Independent reviews of UK brokers since 1996

CMC Markets vs Eightcap

CMC Markets or Eightcap – which is better for UK traders 2026? Compare CMC Markets and Eightcap in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.

CMC Markets vs Eightcap Comparison Table 2026
CMC Markets Eightcap
4.7
4.6
CMC Markets is ranked #15 among CFD brokers. Eightcap is ranked #7 among CFD brokers.
Visit CMC Markets Visit Eightcap
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. Eightcap, an acclaimed broker regulated by the FCA, offers exceptionally low trading costs. Recognised as the top-rated brand by TradingView's vast user base of 100 million, traders can directly access the platform. UK traders can open a live account with a minimum deposit of just £100.

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.

Services are provided subject to applicable laws and regulations. Certain products, services, instruments, platforms or payment methods may not be available to residents of certain jurisdictions.

Pros
  • The CMC web platform offers an excellent user experience, featuring advanced trading chart tools and customisable options, suitable for both novice and seasoned traders. It also supports MT4, MT5, and, from 2025, TradingView.
  • CMC Markets has introduced an AI News feature. This leverages AI to highlight and summarise market stories instead of executing trades, suggesting the future direction of broker research tools.
  • We upgraded its 'Assets & Markets' rating due to frequent product expansions in 2025 and 2026. These include extended hours for 5,000+ US stocks and ETFs, new share CFDs, certificates, warrants, and fractional shares in certain areas.
  • 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%.
  • 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.
  • CMC Funded launches in October 2026, offering traders a simulated prop-style account of up to $100,000 to demonstrate their skills on CMC’s platform, with broad market access including prediction markets.
  • Eightcap has excelled in all essential trading areas, surpassing all rivals to clinch our 'Best Overall Broker' award for 2024. It also earned the titles of 'Best Crypto Broker' and 'Best TradingView Broker' for 2025.
  • In 2026, Eightcap integrated TradeLocker in select areas, establishing itself as the premier regulated broker for this platform. It continues to offer ultra-fast execution and competitive fees for active traders using the charting software.
  • Eightcap has launched GOLD247, offering 24/7 gold/USD CFD trading with up to 1:20 leverage, 0.01-lot minimums and zero commission for weekend gold traders.
  • Eightcap offers competitive trading with tight spreads starting from 0 pips and low commission fees. These affordable and adaptable conditions suit various strategies, including trading and scalping.
  • In 2021, Eightcap enhanced its lineup, now providing an extensive range of cryptocurrency CFDs. It offers crypto/fiat and crypto/crypto pairs, along with crypto indices for comprehensive market exposure.
  • Eightcap excels with a suite of advanced trading tools, such as MT4 and MT5, and has recently joined the 100-million-user social trading network, TradingView.
  • Eightcap Challenges, the broker's proprietary trading firm, operates under multiple regulations, eliminating the third-party risks typical of white-label firms. It offers tailored funded accounts for crypto traders with approximately 150 crypto pairs and is integrated with the TradingView platform.
Cons
  • 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.
  • A £15 monthly inactivity fee applies after a year of no activity, possibly discouraging casual investors.
  • The CMC Markets app provides a comprehensive trading package; however, its design and user experience lag behind market leaders such as eToro.
  • Despite the growing range of tools available, Eightcap lacks popular industry resources such as Autochartist and Trading Central. These provide advanced charting analytics, live news, and essential market insights for traders focused on short-term strategies.
  • Eightcap must enhance its range of over 800 instruments to rival top competitors like Blackbull Markets, which offers 26,000+ assets, especially improving its limited commodities selection.
  • The demo account is available for 30 days, after which it requires a request for extension. This is less convenient than XM's offering, which provides an unlimited demo mode.
  • Despite a helpful array of educational guides and e-books in Labs, Eightcap lags behind IG's extensive resources for aspiring traders. IG boasts a dedicated Academy app and features 18 diverse course categories.
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 TradingView Broker 2025 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Cryptocurrency Broker 2025 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Overall Broker 2024 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Cryptocurrency Broker 2024 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Forex Broker 2023 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Cryptocurrency Broker 2023 - DayTrading.com
  • Best MT4/MT5 Broker 2022 - DayTrading.com
FCA Regulated
Yes Yes
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Treasuries, Custom Indices, Spread Betting, Certificates and Warrants (Germany and Austria) CFDs in Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities
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 FCA, ASIC, CySEC, FSC, SCB, FSA
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS & Android
Trading App
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. Eightcap offers MT4, MT5, and TradingView apps, being the sole FCA-regulated broker with TradingView, ideal for mobile traders seeking advanced charting. Although MetaTrader's design feels dated, its numerous technical indicators, drawing tools, diverse chart styles, and simple horizontal overlays are impressive. Push notifications and an active social network on TradingView are beneficial for traders, with Eightcap providing guidance videos on linking TradingView to iOS and Android.
iOS App Rating
4.1 4.8
Android App Rating
3.7 4.4
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
3.0%
MetaTrader 4
Yes No
MetaTrader 5
Yes Yes
cTrader
No No
AlgoTrader
No No
OmniTrader
No No
TradingView
Yes Yes
Autochartist
No No
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
No No
STP Account
No No
ECN Account
No Yes
DMA Account
No No
MAM Account
No Yes
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
Yes No
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader TradingView Bots
Copy Trading
No No
Social Trading
Yes Yes
Trade Signals
Yes
VPS Hosting
Yes Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
Yes No
Ethical Investing
No No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
Yes No
Inactivity Fee
$15 $0
Islamic Account
Yes Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • SGD
  • PLN
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • SGD
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Oil
  • Silver
  • Copper
  • Coffee
  • Wheat
  • Precious Metals
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Orange Juice
  • Nickel
  • Palladium
  • Steel
  • Cannabis
  • Platinum
  • Livestock
  • Sugar
  • Gasoline
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Oil
  • Palladium
  • Zinc
  • Nickel
  • Platinum
CFD
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. Eightcap provides an extensive selection of trading options with over 800 CFDs covering equities, indices, bonds, commodities, and digital currencies, subject to regional availability. Traders can access leverage ranging from 1:30 to 1:500. The platform is distinguished by its sophisticated tools, including an AI-powered economic calendar that tracks over 25 countries with filters for varying impact levels. Despite these strengths, Eightcap's selection of commodities, especially softs such as cotton and wheat, along with its range of precious metals and energy assets, remains limited and could benefit from further development.
Leverage
1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro) 1:30
FTSE Spread
1 pt 1.2
GBPUSD Spread<
0.9 0.1
Oil Spread
3.5 0.03
Stocks Spread
0.02 0.03 (Apple Inc)
Forex
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. Eightcap provides over 50 currency pairs, matching the industry norm but falling short of leaders like CMC Markets, which offers more than 300. Nonetheless, Eightcap distinguishes itself with institutional-quality spreads starting from 0.0 pips on major pairs such as EUR/USD. The broker's competitively low commissions at $3.50 per side further enhance its appeal. Eightcap also equips traders with comprehensive forex data, including essential fundamentals, bullish and bearish signals, and a calendar monitoring significant foreign exchange market events.
Assets
300+ 50+
GBPUSD Spread
0.9 0.1
EURUSD Spread
0.7 0.0
EURGBP Spread
1.1 0.1
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • JPY
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • CHF
  • USD
CMC Markets Eightcap
Visit CMC Markets Visit Eightcap
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. Services are provided subject to applicable laws and regulations. Certain products, services, instruments, platforms or payment methods may not be available to residents of certain jurisdictions.
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