Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of CMC Markets vs Plus500, 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 Plus500, founded in 2008, are both leading online brokers that boast the highest trust score of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com. This score indicates they are highly trusted within the industry. Both companies are publicly traded, though neither operates as a bank. The stability and credibility of both brokers are underscored by their equal number of Tier-1 licenses, holding six each, which reflect the highest level of trust as per ForexBrokers.com standards.
While CMC Markets only holds one Tier-2 license, Plus500 maintains three, adding to their regulatory reputation. Tier-2 licenses are still considered trusted according to ForexBrokers.com, albeit slightly less so than Tier-1. For traders seeking reputable and reliable platforms, both CMC Markets and Plus500 present trustworthy options, backed by strong regulatory frameworks and industry recognition.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2008 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 6 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
If you’re comparing commissions and fees, CMC Markets comes out cheaper than Plus500 for most traders. In our 2025 Annual Awards, CMC Markets earned 5 stars and ranked #1 out of 63 brokers for Commissions and Fees, while Plus500 received 4.0 stars and ranked #24 out of 63. Overall, CMC’s pricing tends to beat the industry average, whereas Plus500’s sits a bit higher.
CMC Markets offers low spreads across all account types, with typical EUR/USD spreads around 0.61 pips (August 2023) and averages that closely track its advertised minimums. Its FX Active plan uses commission-based pricing of $2.50 per side with minimum spreads of 0.0 pips, giving an all‑in cost near 0.5 pips on EUR/USD (and five other major pairs). Active traders can cut costs further via the Price Plus Scheme by earning Trading Points (two points per 100k lot); hitting Tier 4 requires about 1,250 standard lots in a month and unlocks a 20% spread discount.
Plus500’s fees are simple but generally higher for retail clients. The broker doesn’t offer retail discounts; only Professional clients may qualify for cash rebates. In April 2024, Plus500’s average EUR/USD spread was about 1.5 pips—higher than the industry average and notably above CMC Markets’ typical pricing, especially for active traders.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | €50 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | 1.3 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
CMC Markets vs Plus500: For range of investments, CMC Markets lists 12,029 tradeable instruments, far more than Plus500’s 5,500. Both brokers offer forex trading and let you speculate on cryptocurrencies via CFDs (contracts for difference), though neither lets you buy actual crypto. Each also provides access to real exchange‑traded shares on both U.S. and international markets, not just CFDs. A notable difference is copy trading—available at CMC Markets but not at Plus500.
If breadth matters, CMC Markets stands out with 141 forex pairs versus Plus500’s 65, helping it earn a 5-star Range of Investments rating and a #9 ranking out of 63 brokers from ForexBrokers.com. Plus500 is rated 4.5 stars and ranked #22; it covers the essentials but with fewer symbols. Choose CMC Markets if you want more markets and copy trading; pick Plus500 if you’re comfortable with a tighter selection.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 5500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 65 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| 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). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account. |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
CMC Markets and Plus500 both offer free demo (paper) accounts and each has its own in-house trading platform. CMC Markets provides a full Windows desktop platform plus a web platform, while Plus500 focuses on the web. If you want copy trading or the ability to place orders directly from a chart, CMC Markets has both; Plus500 does not include those features.
Platform choice is broader at CMC Markets because it supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5); Plus500 does not support MT4 or MT5. Both brokers offer helpful charting and watch lists, but tool depth tilts toward CMC Markets, which earned 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools, compared with Plus500’s 4.5 stars and #14 ranking. Pick CMC Markets if you want a desktop app, copy trading, MetaTrader, and trading from charts; choose Plus500 if a straightforward, browser-based platform with a free demo is all you need.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| 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) | 73 | 115 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
CMC Markets and Plus500 both deliver full-featured mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts and watchlist syncing, so updates made on your phone match what you see on your web platform. Charting tools are available on both, including the ability to draw trendlines, making it easy to track setups while on the go.
For technical studies, Plus500 offers a larger selection (115 indicators) compared to CMC Markets (29). However, CMC Markets auto-saves your chart drawings, while Plus500 does not. Independent ratings reflect these trade-offs: CMC Markets earns 5 stars and ranks #5 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps at ForexBrokers.com, whereas Plus500 earns 4.5 stars and ranks #14. Choose Plus500 if you want more indicators, or CMC Markets if saving your chart work and higher third-party ratings matter more.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 115 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing CMC Markets and Plus500, both brokers provide daily market commentary and sentiment-based trading tools to their users. However, CMC Markets stands out by offering forex news from leading sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, whereas Plus500 does not provide access to such top-tier news outlets. Furthermore, CMC Markets features tools from Autochartist, which is not available with Plus500, giving its users additional resources for technical and fundamental analysis. On the other hand, Plus500 offers tools from Trading Central, providing a unique edge for technical analytics, which CMC Markets does not offer.
Both CMC Markets and Plus500 present users with an economic calendar to track global news events. Despite their similarities, CMC Markets receives a higher research rating of five stars compared to Plus500's four stars. According to ForexBrokers.com, CMC Markets ranks sixth out of 63 brokers in the Research category, showcasing its commitment to comprehensive market research. In contrast, Plus500 ranks nineteenth, indicating a solid but comparatively less extensive offering in this area.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| 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.
Comparing CMC Markets vs Plus500 for beginner education, CMC Markets stands out with a 5-star Education rating and a #10 rank out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Plus500 holds 4.0 stars and ranks #31. Both brokers offer plenty of on-demand learning, including at least 10 beginner videos and 10 advanced videos that cover trading basics and more sophisticated ideas, with content that touches on forex and CFD topics.
One key difference is live learning: CMC Markets does not run monthly educational webinars, whereas Plus500 does. If you prefer live sessions with regular updates, Plus500 has that covered. If you want a higher-rated, more comprehensive self-paced library, CMC Markets has the edge. Either way, beginners can start with step-by-step videos on both platforms and continue into advanced lessons as their skills grow.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Plus500. CMC Markets finished with an overall rank of #4, while Plus500 finished with an overall rank of #14.
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
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 |
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CMC Markets vs Plus500: neither broker supports buying actual delivered cryptocurrency, but both offer cryptocurrency CFD trading.
Comparing online brokers CMC Markets and Plus500: CMC Markets supports ACH/SEPA and bank wires and offers PayPal but not Skrill, whereas Plus500 lacks ACH/SEPA but offers PayPal, Skrill, and bank wires; 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.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | CMC Markets | Plus500 | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Plus500 Review |
| Broker Screenshots | CMC Markets | Plus500 | |
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| Regulation | CMC Markets | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2008 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 6 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | CMC Markets | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | CMC Markets | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | CMC Markets | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 5500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 65 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account. |
| Cost | CMC Markets | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 1.3 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | 1.3 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | CMC Markets | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | €50 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | CMC Markets | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | CMC Markets | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 73 | 115 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | CMC Markets | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 115 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | CMC Markets | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | CMC Markets | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | CMC Markets | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Plus500 Review |
| Overall | CMC Markets | Plus500 | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Plus500 Review |
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