Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of ActivTrades vs LegacyFX, 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, founded in 2001, is an online broker that provides financial trading services but is neither publicly traded nor a bank. The broker holds two Tier-1 licenses, indicating a high level of trust, and one Tier-2 license, further demonstrating its reliability. With a Trust Score of 81 out of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, ActivTrades is considered a trusted broker by industry standards.
On the other hand, LegacyFX started operations in 2012 and shares similar non-publicly traded and non-banking traits with ActivTrades. However, LegacyFX holds one Tier-1 license, and no Tier-2 licenses, giving it a Trust Score of 67 out of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com, placing it in a higher risk category than ActivTrades. This comparison highlights ActivTrades as a more trusted option for traders seeking regulated and reliable broker services.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
LegacyFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2012 |
| 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 |
ActivTrades keeps pricing straightforward. It has one main Individual Account (plus Professional and Islamic options), with the same spreads across account types, no special high‑volume account, and no active‑trader pricing. Overall, its spreads are slightly better than the industry average but not the very lowest. Costs vary by asset and platform, and spreads can widen at rollover. ActivTrades provided an average EUR/USD spread of 0.98 pips for May 2024. Commissions and Fees rating: 4 out of 5 stars; ForexBrokers.com ranking: #29 of 63.
LegacyFX’s costs depend on the entity and account tier. In the EU (CySEC), there are Silver ($500 min), Gold ($5,000), and Platinum ($25,000) accounts; Platinum advertises the lowest spreads, while Silver can be much higher (minimum EUR/USD spread as high as 1.6 pips). Internationally (Vanuatu), there are seven tiers from Standard ($500) up to VIP ($50,000), with more tools and support at higher levels. LegacyFX does not publish average spreads, making true cost comparisons harder. Commissions and Fees rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars; ForexBrokers.com ranking: #58 of 63.
Bottom line: ActivTrades generally looks cheaper on headline spreads—backed by a published 0.98‑pip average on EUR/USD—while LegacyFX can be costlier on lower tiers and lacks average spread data. If you prize simple pricing and competitive spreads, ActivTrades may be the better fit; if you want tiered service and are willing to make a larger deposit, LegacyFX’s higher‑level accounts may appeal.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
LegacyFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $500 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| 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.
ActivTrades vs LegacyFX: both brokers offer forex trading via CFDs or spot contracts and support copy trading. ActivTrades lists 1,267 tradable instruments and 49 currency pairs, while LegacyFX offers 425 instruments and 44 pairs. Each provides access to cryptocurrency only through derivatives, not the actual coins.
Neither broker offers exchange-traded U.S. stocks, but ActivTrades does provide access to certain international exchange-traded shares (for example, London-listed companies), whereas LegacyFX does not. Reflecting the broader selection, ForexBrokers.com rates ActivTrades 4.0/5 for Range of Investments and ranks it 32nd out of 63 brokers; LegacyFX is rated 3.5/5 and ranks 49th out of 63.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
LegacyFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 425 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 44 |
| 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.
Comparing trading platforms and tools, both ActivTrades and LegacyFX offer free paper trading (demo accounts), web and Windows desktop platforms, copy trading, and the ability to place trades directly from charts. Key differences: ActivTrades provides a proprietary in-house platform and supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4), while LegacyFX does not have its own platform and does not support MT4. Both brokers support MetaTrader 5 (MT5). Neither broker connects to DupliTrade or ZuluTrade.
For charting, each broker includes 15 drawing tools. Watchlists are a bit more flexible at ActivTrades with 11 fields versus 7 at LegacyFX, which can make sorting and scanning markets easier. According to ForexBrokers.com, ActivTrades earns 4 stars and ranks 32nd out of 63 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools, while LegacyFX scores 3.5 stars and ranks 61st. If you want MT4 access and an extra in-house platform option, ActivTrades has the edge; if you only need MT5 and core features, LegacyFX may still fit the bill.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
LegacyFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
ActivTrades vs LegacyFX mobile app comparison: both brokers offer iPhone and Android apps with a similar toolset. You get stock and forex price alerts, real-time quote watchlists, the ability to draw trendlines, multiple chart time frames (intraday, daily, weekly), and auto-saved chart drawings. Charting depth is alike too, with 30 technical studies in each app. One notable gap for both: watchlist symbol syncing isn’t available, so changes made on mobile won’t sync with your online account and vice versa.
Where they differ is overall quality and industry standing. ForexBrokers.com rates ActivTrades’ mobile trading app 4 stars and ranks it 19th out of 63 brokers, while LegacyFX earns 3.5 stars and ranks 62nd. If you want similar features but place weight on ratings and a smoother day-to-day experience, ActivTrades is the stronger pick; LegacyFX can still handle core charting and alerts on the go.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
LegacyFX
|
|---|---|---|
| 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.
Comparing market research at ActivTrades and LegacyFX, both brokers provide daily market commentary, top-tier forex news (from sources like Bloomberg or Reuters), and an economic calendar. The main differences are in extra tools: LegacyFX offers Autochartist for pattern and signal ideas, while ActivTrades does not. ActivTrades includes a sentiment tool that shows how many traders are long or short, which LegacyFX does not provide. Neither broker includes Trading Central. ActivTrades does not offer TipRanks or Acuity Trading tools; LegacyFX does not list TipRanks or Acuity Trading availability.
For overall research quality, ActivTrades is rated 4 stars and ranks #31 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while LegacyFX is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #47. If you want Autochartist, LegacyFX has the edge. If you prefer a built-in sentiment gauge and higher third-party ratings, ActivTrades may be the better fit.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
LegacyFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to educational resources for trading beginners, both ActivTrades and LegacyFX provide a rich selection of materials designed to help newcomers understand the complexities of forex and CFD trading. Each platform offers a variety of at least 10 educational resources, including articles, videos, and access to archived webinars. For those who enjoy interactive learning, both brokers host monthly educational webinars. Additionally, they each maintain a searchable archive of past sessions, so users can replay sessions whenever it's convenient for them. Videos specifically targeted at both beginner and advanced traders are abundant on both platforms, facilitating learning at any level. However, ActivTrades distinguishes itself slightly by offering a more comprehensive range of basic and advanced trading videos compared to LegacyFX.
ActivTrades and LegacyFX differ slightly in their additional educational offerings. LegacyFX provides an investor dictionary with definitions for over 50 investing terms, a feature that is absent from ActivTrades. Despite this, ActivTrades holds a slight edge with a 4-star education rating compared to LegacyFX's 3.5 stars. Interestingly, ForexBrokers.com ranks LegacyFX slightly higher than ActivTrades—35th out of 63 brokers, as opposed to ActivTrades' 38th place in the education category. This shows that both brokers are solid choices for beginners seeking a comprehensive educational experience, with unique features that cater to different learning preferences.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
LegacyFX
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 LegacyFX. ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #33, while LegacyFX finished with an overall rank of #63.
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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LegacyFX
|
|---|---|---|
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| Trust Score | 81 | 67 |
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Both ActivTrades and LegacyFX do not offer the ability to purchase actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they do allow trading of cryptocurrency derivatives.
Both ActivTrades and LegacyFX allow funding and withdrawals through Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires, but neither supports ACH, SEPA transfers, or PayPal.
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 | LegacyFX | |
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| Trust Score | 81 | 67 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | LegacyFX Review |
| Broker Screenshots | ActivTrades | LegacyFX | |
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| Regulation | ActivTrades | LegacyFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 81 | 67 | |
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2012 | |
| 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 | LegacyFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | ||
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | ||
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | ||
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | ||
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | ||
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | ||
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | ActivTrades | LegacyFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | ||
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | ||
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | ||
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | ||
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | ActivTrades | LegacyFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 425 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 44 | |
| 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 | LegacyFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | ActivTrades | LegacyFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $500 | |
| 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 | No |
| Trading Platforms | ActivTrades | LegacyFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | ActivTrades | LegacyFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | ActivTrades | LegacyFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ActivTrades | LegacyFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | ||
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | ActivTrades | LegacyFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | LegacyFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | LegacyFX Review |
| Overall | ActivTrades | LegacyFX | |
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| Trust Score | 81 | 67 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | LegacyFX Review |
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