Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of ActivTrades vs easyMarkets, 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.
ActivTrades and easyMarkets, both established in 2001, are online brokers that offer a range of trading services. Neither company is publicly traded nor operates as a bank, which might influence how some traders perceive their financial robustness. In terms of regulatory credentials, each broker holds two Tier-1 licenses, which indicates a high level of trust according to ForexBrokers.com. Additionally, they both possess one Tier-2 license, placing them within the 'trusted' category.
When comparing their Trust Scores, easyMarkets slightly edges out with a score of 84, placing it firmly in the 'trusted' range. Meanwhile, ActivTrades maintains a respectable score of 81, also within the 'trusted' bracket. These scores suggest that both brokers are considered reliable choices for traders, although easyMarkets is rated a bit higher in terms of trust according to ForexBrokers.com standards.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of ActivTrades and easyMarkets, there are noticeable differences. ActivTrades offers spreads slightly better than the industry average but not as competitive as the best low-cost forex brokers. They provide multiple account options, including an Individual Account, Professional Account, and Islamic Account, with no special pricing for high-volume traders. The spread can vary, especially during rollover periods. For example, the average spread for EUR/USD is 0.98 pips, as of May 2024. ActivTrades is rated 4 stars for commissions and fees and is ranked #28 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com.
On the other hand, easyMarkets employs a fixed spread model on their proprietary platform and TradingView, with a consistent 0.8 pips spread for EUR/USD. However, trading on MT4 results in higher costs, with a Standard account spread of 1.7 pips, which reduces to 0.7 pips for VIP accounts. MT5 offers variable spreads starting from 0.7 pips. With a rating of 3.5 stars and a ranking of #52 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, easyMarkets provides a straightforward but slightly less competitive pricing structure compared to ActivTrades.
In summary, both brokers cater to different needs, with ActivTrades excelling in slightly better overall spreads, especially for Islamic and professional traders, while easyMarkets offers fixed spreads which can be beneficial for those preferring consistent costs. Both brokers have their unique selling points, and the choice between them will largely depend on individual trading strategies and platform preferences.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $25 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | 0.8 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 0.8 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | 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.
When it comes to the variety of investments available, ActivTrades stands out with an impressive offering of 1,267 tradable symbols, whereas easyMarkets provides 230. Both brokers cater to forex enthusiasts, offering forex trading as a CFD or spot contract; however, easyMarkets edges out with 63 tradable forex pairs compared to ActivTrades' 49. Neither broker provides access to U.S.-listed exchange traded securities, but ActivTrades offers exposure to international stocks such as Vodafone on the London Stock Exchange, a feature absent from easyMarkets.
For those interested in cryptocurrency, both ActivTrades and easyMarkets offer the ability to trade cryptocurrency derivatives, but not the actual underlying cryptocurrencies. Importantly, both platforms support copy trading, catering to those looking to mirror the trading activities of seasoned investors. Rated 4 out of 5 stars for its range of investments, ActivTrades holds a ForexBrokers.com ranking of 31 in this category out of 63 brokers, while easyMarkets, rated 3.5 stars, is ranked 54. This suggests that ActivTrades generally provides a more diverse range of investment opportunities than easyMarkets.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 230 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 63 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| 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.
ActivTrades and easyMarkets both provide a wide array of trading platforms and tools, making them worthwhile considerations for traders. Each broker offers a proprietary platform along with well-known options like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Users of both services can enjoy desktop downloads for Windows devices and web-based platforms, offering flexibility for different user preferences. Additionally, both brokers support copy trading and offer free virtual demo accounts, enabling new traders to practice before committing real funds.
When it comes to charting tools, ActivTrades provides traders with 15 drawing tools, while easyMarkets boasts a more extensive selection with 30 drawing tools, enhancing the charting experience. Both platforms allow direct trading from stock charts and offer watch lists, although ActivTrades edges out with 11 customizable columns compared to easyMarkets' 8. In rankings, ForexBrokers.com positions ActivTrades at #30 and easyMarkets at #35 for Trading Platforms and Tools out of 63 assessed brokers, with each earning an impressive four-star rating in the category.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 15 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 8 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both ActivTrades and easyMarkets provide mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android users. ActivTrades stands out in terms of providing stock or forex price alerts, a feature not available with easyMarkets. While easyMarkets offers a higher number of technical studies for charting – 81 compared to ActivTrades' 30 – ActivTrades excels with the autosave function for drawings on charts, which easyMarkets lacks. Both apps support trendline drawing and allow viewing different time frames on stock or forex charts. Moreover, they offer the ability to create watchlists with real-time quotes.
In terms of usability, easyMarkets offers the convenience of watchlist symbol syncing between the mobile app and online account, a feature not available on ActivTrades' app. Both mobile applications are rated four stars by users; however, ActivTrades ranks higher in ForexBrokers.com's Mobile Trading Apps category, coming in at #19 out of 63 brokers, while easyMarkets ranks at #30. Each app brings its own advantages, making either a viable choice depending on specific trading needs and preferences.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | No |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 81 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research offerings, both ActivTrades and easyMarkets provide daily market commentary and forex news from reliable sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters. However, a key differentiator is that easyMarkets includes tools from Trading Central, which enriches its technical analysis capabilities. Both brokers offer sentiment-based trading tools that display position ratios on various instruments, providing traders with insights into market sentiment. Additionally, both also offer an economic calendar to track significant global events, aiding traders in making informed decisions.
Despite similar offerings in news and sentiment tools, ActivTrades edges ahead with a slightly higher research rating of 4 stars compared to easyMarkets' 3.5 stars. According to ForexBrokers.com, ActivTrades ranks #30 out of 63 brokers for research, reflecting its slightly superior offerings in this category, while easyMarkets comes in at #43. Neither broker currently includes research tools from firms like Autochartist or Acuity Trading, and TipRanks data is absent from their offerings.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational resources available for beginners at ActivTrades and easyMarkets, both brokers show commitment to offering a wealth of learning materials. ActivTrades provides a robust suite of educational content, with over 10 pieces focusing on forex and CFDs. Additionally, they hold regular webinars each month, and clients have access to a searchable archive of recorded sessions. ActivTrades excels in their beginner educational videos, offering more than 10 that explain trading topics in an easy-to-understand manner. They also have content for more experienced traders with advanced educational videos. However, ActivTrades falls short in offering a comprehensive investor dictionary.
easyMarkets also makes learning accessible with over 10 educational pieces centered on forex and CFDs. Similar to ActivTrades, easyMarkets organizes monthly webinars and maintains a searchable archive of previous recordings. Their selection of beginner and advanced educational videos is equally extensive. Unlike ActivTrades, easyMarkets includes an investor dictionary with over 50 investing term definitions, providing a resourceful tool for those new to the trading world. When it comes to ratings, ActivTrades holds a slight edge with 4 stars compared to easyMarkets' 3.5 stars, and they are ranked 38th out of 63 brokers for education by ForexBrokers.com, marginally outscoring easyMarkets, which ranks 39th.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| 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) | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that ActivTrades is better than easyMarkets. ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #33, while easyMarkets finished with an overall rank of #42.
ActivTrades is a long-standing brand that offers a proprietary trading platform, ActivTrader, and support for the award-winning TradingView and MetaTrader (MT4 and MT5) platforms. ActivTrades also delivers a selection of custom add-ons, indicators, and trading tools for traders who prefer to use MetaTrader. Drawbacks for trading with ActivTrades include a smaller selection of tradeable symbols and fewer educational resources than what’s available from the best forex brokers.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 81 | 84 |
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Both ActivTrades and easyMarkets do not offer the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they do provide options for trading cryptocurrency derivatives.
Comparing the deposit and withdrawal options between ActivTrades and easyMarkets, easyMarkets offers more flexibility with ACH and SEPA transfers, while both brokers support Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires, yet neither provides PayPal services.
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 | ActivTrades | easyMarkets | |
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| Trust Score | 81 | 84 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | easyMarkets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | ActivTrades | easyMarkets | |
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| Regulation | ActivTrades | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 81 | 84 | |
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | ActivTrades | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | ActivTrades | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | ActivTrades | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 230 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 63 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | ActivTrades | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | 0.8 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 0.8 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | ActivTrades | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $25 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | ActivTrades | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ActivTrades | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 8 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 15 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | ActivTrades | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 81 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | ActivTrades | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | ActivTrades | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | No | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | ActivTrades | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ActivTrades Review | easyMarkets Review |
| Overall | ActivTrades | easyMarkets | |
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| Trust Score | 81 | 84 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | easyMarkets Review |
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