Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of CMC Markets vs Swissquote, 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.
Founded in 1989, CMC Markets is a publicly traded online broker known for its high level of trustworthiness in the financial industry. The firm is not a bank, but it boasts an impressive Trust Score of 99 out of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com, placing it in the highly trusted category. Supporting this trust are CMC Markets' six Tier-1 licenses, which are highly rated for regulatory safety, and one Tier-2 license. These credentials underscore CMC Markets' strong regulatory standing and commitment to maintaining high standards for its clients.
In contrast, Swissquote, founded in 1996, is both a publicly traded company and a bank, giving it a unique standing in the online brokerage field. Like CMC Markets, Swissquote holds a perfect Trust Score of 99 out of 99 as per ForexBrokers.com, reflecting its solid reputation. Swissquote holds five Tier-1 licenses and two Tier-2 licenses, indicating its trusted regulatory framework. Despite the slight difference in the number of Tier-1 and Tier-2 licenses compared to CMC Markets, Swissquote's strong regulatory presence supports its credibility as a reliable option for online brokerage services.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1989 | 1996 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank | No | Yes |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 5 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
CMC Markets is our pick for low costs: it earns 5 stars and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers for Commissions and Fees, while Swissquote holds 3.5 stars and ranks #54. CMC Markets stands out for tight, consistent spreads across account types and regions, plus multiple ways to lower costs. By contrast, Swissquote’s pricing varies by entity (U.K., Luxembourg, Switzerland) and generally comes at a premium, reflecting its Swiss banking brand.
For CMC Markets, typical EUR/USD spreads were 0.61 pips (August 2023). Its FX Active plan charges $2.50 per side with minimum spreads from 0.0, producing about a 0.5‑pip all‑in cost on EUR/USD and several other major pairs; for example, NZD/USD can drop from 1.5 pips on a standard account to about 0.5 pips with FX Active after commissions. The Price Plus Scheme rewards active traders with Trading Points (2 points per standard lot); hitting 1,250 lots in a month unlocks a 20% spread discount at Tier 4. Notably, CMC’s average spreads have historically tracked close to its advertised minimums.
Swissquote’s fees depend on where you open your account. In the U.K., the commission-based Elite account (minimum $10,000) charges $5 per round turn and offers the firm’s most competitive spreads; the Standard account starts at 1.3 pips on EUR/USD, while Prime lists a 0.6‑pip minimum (note: minimums aren’t averages). In Luxembourg, minimum spreads range from 1.5 pips (Standard, $1,000 minimum) to 0.8 pips (Prime, $50,000). In Switzerland, spreads start at 1.7 pips (Standard, $1,000), 1.4 pips (Premium, $10,000), and 1.1 pips (Prime, $50,000), with custom pricing negotiable for high volumes. Overall, CMC Markets is the clear value leader on trading costs, while Swissquote suits traders willing to accept higher pricing for its banking pedigree.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $1000 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| 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 and Swissquote both support forex trading as CFDs and as spot contracts. CMC Markets lists 12,029 tradeable symbols and 141 forex pairs, while Swissquote offers 472 symbols and 80 forex pairs. Each broker lets you buy exchange-traded shares in the U.S. (such as Apple) and on international markets (such as Vodafone), and both provide copy trading.
For crypto, CMC Markets offers cryptocurrency via CFDs but not direct, delivered coins. Swissquote offers both real crypto purchases and crypto CFDs. Both earn 5 stars for Range of Investments from ForexBrokers.com, with CMC Markets ranked 9th out of 63 brokers and Swissquote ranked 2nd. Pick CMC Markets if you want the widest selection of markets and forex pairs; pick Swissquote if direct crypto ownership matters alongside access to global shares.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 472 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 80 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | Yes |
| 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
CMC Markets vs Swissquote: both brokers cover the key platform and tool needs. Each offers a free demo (paper trading) account, an in-house proprietary platform, a Windows desktop download, and a web-based trading platform. Both support MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), include copy trading, and let you place trades directly from charts—making it easy to test strategies and act quickly when you spot an opportunity.
Independent ratings tilt in CMC Markets’ favor for platforms and tools: it earns 5 stars and ranks 4th out of 63 brokers with ForexBrokers.com, while Swissquote scores 4.5 stars and ranks 12th. In short, CMC Markets edges ahead for platform quality, but Swissquote remains a strong, feature-rich choice. Try their free demo accounts to see which interface and workflow you prefer.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 73 | 86 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Comparing CMC Markets to Swissquote for mobile trading, both brokers check the key boxes: iPhone and Android apps, price alerts, trendline drawing, and auto-saving chart annotations. Day-to-day charting is strong on both platforms, with Swissquote offering 30 built-in technical studies and CMC Markets offering 29—functionally very close for most traders.
The bigger difference comes down to workflow and recognition. CMC Markets syncs watchlists between the mobile app and your web account, so any changes you make carry across devices; Swissquote does not offer this sync. For quality benchmarks, CMC Markets earns a 5-star Mobile Trading Apps rating and ranks #5 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Swissquote holds a 4.5-star rating and ranks #12. If seamless watchlist syncing and top-tier scores matter to you, CMC Markets has the edge; if you want one more built-in study, Swissquote slightly leads on that front.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing the market research offerings of CMC Markets and Swissquote, both brokers provide valuable tools and insights for traders. They each furnish daily market commentary and access to forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters. Traders can also benefit from technical and fundamental research tools by Autochartist available on both platforms, while neither offers resources from Trading Central and Acuity Trading. Additionally, both brokers feature an economic calendar to keep you updated on global news events. However, only CMC Markets includes a sentiment-based trading tool that shows the ratio of long or short positions across currency pairs, adding an extra layer of insight for traders.
These research tools contribute to CMC Markets' impressive 5-star rating and sixth-place ranking out of 63 brokers in the Research category on ForexBrokers.com. In contrast, Swissquote holds a respectful 4-star rating and ranks 16th. This difference highlights CMC Markets' slightly stronger position in delivering comprehensive research options, enhancing the overall trading experience for its users.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
CMC Markets vs Swissquote for beginner trading education: both brokers offer sizable video libraries, including at least 10 beginner videos and 10 advanced videos to help you progress from basics to more complex strategies. If you prefer live learning, Swissquote hosts ongoing educational webinars (at least one per month), while CMC Markets does not currently offer monthly client webinars. Either way, you can learn key forex and CFD topics through clear, on-demand videos.
For overall education quality, CMC Markets earns 5 stars and ranks #10 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Swissquote earns 4 stars and ranks #20. Beginners seeking live, interactive sessions may lean toward Swissquote, while those who want a higher-rated, on-demand video experience may prefer CMC Markets.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Swissquote. CMC Markets finished with an overall rank of #4, while Swissquote finished with an overall rank of #11.
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
|
Swissquote
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 |
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CMC Markets vs Swissquote: both brokers offer cryptocurrency CFDs, but only Swissquote lets you buy and hold actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, whereas CMC Markets does not.
In the CMC Markets vs Swissquote comparison for deposits and withdrawals, both brokers support ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wires, but only Swissquote supports Skrill, while 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 | Swissquote | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Swissquote Review |
| Broker Screenshots | CMC Markets | Swissquote | |
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| Regulation | CMC Markets | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Year Founded | 1989 | 1996 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank | No | Yes | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 5 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 2 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | CMC Markets | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| 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 | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | CMC Markets | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| 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 | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 472 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 80 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | Yes | |
| 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). |
| Cost | CMC Markets | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | CMC Markets | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $1000 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | CMC Markets | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | CMC Markets | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 73 | 86 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | CMC Markets | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | CMC Markets | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | CMC Markets | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | CMC Markets | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Swissquote Review |
| Overall | CMC Markets | Swissquote | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Swissquote Review |
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