City Index vs CMC Markets

City Index or CMC Markets – which is better for UK traders 2024? Compare City Index and CMC Markets in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.

City Index vs CMC Markets Comparison Table 2024
City Index CMC Markets
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4.4
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4.7
City Index is ranked #11 among CFD brokers. CMC Markets is ranked #3 among CFD brokers.
City Index is an established and award-winning forex, CFD and spread betting broker with top-tier global regulation, including in the UK (FCA) and Australia (ASIC). With 30+ years in the industry, 13,500+ instruments and 24/5 customer support, City Index is a solid pick for aspiring traders. Established in 1989, CMC Markets is a respected broker listed on the London Stock Exchange and authorized by several tier-one regulators, including the FCA, ASIC and CIRO. More than 1 million traders from around the world have signed up with the multi-award winning brokerage.
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 trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% 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
  • Thousands of instruments including thematic indices and interest rates that are not available at many alternatives
  • Industry-leading platforms including MT4, plus access to cutting-edge third-party tools like TradingView
  • Excellent reputation with over 1 million account holders and tier-one regulatory oversight
  • Tight spreads from 0.5 pips on EUR/USD and competitive commissions on CFD shares
  • A free demo account with unrestricted access to all markets and trading tools
  • Extended hours trading on 70+ popular shares including Amazon and Tesla
  • No minimum deposit to get started
  • The web platform delivers a fantastic user experience with advanced charting tools for trading and customizable features, catering to both beginners and experienced traders. MT4 (but not MT5) is also supported.
  • CMC offers excellent pricing, including tight spreads and low trading fees for all but stock CFDs. The Alpha and Price+ schemes also offer perks for active traders with up to 40% discounts on spreads.
  • CMC Markets is heavily regulated by reputable financial authorities and maintains its stellar reputation, helping to ensure a secure and trustworthy trading environment.
  • The brokerage continues to stand out with its wide range of value-add resources, including pattern recognition scanners, webinars, tutorials, news feeds, and research from respected sources like Morningstar.
Cons
  • Cryptocurrency trading not available in all locations
  • No Islamic account for Muslim traders
  • $15 monthly inactivity fee
  • US traders not accepted
  • Despite improvements, the web platform still requires enhancements to make it as intuitive to trade on as software from rivals like IG.
  • While CMC offers an above-average suite of assets, there is no support for trading real stocks and UK clients can’t trade cryptocurrencies.
  • Trading stock CFDs incurs a relatively high commission, especially compared to the cheapest brokers like IC Markets.
  • An inactivity fee of $10 per month is applied after 12 months of inactivity, which may deter casual investors.
  • The CMC Markets app offers the complete trading package but the design and user experience trails category leaders like eToro.
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
Yes Yes
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Options, Commodities, Bonds 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
ASIC, FCA, MAS FCA, ASIC, MAS, CIRO, BaFin, FMA, DFSA
Mobile Apps
Yes iOS & Android
Trading App

The award-winning app from CMC Markets has transformed mobile trading. The app’s modern and customizable interface offers a unique user experience, distinct from competitors. Moreover, with its comprehensive charting capabilities featuring 25 technical indicators and 15 drawing tools, as well as its fast and stable trading environment, it’s an exceptional choice for traders.

iOS App Rating
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3.8
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4.1
Android App Rating
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2.8
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3.7
Margin Trading
No Yes
Margin Rate
2.5% 1%
MetaTrader 4
Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5
No No
cTrader
No No
AlgoTrader
No No
OmniTrader
No No
TradingView
Yes No
Autochartist
No No
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
Yes No
STP Account
Yes No
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
Yes Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
No No
Social Trading
No Yes
Trade Signals
Smart Signals Yes
VPS Hosting
No Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No Yes
Ethical Investing
No No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
Yes Yes
Inactivity Fee
£12 $10
Islamic Account
No Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • AUD
  • CZK
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • SGD
  • PLN
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Oil
  • Silver
  • Copper
  • Livestock
  • Platinum
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Nickel
  • Iron
  • Orange Juice
  • Cannabis
  • Gold
  • Oil
  • Silver
  • Copper
  • Coffee
  • Wheat
  • Precious Metals
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Orange Juice
  • Nickel
  • Palladium
  • Steel
  • Cannabis
  • Platinum
  • Livestock
  • Sugar
  • Gasoline
CFD
Trade 5,000+ CFDs from a single account with no hidden fees and free live market data. The suite of markets is impressive vs alternatives, including access to shares, indices, commodities and bonds. CMC lets you trade CFDs on 12,000+ assets across currencies, indices, commodities, shares, ETFs and treasuries. Spreads are relatively tight, there are no hidden fees and the industry-leading MetaTrader 4 platform is also supported for leveraged trading. Year after year, CMC shines as one of the best CFD brokers in the market.
Leverage
1:30 (Retail), 1:50 (Accredited Investor), 1:200 (Sophisticated Investor), 1:300 (Wholesale Investor), 1:400 (Professional Trader). Varies with jurisdiction. 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
1 pt 1 pt
GBPUSD Spread<
0.8 pips 0.9
Oil Spread
0.4 3.5
Stocks Spread
Variable 0.02
Forex
Trade a wide selection of 80+ currency pairs with spreads from 0.5 pips and industry-favorite platforms. City Index has 40+ years experience in forex trading with liquidity from tier-one banks. CMC presents an extensive array of 300+ forex pairs characterized by tight spreads and rapid executions, surpassing the offerings of many competitors in terms of currency diversity. Forex indices also present a fairly unique and holistic way to speculate on the value of key currencies like the USD, EUR and GBP.
Assets
84 300+
GBPUSD Spread
0.8 0.9
EURUSD Spread
0.5 0.7
EURGBP Spread
0.8 1.1
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • JPY
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • CHF
City Index CMC Markets
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 trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% 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.
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