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Swissquote vs CMC Markets

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

Swissquote vs CMC Markets Comparison Table 2026
Swissquote	CMC Markets

4	4.7
Swissquote is ranked #22 among CFD brokers.	CMC Markets is ranked #17 among CFD brokers.
Review	Review
Founded in 1996, Swissquote is a prominent Swiss bank and broker, providing online trading opportunities for an impressive portfolio of three million products, including forex, CFDs, futures, options, and bonds. Renowned for its reliability, Swissquote has earned a solid reputation through pioneering trading solutions. It was the first bank to introduce cryptocurrency trading in 2017, and has since expanded its offerings to include fractional shares and the Invest Easy service.	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
Swissquote is highly reputable due to its status as a bank, its presence on the Swiss stock exchange, and its authorisations from credible regulators such as FINMA in Switzerland, FCA in the UK, and CSSF in Luxembourg. Swissquote is designed for rapid trading strategies, including scalping and high-frequency approaches. With an average execution speed of 9ms and a 98% fill ratio, it also supports FIX API. Swissquote offers robust platforms for traders, including MetaTrader 4/5 and its proprietary CFXD (formerly Advanced Trader). During testing, these platforms stood out with their adaptable layouts, advanced charting tools, and comprehensive technical indicators. Swissquote offers sophisticated research tools such as Autochartist for technical analysis and real-time news from Dow Jones. The firm's exclusive Market Talk videos and Morning News provide daily expert insights, catering to active traders.	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%. CMC Markets is well-regulated by respected financial authorities, ensuring a secure and reliable trading environment. It upholds a strong reputation, providing traders with confidence. 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
Swissquote focuses on serving professional and high-net-worth clients, requiring substantial initial deposits, such as $1,000 for Standard accounts. This approach is less favourable for smaller traders who prefer brokers offering higher leverage and no deposit requirements. Analysis indicates that Swissquote's charges are relatively high. Forex spreads on Standard accounts begin at 1.3 pips, whereas brokers such as Pepperstone or IC Markets offer starting spreads of 0.0 pips. Additionally, transaction fees for non-Swiss stocks and ETFs could accumulate significantly for active traders. Unlike brokers like eToro that offer social trading capabilities, Swissquote does not provide tools for community interaction or replicating successful traders. This absence can reduce its attractiveness to those who prioritise peer-to-peer learning.	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. CMC provides a robust range of assets; however, it does not support trading actual stocks, and UK clients are unable to trade cryptocurrencies. Trading stock CFDs comes with a relatively high commission, particularly when compared to low-cost brokers such as IC Markets. 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
Top Innovative Companies 2025 – Statista ETF Online Broker of the Year 2024 – Swiss ETF Awards World’s Most Trustworthy Companies 2024 – Statista	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, Indices, Bonds, Options, Futures, ETFs, Crypto (location dependent)	CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Treasuries, Custom Indices, Spread Betting
Demo Account
Yes	Yes
Minimum Deposit
$1,000	$0
Payment Methods
Credit Card Debit Card Mastercard Visa Wire Transfer	Credit Card Debit Card Mastercard PayPal Visa Wire Transfer
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots	0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, FINMA, CSSF, DFSA, SFC, MAS, MFSA, CySEC, FSCA	FCA, ASIC, MAS, CIRO, BaFin, FMA, DFSA
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android	iOS & Android
Trading App
The Swissquote app, honed over time, seamlessly merges banking with trading, offering swift access to a top-tier selection of over three million instruments, such as stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. It surpasses the majority of trading apps we've reviewed, delivering a complete financial app with dynamic charts and distinctive features.	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
4.5	4.1
Android App Rating
3.4	3.7
Margin Trading
Yes	Yes
Margin Rate
	1%
MetaTrader 4
Yes	Yes
MetaTrader 5
Yes	No
cTrader
No	No
AlgoTrader
No	No
OmniTrader
No	No
TradingView
No	Yes
Autochartist
Yes	No
eSignal
No	No
Trading Central
Yes	No
STP Account
Yes	No
ECN Account
No	No
DMA Account
Yes	No
MAM Account
Yes	No
PAMM Account
No	No
LAMM Account
No	No
Demat Account
No	No
AI / Machine Learning
Yes	No
Robo Advisor
Yes	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 and FIX API solutions	Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
No	No
Social Trading
No	Yes
Trade Signals
Integrated in CFXD	Yes
VPS Hosting
No	Yes
Tournaments
No	No
Demo Competitions
No	Yes
Ethical Investing
Yes	No
Custodial Account
No	No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No	Yes
Inactivity Fee
$0	$10
Islamic Account
Yes	Yes
Account Currencies
USD EUR GBP CAD AUD NZD JPY ZAR TRY SEK NOK CHF HKD SGD PLN AED SAR HUF THB QAR MXN	USD EUR GBP CAD AUD NZD SEK NOK SGD PLN
Commodities
Oil Gasoline Silver Gold Palladium Platinum Natural Gas Copper Cocoa Sugar Soybeans Coffee Precious Metals	Gold Oil Silver Copper Coffee Wheat Precious Metals Natural Gas Soybeans Orange Juice Nickel Palladium Steel Cannabis Platinum Livestock Sugar Gasoline
CFD
Swissquote has become a reliable CFD broker, offering trading opportunities across a broad range of global markets with rapid execution. The broker provides the intuitive CFXD platform as well as MetaTrader, and delivers insights from respected third-party sources such as Autochartist and Trading Central.	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	1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
0.9	1 pt
GBPUSD Spread<
1.7	0.9
Oil Spread
0.03	3.5
Stocks Spread
N/A	0.02
Forex
Swissquote provides attractive terms for active forex traders, offering over 80 currency pairs. It ensures rapid execution speeds averaging 9ms and grants access to the popular MT4 platform.	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
80+	300+
GBPUSD Spread
1.7	0.9
EURUSD Spread
1.3	0.7
EURGBP Spread
1.5	1.1
Currency Indices
	USD EUR GBP JPY CAD AUD NZD CHF

Swissquote	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.
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Swissquote vs	CMC Markets vs