Trade Nation vs CMC Markets

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

Trade Nation vs CMC Markets Comparison Table 2026
Trade Nation CMC Markets
rating empty
rating full
4.4
rating empty
rating full
4.7
Trade Nation is ranked #4 among CFD brokers. CMC Markets is ranked #15 among CFD brokers.
Trade Nation is a leading FX and CFD broker regulated in the UK and Australia, among other places. The company provides competitively priced fixed and variable spreads on over 1,000 assets. Traders benefit from advanced platforms and comprehensive training materials. Additionally, the Signal Centre offers valuable trade ideas. 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.
67.3% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. 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
  • Trade Nation's 2026 alliance with Volt has streamlined payments for Australian traders, enabling instant deposits and withdrawals via PayID. Faster payout features are also anticipated for UK and EU clients.
  • The broker expanded into Europe by launching regulated online trading services, after securing authorization from Portugal's CVMV, enhancing safety measures for European residents.
  • During tests of the TN Trader account in standard market conditions, fixed spreads remained stable. Major forex pairs experienced prompt order fills, albeit with slight entry level drift as prices fluctuated between click and execution.
  • Trade Nation accounts can now connect to TradingView, offering enhanced multi-chart functionality and direct trade execution.
  • The demo includes a £5,000 practice account, and you can request a personalised platform walkthrough via callback. This level of individual assistance is uncommon.
  • 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 available from October 2026, providing up to a $100k prop trading-style simulated account to traders looking to prove their skills on CMC's trading infrastructure with wide market access, including prediction markets.
Cons
  • Offshore SCB and FSA firms offer retail investors leverage up to 1:200 and 1:500. In contrast, regions like the UK, Europe, and Australia cap leverage at 1:30. Thus, an FSA client can access 16 times more exposure than a UK retail client on identical trades. However, this comes with reduced oversight and no compensation schemes.
  • The FCA, CMVM, and ASIC clients are ineligible for the 2–20% rebate scheme. Consequently, active traders in these areas cannot receive transaction rebates.
  • There is no raw or ECN pricing tier, often favoured by traders. Regardless of your deposit or trading volume, you receive the same fixed (or variable on MT4) pricing as novices, rendering it particularly unsuitable for scalpers.
  • Withdrawals may take up to five business days, aligning with industry norms. However, this is slower compared to the 1-3 days many brokers now offer to minimise complaints from retail investors.
  • 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 Spread Betting Provider 2026 - Online Money Awards
  • Best Forex and CFD Broker in the UK 2025 - TradingView Broker 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
CFDs, Forex, Indices, Shares, Commodities, Futures, Bonds, Spread Betting (UK and Ireland only), Cryptos (Bahamas entity only) CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Treasuries, Custom Indices, Spread Betting, Certificates and Warrants (Germany and Austria)
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0 $0
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.1 Lots 0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, ASIC, CMVM , FSCA, SCB, FSA 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
rating empty
rating full
4.5
rating empty
rating full
4.1
Android App Rating
rating empty
rating full
4.5
rating empty
rating full
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
Yes Yes
Autochartist
No No
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
No No
STP Account
Yes 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
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
Yes No
Copy Trading Platform
Trade Nation Seychelles provides signals and copy trading, appealing to novices and those preferring a passive trading strategy. Capitalise on experienced traders' insights to engage in popular financial markets like forex, stocks, and commodities.
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
$0 $15
Islamic Account
Yes Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • AUD
  • ZAR
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • DKK
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • SGD
  • PLN
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Aluminium
  • Copper
  • Zinc
  • Oil
  • Gold
  • Oil
  • Silver
  • Copper
  • Coffee
  • Wheat
  • Precious Metals
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Orange Juice
  • Nickel
  • Palladium
  • Steel
  • Cannabis
  • Platinum
  • Livestock
  • Sugar
  • Gasoline
CFD
Trade leveraged CFDs on 1,000+ assets, benefiting from competitive spreads. Utilise the broker's integrated signals to decide optimal entry and exit points. 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
From 0.4 1 pt
GBPUSD Spread<
From 0.6 0.9
Oil Spread
From 3.0 3.5
Stocks Spread
Variable 0.02
Forex
Trade Nation provides more than 30 popular forex pairs with variable spreads. Traders can choose between a user-friendly proprietary platform and MetaTrader 4. Real-time forex market updates and insights are available through 'Smart News'. 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
33 300+
GBPUSD Spread
Variable 0.9
EURUSD Spread
Variable 0.7
EURGBP Spread
Variable 1.1
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • JPY
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • CHF
Cryptocurrency
The broker’s Bahamas entity facilitates access to cryptocurrencies. Traders can utilise a vast array of indicators to customise their strategies, with transparent pricing and no hidden fees. 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
Fixed From 1.3
Coins
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • LTC
  • 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
Trade Nation CMC Markets
67.3% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. 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.
More Comparisons
Trade Nation
vs

CMC Markets
vs