Vanguard vs CMC Markets

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Vanguard vs CMC Markets Comparison Table 2024
Vanguard CMC Markets
2.8

Vanguard is #31 in our broker rankings.

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

Vanguard is a US-headquartered brokerage with 50 million clients globally and $8+ billion in assets under management. The brands offers investing in stocks, mutual funds, bonds, ETFs and options with low fees. The trusted broker is regulated by the SEC, FINRA and FCA.

Established in 1989, CMC Markets is a respected broker listed on the London Stock Exchange and authorized by several tier-one regulators, including the FCA, ASIC and CIRO. More than 1 million traders from around the world have signed up with the multi-award winning brokerage.

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.
Customer Reviews
4.5
Comment by Reviewer
"We recommend Vanguard for long-term investors looking for managed accounts and self-directed trading opportunities. Fees are competitive, with zero-commission stock and ETF trading." "With advanced charting tools and an extensive range of tradable CFDs, including an almost unrivalled selection of currencies and custom indices, CMC Markets provides a fantastic online platform for traders of all levels. "
Pros
  • Trusted since 1975 with strong regulatory oversight in the US and UK
  • Retirement and ISA accounts available alongside traditional investing solutions
  • Fully managed accounts providing a hands-off approach to investing
  • Excellent education and user guides compared to alternatives
  • Competitive fee structure with a 0.15% account fee
  • Commission-free stock and ETF trading
  • Well-designed mobile app
  • ESG funds available
  • The web platform delivers a fantastic user experience with advanced charting tools for day trading and customizable features, catering to both beginners and experienced traders. MT4 (but not MT5) is also supported.
  • CMC offers excellent pricing, including tight spreads and low trading fees for all but stock CFDs. The Alpha and Price+ schemes also offer perks for active traders with up to 40% discounts on spreads.
  • CMC Markets is heavily regulated by reputable financial authorities and maintains its stellar reputation, helping to ensure a secure and trustworthy trading environment.
  • The brokerage continues to stand out with its wide range of value-add resources, including pattern recognition scanners, webinars, tutorials, news feeds, and research from respected sources like Morningstar.
  • CMC Markets offers a rich investment offering with over 12,000 CFDs and more recently options trading, providing opportunities to trade market volatility and hedge existing positions.
Cons
  • Limited payment methods - credit cards, cheques and e-wallet are not supported
  • High minimum investment amounts, including $3000 for the majority of mutual funds
  • No demo account available to practise trading risk-free
  • Focused on US clients
  • Despite improvements, the web platform still requires enhancements to make it as intuitive to trade on as software from rivals like IG.
  • While CMC offers an above-average suite of assets, there is no support for trading real stocks and UK clients can’t trade cryptocurrencies.
  • Trading stock CFDs incurs a relatively high commission, especially compared to the cheapest brokers like IC Markets.
  • An inactivity fee of $10 per month is applied after 12 months of inactivity, which may deter casual investors.
  • The CMC Markets app offers the complete trading package but the design and user experience trails category leaders like eToro.
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, ETFs CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Treasuries, Custom Indices, Spread Betting
Demo Account
No Yes
Minimum Deposit
$1 $0
Trading Platforms
  • Own
  • Web
  • MT4
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
$1 0.01 Lots
Regulator
SEC, FINRA FCA, ASIC, MAS, CIRO, BaFin, FMA, DFSA
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
1%
STP Account
No 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
Yes No
Robo Advisor
Yes No
Negative Balance Protection
No Yes
Market Maker
No Yes
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes Yes
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS & Android
App Review

The award-winning app from CMC Markets has transformed mobile trading. The app’s modern and customizable interface offers a unique user experience, distinct from competitors. Moreover, with its comprehensive charting capabilities featuring 25 technical indicators and 15 drawing tools, as well as its fast and stable trading environment, it’s an exceptional choice for day traders.

Android App Rating
3.7
iOS App Rating
4.1
Auto Trading
Yes Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
No No
Social Trading
No Yes
Trade Signals
Yes
VPS Hosting
No Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No Yes
Ethical Investing
Yes No
Custodial Account
Yes No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No Yes
Inactivity Fee
$10
Islamic Account
No Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • SGD
  • PLN
Stock Exchanges
Commodities
CFD Trading
CFD trading not offered CMC lets you trade CFDs on 12,000+ assets across currencies, indices, commodities, shares, ETFs and treasuries. Spreads are relatively tight, there are no hidden fees and the industry-leading MetaTrader 4 platform is also supported for leveraged trading. Year after year, CMC shines as one of the best CFD brokers in the market.
Leverage
1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
1 pt
GBPUSD Spread
0.9
Oil Spread
3.5
Stocks Spread
0.02
Forex Trading
Forex trading not offered CMC presents an extensive array of 300+ forex pairs characterized by tight spreads and rapid executions, surpassing the offerings of many competitors in terms of currency diversity. Forex indices also present a fairly unique and holistic way to speculate on the value of key currencies like the USD, EUR and GBP.
GBPUSD Spread
0.9
EURUSD Spread
0.7
EURGBP Spread
1.1
Assets
300+
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • JPY
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • CHF
Cryptocurrency
Crypto trading not offered CMC Markets offers trading on popular digital tokens like Bitcoin but really stands out for its crypto indices that provide broader exposure to the cryptocurrency market. There is also minimal slippage and an excellent 99.9% fill rate, making CMC a great option for active crypto day traders.
Spread
From 1.3
Coins
  • 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.