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CMC Markets vs Interactive Brokers: Comparison and Analysis

Trying to figure out whether to use CMC Markets or Interactive Brokers? This comparison article lays out the features of both brokers in detail, so you can see which is the best platform according to your needs.

We’ve compared more than 100 variables and features so you can see the pros and cons of CMC Markets and Interactive Brokers side by side. We’ve divided the comparisons into a logical structure so it’s easy to navigate.

Scroll the whole post below, or use the quick menu to jump to the relevant section.

Open Account
78% of retail investor accounts lose money when spread betting and/or trading CFDs with this provider.
CMC Markets review
Open Account
74-89% of retail CFD accounts lose money
Interactive Brokers review

Overall Ratings


Rated
79
Rated
79

General Breakdown. This graph highlights the key scores from each Macro, uniquely calculated by us.

  • CMC Markets
  • Interactive Brokers

Security 95
Security 95

Cost 58
Cost 67

Trading 75
Trading 71

Education 81
Education 75

Company Info


Foundation
1989
1978
Is it Regulated?
Is it Publicly Traded?
Is it a Bank?
Segregated Clients Funds ?
No-ESMA Branches? ?
Accepts EU Clients?
Accepts US Clients?
Accepts Canadian Clients?
Website Languages
en, de, es, fr, nor, pol, swe, it, chi
en, chi(t/s), de, es, fr, ru, it, jpn

Leverage


Non-EU Leverage ?
500:1
0
European Leverage ?
30:1
30:1
Australian Leverage ?
500:1
0
US Leverage ?
0
0
Canadian Leverage ?
100:1
50:1

Tier 1 Regulation


FSA ?
MAS ?
FINMA ?
FCA ?
CFTC ?
MIFID-ESMA ?
ASIC ?
CIRO ?
SFC ?

Tier 2 Regulation


FMA ?
CBR ?
FSCA ?
SEC ?
DFSA ?
CBRC ?
CySEC ?
ISA ?

Tier 3 Regulation


Offshore ?
MMA (Maldives) ?
EDR ?
FSA (Seychelles) ?
SCB (Bahamas) ?
FSC (Mauritius) ?
VFSC (Vanuatu) ?
IFSC (Belize) ?
CIMA (Cayman Islands) ?
SVG (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) ?
FSRC (St. Kitts & Nevis) ?
BMA (Bermuda) ?
BVI (British Virgin Islands) ?

Brand Power


SimilarWeb - Website Ranking
42981
SimilarWeb - Total Visits
Facebook Likes
28984
Twitter Likes
Instagram Likes

Deposit and Withdrawal


Minimum Deposit ?
Minimum Withdraw ?
Credit Card ?
Bank Transfer ?
PayPal
Neteller
Skrill
Other Methods Available ?
Check, Bpay
Deposit Waiting Time ?
1-2 business days
1 business day
Withdraw Waiting Time ?
1-2 business days
1 business day
Bonus Program ?

Costs and Fees


Deposit Fees ?
Withdrawal Commissions ?
Overnight/Swap Fee ?
Inactivity Fee ?
Conversion Fee ?

Account Types


Demo Account ?
Demo Account Expiration ?
Account Currencies ?
EUR, USD
AUD, EUR, GBP, USD, CAD, CHF, CNY, CZK, HKD, HUF, JPY, MXN, NOK, NZD, RUB, SEK, SGD
Standard Account ?
Micro Account ?
Low-cost Account ?
Variable Spread Account ?
Fixed Spread Account ?
Zero Spread Account ?
ECN Account ?
Swap Free Account ?
Islamic Account ?
Professional Traders Account ?
Active Trader Program ?

Commodities


Crude Oil ?
3.0
Natural Gas ?
0.3
Silver ?
2.5
Platinum ?
10.0
Copper ?
2.0
Soybeans ?
0.9
Corn ?
1.5
Gold ?
0.3

Forex Fixed Spreads


EUR/GBP Spread
EUR/USD Spread
USD/JPY Spread
GBP/USD Spread
USD/CHF Spread
AUD/USD Spread
USD/CAD Spread
NZD/USD Spread

Forex Variable Spreads


EUR/USD Average Spread
0.7
0.2
USD/JPY Average Spread
0.7
0.2
USD/CHF Average Spread
1.5
0.2
GBP/USD Average Spread
0.9
0.2
USD/CAD Average Spread
1.7
0.2
AUD/USD Average Spread
0.7
0.2
NZD/USD Average Spread
1.8
0.2
EUR/GBP Average Spread
1.1
0.2

Fees on Stocks


Apple
0.02
1.0
Facebook
0.02
1.0
Alphabet
0.02
1.0
Snapchat
0.02
1.0
BP
0.02
4.0
Tesco
0.02
4.0
Barclays
4.0
Lloyds
4.0

Fees on Indices


FTSE100
1.0
S&P500
5.0
Dow Jones
3.0
Nasdaq
1.0
CAC40
1.0
DAX30
3.0
Nikkei 225
7.0
Euro Stoxx 50
2.0

Fees on Cryptocurrencies


Bitcoin
1
0
Ethereum
1.4
0
Ripple
40.0
0
Litecoin
45.0
0
Bitcoin Cash
1.8
0
Dash
5.0
0
Monero
10.0
0
Neo
10.0
0

Platforms


cTrader Desktop
cTrader Web
Mirror Trader
ZuluTrade ?
MT4 Dekstop
MT4 Web
MT5 Desktop
MT5 Web
Proprietary Desktop Platform
Proprietary Web Platform
MAC Platforms
Sirix

Mobile Trading


Android ?
iOS ?
Windows ?
Trading Signals on Mobile ?
Smart Watch App ?
Forex Trading ?
CFD Trading ?
Alerts ?
Chartings-Drawing Tools ?
Mobile Available Language ?
en, de, es, fr, nor, pol, swe, it
en, chi(t/s), de, es, fr, ru, it, jpn
Watchlist Mobile ?

Available Markets


Forex Pairs ?
339
23
Crypto ?
339
23
Commodities ?
111
10
Stocks ?
9451
5000
Indices ?
46
ETF ?
50
Futures ?
1
10
Options ?
1
10
Bonds ?
1
38000
Metal ?
2
Agricultural ?
10
5
Energies ?
4
5
Interest Rates ?
Penny Stocks ?
IPO ?
Blends ?
Dow Jones ?
FTSE ?
Dax ?
Nikkei ?
Gold Market ?
Bitcoin ?
Real Assets ?
ETF, Stocks

Trading Execution


Direct Market Access (DMA) ?
Straigh Through Processing (STP) ?
Electronic Communication Network (ECN) ?
Market Maker ?
Non Dealing Desk (NDD) ?
FIFO Applies? ?
4 Digits Decimal Pricing ?
5 Digits Decimal Pricing ?

Risk Management


Stop Losses ?
Take Profits ?
Limit Orders ?
Trailing Stop ?
Margin Call ?
OCO Orders ?
Guaranteed Stop Loss ?
Negative Balance Protection ?
Minimum Trade Size ?
0.01 lots
0.001 lots
Maximum Trade Size ?
100 lots
100 lots

Special Trading Conditions


MAM ?
PAMM ?
Social Trading ?
Copy Trading ?
LAMM ?

Available Trading Techniques


Scalping ?
Hedging ?
Spread Betting ?
Expert Advisor (EA) ?
Virtual Private Server ?
API ?

Trading Tools


One-Click Trading ?
Signal Trading ?
Price Alerts ?
Number Chart Indicators ?
81
51
Number Chart Drawing Tools ?
24
31
Trade Directly From Chart ?
Watchlist ?

Education


Education Center ?
Webinars
Platform Tutorial Video ?
Video on Trading for Beginners ?
Video on Trading for Experts ?
Tutorial Guide
Glossary

Customer Support


Call Back Request ?
Email Support
Phone Support
Live Chat
Support Language Available
en, de, es, fr, nor, pol, swe, it, chi
en, chi(t/s), de, es, fr, ru, it, jpn

Research


Professional Reports
Social Trading Features - Social Feeds ?
Economic Calendar
Daily Email With Trading Ideas
Analysis From Trading Central (Recognia)
Analysis From Delkos Research
AutoChartist
Traders Sentiment ?
News via Twitter
News via FaceBook
Daily Market Commentary

Security and Rating

When it comes to security, both CMC Markets and Interactive Brokers are highly regulated and have strong security measures in place. CMC Markets is regulated by ASIC, FCA, MAS, FMA, and IIROC, while Interactive Brokers is regulated by FCA, several EU regulators, ASIC, HKSFC, SEBI, IIROC, FFAJ, MAS, SEC, and CFTC. Both brokers have a security rating of 95, which is a testament to their commitment to keeping their clients’ funds and personal information safe.

Demo Account

If you’re new to trading or want to test out a new strategy, a demo account can be a great way to get started. CMC Markets offers an unlimited demo account with virtual funds of $10,000. You can open multiple CMC Markets demo accounts with the same email, which is a great feature if you want to test out different strategies. Interactive Brokers also offers an unlimited demo account with virtual funds of $1,000,000. However, if you want to restore your virtual funds, you’ll need to contact customer support.

Minimum Deposit

When it comes to minimum deposits, CMC Markets has the edge. The broker requires no minimum deposit to open an account, which makes it accessible to traders of all levels. Interactive Brokers, on the other hand, doesn’t have a minimum deposit requirement, but it does require at least $2,000 to trade with margin.

Social Trading and Copy Trading

If you’re interested in social trading or copy trading, CMC Markets is the better option. The broker offers copy-social trading directly on their CFD proprietary platform called Next Generation. Interactive Brokers, on the other hand, doesn’t offer social or copy trading.

CFD and Forex Trading

Both CMC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer a wide range of CFD and forex trading options. CMC Markets has 338 forex pairs, 110+ commodities, 82 indices, 124 crypto assets, and 55 bonds. The broker also offers 12,500+ CFD shares and ETFs and 35,000+ real stocks, making it a good choice for both short-term and long-term investments. Interactive Brokers, on the other hand, has 100+ forex pairs, 10 commodities, 0 indices, 23 crypto assets, 5,000+ stocks, and 50+ ETFs. While Interactive Brokers doesn’t offer as many trading options as CMC Markets, it’s still a good choice for traders who want to invest in a wide range of assets.

Stock Market

If you’re primarily interested in trading stocks, both CMC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer a range of options. CMC Markets offers both CFD and real stocks, with $0 brokerage commission on US, UK, Canada, and Japan markets. The broker also offers $0 commission on Aussie shares up to $1,000 per stock per trading day. Interactive Brokers, on the other hand, offers very low fees with financing rates from 0.75% and no commissions on stocks and ETFs with the IBKR Lite Plan. With the IBKR Pro Plan, commissions start from $0.0005 per share or ETF.

Cryptocurrency Trading

If you’re interested in trading cryptocurrencies, both CMC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer a range of options. CMC Markets has 124 crypto assets available for trading, while Interactive Brokers has 23. While CMC Markets offers more options, both brokers offer a good range of cryptocurrencies for traders to choose from.

Platforms

Both CMC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer proprietary trading platforms, as well as other options. CMC Markets’ proprietary platform is available for both CFD and real stocks trading and is available via web and mobile. The broker also offers MT4, which is available via desktop and mobile. Interactive Brokers offers a proprietary trading platform available as desktop, webtrader, and mobile. All the platforms offered by Interactive Brokers allow traders to engage in algo trading. Interactive Brokers also offers VPS services, FIX API, and TWS API integration.

Education

Both CMC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer a range of educational resources for traders. CMC Markets provides clients access to webinars, ebooks, podcasts, video trading, and trading guides. Interactive Brokers offers a wide range of material for both beginners and advanced traders, including tutorial videos, IBKR blog, trader’s academy, and much more.

In conclusion, both CMC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer a range of features and benefits for traders. CMC Markets is a good choice for traders who want to trade a wide range of assets, including CFD and real stocks, and who are interested in social and copy trading. Interactive Brokers is a good choice for traders who want to invest in a wide range of assets, including stocks, ETFs, and futures, and who are interested in algo trading. Ultimately, the choice between the two brokers will depend on your individual needs and preferences.