Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of CMC Markets vs Spreadex, 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 highly trusted online broker with a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99 out of 99. It stands out by being publicly traded, which adds a layer of transparency to its operations. While not a bank, CMC Markets holds an impressive six Tier-1 licenses, reflecting its strong regulatory standing. Additionally, it has one Tier-2 license, indicating further commitment to meeting industry standards.
Founded in 1999, Spreadex is not listed on the stock exchange and holds one Tier-1 license, showcasing a moderate level of trust. Its ForexBrokers.com Trust Score is 71 out of 99, suggesting an average risk for traders. Spreadex does not hold any Tier-2 licenses, which may be a consideration for those focusing on regulatory assurances. Both companies offer a range of financial services, but their regulatory profiles and trust scores provide distinct factors for potential investors to consider.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1989 | 1999 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
When it comes to commissions and fees, CMC Markets holds a clear edge. It is rated 5 stars and ranked #1 out of 63 brokers in our 2025 Annual Awards, thanks to low pricing available to all customers and account types. Spreadex earns 4 stars and ranks #28 out of 63, placing it in the solid-but-not-cheapest camp.
CMC Markets lists typical EUR/USD spreads of 0.61 pips (August 2023), and its averages have historically stayed close to its minimums. For even lower costs, CMC’s FX Active commission plan (available in Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the U.K. on MT4 and Next Generation) charges $2.50 per side with minimum spreads from 0.0, delivering a 0.5 pip all-in cost on EUR/USD and five other pairs. Example: NZD/USD is about 1.5 pips on the standard account, but drops to a 0.5 pip all-in cost with FX Active. Active traders can also tap the Price Plus Scheme, which awards Trading Points based on volume and markets traded; earning two points per standard lot means 1,250 lots in a month would unlock a 20% spread discount at Tier 4.
Spreadex reported an average EUR/USD spread of 0.81 pips in January 2024, with its 0.6-pip minimum reached 60% of the time. That’s competitive, but on average CMC Markets is cheaper—and FX Active can push costs even lower. When comparing brokers, focus on average spreads and all-in costs; by those measures, CMC Markets generally offers better pricing, while Spreadex remains a respectable, 4-star alternative.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.3 | 0.81 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
CMC Markets vs Spreadex: both let you trade forex as CFDs or spot contracts and both offer cryptocurrency derivatives (neither lets you buy actual coins). CMC Markets lists 12,029 tradeable symbols and 141 forex pairs, while Spreadex offers about 10,000 symbols and 52 forex pairs. Each earns 5/5 stars for Range of Investments, with CMC Markets ranked 9th out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com and Spreadex ranked 14th.
CMC Markets also provides access to exchange-traded shares on both U.S. and international exchanges—so you can buy companies like Apple or Vodafone as real shares, not CFDs—and supports copy trading. Spreadex does not offer direct share dealing or copy trading. If you want more symbols, more currency pairs, and the ability to own global shares, CMC Markets may suit you better; if you’re focused on CFD trading with a large lineup, Spreadex remains a strong alternative.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 10000 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 52 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| 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). | 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 Spreadex both offer free demo (paper) accounts and in-house web platforms. Only CMC Markets provides a Windows desktop platform and supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), while Spreadex does not. Copy trading is available with CMC Markets but not with Spreadex. Neither broker integrates DupliTrade or ZuluTrade. Both let you place trades directly from charts.
CMC Markets supplies 36 drawing tools compared with 11 at Spreadex, and its watchlists include 11 columns versus 8 at Spreadex, giving you more ways to organize market data. In ForexBrokers.com testing for Trading Platforms and Tools, CMC Markets earned 5 stars and ranked #4 out of 63 brokers, while Spreadex earned 4 stars and ranked #47. If you value platform choice, desktop access, and copy trading, CMC Markets stands out; if you want a straightforward, web-first setup, Spreadex may suit your needs.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 73 | 58 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 36 | 11 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 8 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
CMC Markets and Spreadex both offer iPhone and Android trading apps with price alerts and real-time watchlists. Charting is available on both, including trendline drawing and multiple time frames (intraday, daily, weekly). CMC Markets goes further with 29 built-in technical studies, auto-saves chart drawings, and syncs watchlists between mobile and the web. Spreadex does not list a count of technical studies, does not auto-save drawings, and does not sync watchlists with its online account.
Independent ratings favor CMC Markets for mobile. ForexBrokers.com rates CMC Markets 5 stars and ranks it #5 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps, while Spreadex earns 4 stars and ranks #47. If you want deeper mobile charting and a seamless, synced experience for stocks and forex, CMC Markets stands out; if you only need core trading on the go, Spreadex covers the basics.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | N/A |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
In this CMC Markets vs Spreadex market research comparison, both brokers deliver daily market commentary and forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones. Each platform includes Autochartist-powered tools to help spot trading ideas, plus a sentiment tool that shows the ratio of long and short positions across instruments. Both also feature an economic calendar for tracking upcoming events. Neither broker offers Trading Central research, TipRanks insights, or Acuity Trading tools.
According to ForexBrokers.com, CMC Markets earns 5 stars for Research and ranks #6 out of 63 brokers, while Spreadex holds 4 stars and ranks #32. If you want a higher-rated research experience, CMC Markets is the stronger pick, while Spreadex still covers the core features most traders need.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When exploring educational resources for beginners in online trading, CMC Markets and Spreadex both provide valuable learning tools for forex and CFDs. CMC Markets offers a wealth of resources, including more than 10 educational pieces such as articles and videos focused on forex and CFDs. Importantly, they maintain a searchable archive of client webinars, allowing learners to revisit materials at their convenience. Additionally, they also provide an investor dictionary with definitions for over 50 investment terms and boast an extensive collection of both beginner and advanced educational videos, totaling over 10 in each category. This comprehensive approach reflects in their high education rating of 5 stars and a prestigious 10th place ranking out of 63 brokers as per ForexBrokers.com.
Spreadex also delivers a solid foundation for beginner traders, with over 10 beginner educational videos and a similar number of forex and CFDs educational pieces available. Like CMC Markets, Spreadex has an investor dictionary featuring over 50 terms. However, they fall short of offering an archive of recorded webinars for convenient learner access and do not provide as many advanced educational resources as their competitor. Despite these differences, Spreadex still garners a respectable 4-star rating for education and ranks 45th in the educational category among 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. Both platforms offer strong foundations for new traders, yet CMC Markets edges ahead with a more extensive and easily accessible range of learning materials.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | 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 Spreadex. CMC Markets finished with an overall rank of #4, while Spreadex finished with an overall rank of #39.
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
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 71 |
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Both CMC Markets and Spreadex do not offer the ability to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency, but each does provide options to invest in cryptocurrency derivatives.
Certain payments and withdrawal methods offered by CMC Markets include ACH or SEPA transfers, PayPal, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires, whereas Spreadex supports only Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires, excluding ACH, SEPA transfers, and 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 | Spreadex | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Spreadex Review |
| Broker Screenshots | CMC Markets | Spreadex | |
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| Regulation | CMC Markets | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 71 | |
| Year Founded | 1989 | 1999 | |
| 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 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | CMC Markets | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC 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 | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | CMC Markets | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | CMC Markets | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 10000 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 52 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| 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). | 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 | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.3 | 0.81 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | CMC Markets | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | CMC Markets | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | CMC Markets | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 8 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 73 | 58 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 36 | 11 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | CMC Markets | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | N/A | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | CMC Markets | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | CMC Markets | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | CMC Markets | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Spreadex Review |
| Overall | CMC Markets | Spreadex | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Spreadex Review |
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