy competitive spreads without hidden fees, and leverage the renowned MetaTrader 4 platform. Consistently, CMC stands out as a leading CFD broker.
Leverage
1:500 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
1.5 1 pt
GBPUSD Spread<
0.5 0.9
Oil Spread
1.5 3.5
Stocks Spread
Variable 0.02
Forex
BlackBull provides 64 currency pairs with competitive pricing via its ECN accounts. The Standard account offers commission-free spreads starting at 0.8 pips. BlackBull's swift execution is also available on MT4, the leading platform among active forex traders. CMC offers a broad selection of over 300 forex pairs, featuring tight spreads and quick execution. This exceeds many competitors in currency variety. Their forex indices provide a distinctive and comprehensive method to speculate on major currencies such as USD, EUR, and GBP.
Assets
64 300+
GBPUSD Spread
0.5 0.9
EURUSD Spread
0.3 0.7
EURGBP Spread
0.8 1.1
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • JPY
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • CHF
Cryptocurrency
BlackBull facilitates short-term trading on 11 cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, with leverage of up to 1:5. Cryptos are traded against USD. The broker's 'Daily Opportunities' provide exceptional insights into emerging cryptocurrency trends. CMC Markets provides trading opportunities with popular digital currencies such as Bitcoin. However, it excels in offering crypto indices, granting broader market exposure. With minimal slippage and an impressive 99.9% fill rate, CMC is an excellent choice for active traders in the cryptocurrency sector.
Spread
245 From 1.3
Coins
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • XRP
  • LTC
  • ADA
  • POLY
  • XFET
  • XINJ
  • XNAKA
  • XAX
  • XCOTI
  • BTC
  • BCH
  • ETH
  • LTC
  • EOS
  • TRON
  • NEO
  • ADA
  • XLM
Crypto Lending
No No
Crypto Mining
No No
Crypto Staking
No No
Auto Market Maker
No No
BlackBull Markets CMC Markets
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 70% of retail investor accounts lose money when spread betting and/or trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
More Comparisons
BlackBull Markets
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