Is CMC Markets better than Interactive Brokers? After testing 27 of the best forex brokers over five months, CMC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers. CMC Markets is a globally trusted broker that delivers a terrific offering for traders thanks to excellent pricing, nearly 10,000 tradeable instruments, and the Next Generation trading platform, which comes packed with quality research, innovative trading tools, and powerful charting.
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CMC Markets vs Interactive Brokers 2021
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
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Overall Rating
| Feature | CMC Markets | Interactive Brokers |
| Overall | ||
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Mobile Trading | ||
| Research | ||
| Education | ||
| Trust Score | 99 | 94 |
| CMC Markets Review | Interactive Brokers Review | |
| Winner | check_circle | |
| 73% of retail CFD accounts lose money | 66% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
Regulation
| Feature | CMC Markets | Interactive Brokers |
| Trust Score | 99 | 94 |
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Year Founded |
1989 | 1977 |
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Publicly Traded (Listed) |
Yes | Yes |
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Bank |
No | No |
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Tier-1 Licenses |
4 | 6 |
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Tier-2 Licenses |
2 | 0 |
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Tier-3 Licenses |
0 | 0 |
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Authorised in the European Union |
Yes | Yes |
Tier-1 Licenses (High Trust)
| Feature | CMC Markets | Interactive Brokers |
|
ASIC Authorised (Australia) |
Yes | No |
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IIROC Authorised (Canada) |
Yes | Yes |
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SFC Authorised (Hong Kong) |
No | Yes |
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FSA Authorised (Japan) |
No | Yes |
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MAS Authorised (Singapore) |
Yes | Yes |
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FINMA Authorised (Switzerland) |
No | Yes |
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FCA Authorised (UK) |
Yes | Yes |
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CFTC Registered (USA) |
No | Yes |
Investments
| Feature | CMC Markets | Interactive Brokers |
|
Forex Trading |
Yes | Yes |
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CFDs (Total) |
9852 | 7400 |
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Forex Pairs (Total) |
158 | 105 |
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Cryptocurrency (Physical) |
No | No |
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Cryptocurrency (CFD) |
Yes | No |
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Social Trading / Copy-Trading |
Yes | No |
Cost
| Feature | CMC Markets | Interactive Brokers |
|
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard |
0.74 (August 2020) | N/A |
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All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active |
0.64 (August 2020) | N/A |
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Active Trader or VIP Discounts |
Yes | Yes |
Funding
| Feature | CMC Markets | Interactive Brokers |
|
Minimum Initial Deposit |
$0.00 | $0 |
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Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) |
Yes | Yes |
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Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) |
Yes | No |
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PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) |
Yes | No |
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Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) |
No | No |
Trading Platforms
| Feature | CMC Markets | Interactive Brokers |
|
Proprietary Platform |
Yes | Yes |
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Desktop Platform (Windows) |
Yes | Yes |
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Web Platform |
Yes | Yes |
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Social Trading / Copy-Trading |
Yes | No |
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MetaTrader 4 (MT4) |
Yes | No |
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MetaTrader 5 (MT5) |
No | No |
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cTrader |
No | No |
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DupliTrade |
No | No |
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ZuluTrade |
No | No |
Trading Tools
| Feature | CMC Markets | Interactive Brokers |
|
Virtual Trading (Demo) |
Yes | Yes |
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Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
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Watchlists - Total Fields |
9 | 494 |
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Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) |
86 | 121 |
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Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) |
40 | 9 |
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Charting - Trade From Chart |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Drawings Autosave |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - Trailing Stop |
Yes | Yes |
Mobile Trading
| Feature | CMC Markets | Interactive Brokers |
|
Android App |
Yes | Yes |
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Apple iOS App |
Yes | Yes |
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Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
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Watch List |
Yes | Yes |
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Watch List Syncing |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Indicators / Studies |
29 | 70 |
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Charting - Draw Trendlines |
Yes | No |
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Charting - Trendlines Moveable |
Yes | No |
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Charting - Multiple Time Frames |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Drawings Autosave |
Yes | Yes |
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Forex Calendar |
Yes | Yes |
Research
| Feature | CMC Markets | Interactive Brokers |
|
Daily Market Commentary |
Yes | Yes |
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Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) |
Yes | Yes |
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Weekly Webinars |
Yes | No |
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AutoChartist |
No | No |
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Trading Central (Recognia) |
Yes | Yes |
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Delkos Research |
No | No |
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Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs |
Yes | Yes |
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Economic Calendar |
Yes | Yes |
Education
| Feature | CMC Markets | Interactive Brokers |
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Has Education - Forex |
Yes | Yes |
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Has Education - CFDs |
Yes | Yes |
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Client Webinars |
Yes | Yes |
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Client Webinars (Archived) |
Yes | Yes |
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Videos - Beginner Trading Videos |
Yes | No |
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Videos - Advanced Trading Videos |
Yes | Yes |
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Investor Dictionary (Glossary) |
Yes | Yes |
Major Forex Pairs
| Feature | CMC Markets | Interactive Brokers |
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GBP/USD |
Yes | Yes |
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USD/JPY |
Yes | Yes |
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EUR/USD |
Yes | Yes |
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USD/CHF |
Yes | Yes |
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USD/CAD |
Yes | Yes |
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NZD/USD |
Yes | Yes |
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AUD/USD |
Yes | Yes |
Overall
| Feature | CMC Markets | Interactive Brokers |
| Overall | ||
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Mobile Trading | ||
| Research | ||
| Education | ||
| Trust Score | 99 | 94 |
| CMC Markets Review | Interactive Brokers Review |
Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2021 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 27 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare CMC Markets vs Interactive Brokers.
Does CMC Markets or Interactive Brokers offer lower pricing?
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.
Is CMC Markets or Interactive Brokers safer for forex and CFDs trading?
At ForexBrokers.com, we track where each forex and CFD broker is regulated across over 20 international regulator databases. Here's our findings. Interactive Brokers holds 6 global Tier-1 licenses, while CMC Markets holds 4. CMC Markets holds 2 global Tier-2 licenses, while Interactive Brokers holds 0. All regulators considered, CMC Markets has a Trust Score of 99.00, while Interactive Brokers's Trust Score is 94.00.
Which trading platform is better: CMC Markets or Interactive Brokers?
To compare the trading platforms of both CMC Markets and Interactive Brokers, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, CMC Markets offers a better experience. With research, CMC Markets offers superior market research. Finally, we found CMC Markets to provide better mobile trading apps.
What about MetaTrader and copy trading?
For forex and CFDs traders, copy trading and MetaTrader are both popular platform options. While CMC Markets offers copy trading, Interactive Brokers does not. CMC Markets offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4), while Interactive Brokers does not.
How many forex pairs and CFDs are available to trade?
CMC Markets provides traders 158 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to Interactive Brokers's 105 available pairs. Forex pairs aside, CMC Markets offers traders access to 9852 CFDs while Interactive Brokers has 7400 available CFDs, a difference of 2,452.
Overall winner: CMC Markets
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Trading CFDs, FX, and cryptocurrencies involve a high degree of risk. All providers have a percentage of retail investor accounts that lose money when trading CFDs with their company. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money and whether you understand how CFDs, FX, and cryptocurrencies work. All data was obtained from a published website as of 12/14/2020 and is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. The ForexBrokers.com staff is constantly working with its online broker representatives to obtain the latest data. If you believe any data listed above is inaccurate, please contact us using the link at the bottom of this page.
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