Fortrade vs CMC Markets

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

Fortrade vs CMC Markets Comparison Table 2026
Fortrade CMC Markets
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3.3
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4.7
Fortrade is ranked #21 among CFD brokers. CMC Markets is ranked #15 among CFD brokers.
Fortrade is a well-regulated broker with oversight from authorities such as the FCA, CySEC, and ASIC. The firm offers trading on diverse instruments like stocks, bonds, commodities, forex, indices, cryptocurrencies, and ETFs. It provides competitive fees and supports both MetaTrader 4 and its own trading platform. 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. 68% 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
  • In recent years, many brokers have given up their EU licences, depriving European traders of regulated access. Fortrade, however, retains its CySEC licence under MiFID II. This ensures German, French, and other EU traders have a compliant option with separated client funds and a clear complaints procedure.
  • In Fortrade's regulatory framework, no compensation scheme parallels the CIPF's CAD 1 million coverage for eligible Canadian clients. This stands as the top investor protection cap by any FCA/ASIC/CySEC-tier broker in Canada, yet it often goes unnoticed.
  • Few retail CFD brokers provide both bond CFDs on 5Y, 10Y, and 30Y US Treasuries and soft commodity exposure within a single account. This concurrent offering is rare for traders seeking macro hedging tools or soft commodity access without a specialised platform.
  • 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.
Cons
  • Fortrade operates as a market maker, offering no Raw or ECN options. All clients, irrespective of deposit or experience, encounter identical internal pricing during NFP, FOMC, and BOE announcements. As liquidity decreases and slippage increases, the EUR/USD spread of 2 to 2.5 pips results in significantly higher entry costs during news releases than suggested by the headline model.
  • Mauritius-based international clients can access 1:200 leverage on major FX pairs—six times the FCA limit for retail traders. There is no compensation scheme, fewer conduct rules, and no Financial Ombudsman equivalent. This mix of high leverage and limited safeguards is Fortrade's main structural risk.
  • Fortrade's platforms, Fortrader and MT4, provide fundamental tools but lag behind the fast-evolving retail CFD market. Fortrader is user-friendly but lacks depth and has stability problems under stress. MT4 offers solid functionality but is outdated. The absence of MT5, TradingView, cTrader, copy trading, and PAMM individually may be manageable, but collectively they limit traders whose needs expand past the beginner level.
  • 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.
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
Forex, CFDs, indices, shares, commodities, cryptocurrencies, DMAs, ETFs, bonds CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Treasuries, Custom Indices, Spread Betting, Certificates and Warrants (Germany and Austria)
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$100 $0
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots 0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, ASIC, FSC, CIRO, DFSA, CySEC FCA, ASIC, MAS, CIRO, BaFin, FMA, DFSA
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS & Android
Trading App
The Fortrader mobile app allows trading of over 60 currency pairs. Users can view daily market insights and handle deposits and withdrawals through the app. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. 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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3.5
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4.1
Android App Rating
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4.2
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3.7
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
3.0%
MetaTrader 4
Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5
No 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
No No
ECN Account
Yes No
DMA Account
No No
MAM Account
Yes No
PAMM Account
Yes 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 Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
No No
Social Trading
No Yes
Trade Signals
Yes Yes
VPS Hosting
No Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No Yes
Ethical Investing
No No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No Yes
Inactivity Fee
$10 $15
Islamic Account
Yes Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • SGD
  • PLN
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Oil
  • Gasoline
  • Copper
  • Corn
  • Cotton
  • Palladium
  • Platinum
  • Sugar
  • Wheat
  • Natural Gas
  • Gold
  • Oil
  • Silver
  • Copper
  • Coffee
  • Wheat
  • Precious Metals
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Orange Juice
  • Nickel
  • Palladium
  • Steel
  • Cannabis
  • Platinum
  • Livestock
  • Sugar
  • Gasoline
CFD
Fortrade offers a diverse selection of leveraged CFDs across various asset classes such as forex, stocks, bonds, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. Traders benefit from leverage up to 1:30, zero commission, fast execution, and low latency, whether using MetaTrader 4 or Fortrade’s bespoke platform. 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
1:30 (varies by entity) 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
2 1 pt
GBPUSD Spread<
2 0.9
Oil Spread
0.04 3.5
Stocks Spread
Variable 0.02
Forex
Fortrade provides over 60 currency pairs, featuring a solid range of major, minor, and exotic options. Traders can use MT4 or Fortrade's proprietary, low-latency platform. The USD/GBP spread typically averages a competitive 2 pips. 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
60+ 300+
GBPUSD Spread
2 0.9
EURUSD Spread
2 0.7
EURGBP Spread
3 1.1
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • JPY
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • CHF
Fortrade CMC Markets
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 68% 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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