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Head to head
CMC Markets or Interactive Brokers? Fees, regulation, platform and product range compared side by side — with a verdict drawn from the data.
Risk warning: CFDs and leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly. Investments can fall in value. Past performance is not an indicator of future results.
The best charting package in retail CFD trading, wrapped around a narrower product range than the market count suggests.
The cheapest serious route to almost every market on earth — if you can live with the learning curve.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
Four decision axes, each derived from the recorded data.
Overall Interactive Brokers takes it, 4.5 against 4.4 out of 5. CMC Markets is the cheaper of the two: a reference EUR 5,000 stock order costs €0.00 there against €2.50. CMC Markets scores 94 against 90 out of 100 on the group index. Your account's protection depends on its legal entity. Interactive Brokers covers more ground with 12 of 14 asset classes against 10. On platform and app CMC Markets is ahead, 4.7 against 4.6 out of 5. Which one is right depends on which of these axes matters for your trading profile.
CMC MarketsInteractive BrokersCMC MarketsInteractive BrokersCMC MarketsInteractive BrokersCMC MarketsInteractive BrokersCMC MarketsInteractive BrokersUp to four brokers at once — every row a decision point.
Data as of: 30 Aug 2026
| Criterion | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 4.4 | 4.5 — Better |
| Group index | 94 of 100 | 90 of 100 |
| Best for | Technical and chart-driven tradersUK and Irish spread bettingActive FX traders on FX ActiveShare CFD traders in UK and EuropeSmall starting balances | Active and professional tradersMulti-currency investorsOptions and futures tradersAlgorithmic and API tradingGlobal stock pickers |
| Regulation | FCAFCAFCAASICBaFinMAS | SECFCACBIASICMAS |
| Top-tier licences | 6 — Better | 5 |
| Investor protection | £85,000 | US$500,000 — Better |
| Listed group | Yes | Yes |
| Banking licence | No | No |
| Segregated client accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Negative balance protection | Yes | Yes |
| Audited financials | Yes | Yes |
| Disclosed regulatory actions | 1 | 2 |
| Founded | 1989 | 1977 |
| Headquarters | London, GB | Greenwich, Connecticut, US |
| Fees | 4.3 | 4.9 — Better |
| Safety & regulation | 4.6 | 4.8 — Better |
| Trading platform | 4.8 | 4.8 |
| Product range | 4.4 | 5.0 — Better |
| Mobile app | 4.5 — Better | 4.3 |
| Research | 4.4 | 4.4 |
| Customer support | 4.1 — Better | 3.2 |
| Deposit & withdrawal | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Account opening | 4.3 — Better | 3.5 |
| Education | 4.2 — Better | 4.0 |
| Reference order EUR 5,000 | €0.00 — Better | €2.50 |
| Minimum deposit | None | None |
| Stocks (per order) | Free | 0.05 % |
| US stocks | US$0.02/share | US$0.0035/share — Better |
| ETFs | Free | 0.05 % |
| Options | Free — Better | US$0.65 |
| Futures | Not offered | US$0.85 |
| Crypto | n/a | n/a |
| Bonds (order) | n/a | n/a |
| Funds (order) | n/a | n/a |
| EUR/USD spread | 0.7 pips | 0.1 pips — Better |
| Index CFD spread | n/a | n/a |
| FX conversion | 0.7 % | 0.002 % — Better |
| Inactivity fee | £10 · after 12 months | None — Better |
| Custody fee | n/a | None |
| Withdrawal fee | free — Better | €1 |
| Deposit fee | free | free |
| Overnight financing | n/a | n/a |
| Other fees |
|
|
| Asset classes (of 14) | 10 | 12 — Better |
| Exchanges | n/a | 160 |
| Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Options | Yes | Yes |
| Futures | No | Yes |
| Forex | Yes | Yes |
| CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | No | Yes |
| Commodities | Yes | Yes |
| Indices | Yes | Yes |
| Warrants | No | Yes |
| Spread betting | Yes | No |
| Social trading | No | No |
| Platforms | Next Generation (web)Next Generation desktopCMC mobile appMetaTrader 4TradingView | Trader Workstation (TWS)IBKR DesktopClient PortalIBKR MobileIBKR GlobalTraderTWS API / Web API / FIXTradingView and other third-party front ends |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Fractional shares | No | Yes |
| Maximum leverage | 1:30 | 1:30 · Pro 1:200 |
| Account opening | Online application, usually approved the same day; funded and trading within 24 hours in most jurisdictions | Fully online; typically 1–3 business days, longer if documents need manual review |
| Account types | Spread betting accountCFD accountFX ActiveCorporate accountProfessional account | IBKR ProIBKR LiteMargin account |
| Payment methods | Bank transferSEPACredit cardDebit card | Bank transferSEPACheque |
| Account currencies | GBPEURUSDAUDCADNOKNZDPLNSEKSGD | USDEURGBPCHFAUDCADJPYHKDSGDSEK+8 |
| Deposit time | Instant by debit or credit card; up to 2 business days by bank transfer | SEPA 1–2 business days; international wire 1–4 business days |
| Withdrawal time | 1–3 business days back to the original funding source | 1–3 business days |
| Free withdrawals | n/a | 2/month |
| Languages | EnglishGermanFrenchItalianSpanishPolishSwedishNorwegianChinese | EnglishGermanFrenchSpanishItalianDutchPortugueseRussianChineseJapanese+1 |
| Channels | PhoneEmailLive chat | PhoneEmailLive chatTicket system |
| Availability | 24/5, from the Sunday market open to the Friday close | 24/5, from Sunday evening to Friday evening US time |
Editorial assessment based on the recorded data.
CMC Markets
The best charting package in retail CFD trading, wrapped around a narrower product range than the market count suggests.
Pros
Cons
Best for
Interactive Brokers
The cheapest serious route to almost every market on earth — if you can live with the learning curve.
Pros
Cons
Best for
Open an account with either
A demo account costs nothing and answers the platform question in ten minutes.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
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