Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of CMC Markets vs Exness, 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.
CMC Markets, established in 1989, is a veteran in the online trading industry, known for being publicly traded on a stock exchange, which adds an extra layer of transparency and accountability. They hold an impressive six Tier-1 licenses, reflecting a highly trusted status. Additionally, CMC Markets has one Tier-2 license, supporting their overall reliability. With a perfect Trust Score of 99 out of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, CMC Markets provides traders with confidence in their regulatory oversight and industry standing despite not being a bank.
Founded in 2008, Exness has steadily gained credibility in the trading world, though it isn't publicly traded. Geared towards earning trust, Exness holds two Tier-1 licenses and three Tier-2 licenses, positioning it as a trusted broker. With a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 81, Exness is considered a secure platform for traders. It offers a solid choice for those seeking a regulated online broker while also not operating as a bank.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2008 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
CMC Markets earns 5 stars and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers for Commissions and Fees. Its everyday pricing is competitive, with typical EUR/USD spreads around 0.61 pips (Aug 2023 data). The FX Active plan charges $2.50 per side in commission with minimum spreads of zero, delivering an all-in cost of about 0.5 pips on the EUR/USD and several other major pairs. CMC’s average spreads tend to stay close to its advertised minimums, and frequent traders can lower costs further via the Price Plus Scheme, which offers tiered spread discounts based on Trading Points (for example, 1,250 standard lots in a month would qualify for a 20% discount at Tier 4).
Exness earns 4 stars and ranks #36 out of 63 for Commissions and Fees. It offers multiple account types: Standard Cent (highest spreads) and Standard (slightly lower spreads), both with market execution; Pro (lower spreads without commissions) with a choice of instant or market execution; and two commission-based options with tighter spreads. The Zero Spread account charges a $0.05 per-trade commission with market execution, while the Raw account charges up to $7 per round turn ($3.5 per side). For Zero Spread and Raw, margin calls trigger at 30%, and there are no stated restrictions on leverage or stop-out settings.
Bottom line: CMC Markets generally delivers lower all-in trading costs—especially for active FX traders using FX Active—supported by average spreads that closely track its minimums. Exness stands out for flexibility across account types and the ability to choose between commission-free or commission-based pricing, though its ranking suggests higher typical costs than CMC Markets. Always compare average spreads and total per-trade costs (spread plus commission) for the pairs you trade most.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $10 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
CMC Markets offers a far wider range of investments than Exness. Both brokers let you trade forex as CFDs or as spot, but CMC lists 12,029 tradeable symbols versus 209 at Exness, and 141 forex pairs versus 96. CMC also lets clients buy exchange-traded shares (not CFDs) on U.S. markets like Apple (AAPL) and on international exchanges such as Vodafone in London, while Exness does not offer real share dealing.
Both provide copy trading and cryptocurrency CFDs, but neither supports buying actual crypto. Reflecting the difference in market coverage, ForexBrokers.com rates CMC Markets 5 stars and ranks it 9th out of 63 for Range of Investments; Exness earns 3.5 stars and ranks 56th. If you want the widest selection of markets, CMC Markets is the clear pick; if you only need essential forex and CFD choices, Exness may suffice.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 209 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 96 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | 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.
CMC Markets vs Exness: both brokers cover the core platform needs. Each offers a free demo (paper) account, a proprietary platform, and downloadable Windows desktop software alongside a web-based platform. You also get MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) with both brokers, plus copy trading and the ability to place orders directly from charts.
The difference shows up in third-party ratings. In ForexBrokers.com’s Trading Platforms and Tools category, CMC Markets earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers, while Exness earns 4 stars and ranks #26. If platform quality is your top priority, CMC Markets has the edge; if you mainly want MT4/MT5, copy trading, and access across web and desktop, Exness remains competitive.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| 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) | 73 | 107 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
CMC Markets and Exness both offer iPhone and Android trading apps with price alerts and the ability to draw trendlines on charts. Exness includes more built-in technical studies (35) than CMC Markets (29), which may appeal to traders who rely on many indicators.
CMC Markets stands out for ease of use: your watchlists sync between the app and your online account, and chart drawings auto-save so your lines and levels are there next time you log in. Exness does not offer watchlist syncing or auto-saving drawings. In expert reviews, CMC Markets earns 5 stars and ranks #5 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps at ForexBrokers.com, while Exness earns 4 stars and ranks #26. If you value seamless syncing and saved chart work, choose CMC Markets; if you want the most indicators on your phone, Exness has the edge.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 35 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
CMC Markets and Exness both cover the basics for market research: daily market commentary, forex headlines from leading sources like Bloomberg or Reuters, an economic calendar, and sentiment tools that show the ratio of long vs. short positions. Neither broker includes TipRanks or Acuity Trading. The key difference comes down to third‑party tools: CMC Markets offers Autochartist for pattern recognition, while Exness integrates Trading Central instead. Your preference may hinge on which toolkit you find more useful for your trading style.
For overall quality, CMC Markets earns 5 stars for Research and ranks #6 out of 63 brokers, while Exness holds 3.5 stars and ranks #42, according to ForexBrokers.com. If you want a wider set of in-house research features paired with Autochartist, CMC Markets stands out; if Trading Central is a must-have, Exness fits the bill. Both deliver timely news and market insights to help you prepare for the trading day.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | No | Yes |
| 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 CMC Markets and Exness, both brokers provide forex and CFD education with at least 10 learning pieces, including 10+ beginner videos and 10+ advanced videos. That said, CMC Markets delivers higher overall quality: it holds a 5-star Education rating and ranks #10 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Exness has a 3.5-star rating and ranks #47. If you want a strong path from basics to more advanced topics through on-demand lessons, CMC Markets is the better fit.
Live learning is where Exness pulls ahead: it hosts monthly client education webinars, while CMC Markets does not. Choose Exness if you value regular live sessions and Q&A. Choose CMC Markets if you prefer a higher-rated, broader on-demand video library to build your forex and CFD skills at your own pace.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | 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 CMC Markets is better than Exness. CMC Markets finished with an overall rank of #4, while Exness finished with an overall rank of #43.
CMC Markets is well-trusted across the globe, and delivers a terrific trading experience thanks to its excellent pricing and selection of over 12,000 tradeable instruments.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
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Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 81 |
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CMC Markets vs Exness: neither broker supports buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both offer trading via cryptocurrency CFDs.
CMC Markets vs Exness: CMC supports ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wires (no Skrill), while Exness supports Skrill and bank wires (no ACH/SEPA or PayPal), with Visa/Mastercard availability not specified for both.
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 | CMC Markets | Exness | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Exness Review |
| Broker Screenshots | CMC Markets | Exness | |
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| Regulation | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 81 | |
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2008 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | Yes |
| Investments | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 209 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 96 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | 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 | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $10 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | No |
| Trading Tools | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 73 | 107 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 29 | 35 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Exness Review |
| Overall | CMC Markets | Exness | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Exness Review |
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