Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of ActivTrades vs GBE brokers, 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, established in 2001, and GBE Brokers, founded in 2013, are both online brokers that provide trading services to clients globally. Although neither company is publicly traded nor operates as a bank, they differ significantly in their regulatory credentials, which influences their Trust Score ratings as determined by ForexBrokers.com. ActivTrades holds two Tier-1 licenses, which are highly trusted, and one Tier-2 license, which is considered trusted, resulting in a Trust Score rating of 81. This rating categorizes ActivTrades as a trusted broker.
Conversely, GBE Brokers has one Tier-1 license and does not hold any Tier-2 licenses. This regulatory standing results in a Trust Score rating of 71, placing GBE Brokers in the average risk category. These scores not only reflect the degree of regulatory oversight each broker is subjected to but also provide an insight into their safety and trustworthiness, helping traders make informed decisions based on their investment needs.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2013 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
For commissions and fees, both ActivTrades and GBE Brokers earn 4 out of 5 stars. Based on ForexBrokers.com’s 2024 rankings, ActivTrades places #29 out of 63 brokers, while GBE Brokers ranks #38. ActivTrades’ spreads are slightly better than the industry average (though not among the very lowest), and GBE Brokers does not publish average spread data, making like-for-like cost comparisons less precise.
ActivTrades offers one main Individual Account, plus Professional and Islamic options (and a demo account). Spreads are the same across account types; the Professional account mainly changes margin requirements, which can affect leverage, not pricing. There’s no special high-volume account and no active trader pricing. Costs vary by asset and platform, and spreads can move during the trading day—especially around rollover. For reference, ActivTrades reported an average EUR/USD spread of 0.98 pips in May 2024.
In practice, ActivTrades provides clearer published pricing and slightly tighter typical spreads, while GBE Brokers requires checking live quotes since average spread data isn’t available. Given their equal star ratings but different rankings (#29 vs. #38), ActivTrades has a modest edge on fees for many traders, though the best choice still depends on the assets and platforms you plan to trade.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $1000 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.98 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
ActivTrades and GBE brokers both support forex trading as a CFD or spot contract, plus copy trading. ActivTrades offers a wider market selection overall with 1,267 tradeable symbols versus GBE brokers’ 500. That said, GBE brokers lists more forex pairs (71 vs. ActivTrades’ 49). For stocks, neither broker lets you buy exchange-traded shares on U.S. markets, but ActivTrades does provide access to exchange-traded shares on some international exchanges, while GBE brokers does not. For crypto, both brokers offer cryptocurrency CFDs but do not support buying actual coins.
According to ForexBrokers.com, ActivTrades earns 4 stars for Range of Investments and ranks #32 out of 63 brokers, while GBE brokers scores 3.5 stars and ranks #45. In short, choose ActivTrades if you want broader market coverage and the option to buy certain international shares; pick GBE brokers if having more forex pairs is your priority.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 71 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| 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.
ActivTrades and GBE brokers both make it easy to get started with a free demo (paper) account. Each offers Windows desktop and web-based trading, copy trading, and support for MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). You can place trades directly from charts with either broker. The key difference: ActivTrades also provides a proprietary platform, while GBE brokers relies on third-party platforms.
Both brokers earn 4 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools from ForexBrokers.com, but their rankings differ: ActivTrades is #32 out of 63 brokers, while GBE brokers is #58. Counts for built-in technical indicators and watch list columns were not specified. If you want an extra platform choice alongside MetaTrader, ActivTrades offers that option; if you just need the MetaTrader suite with copy trading on web and desktop, both fit the bill.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No |
| 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.
ActivTrades and GBE brokers both deliver full-featured mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports stock and forex price alerts, offers 30 technical studies for charting, lets you draw trendlines, and auto-saves those drawings for later. On core tools and indicators, they’re neck and neck.
A key limitation for both is the lack of watchlist symbol syncing between the mobile app and your online account. Ratings are the same at 4 stars for Mobile Trading Apps, but category standings differ: according to ForexBrokers.com, ActivTrades ranks #19 out of 63 for Mobile Trading Apps, while GBE brokers ranks #58 out of 63. If overall category position matters to you, ActivTrades has the edge; if you mainly want alerts and capable charting on iPhone or Android, either app will get the job done.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Comparing ActivTrades vs GBE Brokers for market research, both provide daily market commentary, sentiment tools that show long/short ratios, and an economic calendar. The key difference is news coverage: ActivTrades offers forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, while GBE Brokers does not. Neither broker includes tools from Autochartist or Trading Central. ActivTrades does not offer TipRanks or Acuity Trading tools, and availability of these for GBE Brokers isn’t specified.
For Research, ActivTrades is rated 4/5 stars and ranks 31st out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, whereas GBE Brokers scores 3/5 stars and ranks 63rd out of 63. If you want top-tier news alongside core tools like commentary, sentiment, and an economic calendar, ActivTrades has the edge; for basic coverage, GBE Brokers delivers the essentials.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | |
| Acuity Trading | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing ActivTrades and GBE Brokers for beginner-friendly forex and CFD education, ActivTrades stands out. It offers a wide range of learning materials, including at least 10 beginner videos and at least 10 advanced videos, plus monthly client webinars. This makes it easier to build skills step by step. ActivTrades holds a 4 out of 5 Education rating and is ranked 38th by ForexBrokers.com.
GBE Brokers provides fewer learning options for newcomers. It does not run monthly educational webinars and does not offer 10 or more beginner or advanced videos, so the library is smaller. GBE Brokers is rated 3 out of 5 for Education and is ranked 64th by ForexBrokers.com. If education is a key factor, ActivTrades is the stronger pick.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
GBE brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
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 GBE brokers. ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #33, while GBE brokers finished with an overall rank of #57.
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
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GBE brokers
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| Trust Score | 81 | 71 |
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ActivTrades vs GBE Brokers: neither online broker supports buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both offer cryptocurrency CFD trading.
In this ActivTrades vs GBE Brokers comparison of deposit and withdrawal options, ActivTrades accepts Skrill and bank wire transfers but not ACH/SEPA or PayPal, whereas GBE Brokers supports ACH/SEPA transfers and does not specify whether PayPal, Skrill, Visa/Mastercard, or bank wires are available.
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 | GBE brokers | |
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| Trust Score | 81 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Broker Screenshots | ActivTrades | GBE brokers | |
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| Regulation | ActivTrades | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 81 | 71 | |
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2013 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | ActivTrades | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| 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 | ||
| 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). | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | ActivTrades | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | ActivTrades | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 71 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | ActivTrades | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.98 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | ActivTrades | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $1000 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | ||
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | ActivTrades | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | ActivTrades | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ActivTrades | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | ActivTrades | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | ||
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | ActivTrades | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | ActivTrades | GBE brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Overall | ActivTrades | GBE brokers | |
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| Trust Score | 81 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review |
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