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CMC Markets vs Forex.com: Comparison and Analysis

Written by Filippo Ucchino Publication Date Last Updated
Our verdict · CFD trading

CMC Markets and Forex.com are two great brokers in the UK for scalping and hedging. That said, Forex.com is the better choice if you are looking for a lower EUR/USD cost (4.50 USD per lot against 7.00 USD), for expert advisors, high-frequency strategies, VPS hosting and API access, for fixed-spread and Islamic accounts, and for a programme for high-volume traders, with orders filled in 3 ms against 9 ms. CMC Markets is better because it lists far more tradable symbols (12,000 against 150), asks for no minimum deposit, where Forex.com asks for 100.00 USD, runs MetaTrader 5 and TradingView next to the MetaTrader 4 and proprietary platform both brokers share, and adds copy and social trading. CMC Markets and Forex.com are both regulated in the UK by the FCA. The two brokers cover CFDs on commodities, forex, indices and stocks, open professional accounts, provide a demo account and take 2 days for deposits and withdrawals.

Our verdict · Real stock investing

CMC Markets and Forex.com cannot be compared for real stock investing in the UK, because Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks to buy. If you want to invest in real stocks and you are choosing between CMC Markets and Forex.com, CMC Markets is the better option of the two, because it lets you own ETFs and stocks outright.

Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD brokers: leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto. Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as stock brokers: real shares and ETFs you own outright.

Best overall

CMC Markets

CFDCFD This broker offers CFD trading: leveraged contracts that follow the price of an asset without owning it. Switch the comparison to CFD to rate it on that. StocksStocks This broker lets you buy real assets that you own outright. Switch the comparison to Stocks to rate it on that. Regulated in your country CMC Markets holds a licence from the regulator of the country this site is for, so local investor protections apply.
CMC Markets review ›
84CFDOverall score InvestinGoal score from 0 to 100, calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas (regulation, safety, costs, platforms and more). CFD and stock trading are scored separately: the number follows the side selected above. 78StocksOverall score InvestinGoal score from 0 to 100, calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas (regulation, safety, costs, platforms and more). CFD and stock trading are scored separately: the number follows the side selected above.
Open Account

78% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Forex.com

CFDCFD This broker offers CFD trading: leveraged contracts that follow the price of an asset without owning it. Switch the comparison to CFD to rate it on that. Regulated in your country Forex.com holds a licence from the regulator of the country this site is for, so local investor protections apply.
Forex.com review ›
86CFDOverall score InvestinGoal score from 0 to 100, calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas (regulation, safety, costs, platforms and more). CFD and stock trading are scored separately: the number follows the side selected above. not offeredStocksOverall score InvestinGoal score from 0 to 100, calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas (regulation, safety, costs, platforms and more). CFD and stock trading are scored separately: the number follows the side selected above.
Open Account

75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Best for

1 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders CMC Markets and Forex.com are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in United Kingdom.

CMC Markets is better than Forex.com for long-term investors, while Forex.com is better for day traders and news traders. High-volume traders, scalpers and algo traders can choose either CMC Markets or Forex.com.

Best for
Overall score CMC Markets 84 -2 78 Forex.com 86 not offered
Day trading i
Long-term investing i
Professional traders i
High-volume traders i
Scalpers i
Swing traders i
News traders i
Algo traders i
Stock traders i
Crypto traders i
Futures traders i
Options traders i

Regulation

2 / 12
What we compare A comparison between the financial authorities that supervise CMC Markets and the ones that supervise Forex.com.
Regulation
Section score CMC Markets 100 100 Forex.com 100 not offered
Tier-1 regulators
ESMA (European Union) i
FCA (United Kingdom) i
ASIC (Australia) i
CFTC (United States) i
NFA (United States) i
SEC (United States) i
CIRO (Canada) i
MAS (Singapore) i
SFC (Hong Kong) i
JFSA (Japan) i
FINMA (Switzerland) i
Tier-2 regulators
FMA (New Zealand) i
CBR (Russia) i
FSCA (South Africa) i
DFSA (Dubai) i
CSRC (China) i
ISA (Israel) i
LFSA (Malaysia) i
JSC (Jordan) i
CMA (Kenya) i
Tier-3 regulators
FSA (Seychelles) i
MMA (Maldives) i
SCB (Bahamas) i
FSC (Mauritius) i
VFSC (Vanuatu) i
FSC (Belize) i
CIMA (Cayman Islands) i
SV FSA (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) i
FSRC (St. Kitts & Nevis) i
BMA (Bermuda) i
BVI FSC (British Virgin Islands) i
EDR (External Dispute Resolution) i

Safety

3 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the tools and services that CMC Markets and Forex.com have in place to protect your money in United Kingdom.
Safety
Section score CMC Markets 95 Best 95 Forex.com 86 -9 not offered
Company info
Is it publicly traded i
Is it a bank i
Year founded i 1989 1999
Parent company i CMC Markets plc StoneX Group (via GAIN Capital)
CEO i Peter Cruddas Glenn Stevens
Money safety
Segregated client funds i
Two-factor authentication i
Investor compensation scheme i
Additional money insurance i
Partner bank i NatWest, Barclays, Lloyds N/A
Brand power
Number of customers worldwide i 1,000,000 400,000
Annual revenue i USD 324,700,000 USD 169,500,000
Monthly website search traffic i 10.5M monthly visits 1.9M monthly visits

Costs

4 / 12
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with CMC Markets and with Forex.com in United Kingdom, both on each trade and on holding the account.

Forex.com is better than CMC Markets for CFD costs, because Forex.com is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 4.5 USD per lot (against CMC Markets' 7 USD).

Forex.com does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so CMC Markets and Forex.com cannot be compared for real stock costs.

Costs
Section score CMC Markets 73 -8 44 Forex.com 81 Best not offered
Broker fees
Deposit fees i
Withdrawal fees i
Overnight fees i
Inactivity fees i
Currency conversion fees i
Discounts on volume i
Real time market data fee i
Dividend withholding i
Account opening fees i
Account maintenance fee i
Portfolio management fee i
Fees on CFDs
Forex commission per lot i USD 5 Free
EUR/USD average standard spread i
0.7 pips
0.7 pips
EUR/USD average raw spread i
0.2 pips
EUR/USD average fixed spread i
EUR/USD total cost per lot i USD 7 USD 4.5
S&P 500 fees (CFD) i 0.5 points 0.6 points
Gold fees (CFD) i 0.2 points 0.1 points
Bitcoin fees (CFD) i
US stocks fees (CFD) i USD 0.02 USD 0.018
Fees on stocks
Stock fee type i Commission, Percentage
US stocks fees (real) i
ETF fees (real) i
Management costs i
Connection costs i
Fees on futures
Futures fees per contract i
Platform fees i
Fees on options
Options fees per contract i Free
Event fees i
Fees on savings plans
IRA opening fee i
IRA maintenance fee i
401k opening fee i
401k maintenance fee i

Available markets

5 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the markets and products you can trade with CMC Markets and with Forex.com in United Kingdom, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.

Forex.com is better than CMC Markets for CFD markets.

CMC Markets and Forex.com cannot be compared for real stock markets, because CMC Markets is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Forex.com is a CFD broker.

Available markets
Section score CMC Markets 75 -10 30 Forex.com 85 Best not offered
Total tradable symbols i 12,000 150
Currency pairs i
Indices i
Commodities i
Stocks i
ETF i
Cryptocurrencies i
Bonds i
Interest rates i
Portfolios i
CFDs i Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices, Stocks Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices, Stocks
Futures i
Options i
Assets you can own i ETF, Stocks

Platform

6 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that CMC Markets and Forex.com make available to their clients in United Kingdom.

CMC Markets is better than Forex.com for platforms.

Only CMC Markets can be assessed for platforms, since Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Platform
Section score CMC Markets 97 Best 97 Forex.com 88 -9 not offered
Proprietary platform i
MetaTrader 4 i
MetaTrader 5 i
cTrader i
Social trading platform i
Copy trading platform i
ZuluTrade i
TradingView i
Duplitrade i
Mirror Trader i
NinjaTrader i
AutoChartist i
Real time pricing i
5 digit pricing i
One-click trading i

Mobile

7 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the mobile apps of CMC Markets and Forex.com in United Kingdom, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.

Forex.com is better than CMC Markets for mobile trading.

There is no like-for-like comparison for mobile trading, as Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Mobile
Section score CMC Markets 73 -20 73 Forex.com 93 Best not offered
Proprietary app i
Social trading app i
Copy trading app i
MetaTrader 4 app i
MetaTrader 5 app i
cTrader app i
Mobile trading signals i
Mobile alerts i
Mobile charting tools i
Mobile drawing tools i
Mobile watchlist i
Smartwatch app i

Trading features

8 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the trading tools and strategies that CMC Markets and Forex.com allow on their platforms in United Kingdom.

Forex.com is better than CMC Markets for CFD trading features.

CMC Markets and Forex.com cannot be compared for real stock trading features, because CMC Markets is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Forex.com is a CFD broker.

Trading features
Section score CMC Markets 69 -18 71 Forex.com 87 Best not offered
Trade execution
Broker type i Agency Agency
Average execution time i 9 ms 3 ms
Slippage occurrence i
Requotes occurrence i 0.08%
Tier-1 liquidity providers i
PFOF i
Leverage
Major FX pairs leverage i 30:1 30:1
Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i 20:1 20:1
Major indices leverage i 20:1 20:1
Minor indices leverage i 10:1 10:1
Gold leverage i 20:1 20:1
Commodities leverage i 10:1 10:1
Equities leverage i 5:1 5:1
Cryptocurrency leverage i
Risk management
Stop losses i
Take profits i
Limit orders i
Trailing stop i
Margin call i
OCO orders i
Guaranteed stop loss i
Negative balance protection i
Minimum trade size (FX) i 0.01 lots 0.01 lots
Minimum trade size (stocks) i USD 0 USD 0
Fractional stocks i
Trading compliance
Scalping strategies allowed i
Hedging strategies allowed i
Automated trading strategy allowed i
EAs use allowed i
HFT strategy allowed i
VPS use allowed i
API use allowed i
Price scraping allowed i
FIFO rule applies i

Account types

9 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of account you can open at CMC Markets and at Forex.com in United Kingdom, and of who each one is meant for.

Forex.com is better than CMC Markets for CFD account types.

CMC Markets and Forex.com cannot be set side by side for real stock account types, as Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike CMC Markets.

Account types
Section score CMC Markets 48 -4 45 Forex.com 52 Best not offered
Demo account i
Unlimited demo account i
Standard account i
Micro account i
Cent account i
Nano account i
Raw spread account i
ECN account i
Swap-free account i
Islamic account i
Professional traders account i
Fixed spread account i
Spread betting account i
Copy trading account i
Corporate account i
Managed account i
Stock investing account i
Margin investing account i
Savings account i
Retirement account i

Account opening

10 / 12
What we compare A comparison of what it takes to open and fund an account with CMC Markets and with Forex.com in United Kingdom.

CMC Markets is better than Forex.com for account opening.

CMC Markets and Forex.com cannot be compared for account opening, because CMC Markets is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Forex.com is a CFD broker.

Account opening
Section score CMC Markets 65 Best 65 Forex.com 62 -3 not offered
Minimum deposit i USD 0 USD 100
Minimum withdrawal i USD 0 USD 0
Wire transfers i
Credit cards i
Debit cards i
eWallets i
Local payment methods i
Account base currencies i EUR, USD EUR, GBP, USD
Deposit waiting time i up to 2 business days up to 2 business days
Withdrawal waiting time i up to 2 business days up to 2 business days
Bonus program i

Customer care

11 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of CMC Markets and Forex.com in United Kingdom, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.

CMC Markets is better than Forex.com for customer care.

There is no like-for-like comparison for customer care, as Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Customer care
Section score CMC Markets 73 Best 73 Forex.com 66 -7 not offered
Number of languages supported i 9 7
Website languages i German, English, French, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish, Swedish, Chinese Arabic, German, English, Japanese, Polish, Spanish, Chinese
Website available in English i
Customer support languages i German, English, French, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish, Swedish, Chinese English, Chinese
Customer support in English i
Call back request i
Email support i
Phone support i
Live chat i
Priority customer support i
Dedicated account manager i
Cash sweep i
Stock lending i
Distributes proceeds i
Tax withholding agent i
Tax assistance i

Learning

12 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the educational material that CMC Markets and Forex.com provide to their clients in United Kingdom.

CMC Markets is better than Forex.com for learning.

CMC Markets and Forex.com cannot be set side by side for learning, as Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike CMC Markets.

Learning
Section score CMC Markets 100 Best 100 Forex.com 95 -5 not offered
Education
Education center i
Education for beginners i
Education for advanced traders i
Webinars i
Tutorials i
Glossary i
Research
Economic calendar i
Traders' sentiment i
Daily market commentary i
Daily trading ideas i
News via social media i
Professional reports i
Watchlist i
CMC Markets
Open Account 78% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Forex.com
Open Account 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Our verdict

CMC Markets vs Forex.com: which one should you choose?

CMC Markets

CFD Choose CMC Markets if you want an online CFD broker with a wide choice of markets, no minimum deposit and copy and social trading.

Stocks Choose CMC Markets if you want a broker for securities investing with copy and social trading.

Open Account 78% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Forex.com

CFD Choose Forex.com if you want a CFD and forex broker with low trading costs, fast execution and fixed-spread accounts.

Open Account 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

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