Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD/FX brokers (leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto), using the data of CMC Markets' UK entity and Pepperstone's UK entity. Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as stock brokers (real shares and ETFs you own outright), using the data of CMC Markets' UK entity and Pepperstone's UK entity.
CMC Markets
Regulated in your country CMC Markets is allowed by FCA to onboard clients residing in the UK.
78% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Pepperstone
Regulated in your country Pepperstone is allowed by FCA to onboard clients residing in the UK.
72.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Best for
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders CMC Markets and Pepperstone are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in United Kingdom.CMC Markets is better than Pepperstone for long-term investors, while Pepperstone is better for professional traders. High-volume traders, scalpers and swing traders can choose either CMC Markets or Pepperstone.
| Overall score | CMC Markets 84 -1 78 | Pepperstone 85 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
What we compare A comparison between the financial authorities that supervise CMC Markets and the ones that supervise Pepperstone.CMC Markets and Pepperstone are both regulated in the UK, by the FCA.
| Section score | CMC Markets 100 100 | Pepperstone 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
What we compare A comparison of the tools and services that CMC Markets and Pepperstone have in place to protect your money in United Kingdom.Both CMC Markets and Pepperstone offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme. CMC Markets also offers additional money insurance.
| Section score | CMC Markets 95 Best 95 | Pepperstone 78 -17 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 1989 | 2010 |
| Parent company i | CMC Markets plc | Pepperstone Group Limited |
| CEO i | Peter Cruddas | Tamas Szabo |
| 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 | 900,000 |
| Annual revenue i | USD 324,700,000 | USD 13,000,000 |
| Monthly website search traffic i | 10.5M monthly visits | 1.3M monthly visits |
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with CMC Markets and with Pepperstone in United Kingdom, both on each trade and on holding the account.CMC Markets and Pepperstone are equally good for CFD/FX costs, as CMC Markets is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 7 USD per lot (against Pepperstone's 9.05 USD). On the other hand, Pepperstone has tighter S&P 500 CFD spreads, at 0.4 points (against CMC Markets' 0.5 points), and has tighter gold CFD spreads, at 0.15 points (against CMC Markets' 0.2 points). Neither CMC Markets nor Pepperstone charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.
Only CMC Markets can be assessed for real stock costs, since Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | CMC Markets 73 -1 44 | Pepperstone 74 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 | USD 6.1 |
| EUR/USD average standard spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average raw spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average fixed spread i | ||
| EUR/USD total cost per lot i | USD 7 | USD 9.05 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 0.5 points | 0.4 points |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.2 points | 0.15 points |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | ||
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | USD 0.02 | USD 0.02 |
| 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
What we compare A comparison of the markets and products you can trade with CMC Markets and with Pepperstone in United Kingdom, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.There is little between CMC Markets and Pepperstone on CFD/FX markets. Both CMC Markets and Pepperstone offer CFDs on commodities, forex, indices and stocks. CMC Markets has a slight edge, as it gives access to 12,000 tradable symbols (against Pepperstone's 1,444), and lets you own ETFs and stocks outright.
Only CMC Markets can be assessed for real stock markets, since Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | CMC Markets 65 30 | Pepperstone 65 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 12,000 | 1,444 |
| Currency pairs i | ||
| Indices i | ||
| Commodities i | ||
| Stocks i | ||
| ETF i | ||
| Cryptocurrencies i | ||
| Bonds i | ||
| Interest rates i | ||
| Portfolios i | ||
| CFDs i | Commodities, Forex, Indices, Stocks | Commodities, Forex, Indices, Stocks |
| Futures i | ||
| Options i | ||
| Assets you can own i | ETF, Stocks |
Platform
What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that CMC Markets and Pepperstone make available to their clients in United Kingdom.CMC Markets is better than Pepperstone for platforms, as CMC Markets offers a proprietary platform, which Pepperstone does not. Both CMC Markets and Pepperstone offer MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4.
CMC Markets and Pepperstone cannot be set side by side for platforms, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike CMC Markets.
| Section score | CMC Markets 97 Best 97 | Pepperstone 92 -5 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
What we compare A comparison of the mobile apps of CMC Markets and Pepperstone in United Kingdom, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.Pepperstone is better than CMC Markets for mobile trading, given that Pepperstone offers the cTrader app, a social trading app and a copy trading app, which CMC Markets does not. CMC Markets and Pepperstone both offer a proprietary mobile app and the MetaTrader 5 app.
There is no like-for-like comparison for mobile trading, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | CMC Markets 73 -27 73 | Pepperstone 100 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
What we compare A comparison of the trading tools and strategies that CMC Markets and Pepperstone allow on their platforms in United Kingdom.Pepperstone is better than CMC Markets for CFD/FX trading features, because Pepperstone offers tier-1 liquidity providers, VPS hosting and API access, which CMC Markets does not. CMC Markets and Pepperstone both offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.
There is no like-for-like comparison for real stock trading features, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | CMC Markets 69 -24 71 | Pepperstone 93 Best not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | Agency | NDD |
| Average execution time i | 9 ms | 30 ms |
| Slippage occurrence i | ||
| Requotes occurrence i | 0.08% | 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
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of account you can open at CMC Markets and at Pepperstone in United Kingdom, and of who each one is meant for.Pepperstone is better than CMC Markets for CFD/FX account types, given that Pepperstone offers an ECN account, an Islamic account and a copy trading account, which CMC Markets does not. CMC Markets and Pepperstone both offer a demo account and a professional traders account.
Pepperstone does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so CMC Markets and Pepperstone cannot be compared for real stock account types.
| Section score | CMC Markets 48 -27 45 | Pepperstone 75 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
What we compare A comparison of what it takes to open and fund an account with CMC Markets and with Pepperstone in United Kingdom.Pepperstone is better than CMC Markets for account opening, since Pepperstone offers 10 account base currencies (against CMC Markets' 2), credits deposits faster, within 1 day (against CMC Markets' 2 days), and pays out withdrawals faster, within 1 day (against CMC Markets' 2 days). Neither CMC Markets nor Pepperstone requires a minimum deposit.
Pepperstone does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so CMC Markets and Pepperstone cannot be compared for account opening.
| Section score | CMC Markets 65 -15 65 | Pepperstone 80 Best not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | USD 0 | USD 0 |
| 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 | AUD, CAD, CHF, EUR, GBP, HKD, JPY, NZD, SGD, USD |
| Deposit waiting time i | up to 2 business days | up to 1 business days |
| Withdrawal waiting time i | up to 2 business days | up to 1 business days |
| Bonus program i |
Customer care
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of CMC Markets and Pepperstone in United Kingdom, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.There is little between CMC Markets and Pepperstone on customer care, as both offer a dedicated account manager and phone support. Pepperstone has a slight edge, as it offers customer support in 10 languages (against CMC Markets' 9).
There is no like-for-like comparison for customer care, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | CMC Markets 73 73 | Pepperstone 73 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 9 | 10 |
| Website languages i | German, English, French, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish, Swedish, Chinese | Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | German, English, French, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish, Swedish, Chinese | Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, 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
What we compare A comparison of the educational material that CMC Markets and Pepperstone provide to their clients in United Kingdom.CMC Markets is better than Pepperstone for learning, as CMC Markets offers professional reports, which Pepperstone does not. Both CMC Markets and Pepperstone offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
Pepperstone does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so CMC Markets and Pepperstone cannot be compared for learning.
| Section score | CMC Markets 100 Best 100 | Pepperstone 88 -12 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 vs Pepperstone: which one should you choose?
CMC Markets
CFD/FX Choose CMC Markets if you want an online CFD broker with low trading costs, fast execution and a wide choice of markets.
Stocks Choose CMC Markets if you want a stock brokerage service with fast execution and a wide choice of markets.
Open Account 78% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Pepperstone
CFD/FX Choose Pepperstone if you want a CFD and forex broker for automated trading, with cTrader and high-frequency trading strategies.
Open Account 72.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.Other popular comparisons
Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include CMC Markets or Pepperstone, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
