Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Admirals vs ActivTrades, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Admirals and ActivTrades are both reputable online brokers founded in 2001. They are not publicly traded and do not operate as banks, catering primarily to forex and CFD traders. In terms of regulatory oversight, Admirals distinguishes itself with a strong regulatory framework, holding four Tier-1 licenses and three Tier-2 licenses. ActivTrades, meanwhile, holds two Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license. These licenses underscore each broker's compliance with established financial standards, yet also highlight the broader reach in Admirals' regulatory approval.
According to ForexBrokers.com, which rates brokers based on their trustworthiness, Admirals earns an impressive Trust Score of 93, placing it in the highly trusted category. On the other hand, ActivTrades receives a Trust Score of 81, rendering it a trusted option but with a slightly lower standing compared to Admirals. Both brokers offer substantial reliability, but for those prioritizing regulated assurance, Admirals might present an edge in perceived trust and authority in the trading sector.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
Comparing commissions and fees, Admirals generally edges out ActivTrades on headline spreads. Admirals earns 4.5/5 stars and ranks #18 of 63 for Commissions & Fees at ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades holds 4/5 stars and ranks #29 of 63. Admirals lists typical spreads around 0.8 pips on its Trade account, with similar pricing on its Zero account type. ActivTrades’ pricing is slightly better than the industry average, but not as sharp as the lowest-cost forex brokers; its average EUR/USD spread was 0.98 pips in May 2024.
Admirals: If you’re cost-focused, the typical 0.8‑pip spread on the Trade account is appealing for major pairs, and the Zero account shows comparable pricing. This consistency makes Admirals attractive for traders who prioritize straightforward, low spreads.
ActivTrades: The broker uses a single main “Individual” account, plus Professional and Islamic options, with spreads that stay the same across account types (Professional mainly alters margin requirements). There’s no special pricing for high-volume traders and no active trader program. Actual costs can vary by platform and asset, and spreads can widen at rollover—common across brokers. Overall, ActivTrades’ fees are competitive versus the average, but trail the top tier on raw spread pricing.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $0 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.8 | 0.98 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
If you want a wide product menu, Admirals stands out with 8,702 tradeable symbols versus ActivTrades’ 1,267. For currency traders, Admirals lists 82 forex pairs compared with 49 at ActivTrades. Both brokers offer forex trading (CFDs or spot), support copy trading, and let you trade cryptocurrencies via derivatives; neither lets you buy and hold actual crypto.
For stocks, Admirals lets you buy real exchange-traded shares on U.S. markets as well as international exchanges. ActivTrades offers real international stocks, but not U.S.-listed shares—so if you want Apple (AAPL), only Admirals provides that access. Based on ForexBrokers.com’s Range of Investments scores, Admirals earns 4.5/5 stars and ranks 20th of 63, while ActivTrades scores 4/5 stars and ranks 32nd. Choose Admirals if you want the largest selection and U.S. equities; ActivTrades suits traders who are fine with a smaller lineup and international shares.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8702 | 1267 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 82 | 49 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
Admirals and ActivTrades both check the big boxes for platform choice and ease of use. Each offers a free demo (paper) account, in-house and MetaTrader platforms (MT4 and MT5), plus both web-based and Windows desktop trading. Copy trading is available at both, and you can place orders directly from charts. Neither connects to DupliTrade or ZuluTrade. Independent scores from ForexBrokers.com rate both brokers 4 stars for Trading Platforms & Tools, with Admirals ranked #19 of 63 and ActivTrades #32 of 63.
For charting and workspace features, Admirals stands out for depth of drawing tools (106 vs. 15 at ActivTrades), which can help traders who annotate charts heavily. ActivTrades counters with more watchlist fields (11 vs. 7 at Admirals), useful if you monitor many symbols and data points. Both platforms include the common set of technical indicators and let you trade from the chart, so the better pick comes down to whether you value richer chart markups (Admirals) or more detailed watchlists (ActivTrades).
| Feature |
Admirals
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 106 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 11 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Admirals and ActivTrades both offer user-friendly mobile trading apps compatible with iPhone and Android devices, providing traders with a seamless experience on the go. Both apps deliver essential features like stock and forex price alerts, chart drawing tools, and multiple timeframe views on charts, ensuring you can keep track of market movements and trends effectively. While both apps allow the creation of watchlists with real-time quotes, they lack the functionality for syncing watchlist symbols across mobile and online platforms. Admirals and ActivTrades also impress with their charting capabilities, offering 30 different technical studies for in-depth analysis on their mobile apps.
When it comes to rankings and ratings, Admirals and ActivTrades are closely matched. Both have received four out of five stars for their mobile trading apps. However, in the ForexBrokers.com Mobile Trading Apps category, Admirals is ranked 23rd out of 63 brokers, while ActivTrades ranks slightly higher at 19th. This subtle difference suggests that ActivTrades might edge out Admirals based on industry evaluations, although both provide comparable features and functionality that cater to traders’ mobile trading needs. Whether you're looking for price alerts, customizable charts, or the ability to view different timeframes, both Admirals and ActivTrades offer competitive options in the world of mobile trading.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Admirals and ActivTrades both cover the basics well for market research: each provides daily market commentary, an economic calendar, sentiment tools showing long/short ratios, and forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones. Neither integrates Autochartist. Where Admirals pulls ahead is in third-party add-ons, offering Trading Central for technical and fundamental insights, TipRanks for stock research, and Acuity Trading’s tools (including Signal Centre). ActivTrades does not include these extras.
Both brokers earn 4 stars for research, yet their standings differ: Admirals is ranked #15 out of 63 brokers for Research by ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades sits at #31. If you want a wider set of research add-ons and signal tools, Admirals is the stronger choice; if you mainly need daily commentary, reliable news, sentiment data, and a clear calendar, either broker will do the job.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational resources available for beginners at Admirals and ActivTrades, both online brokers provide a solid foundation. Admirals and ActivTrades each offer over ten educational materials including articles, videos, and archived webinars focused on forex or CFDs. Each broker also hosts monthly online educational webinars which are valuable for those keen to learn. Admirals and ActivTrades both provide a range of beginner-focused videos, as well as content aimed at more experienced traders, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience.
The main difference lies in the availability of an investor dictionary; Admirals provides definitions for over 50 investing terms, a resource not offered by ActivTrades. Despite this, both brokers receive a four-star rating for their educational offerings, reflecting their overall commitment to educational quality. As ranked by ForexBrokers.com, Admirals holds a stronger position at number 12 in the Education category among 63 brokers, compared to ActivTrades at number 38. This highlights Admirals' slightly stronger edge in the educational resources they provide to their clients.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Admirals is better than ActivTrades. Admirals finished with an overall rank of #18, while ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #33.
Traders choose Admirals for its excellent investor education and advanced MetaTrader features – such as the Supreme add-ons – alongside an extensive range of shares, forex and CFD markets, and premium research content.
| Feature |
Admirals
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ActivTrades
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 81 |
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Both Admirals and ActivTrades provide the option to trade cryptocurrency derivatives, but neither broker offers the ability to purchase actual (delivered) cryptocurrency.
In comparing the online brokers Admirals and ActivTrades, Admirals offers a wider range of deposit and withdrawal options including ACH or SEPA transfers, PayPal, Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires, whereas ActivTrades supports Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires but lacks ACH or SEPA and PayPal transfer options.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Admirals | ActivTrades | |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Admirals Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Admirals | ActivTrades | |
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| Regulation | Admirals | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 93 | 81 | |
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Admirals | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | ||
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | ||
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | ||
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | ||
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Admirals | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | ||
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | ||
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | ||
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | Yes |
| Investments | Admirals | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8702 | 1267 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 82 | 49 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | Admirals | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.8 | 0.98 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Admirals | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Admirals | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Admirals | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 11 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 106 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Admirals | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Admirals | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Admirals | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | Admirals | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | Admirals Review | ActivTrades Review |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Admirals Review | ActivTrades Review |
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