Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of CMC Markets vs IUX, 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, and IUX, founded in 2016, offer online brokerage services with distinct differences in their trust ratings and regulatory status. CMC Markets boasts a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99 out of 99, highlighting its reputation for reliability. This trust is further cemented by its holding of six Tier-1 licenses, a testament to its strong regulatory standing. Despite not being a bank, CMC Markets’ position as a publicly traded company also adds to its transparency and accountability in the financial market.
In contrast, IUX, which is not publicly traded, operates with a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 78, signifying an average risk status. It holds one Tier-1 license and one Tier-2 license, reflecting a moderate level of regulatory oversight. Although IUX does not have the comprehensive licensing structure of CMC Markets, it still maintains a presence in the market as a non-banking institution. Both brokers are tailored to meet varying investor needs, yet CMC Markets presents a higher level of trust based on its established history, regulatory compliance, and transparent operations.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2016 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
Comparing the commissions and fees of online brokers CMC Markets and IUX reveals distinct differences in their pricing models, catering to various types of traders. CMC Markets, holding the prestigious #1 spot in the Commissions and Fees category as per the 2025 Annual Awards, excels with a rating of 5 stars. This success is largely due to its low spread offerings available across all customer segments and account types. The average spread for EUR/USD is around 0.61 pips, a figure that ranks above the industry norm. Furthermore, CMC Markets has an active trader program, the Price Plus Scheme, which provides discounts based on Trading Points accumulated through trading volumes. Their commission-based pricing model, FX Active, offers competitive spreads with a commission of $2.50 per side, leading to an all-in cost of 0.5 pips for major currency pairs like the EUR/USD.
On the other hand, IUX, rated 4 stars and ranked #49 among 63 brokers, offers different account types, each catering to varying levels of trader activity. Their Standard and Standard+ accounts require a $10 minimum deposit, with the latter offering promotional bonuses in exchange for wider spreads. For those who are more active, the Raw account boasts the lowest spreads at the expense of a $6 commission per 100,000 units traded, while the Pro account delivers lower spreads than the Standard accounts without any commissions. Average spreads for the EUR/USD pair are listed at 0.7 pips for the Pro account, 0.9 pips for the Standard account, and closer to 0.6 pips for the Raw account, after accounting for commission costs.
In summary, CMC Markets outshines IUX with its superior pricing structure and competitive costs that favor both casual and active traders. While IUX offers viable options, especially for smaller depositors or those seeking bonus incentives, its pricing does not match the industry’s top cost leaders. Traders should carefully compare these aspects when choosing their preferred account type, considering both brokers' unique strengths and limitations.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | 10 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | 0.6 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Comparing CMC Markets vs IUX on range of investments, CMC Markets offers much wider market access with 12,029 tradeable symbols and 141 forex pairs, while IUX lists 152 symbols and 34 forex pairs. Both brokers support forex trading via CFDs or spot contracts and both provide access to international exchange-traded shares; however, only CMC Markets also lets you buy U.S.-listed stocks such as Apple. Copy trading is available at CMC Markets but not at IUX. For crypto, neither broker lets you buy actual coins, though each offers cryptocurrency derivatives.
Independent ratings reflect this difference: CMC Markets earns 5 stars and ranks #9 out of 63 brokers for Range of Investments on ForexBrokers.com, whereas IUX scores 3.5 stars and ranks #61. If you want wider markets, U.S. and international stocks, and copy trading, CMC Markets is the stronger pick; if you prefer a simpler lineup focused on fewer symbols and forex pairs with international shares only, IUX may be enough.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 152 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 34 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
CMC Markets and IUX both check key boxes for platform access: each offers a free demo account, an in‑house platform, and trading on both Windows desktop and the web. You can place trades directly from charts with either broker. Platform integrations differ, though: CMC Markets supports MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, while IUX supports MetaTrader 5 only. For social features, CMC Markets includes copy trading, whereas IUX does not. Neither broker connects with DupliTrade or ZuluTrade.
For charting and workspace tools, both brokers include technical indicators, but they diverge on extras. IUX lists 89 drawing tools and up to 46 watchlist columns, compared with 36 drawing tools and 11 watchlist columns at CMC Markets. That said, independent ratings favor CMC Markets for overall platforms and tools: it earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while IUX scores 3.5 stars and ranks #60. In short, choose CMC Markets if you want MT4 and copy trading; consider IUX if you prefer more drawing tools and deeper watchlist fields.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 73 | 106 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 36 | 89 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 46 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
CMC Markets and IUX both offer iPhone and Android trading apps. Each app supports multiple time frames for charts, real-time watchlists, and auto-saving of chart drawings. The biggest day-to-day differences are alerts and syncing: CMC Markets provides stock and forex price alerts and syncs watchlists with your web account, while IUX lacks both. CMC Markets also lets you draw trendlines on mobile; IUX does not.
For technical indicators, IUX lists 106 studies in its mobile charts versus 29 at CMC Markets. Even so, independent ratings favor CMC’s app: 5 stars and #5 of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps at ForexBrokers.com, compared with 3.5 stars and #61 for IUX. In short, pick CMC Markets if you value alerts, synced watchlists, and trendline tools; consider IUX if you want the widest set of built-in indicators.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | No |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 106 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Comparing CMC Markets vs IUX for market research, CMC Markets clearly offers more for active traders. CMC Markets provides daily market commentary, forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg/Reuters/Dow Jones, Autochartist tools for trade ideas, and a sentiment tool that shows the long/short split across instruments. IUX does not offer those features. Both brokers do not include Trading Central, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading, and both include an economic calendar.
Ratings reflect the gap: CMC Markets earns 5 stars for Research and ranks 6th out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while IUX holds 3 stars and ranks 60th. If you want rich in-platform research, news, and sentiment insights, CMC Markets is the stronger choice; if you only need a basic calendar, IUX may be enough.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
CMC Markets vs IUX: which is better for beginner education? CMC Markets delivers a fuller learning path. It offers 10+ forex and CFD lessons, a searchable archive of past webinars, at least 10 beginner videos plus 10+ advanced videos, and an investor dictionary with 50+ terms. The only gap is live monthly webinars, which it doesn’t provide. IUX has at least 10 beginner videos, but it falls short elsewhere: no 10+ piece forex/CFD library, no advanced video depth, no investor dictionary, no webinar archive, and no monthly webinars.
These differences show up in the scores. CMC Markets earns 5 stars for Education and ranks #10 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while IUX earns 3 stars and ranks #60. For beginners who want structured lessons, a glossary, and room to grow into advanced topics, CMC Markets is the stronger choice. If you only need basic starter videos, IUX can work—but expect fewer extras.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
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 IUX. CMC Markets finished with an overall rank of #4, while IUX finished with an overall rank of #55.
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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IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 78 |
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Both CMC Markets and IUX provide options for trading cryptocurrency derivatives but do not offer the ability to purchase actual cryptocurrency directly.
CMC Markets and IUX differ in their deposit and withdrawal options, with CMC Markets supporting ACH/SEPA transfers, PayPal, Visa/Mastercard, and bank wires but not Skrill, while IUX offers Skrill, Visa/Mastercard, and bank wires but does not support 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 | CMC Markets | IUX | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 78 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | IUX Review |
| Broker Screenshots | CMC Markets | IUX | |
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| Regulation | CMC Markets | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 78 | |
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2016 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | CMC Markets | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | CMC Markets | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | CMC Markets | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 152 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 34 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| 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). |
| Cost | CMC Markets | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.3 | 0.9 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | 0.6 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | CMC Markets | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | 10 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | CMC Markets | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | CMC Markets | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 46 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 73 | 106 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 36 | 89 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | No |
| Mobile Trading | CMC Markets | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 106 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Research | CMC Markets | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | CMC Markets | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | CMC Markets | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | CMC Markets Review | IUX Review |
| Overall | CMC Markets | IUX | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 78 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | IUX Review |
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