Interactive Brokers vs CMC Markets

Interactive Brokers vs CMC Markets Comparison Table 2023
Interactive Brokers CMC Markets
4.3

Interactive Brokers is #1 in our CFD broker rankings.

4.7
United States Flag Traders from US accepted
United States Flag Traders from US not accepted

Interactive Brokers is a leading global brokerage that provides access to a comprehensive offering of stocks as well as forex, futures, metals, bonds and cryptos. The firm has over 40 years experience in the online trading industry and is heavily regulated by SEC, FCA, IIROC, and SFC. Day traders can use the proprietary Trader Workstation and can access powerful tools and data feeds as well as comprehensive educational resources.

CMC Markets is a trustworthy brand authorized by tier-one regulators including the FCA and ASIC. Advanced trading tools, excellent market research and low fees help the broker stand out from rivals. The no minimum deposit, free demo account and social trading service have also made CMC Markets popular with aspiring traders.

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.
Comment by Reviewer
"Experienced day traders seeking a regulated broker with sophisticated trading software and very low fees should look at IB. Their range of stocks also can't be beaten." "CMC Markets is a great option for active traders with thousands of instruments, spreads from 0.0 pips and an award-winning trading platform."
Pros
  • Gives day traders unmatched access to global stocks with tens of thousands available from 100+ market centres in 24 countries
  • Direct market access, including to the FTSE 100 index, the CAC 40 and Germany’s DAX 40
  • Proprietary Trader Workstation comes with powerful tools and charting capabilities
  • Regulated by some of the world's most reputable bodies including in US
  • You have a reliable real-time market data feed, that rarely goes offline
  • Diverse payment options and account currencies
  • Commission reimbursement with Toggle AI
  • Low commissions and tight spreads
  • Easy to use proprietary platform with intuitive features including a pattern recognition scanner and 40+ indicators and drawing tools
  • Transparent pricing model with lower spreads than alternatives and no deposit or withdrawal fees
  • Comprehensive suite of market research tools and analyst insights to help make informed trading decisions
  • CMC Alpha loyalty scheme with great perks for high-volume traders including premium support and 5% to 28.6% discounts on spreads
  • A hugely respected broker listed on the London Stock Exchange with 300,000+ clients
  • Responsive and knowledgeable support team available 24/5 to help new traders get started quickly
Cons
  • Due to the pricing structure, this firm can be more expensive for aggressive traders who trade over $100,000 shares a day
  • Platform and web interface are complex and difficult for beginners to pick up
  • Accessing products like CFDs is not straightforward compared to competitors
  • The TWS platform falls short in terms of technical charting
  • Mediocre customer support
  • A $10 monthly inactivity fee that kicks in after 12 months of no activity
  • Spread betting is only available in the UK
  • US clients are not accepted
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
Instruments
Stocks, Futures, E-minis, Options, CFD, Forex, Crypto, Exchange Linked Warrants CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Treasuries, Custom Indices, Spread Betting
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0 $0
Trading Platforms
  • AlgoTrader
  • OmniTrader
  • eSignal
  • TradingCentral
  • MT4
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
$100 0.01 Lots
Regulator
SEC, FCA, IIROC, SFC FCA, ASIC, MAS, CIRO
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
1.55 - 2.59% 1%
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
No No
Negative Balance Protection
No Yes
Market Maker
No Yes
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes No
Mobile Apps
iOS, Android & Windows iOS & Android
Auto Trading
Capitalise.ai & TWS API Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
No No
Social Trading
No Yes
Trade Signals
Yes
VPS Hosting
No No
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No Yes
Ethical Investing
No No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No Yes
Inactivity Fee
$0 $10
Islamic Account
No Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • INR
  • JPY
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • DKK
  • CHF
  • HUF
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • SEK
  • PLN
Stock Exchanges
Commodities
CFD Trading
Trade leveraged CFDs on thousands of global stocks as well as 13 global indices, 80+ forex pairs, and London gold and silver. Leverage is available in line with regulatory requirements. CMC Markets offers leveraged CFDs on an extensive list of 12,000+ instruments with transparent pricing, powerful trading software and ultra-fast execution speeds. Out-of-hours trading on CFD indices is also available, plus 24/5 award-winning customer support.
Leverage
1:50 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
0.005% (£1 Min) 1 pt
GBPUSD Spread
Commission (.20 pts x trade value) 0.9
Oil Spread
N/A 3.5
Stocks Spread
From 0.003 per share, variable 0.02
Forex Trading
Trade 85 major, minor and exotic forex pairs via CFDs on IB's FXTrader platform with tight spreads and low commissions, or trade forex on the spot market. They offer more FX assets than almost any competitor. CMC Markets offers a superb list of 330+ forex pairs with tight spreads and ultra-fast executions. The selection of currencies is significantly wider than rivals.
Forex App

CMC Markets deliver an award-winning app, compatible with most major mobile and tablet operating systems. Trade more than 9300 assets via the app on their Next Generation platform. Includes advanced charting with 12 chart types and 40 technical indicators.

GBPUSD Spread
Commission (.20 pts x trade value) 0.9
EURUSD Spread
Commission (.20 pts x trade value) 0.7
EURGBP Spread
Commission (.20 pts x trade value) 1.1
Assets
70+ 330+
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • JPY
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • CHF
Cryptocurrency
Buy and hold Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and Litecoin with low commissions of 0.12%–0.18%. Fees are low and the broker offers a secure environment to invest in digital assets. CMC Markets offers trading on popular digital tokens and crypto indices for broader exposure to the market. There is minimal slippage and an excellent 99.9% fill rate.
Spread
Variable from 1.3
Coins
  • BTC
  • LTC
  • ETH
  • XRP
  • 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
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
Interactive Brokers
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