Pionex vs CMC Markets

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

Pionex vs CMC Markets Comparison Table 2026
Pionex CMC Markets
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rating full
3.4
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4.7
Pionex is ranked #29 among crypto brokers. CMC Markets is ranked #17 among CFD brokers.
Review
Review
Pionex is a cryptocurrency trading platform that excels in automated trading. It provides traders with an array of pre-built bots and strategies, alongside AI tools for strategy customisation or creation. These tools are available for both spot and futures crypto markets. 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
  • 16+ free trading bots integrated without coding or programming needed.
  • PionexGPT, an advanced AI chatbot, assists traders in programming bots using Pine script. It provides effective support for trading strategies.
  • With trading fees as low as 0.05% for both makers and takers, this platform offers competitive rates compared to other leading exchanges.
  • 250+ cryptocurrency coins for trading
  • Facilitates cryptocurrency derivatives through futures trading.
  • 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.
  • 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'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%.
  • 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
  • Inadequate regulatory oversight raises concerns about security.
  • Withdrawal fees and limits might be applicable.
  • Limited communication channels
  • 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 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
  • 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
Cryptos CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Treasuries, Custom Indices, Spread Betting
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0 $0
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.1 USDT 0.01 Lots
Regulator
NMLS, CBI, AMF FCA, ASIC, MAS, CIRO, BaFin, FMA, DFSA,
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.
iOS App Rating
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rating full
4.7
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rating full
4.1
Android App Rating
rating empty
rating full
4.1
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rating full
3.7
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
1%
MetaTrader 4
No Yes
MetaTrader 5
No No
cTrader
No No
AlgoTrader
No No
OmniTrader
No No
TradingView
No Yes
Autochartist
No No
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
No No
STP Account
No No
ECN Account
No No
DMA Account
No 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
No Yes
Market Maker
No Yes
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
No Yes
Auto Trading
Crypto bots Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
Yes No
Copy Trading Platform
Pionex users can identify successful traders and replicate their bot configurations. This enables round-the-clock cryptocurrency trading via an intuitive platform and app.
Social Trading
Yes Yes
Trade Signals
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
Islamic Account
No Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • SGD
  • PLN
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Oil
  • Silver
  • Copper
  • Coffee
  • Wheat
  • Precious Metals
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Orange Juice
  • Nickel
  • Palladium
  • Steel
  • Cannabis
  • Platinum
  • Livestock
  • Sugar
  • Gasoline
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.
Leverage
1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
1 pt
GBPUSD Spread<
0.9
Oil Spread
3.5
Stocks Spread
0.02
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.
Assets
300+
GBPUSD Spread
0.9
EURUSD Spread
0.7
EURGBP Spread
1.1
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • JPY
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • CHF
Cryptocurrency
Trade spot, futures, and leveraged positions on 120 cryptocurrencies through Pionex's exclusive platform. It features built-in bots and highly flexible automated trading options. However, the selection of tokens is more limited compared to other platforms. 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
Market From 1.3
Coins
  • BTC
  • LTC
  • ETH
  • BUSD
  • EOS
  • BTT
  • TRX
  • NFT
  • DOGE
  • XRP
  • HT
  • ALICE
  • FIL
  • DOT
  • JST
  • AXS
  • UNI
  • AAVE
  • WIN
  • SUN
  • CAKE
  • LINK
  • BAKE
  • BCH
  • ETC
  • SNX
  • TFUEL
  • ADA
  • PUNDIX
  • ICP
  • MDX
  • FLOW
  • DODO
  • MFT
  • BSV
  • MATIC
  • CSPR
  • SHIB
  • ATOM
  • SUSHI
  • KEY
  • PERP
  • DEGO
  • DENT
  • LUNA
  • BNB
  • MXC
  • SXP
  • SRM
  • THETA
  • CTK
  • O3
  • ASR
  • PHA
  • BEL
  • FLM
  • COMP
  • SAND
  • PSG
  • KSM
  • XLM
  • BZRX
  • KLAY
  • SOC
  • ACM
  • ZEC
  • CHZ
  • ROSE
  • JUV
  • MANA
  • CRV
  • CELO
  • ATA
  • LINA
  • HYDRO
  • DASH
  • OG
  • NEO
  • XCH
  • ENJ
  • XMR
  • BEAM
  • YFI
  • SOL
  • GRT
  • AION
  • FTT
  • CFX
  • MBL
  • TT
  • WRX
  • RUNE
  • USDC
  • VET
  • XVS
  • INJ
  • QTUM
  • KAVA
  • MASS
  • ONT
  • AKRO
  • DGB
  • XTC
  • NMR
  • DATA
  • HNT
  • SLP
  • FRONT
  • NEAR
  • ALGO
  • MX
  • OMG
  • SEELE
  • CHR
  • FET
  • VTHO
  • OCEAN
  • AUCTION
  • ALPHA
  • GTC
  • WOO
  • REP
  • OXT
  • ZKS
  • EGLD
  • WAVES
  • 1INCH
  • FOR
  • NANO
  • IOST
  • COS
  • MITH
  • GXS
  • ZEN
  • COTI
  • AVAX
  • RSR
  • AUDIO
  • SKL
  • DIA
  • ZRX
  • MTA
  • ELF
  • COCOS
  • PAXG
  • ANT
  • PNT
  • WICC
  • IOTA
  • FTM
  • BAND
  • CKB
  • BORING
  • CELR
  • NEXO
  • LAMB
  • CRO
  • NEST
  • BTM
  • OGN
  • FORTH
  • YFII
  • LTO
  • MASK
  • STX
  • BAGS
  • TRB
  • ONE
  • TOMO
  • WAXP
  • MKR
  • SKM
  • ARPA
  • NEW
  • ICX
  • SWRV
  • BAL
  • BTS
  • RLC
  • ZIL
  • XEM
  • CRE
  • STORJ
  • AR
  • UMA
  • MBTC
  • RVN
  • REN
  • MIR
  • STEEM
  • FIS
  • BLZ
  • BAT
  • HBAR
  • HPT
  • BADGER
  • SNT
  • CTXC
  • ANKR
  • MLN
  • DCR
  • KNC
  • GT
  • CVC
  • IRIS
  • REEF
  • DAI
  • VALUE
  • WNXM
  • AST
  • VIDY
  • POLS
  • IOTX
  • LRC
  • CTSI
  • NULS
  • RING
  • GLM
  • POND
  • LOOM
  • YAM
  • AE
  • DF
  • FIRO
  • PAX
  • BIX
  • UTK
  • NODE
  • BNT
  • 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
Pionex CMC Markets
Review
Review
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.
More Comparisons
Pionex
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 CMC Markets
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