Written by ForexBrokers.com
Is CMC Markets better than Trading 212? In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 39 of the best forex brokers, CMC Markets is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 99 out of 99. Trading 212 is considered average-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 77 out of 99. Learn more about Trust Score.
| Overall Rating | CMC Markets | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | |||
| Commissions & Fees | |||
| Offering of Investments | |||
| Platform & Tools | |||
| Mobile Trading | |||
| Research | |||
| Education | |||
| Trust Score | 99 | 77 | 99 |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Trading 212 Review | IG Review |
| Regulation | CMC Markets | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 77 | 99 |
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2004 | 1974 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Bank | No | No | Yes |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Authorised in European Union | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| About Regulation | A “Yes” for any individual regulator indicates that the broker has at least one brand or entity that is licensed and/or authorized by that regulator within its group/organizational structure. Learn more about Trust Score. | A “Yes” for any individual regulator indicates that the broker has at least one brand or entity that is licensed and/or authorized by that regulator within its group/organizational structure. Learn more about Trust Score. |
| Tier-1 Licenses (High Trust) | CMC Markets | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASIC Authorised (Australia) | Yes | No | Yes |
| IIROC Authorised (Canada) | Yes | No | No |
| SFC Authorised (Hong Kong) | No | No | No |
| CBI Authorised (Ireland) | No | No | No |
| FSA Authorised (Japan) | No | No | Yes |
| MAS Authorised (Singapore) | Yes | No | Yes |
| FINMA Authorised (Switzerland) | No | No | Yes |
| FCA Authorised (U.K.) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CFTC Registered (USA) | No | No | Yes |
| FMA Authorised (New Zealand) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Average Trust) | CMC Markets | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBRC Authorised (China) | No | No | No |
| CySEC Authorised (Cyprus) | No | Yes | No |
| SEBI Authorised (India) | No | No | No |
| ISA Authorised (Israel) | No | No | No |
| CBR Authorised (Russia) | No | No | No |
| FSCA Authorised (South Africa) | No | No | Yes |
| SEC Authorised (Thailand) | No | No | No |
| DFSA / Central Bank Authorised (UAE) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Tier-3 Licenses (Low Trust) | CMC Markets | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCB Authorised (Bahamas) | No | No | No |
| IFSC Authorised (Belize) | No | No | No |
| CIMA Authorised (Cayman Islands) | No | No | No |
| BMA Authorised (Bermuda) | No | No | Yes |
| FSC Authorised (British Virgin Islands) | No | No | No |
| FSC Authorised (Mauritius) | No | No | No |
| VFSC Authorised (Vanuatu) | No | No | No |
| Investments | CMC Markets | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12377 | 1785 | 19537 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 158 | 184 | 100 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFD) | Yes | No | 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). | 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 | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.51 (August 2022) | N/A | 0.86 (September 2022) |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.51 (August 2022) | N/A | 0.5957 (September 2022) |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | Yes |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | Yes |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | CMC Markets | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Initial Deposit | $0 | EUR 10 | £250.00 |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | No |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | CMC Markets | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | No |
| cTrader | No | No | No |
| DupliTrade | No | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No | No |
| Trading Tools | CMC Markets | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 9 | 5 | 14 |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 84 | 45 | 33 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 40 | 19 | 20 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | CMC Markets | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 45 | 33 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Forex Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Research | CMC Markets | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Education | CMC Markets | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has Education - Forex or CFDs | Yes | No | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | CMC Markets | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Trading 212 Review | IG Review |
| Overall | CMC Markets | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | |||
| Commissions & Fees | |||
| Offering of Investments | |||
| Platform & Tools | |||
| Mobile Trading | |||
| Research | |||
| Education | |||
| Trust Score | 99 | 77 | 99 |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Trading 212 Review | IG Review |
Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2022 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 39 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare CMC Markets vs Trading 212.
Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spreads data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough annual assessment, CMC Markets offers better pricing overall for traders.
At ForexBrokers.com, we track where each forex and CFD broker is regulated across over 23 international regulator databases. Here's our findings. CMC Markets holds 5 global Tier-1 licenses, while Trading 212 holds 1. Both CMC Markets and Trading 212 hold 1 global Tier-2 licenses. In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 50 brokers, CMC Markets earned a higher Trust Score than Trading 212.
To compare the trading platforms of both CMC Markets and Trading 212, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, IG offers a better experience. With research, IG offers superior market research. Finally, we found IG to provide better mobile trading apps.
For forex and CFDs traders, copy trading and MetaTrader are both popular platform options. Neither broker offers Meta Trader.Copy trading is not offered by either broker.
Trading 212 provides traders 184 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to CMC Markets's 158 available pairs. Forex pairs aside, CMC Markets offers traders access to 12377 CFDs while Trading 212 has 1785 available CFDs, a difference of 10592.
CMC Markets is publicly traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by five tier-1 regulators (high trust), one tier-2 regulator (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). CMC Markets is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Financial Markets Authority (FMA), and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Trading 212 is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. Trading 212 is authorized by one tier-1 regulator (high trust), one tier-2 regulator (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). Trading 212 is authorised by the following tier-1 regulator: the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
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.
Best known for its mobile trading app, Trading 212 offers an easy-to-use trading platform suite for CFD and share trading, as well as a large variety of forex pairs. However, despite its well-designed platform and wide range of symbols, its lack of advanced trading tools and flat research offerings hamper Trading 212’s bid to be considered a top broker.
Overall winner: IG
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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