Written by ForexBrokers.com
Is Interactive Brokers better than CMC Markets? In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 62 of the best forex brokers, Interactive Brokers is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 99 out of 99. CMC Markets is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 99 out of 99. Learn more about Trust Score.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | CMC Markets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trading Platforms Gallery (click to expand) | |||
| Research Gallery (click to expand) | |||
| Mobile Trading Gallery (click to expand) | |||
| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 1989 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| European Union Authorised (MiFID) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 5 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (High Trust) | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (SRO Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| CBI Authorised (Ireland) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Average Trust) | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| China (CBRC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Cyprus (CySEC Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Russia (CBR Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Thailand (SEC Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | Yes |
| Tier-3 Licenses (Low Trust) | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
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| Bahamas (SCB Authorised) | No | No | |
| Belize (FSC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Cayman Islands (CIMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Bermuda (BMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| British Virgin Islands (FSC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Mauritius (FSC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Vanuatu (VFSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 12377 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 158 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFD) | No | 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 | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.6 | 0.51 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.6 | 0.51 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
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| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
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| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 640 | 9 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 128 | 84 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 85 | 40 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
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| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 97 | 29 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Forex Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
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| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
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| 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) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
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| 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 | Interactive Brokers Review | CMC Markets Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | CMC Markets Review |
Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2023 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 62 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare Interactive Brokers vs CMC Markets.
Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spreads data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough annual assessment, CMC Markets offers better pricing overall for traders.
At ForexBrokers.com, we track where each forex and CFD broker is regulated across over 23 international regulator databases. Here's our findings. Interactive Brokers holds 8 global Tier-1 licenses, while CMC Markets holds 5. Both Interactive Brokers and CMC Markets hold 1 global Tier-2 licenses. In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 50 brokers, Interactive Brokers and CMC Markets earned the same Trust Score.
To compare the trading platforms of both Interactive Brokers and CMC Markets, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, CMC Markets offers a better experience. With research, Interactive Brokers offers superior market research. Finally, we found CMC Markets to provide better mobile trading apps.
For forex and CFDs traders, copy trading and MetaTrader are both popular platform options. Neither broker offers Meta Trader.Copy trading is not offered by either broker.
CMC Markets provides traders 158 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to Interactive Brokers's 90 available pairs. Forex pairs aside, CMC Markets offers traders access to 12377 CFDs while Interactive Brokers has 8500 available CFDs, a difference of 3877.
Interactive Brokers is publicly traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by nine tier-1 regulators (high trust), one tier-2 regulators (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). Interactive Brokers is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), Central Bank of Ireland (CBI), Securities Futures Commission (SFC), Japanese Financial Services Authority (JFSA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
CMC Markets is publicly traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by five tier-1 regulators (high trust), one tier-2 regulator (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). CMC Markets is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Financial Markets Authority (FMA), and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Interactive Brokers is a highly trusted multi-asset broker with an extensive offering of tradeable global markets. It delivers competitive fees and high-quality research and education, as well as a modern, institutional-grade trading platform suite.
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.
Overall winner: Interactive Brokers
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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