CMC Markets vs Avatrade

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

CMC Markets vs AvaTrade Comparison Table 2024
CMC Markets AvaTrade
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4.7
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4.9
CMC Markets is ranked #3 among CFD brokers. AvaTrade is ranked #1 among CFD brokers.
Review
Review
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. AvaTrade is a leading forex and CFD broker, established in 2006 and regulated across 9 jurisdictions. Over 400,000 users have signed up with the broker which processes over 2 million trades each month. The firm offers multiple trading platforms, including MT4, MT5, and a proprietary WebTrader. 1250+ financial instruments are available for trading, alongside a comprehensive education center and multilingual customer support.
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
  • 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.
  • WebTrader is well-suited to beginners and features a strong suite of technical analysis tools and market research for traders
  • The broker’s unique risk management tool, AvaProtect, protects against losses up to $1 million and is easy to activate in the platform
  • Automated trading is supported through MetaTrader Expert Advisors (EAs), as well as the AvaSocial and DupliTrade tools
  • There's a great range of fee-free deposit methods, including bank wire, credit cards and popular e-wallets like Skrill
  • The broker offers reliable 24/5 multilingual customer support with fast response times during testing
  • AvaTrade is a heavily regulated and trustworthy broker with licenses from the ASIC, CySEC and more
  • Traders can access stable spreads and zero commissions with no hidden fees
Cons
  • 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.
  • A high $2000 minimum investment is required to use DupliTrade, which will be out of reach for many beginners
  • There’s an above-average $50 inactivity fee after three months, though this won't impact active traders
  • It’s a shame that there are no rebate schemes for serious traders looking for additional perks - CMC Markets would be a better choice here
  • There is no ECN account with raw spreads
  • Traders from the US are not accepted
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
  • Best Mobile Trading Platform 2023 - Finance Derivative
  • Best Educational 2023 - Global Business Magazine
  • Best Overall Broker 2022 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Trading App 2021 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Forex Broker 2019 - DayTrading.com
FCA Regulated
Yes No

List of FCA Regulated Brokers

Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Treasuries, Custom Indices, Spread Betting CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Bonds, Crypto, Spread Betting
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0 $100
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots 0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, ASIC, MAS, CIRO, BaFin, FMA, DFSA ASIC, CySEC, FSCA, ISA, CBol, FSA, FSRA, BVI, ADGM
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android 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.

AvaTradeGO consistently impresses with its comprehensive mobile trading experience, boasting an interface that’s not just easy to use, but genuinely intuitive. Navigating the app is a breeze, ensuring fast access to hundreds of markets, including forex, stocks, indices, commodities, ETFs, and bonds. However, what sets AvaTradeGO apart is its AvaProtect™ feature, offering an unmatched level of risk protection that’s rare to find elsewhere.
iOS App Rating
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4.1
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4.3
Android App Rating
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3.7
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4
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
1% 2%
MetaTrader 4
Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5
No Yes
cTrader
No No
AlgoTrader
No Yes
OmniTrader
No No
TradingView
No No
Autochartist
No No
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
No Yes
STP Account
No Yes
ECN Account
No No
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 Yes
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
No Yes
Copy Trading Platform
AvaTrade maintains a top position when it comes to social and copy trading tools. Traders can access the proprietary AvaSocial app as well as popular third-party platforms, DupliTrade and ZuluTrade. The comprehensive performance metrics can help you find the right strategy provider for your goals and risk appetite.
Social Trading
Yes Yes
Trade Signals
Yes Yes
VPS Hosting
Yes No
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
Yes No
Ethical Investing
No No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
Yes No
Inactivity Fee
$10 $50
Islamic Account
Yes Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • SGD
  • PLN
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Oil
  • Silver
  • Copper
  • Coffee
  • Wheat
  • Precious Metals
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Orange Juice
  • Nickel
  • Palladium
  • Steel
  • Cannabis
  • Platinum
  • Livestock
  • Sugar
  • Gasoline
  • Gold
  • Oil
  • Silver
  • Copper
  • Cotton
  • Corn
  • Coffee
  • Sugar
  • Gasoline
  • Palladium
  • Cocoa
  • Wheat
  • Precious Metals
  • Platinum
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Lithium
  • Cannabis
CFD
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. AvaTrade's 1250+ leveraged CFD products span a wide range of asset classes including stocks, indices, commodities, bonds, crypto, and ETFs. You can speculate on underlying assets in the broker’s feature-rich web and mobile platforms with market-leading research tools to help discover opportunities.
Leverage
1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro) 1:30 (Retail) 1:400 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
1 pt 0.5
GBPUSD Spread<
0.9 1.5
Oil Spread
3.5 0.02
Stocks Spread
0.02 0.13
Forex
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. AvaTrade offers 50+ currency pairs with competitive spreads from 0.9 pips and zero commissions. You can trade majors, minors and exotics around the clock on industry-leading platforms, including MT4 and MT5. Traders can also access beginner-friendly trading tools and comprehensive forex education.
Assets
300+ 50+
GBPUSD Spread
0.9 1.5
EURUSD Spread
0.7 0.9
EURGBP Spread
1.1 1.5
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • JPY
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • CHF
  • USD
CMC Markets AvaTrade
Review
Review
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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