Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of CMC Markets vs XM Group, 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 vs. XM Group: both are well-regulated online brokers with high marks for trust. CMC Markets holds a 99/99 ForexBrokers.com Trust Score, while XM Group scores 93/99—both fall in the “highly trusted” range of 90–99. For context, 80–89 is trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and below 59 should not be trusted.
Founded in 1989, CMC Markets is publicly traded and not a bank. It carries 6 Tier-1 licenses and 1 Tier-2 license. XM Group, founded in 2009, is privately held, not a bank, and holds 4 Tier-1 licenses and 3 Tier-2 licenses. CMC offers a higher score and more top-tier licenses, while XM also delivers strong regulatory coverage.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2009 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
CMC Markets comes out ahead of XM Group on commissions and fees, especially for traders who use its lower-cost options. On the standard account, CMC’s average EUR/USD spread was 1.3 pips, which is wider than its advertised 0.8 pip minimum. Still, CMC also offers FX Active, where pricing is tighter: the EUR/USD average drops to 0.65 pips, with a $2.50-per-side commission on a standard lot, bringing the all-in cost to about 1.15 pips. CMC Markets is rated 5 stars and ranked #3 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees.
CMC also stands out for its extra pricing benefits for active traders. Volume-based rebates are available in some regions, and costs can fall further as trading activity increases. The broker does not charge a minimum deposit, does not charge for international wire transfers, and its inactivity fee only applies after a full year without trading. XM Group, by comparison, gets a lower score here because its standard account spreads are considered expensive, and average spreads are not published for its commission-based XM Zero account.
XM Group is rated 3.5 stars and ranked #36 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees. In simple terms, that means CMC Markets offers more transparent and generally more competitive pricing, while XM Group trails behind on cost. For traders who care most about spread and commission levels, CMC Markets is the stronger choice of the two.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $5 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 1.15 | 0.7+ |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When it comes to range of investments, CMC Markets gives traders a wider menu than XM Group. CMC Markets offers 21,710 tradeable symbols and 303 forex pairs, compared with XM Group’s 1,583 symbols and 54 forex pairs. Both brokers let clients trade forex as CFDs or spot contracts, and both also offer exchange-traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges, so you can buy real shares such as Apple or Vodafone rather than only trading them as CFDs. Each broker also supports cryptocurrency CFDs, but neither offers actual, delivered crypto.
XM Group has one extra feature in this category: copy trading, which CMC Markets does not provide. Even so, CMC Markets is rated higher overall for range of investments, earning 5 stars and ranking #9 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while XM Group holds a 4.5-star rating and ranks #19. For investors who want the broadest choice of markets and instruments, CMC Markets stands out as the stronger option.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 21710 | 1583 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 303 | 54 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
CMC Markets and XM Group both give traders a strong set of platform choices, including free demo accounts, Windows desktop downloads, web-based trading, and support for both MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Each broker also lets users trade directly from charts, which can make order entry faster and more convenient. For traders who want to practice before risking real money, both companies offer simulated paper trading.
The main difference is that CMC Markets offers its own in-house trading platform, while XM Group does not. XM Group does stand out for copy trading, which CMC Markets does not offer. In ForexBrokers.com’s Trading Platforms and Tools category, CMC Markets is rated 5 out of 5 stars and ranked #6 out of 36 brokers, while XM Group is rated 4 out of 5 stars and ranked #29, making CMC Markets the stronger pick overall for platform and tool variety.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 65 | 100 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
CMC Markets and XM Group both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with price alerts and watchlist symbol syncing so your lists stay updated across mobile and online accounts. Each app also lets you draw trendlines on charts, making it easier to review market moves on the go.
Where they differ most is in charting and app ratings. XM Group gives mobile users access to 100 technical studies, compared with 30 at CMC Markets, but CMC Markets auto-saves chart drawings while XM Group does not. Overall, CMC Markets is rated 5 stars for mobile trading apps and ranks #5 out of 36 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while XM Group holds a 4-star rating and ranks #26.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 100 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
CMC Markets and XM Group both stand out for market research, with each offering daily market commentary, top-tier forex news from sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, a sentiment tool showing long and short positioning, and an economic calendar for tracking upcoming global events. Both brokers also earn a 5-star Research rating, but CMC Markets has a slight edge in third-party tools thanks to Autochartist, while XM Group does not offer it.
XM Group balances that gap with Trading Central research tools, which CMC Markets does not provide. Neither broker includes TipRanks or Acuity Trading. In ForexBrokers.com’s Research rankings, CMC Markets places higher at #6 out of 36 brokers, compared with XM Group at #8, making CMC Markets the stronger choice overall for market research by a narrow margin.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| 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.
CMC Markets and XM Group both give beginners a strong set of learning tools for forex and CFD trading. Each broker offers at least 10 education pieces focused on forex or CFDs, runs online educational webinars at least once a month, and provides 10 or more beginner videos as well as 10 or more advanced videos. Both are also rated 5 stars for Education, so in day-to-day use, either choice gives new traders plenty of material to study before placing trades.
That said, XM Group has a slight edge in third-party rankings for education. ForexBrokers.com places XM Group at #5 out of 36 brokers for the Education category, while CMC Markets is ranked #10. For beginners comparing broker education, both are excellent options, but XM Group appears to offer a somewhat stronger overall learning experience based on this ranking.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | 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 XM Group. CMC Markets finished with an overall rank of #5, while XM Group finished with an overall rank of #16.
CMC Markets is well-trusted across the globe, and delivers a terrific trading experience thanks to its 21,710 tradeable instruments and 303 forex pairs, the largest currency lineup in the industry.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
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XM Group
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 |
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CMC Markets vs XM Group: both online brokers offer cryptocurrency CFD trading but do not provide the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies.
Compared to XM Group, CMC Markets supports ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wire transfers (but not Skrill), while XM Group supports Skrill and bank wires (but not ACH/SEPA or PayPal), with Visa/Mastercard availability not specified for either broker.
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 | XM Group | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | XM Group Review |
| Broker Screenshots | CMC Markets | XM Group | |
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| Regulation | CMC Markets | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2009 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | CMC Markets | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | CMC Markets | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 21710 | 1583 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 303 | 54 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| 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). |
| Cost | CMC Markets | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.3 | 1.1 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 1.15 | 0.7+ | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | CMC Markets | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $5 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | CMC Markets | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | CMC Markets | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 65 | 100 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | CMC Markets | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 100 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | CMC Markets | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | CMC Markets | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | CMC Markets | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | CMC Markets Review | XM Group Review |
| Overall | CMC Markets | XM Group | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | XM Group Review |
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