Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FXCM 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.
FXCM vs ActivTrades: FXCM was founded in 1999 and is publicly traded, while ActivTrades started in 2001 and is not publicly traded. Neither broker is a bank. On the ForexBrokers.com Trust Score (where 90–99 is highly trusted and 80–89 trusted), FXCM scores 95 (highly trusted) and ActivTrades scores 80 (trusted).
Regulation also differs: FXCM holds 4 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses, compared with ActivTrades’ 2 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-2. Because Tier-1 regulators are considered highly trusted and Tier-2 trusted by ForexBrokers.com, these counts can help you gauge regulatory strength when comparing these brokers.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
When comparing commissions and fees, FXCM comes out slightly ahead of ActivTrades for most forex traders. FXCM’s pricing is a bit higher than the industry average overall, but its commission-based accounts can offer very tight spreads, with EUR/USD averaging 0.28 pips before commissions in May 2024. After fees are added, the effective cost is closer to 0.74 pips. FXCM also offers Active Trader rebates in some regions for high-volume clients, which can lower costs further. FXCM is rated 4.5/5 stars and ranks #17 out of 36 brokers for Commissions and Fees.
ActivTrades also keeps costs near the market average, and its spreads are slightly better than average, though not as low as the cheapest forex brokers. In May 2024, its average EUR/USD spread was 0.98 pips. ActivTrades does not offer a special pricing plan for active traders, and spreads are generally the same across its account types. Costs can still vary depending on the asset you trade. ActivTrades is rated 4/5 stars and ranks #21 out of 36 brokers for Commissions and Fees.
In simple terms, FXCM is the better pick if you want lower trading costs and may qualify for volume-based rebates, while ActivTrades offers fair pricing but fewer ways to reduce fees. Both brokers are reasonably priced, but FXCM has the edge for cost-conscious forex traders.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | Starts from $50 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.9 | 1.08 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | 0.92 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing FXCM and ActivTrades for range of investments, both brokers give traders access to forex trading as a CFD or spot contract, copy trading, and cryptocurrency CFDs, but neither lets you buy actual delivered crypto. FXCM offers 440 tradeable symbols and 46 forex pairs, while ActivTrades lists a larger selection overall with 1,267 tradeable symbols and 49 forex pairs. That broader lineup gives ActivTrades the edge for traders who want more market choice.
There is also a key difference in share investing: FXCM does not offer exchange traded securities on either U.S. or international exchanges, while ActivTrades does allow trading in international exchange traded securities, though not U.S.-listed shares. Based on this range, FXCM is rated 4.5/5 and ranked #21 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, compared with ActivTrades at 4/5 and #25 out of 36. Overall, ActivTrades offers the wider investment selection, while FXCM still provides a strong forex-focused range.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 440 | 1267 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 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.
FXCM and ActivTrades both give traders a wide range of platform choices, including a free demo account, a Windows desktop app, a web platform, copy trading, and the popular MetaTrader 4 (MT4). Each broker also offers its own in-house platform and lets users place trades directly from charts, which can make active trading easier to manage. For charting and watch lists, both brokers provide the basic tools traders expect, though the exact number of indicators and watch list fields is not specified here.
The main difference is that ActivTrades also supports MetaTrader 5 (MT5), while FXCM does not. That added platform option may matter for traders who want MT5’s newer features and wider tool set. Still, FXCM comes out ahead in overall platform quality, earning 5 out of 5 stars and a #4 ranking out of 36 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools, compared with ActivTrades’ 4 stars and #26 ranking.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
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) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
FXCM and ActivTrades both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with price alerts, trendline drawing, and automatic saving of chart drawings. That means either broker gives traders a convenient way to follow markets and manage charts while on the move. Both apps also cover the basics well, so the choice may come down to the extra tools each platform includes.
FXCM has the edge in mobile trading apps overall. Its app includes watchlist symbol syncing, so changes made on mobile and online stay aligned, while ActivTrades does not offer this feature. FXCM also provides more chart studies, with 59 technical indicators compared with ActivTrades’ 30. These differences help explain FXCM’s higher mobile app rating of 4.5 out of 5 and its stronger ForexBrokers.com ranking of #16 out of 36, versus ActivTrades at 4 stars and #21 out of 36.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 59 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
FXCM and ActivTrades both give traders helpful market research, including daily market commentary, news from major sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, a sentiment tool, and an economic calendar for tracking key global events. Neither broker includes Autochartist or Acuity Trading tools, but FXCM goes a step further with Trading Central research and TipRanks coverage, which ActivTrades does not offer.
Overall, FXCM has the edge for market research. It earns a 4.5-star rating and ranks 11th out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades scores 4 stars and ranks 26th. For traders who want more built-in research options, FXCM is the stronger pick, though ActivTrades still covers the main basics well.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
FXCM and ActivTrades both give beginners plenty of educational content, with each broker offering at least 10 forex or CFD learning pieces, monthly client webinars, and more than 10 beginner and 10 advanced videos. That means new traders can find a solid mix of articles, videos, and live sessions at either firm when they are trying to learn the basics or build on what they already know.
That said, FXCM has the edge in education overall. It is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars for Education and ranks #13 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades is rated 4 stars and ranks #30. For beginners who want a broker with stronger educational support, FXCM appears to be the better choice, although ActivTrades still offers a good range of learning tools.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
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 FXCM is better than ActivTrades. FXCM finished with an overall rank of #10, while ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #28.
For traders who appreciate advanced trading tools and quality market research, FXCM is a winner, especially for algorithmic trading. Its range of tradeable markets is fairly narrow, however, and the pricing at FXCM is just average.
| Feature |
FXCM
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ActivTrades
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| Trust Score | 95 | 80 |
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FXCM vs ActivTrades: neither broker lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both provide access to trading cryptocurrency CFDs.
Online broker FXCM provides more deposit and withdrawal options than ActivTrades—supporting ACH/SEPA, PayPal, Skrill, and bank wires—while ActivTrades offers Skrill and bank wires only and does not support ACH/SEPA or PayPal; 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 | FXCM | ActivTrades | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FXCM Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Broker Screenshots | FXCM | ActivTrades | |
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| Regulation | FXCM | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 95 | 80 | |
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | FXCM | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | 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) | Yes | 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) | FXCM | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | FXCM | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 440 | 1267 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 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 | FXCM | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.9 | 1.08 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | 0.92 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | FXCM | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | Starts from $50 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | FXCM | 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) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | FXCM | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FXCM | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 59 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | FXCM | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FXCM | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | FXCM | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | FXCM Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Overall | FXCM | ActivTrades | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FXCM Review | ActivTrades Review |
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