Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of ActivTrades vs Spreadex, 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.
Choosing the right online broker can be a complex task, especially when comparing companies like ActivTrades and Spreadex. Founded in 2001, ActivTrades holds two Tier-1 licenses and boasts a Trust Score of 81 out of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, categorizing it as a trusted broker. Meanwhile, Spreadex, established in 1999, holds one Tier-1 license and has a Trust Score of 71, marking it as posing average risk. These scores reflect their financial soundness and regulatory compliance, crucial factors for those venturing into online trading.
Neither ActivTrades nor Spreadex are publicly traded nor operate as banks, which investors should take into account when evaluating them for trading purposes. Additionally, ActivTrades offers a Tier-2 license for further reassurance, while Spreadex does not hold any Tier-2 licenses. Overall, ActivTrades emerges as a reliable option with slightly stronger regulatory backing than Spreadex, offering peace of mind for those prioritizing security and trustworthiness in their trading journey.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2001 | 1999 |
| 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 | 0 |
When comparing commissions and fees, both ActivTrades and Spreadex earn 4 out of 5 stars. In ForexBrokers.com’s Commissions and Fees ranking, ActivTrades places #21 of 63 brokers, while Spreadex ranks #25 of 63. On major forex pairs, recent data shows average EUR/USD spreads of 0.98 pips at ActivTrades (May 2024) versus 0.81 pips at Spreadex (January 2024), with Spreadex reaching a 0.6-pip minimum 60% of the time that month. Keep in mind that spreads can change during the trading day and may widen around rollover.
ActivTrades keeps pricing straightforward with one main Individual Account, plus Professional and Islamic options. The Professional Account primarily changes margin requirements (and therefore accessible leverage), but spreads stay the same across account types. There is no account tailored to high-volume traders and no active-trader pricing. Fees at ActivTrades depend on the instruments you trade and can also vary by platform. The available Spreadex data focuses on forex spreads and points to consistently tight pricing on EUR/USD during the referenced period.
Bottom line: ActivTrades’ spreads are slightly better than the industry average but not the lowest available, while Spreadex’s recent EUR/USD averages were a touch tighter in the cited month. Because pricing can vary by asset, platform, and market conditions, it’s smart to compare live spreads for the pairs and products you trade most, especially around rollover when spreads can widen.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.08 | 0.81 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.92 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
ActivTrades vs Spreadex: both brokers let you trade forex as CFDs or spot contracts. Spreadex stands out for sheer breadth with about 10,000 tradeable symbols and 52 forex pairs, while ActivTrades lists 1,267 symbols and 49 pairs. Both also support cryptocurrency CFDs, but neither broker lets you buy actual crypto.
For exchange-traded shares, ActivTrades provides access to international markets such as London for direct share dealing, but not U.S.-listed stocks; Spreadex does not offer direct share dealing on either U.S. or international exchanges. ActivTrades includes copy trading, whereas Spreadex does not. Reflecting these differences, ForexBrokers.com rates ActivTrades 4/5 stars (ranked 25th of 63) for Range of Investments and rates Spreadex 5/5 stars (ranked 13th of 63).
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 10000 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 52 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| 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.
Comparing ActivTrades and Spreadex on trading platforms and tools, both brokers offer free demo accounts for paper trading and provide proprietary, in-house platforms with web-based access. Each lets you place trades directly from charts. Where they differ is desktop access: ActivTrades offers a Windows desktop platform, while Spreadex does not.
Platform choice is another key separator. ActivTrades supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and includes copy trading, whereas Spreadex does not offer MT4, MT5, or copy trading. Both brokers earn 4 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools from ForexBrokers.com, with ActivTrades ranked #26 out of 63 and Spreadex ranked #34. If you want MT4/MT5, copy trading, and a desktop app, ActivTrades is the stronger fit; if you prefer a streamlined, browser-based experience on a proprietary platform, Spreadex may suit your style.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 58 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
ActivTrades and Spreadex both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, and each lets you set stock and forex price alerts. Watchlists don’t sync between mobile and web at either broker. For charting, ActivTrades stands out with 30 technical studies and the ability to draw trendlines that auto-save, so your annotations are kept for later. Spreadex also supports drawing trendlines, but it does not auto-save drawings, and the number of technical studies isn’t specified.
Both apps earn 4 stars for overall mobile experience. In ForexBrokers.com’s Mobile Trading Apps category, ActivTrades ranks 21st out of 63 brokers, while Spreadex ranks 33rd. If you care about richer chart tools and keeping your chart notes, ActivTrades has the edge. If you mainly need alerts and simple chart drawing on iPhone and Android, Spreadex gets the job done.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | N/A |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
ActivTrades and Spreadex both deliver the core research features traders expect: daily market commentary, forex news from top-tier sources (such as Bloomberg and Reuters), a sentiment tool showing long/short positioning, and an economic calendar. Neither broker includes Trading Central, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading research add-ons.
The key difference is tools from Autochartist: Spreadex offers Autochartist, while ActivTrades does not. Both earn 4 out of 5 stars for Research. In ForexBrokers.com’s rankings out of 63 brokers, ActivTrades is placed #26 and Spreadex is #27. If you want automated chart pattern insights, Spreadex has the edge; otherwise, their market research lineups are closely matched.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners comparing ActivTrades and Spreadex on education, both brokers provide at least 10 video lessons aimed at new traders, making it easy to learn the basics at your own pace. ActivTrades goes a step further with live client webinars held monthly, which can help beginners ask questions and learn in real time. If you plan to advance, ActivTrades also offers 10+ videos for experienced traders, while Spreadex does not provide the same depth at the advanced level.
Independent ratings show both brokers score 4 out of 5 for Education on ForexBrokers.com. However, ActivTrades ranks slightly higher (#30 of 63) than Spreadex (#33 of 63). In practice, that means beginners get solid video-based learning at either broker, but ActivTrades may be the better pick if you value live webinars and a clearer path from beginner to more advanced topics.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| 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 Spreadex. ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #28, while Spreadex finished with an overall rank of #32.
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
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 81 | 71 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Trading Fees |
|
|
| Trading Platforms |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
Online brokers ActivTrades and Spreadex do not allow buying actual delivered cryptocurrencies, but both offer cryptocurrency CFD trading.
In the ActivTrades vs Spreadex comparison of deposit and withdrawal methods, both support bank wire transfers but neither supports ACH/SEPA or PayPal; only ActivTrades offers Skrill, while Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either.
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.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | ActivTrades | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 81 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | Spreadex Review |
| Broker Screenshots | ActivTrades | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Regulation | ActivTrades | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 81 | 71 | |
| Year Founded | 2001 | 1999 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | ActivTrades | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | 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) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | ActivTrades | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 10000 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 52 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| 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 | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.08 | 0.81 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.92 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | ActivTrades | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | ActivTrades | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | ActivTrades | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 58 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | ActivTrades | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | N/A | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | ActivTrades | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | ActivTrades | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | ActivTrades | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Spreadex Review |
| Overall | ActivTrades | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 81 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | Spreadex Review |
IG
CMC Markets
FOREX.com
XTB
eToro
AvaTrade
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill