Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of CMC Markets vs Tickmill, 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 stands as a highly trusted online broker, earning a stellar Trust Score rating of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com. This publicly traded firm, though not a bank, boasts five Tier-1 licenses, reflecting a strong regulatory position. CMC Markets also holds one Tier-2 license, further solidifying its standing as a reliable platform for traders.
Conversely, Tickmill, established in 2014, is a privately held broker with a Trust Score of 86, marking it as a trusted option in the market. While it is not bank-affiliated either, Tickmill operates under two Tier-1 licenses and two Tier-2 licenses, indicating a solid regulatory presence. Both brokers offer diverse regulatory advantages, catering to different needs and preferences of online traders.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2014 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
When comparing CMC Markets and Tickmill, both brokers are recognized for their favorable commissions and fees structures, earning them top industry accolades. CMC Markets has clinched the top spot, ranking #1 in commissions and fees with a noteworthy five-star rating. This achievement can be attributed to its competitive pricing and consistently low spreads. Particularly, CMC Markets offers average spreads of 0.61 pips on the EUR/USD, aligning closely with its minimum spread offerings. Traders can benefit from the active trader program, Price Plus Scheme, which rewards trading volume with spread discounts. Furthermore, CMC Markets' FX Active pricing strategy features zero-pip minimum spreads, paired with a $2.50 commission per side, making it a price leader for those trading on its MT4 and Next Generation platforms.
Tickmill, also rated five stars and ranked #4, provides solid competition with two distinct account types: Classic and Raw. Its Raw account stands out as a high-value option, even after a commission increase to $3 per side. This account offers low average spreads and a typical spread of 0.11 pips on the EUR/USD, leading to an all-in cost of 0.71 pips after commissions. The Classic account, however, is commission-free but has higher spreads of 1.76 pips. With a low minimum deposit requirement of $100, Tickmill's Raw account is appealing, delivering low-cost spreads and flexible trading conditions.
Both CMC Markets and Tickmill present compelling options for traders focused on minimizing costs, yet CMC Markets takes a slight edge with its recognition and innovative pricing schemes. Whether traders opt for the robust offerings of CMC Markets or the competitive spreads of Tickmill, each broker offers substantial value tailored to different trading needs and preferences.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.61 | 0.51 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.51 | 0.31 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When it comes to the variety of investment options, CMC Markets stands out compared to Tickmill. CMC Markets impresses with an extensive range of 11,925 tradeable symbols, dwarfing Tickmill's 725. For those interested in forex trading, CMC Markets offers 156 tradeable forex pairs, while Tickmill provides 63. Furthermore, CMC Markets gives investors the opportunity to directly purchase exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, such as shares of Apple and Vodafone. Tickmill, on the other hand, does not offer this feature, limiting its investment options to CFDs and other derivatives.
Both platforms allow users to engage in forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts and offer the chance to invest in cryptocurrency derivatives, though neither offers actual cryptocurrency purchases. Additionally, both CMC Markets and Tickmill support copy trading, a feature popular among traders looking to mirror successful strategies. Given these factors, CMC Markets earns a 5-star rating for its range of investments, ranking 9th out of 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com. In contrast, Tickmill earns a 3.5-star rating and ranks 42nd, highlighting a significant difference in the breadth of investment opportunities between the two brokers.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 11925 | 725 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 156 | 63 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| 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.
When comparing CMC Markets and Tickmill, both offer strong trading platforms and tools suitable for different needs. Both brokers provide simulated trading with free virtual demo accounts and support popular MetaTrader platforms, MT4 and MT5. Additionally, each offers web-based trading and the feature to trade directly from a stock chart. However, only CMC Markets stands out with its proprietary platform developed in-house and excels with 40 drawing tools for charting compared to Tickmill's 15. For those keen on copy trading, both brokers support this feature, but neither offers DupliTrade or ZuluTrade.
CMC Markets' trading platforms and tools boast a five-star rating, outshining Tickmill's four stars, and it's ranked impressively at #4 out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com in this category. This high ranking is bolstered by features like a more extensive watchlist with 11 columns versus Tickmill's seven. Meanwhile, Tickmill's solid performance still places it at a respectable rank of #32. These distinctions make CMC Markets a preferred choice for traders seeking advanced tools and customization, while Tickmill remains a reliable option for straightforward trading needs.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 79 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 40 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When comparing the mobile trading experiences of CMC Markets and Tickmill, both platforms offer apps compatible with iPhone and Android, ensuring accessibility for a wide range of users. Each app facilitates real-time trading with features like stock and forex price alerts, while also allowing users to create watchlists that display up-to-date quotes. However, a notable difference between the two is CMC Markets' ability to sync watchlist symbols with the user's online account, a feature Tickmill doesn’t provide. When it comes to technical analysis, both apps support drawing trendlines and provide multiple time frames for charting, with CMC Markets offering 29 technical studies compared to Tickmill's 30.
In terms of user satisfaction and industry ranking, CMC Markets stands out with a rating of five stars for its mobile trading app, securing a prestigious fifth place among 62 brokers as per ForexBrokers.com. Tickmill, while offering a solid mobile trading experience with a four-star rating, is ranked 32nd. Users who prioritize an integrated experience where mobile and online trading platforms seamlessly link may find CMC Markets more appealing, whereas those slightly more focused on a broader technical toolkit might lean towards Tickmill. Nonetheless, both platforms offer comprehensive tools for traders on the go.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing CMC Markets and Tickmill in terms of market research, both brokers provide daily market commentary and forex news from leading sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. This ensures traders have access to high-quality information regularly. Furthermore, both platforms offer sentiment-based trading tools, essential for understanding market positioning. However, where CMC Markets excels is with its offering of technical analysis tools, notably from Autochartist, something Tickmill lacks. On the other hand, Tickmill makes up for this by incorporating tools from Acuity Trading, enriching its research features.
Both CMC Markets and Tickmill furnish users with economic calendars to track important global financial events, serving as a crucial resource for traders. Despite the similarities, CMC Markets stands out with a research rating of 5 stars, compared to Tickmill's 4 stars. According to ForexBrokers.com, CMC Markets is ranked 6th out of 62 brokers for research, while Tickmill follows at 22nd. This positions CMC Markets as a more favored choice for those prioritizing comprehensive market research tools.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
CMC Markets and Tickmill both excel in delivering educational resources for those new to the world of online trading. Each broker provides more than ten educational materials focusing on forex or CFDs, which include articles, videos, and archived webinars. These resources are valuable for beginners looking to understand these complex subjects. Additionally, both platforms offer a good selection of beginner educational videos and an investor dictionary brimming with over 50 terms, which make the learning process more accessible. However, while CMC Markets does not hold monthly live webinars, Tickmill stands out by offering this interactive experience regularly, enhancing the live learning opportunities for its clients.
For those who prefer learning through recorded sessions, both CMC Markets and Tickmill offer searchable archives of past webinars, allowing users to learn at their own pace. When it comes to more advanced educational videos, both brokers cater to seasoned traders as well. Despite the excellent services offered by both, CMC Markets edges ahead with a 5-star rating for education compared to Tickmill's 4 stars, and is ranked 10th out of 62 brokers for its educational offerings, outperforming Tickmill, which stands in the 15th spot. This higher rating suggests CMC Markets might provide a slightly more comprehensive educational experience, although both are well-equipped to support beginner traders on their learning journey.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | No | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that CMC Markets is better than Tickmill. CMC Markets finished with an overall rank of #4, while Tickmill finished with an overall rank of #22.
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
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 86 |
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CMC Markets and Tickmill both do not offer the ability to buy actual delivered cryptocurrencies, but they do provide options to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
CMC Markets supports ACH or SEPA transfers, PayPal, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires for account transactions, but not Skrill, while Tickmill offers PayPal, Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires, but does not support ACH or SEPA transfers.
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 | Tickmill | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Tickmill Review |
| Broker Screenshots | CMC Markets | Tickmill | |
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| Regulation | CMC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 86 | |
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2014 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 2 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | CMC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | No | No | |
| 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 | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | CMC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 11925 | 725 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 156 | 63 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.61 | 0.51 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.51 | 0.31 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | CMC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | CMC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 79 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 40 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | CMC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | CMC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | CMC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | CMC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Tickmill Review |
| Overall | CMC Markets | Tickmill | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Tickmill Review |
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