Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FP Markets 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.
FP Markets and ActivTrades are both prominent online brokers with a strong presence in the trading world. Founded in 2005, FP Markets holds two Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license, reflecting its solid regulatory backing. While not publicly traded or a bank, FP Markets boasts a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 89 out of 99, classifying it as a trusted broker according to industry standards.
Established in 2001, ActivTrades also holds two Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license, indicating a reliable regulatory structure. Like FP Markets, ActivTrades is neither publicly traded nor a bank. It holds a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 81, placing it within the trusted category, though slightly lower than FP Markets. Both brokers provide trustworthy services, but FP Markets carries a slightly higher trust rating among traders.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2005 | 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 |
FP Markets is the lower-cost pick for forex traders who want tight spreads and a clear commission structure. Its Raw ECN account averaged 0.1 pips on EUR/USD as of October 2023 (about 0.8 pips all-in after the $6 per round-turn, per standard lot commission), while the Standard account averaged 1.1 pips. You can use these prices on MetaTrader or cTrader. By contrast, ActivTrades’ pricing is solid but not the cheapest: its average EUR/USD spread was 0.98 pips in May 2024, with no separate active-trader discounts. Bottom line on ratings and ranks: FP Markets earns 5/5 stars and ranks #6 of 63 for Commissions and Fees, while ActivTrades earns 4/5 stars and ranks #29 of 63.
Equities and share CFDs at FP Markets use the Iress suite with Direct Market Access and full depth of book. The ViewPoint tiers in Australia require higher minimum deposits (AUD 1,000 Standard; AUD 25,000 Platinum; AUD 50,000 Premier) and you’ll need either the Premier tier or at least AUD 150 in monthly commissions to avoid platform and data fees. The Iress Investor account waives monthly fees but limits features like streaming quotes and advanced charting.
ActivTrades keeps things simple with one main Individual Account, plus Professional and Islamic options; spreads are the same across these accounts, and the Professional label mainly changes margin/leverage. Actual spreads vary by asset and market conditions (they can widen around rollover), and costs will depend on what you trade and the platform you choose. In short, cost-focused forex traders and scalpers may prefer FP Markets’ Raw ECN pricing, while everyday traders who value a straightforward setup may find ActivTrades’ fees acceptable.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 AUD | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 0.98 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.9 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
FP Markets vs ActivTrades: both brokers let you trade forex as CFDs or spot contracts, and both support copy trading and cryptocurrency CFDs (but not actual crypto). FP Markets stands out for sheer variety, listing 10,000 tradeable symbols and 71 forex pairs, compared with ActivTrades’ 1,267 symbols and 49 pairs. If you want a wider menu of CFDs and more currency choices, FP Markets has the edge.
When it comes to real, exchange-traded shares (not CFDs), neither broker offers U.S.-listed stocks. However, ActivTrades does provide access to select international exchange-traded shares, while FP Markets does not. In ForexBrokers.com’s Range of Investments category, FP Markets earns 4.5 stars and ranks #19 of 63, while ActivTrades scores 4 stars and ranks #32. Choose FP Markets for breadth in CFDs and forex pairs, or ActivTrades if access to some international exchange-traded shares matters to you.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 10000 | 1267 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 71 | 49 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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.
FP Markets and ActivTrades both deliver well-rounded trading platforms and tools. Each broker provides a free demo (paper) account, a proprietary platform alongside MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), and both Windows desktop downloads and web-based platforms. Copy trading is available with both, and you can place orders directly from price charts. Traders also get access to technical indicators and watchlists, with specifics varying by platform.
Both brokers earn 4 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools. However, FP Markets ranks #23 out of 63 brokers in this category at ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades ranks #32. If you want similar features with a slightly higher category ranking, FP Markets has the edge; if you prefer ActivTrades’ interface, you won’t be giving up core platform options.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
FP Markets and ActivTrades both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts for stocks and forex, helping you track moves on the go. Neither broker syncs watchlist symbols between the mobile app and your online account, so edits won’t carry over automatically. In ForexBrokers.com’s Mobile Trading Apps category, both earned 4-star ratings; FP Markets ranked #18 out of 63 brokers, edging ActivTrades at #19.
For charting, both apps let you draw trendlines and they auto-save your drawings. FP Markets relies on the standard MetaTrader indicator set, while ActivTrades includes 30 built-in technical studies. If you want the familiar MetaTrader experience, FP Markets is a natural choice; if you prefer a defined set of 30 indicators within ActivTrades’ app, that may suit you better.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | MetaTrader (Default) | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
FP Markets and ActivTrades both cover the essentials for trading research. Each broker delivers daily market commentary and streams forex news from leading sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones. You also get a sentiment tool that shows long vs. short positioning and an economic calendar with upcoming events. Neither broker includes TipRanks or research from Acuity Trading/Signal Centre.
The biggest difference is in third‑party analysis tools: FP Markets offers Autochartist and Trading Central, while ActivTrades does not. Despite both earning 4 stars for Research, FP Markets holds a higher category ranking (#25 of 63) than ActivTrades (#31 of 63) on ForexBrokers.com, which may matter if you want more built-in technical and fundamental research options.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
FP Markets and ActivTrades both offer beginner-friendly education for forex and CFD trading. Each provides a sizable video library with at least 10 beginner videos and 10 advanced videos, plus ongoing client webinars at least once a month. This mix helps new traders learn the basics, practice strategies, and keep up with live lessons over time.
Both brokers earn 4 out of 5 stars for Education. However, FP Markets ranks higher in the ForexBrokers.com Education category (#23 of 63) than ActivTrades (#38 of 63). If you want a slightly stronger standing for education while keeping plenty of beginner videos and regular webinars, FP Markets has a small edge. If you’re looking for similar content and cadence of webinars, ActivTrades remains a solid alternative.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that FP Markets is better than ActivTrades. FP Markets finished with an overall rank of #19, while ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #33.
FP Markets shines as a low-cost broker for trading forex and CFDs – as long as you use the MetaTrader platform. The Iress platform suite offers well over 9,000 tradeable symbols, but it’s mostly a share trading platform – and is generally a much pricier option.
| Feature |
FP Markets
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ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
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| Trust Score | 89 | 81 |
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FP Markets vs ActivTrades: both online brokers do not support buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but each offers trading in cryptocurrency CFDs.
Comparing FP Markets vs ActivTrades for deposits and withdrawals: neither supports ACH or SEPA transfers, both support Skrill and bank wire transfers, FP Markets supports PayPal while ActivTrades does not, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either broker.
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 | FP Markets | ActivTrades | |
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| Trust Score | 89 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FP Markets Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Broker Screenshots | FP Markets | ActivTrades | |
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| Regulation | FP Markets | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 89 | 81 | |
| Year Founded | 2005 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | 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) | FP Markets | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | FP Markets | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | FP Markets | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 10000 | 1267 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 71 | 49 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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 | FP Markets | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 0.98 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.9 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | FP Markets | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 AUD | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | FP Markets | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | FP Markets | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FP Markets | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | MetaTrader (Default) | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | FP Markets | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FP Markets | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | FP Markets | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | FP Markets Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Overall | FP Markets | ActivTrades | |
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| Trust Score | 89 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FP Markets Review | ActivTrades Review |
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