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Interactive Brokers vs CMC Markets
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Compare Interactive Brokers vs CMC Markets Side by Side
Can’t pick between Interactive Brokers vs CMC Markets and have doubts about which broker is actually better? Use our detailed guide of Interactive Brokers Review vs CMC Markets Review, safety and licenses, trading conditions with fees, trading platforms, instruments, deposit & withdrawal conditions, and all the essential details compared side by side.
Summary
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Website | //www.interactivebrokers.co.uk | //www.cmcmarkets.com |
| Founded year | 1977 | 1989 |
| Headquarter | USA | UK |
| Licenses | USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Japan, India | UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, Germany |
| Minimum Deposit | 100 US$ | 0 US$ |
| Trading Platforms | TWS, IB WebTrader | CMC Web, CMC Mobile, MT4 |
| Eurusd avg Spread | 0.3 pips | 0.7 pips |
Licenses
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Licenses Countries Info (short) |
|
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Both Interactive Brokers and CMC Markets are well-established and respected brokers in the industry. They are highly regulated and hold multiple top-tier licenses from countries like Australia, the UK, and Canada. Additionally, they maintain their entities in other countries as well ensuring global coverage. The main advantage holds Interactive Brokers additionally proposing its services for the US traders, further solidifying its positions in the market.
Broker Types
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Broker types |
|
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Interactive Brokers operates various execution models being DMA broker for certain instruments like trading in Real Stocks, Futures, and Indices, yet other instruments facilitate order execution through electronic bridges so use STP, OTC models. On the other hand, CMC Markets functions as a Market Maker, offering stability to both novice traders and specific trading strategies with preset fees or spreads, ensuring consistent trading costs.
Trading Conditions
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Trading Conditions |
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CMC Markets and Interactive Brokers share some common trading conditions, catering to beginners with tight spreads and access to Expert Advisors. With an advantage to Interactive Brokers offering a more advanced trading environment, featuring API trading, making it a more suitable choice for experienced traders.
Fees & Commissions
| Fees & Commissions | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Inactivity Feemonth | 0$ | 10 $ |
| Deposit fee | 0$ | 0 $ |
| Withdrawal fee | 0$ | 0 $ |
| Rollover fee eurusd buy 1 lot | -1.5% | -0.0027% |
| Rollover fee eurusd sell 1 lot | +1.5% | +0.0027% |
| Avg Eurusd standard acc | 0.3 pips | 0.7 pips |
| Gold | 1.5 bps | 0.33 |
| Brent oil | 0.05% | 2.5 pips |
| Bitcoin | 0.12-0.18% | 0.75% |
In general, Interactive Brokers presents a more compelling fee structure with ultra-low, tight spreads across all markets and a lack of non-trading fees, such as deposit/withdrawal or inactivity fees. In contrast, CMC Markets maintains spreads that are somewhat higher than the industry average and imposes a $10 inactivity fee, rendering Interactive Brokers a more appealing choice in this regard.
The primary distinction lies in the minimum deposit requirements: Interactive Brokers mandates a minimum deposit of $100, or even higher for certain account types, whereas CMC Markets offers a more accessible minimum deposit threshold, starting as low as $0.
Account Types
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Account types |
|
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While both Interactive Brokers vs CMC Markets offer Standard accounts, Interactive Brokers have a slight advantage here for offering more than 10 account types based on traders’ needs and peculiarities, such as Family Accounts, Small Business Accounts, Proprietary Trading Group Accounts, etc. Also, both brokers offer Islamic Accounts tailored to the needs of traders following Shia Laws.
Markets & Instruments
| Markets & Instruments | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Forex | 100+ | 330 |
| Indices | ✔️ | 80 |
| Commodities | ✔️ | 100 |
| Cryptocurrencies | 4 | 21 |
| Shares | 70+ | 9,000 |
| Bonds | ✔️ | 56 |
| Options | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Binary options | ❌ | ❌ |
| Spread betting | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Treasuries | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Futures | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Etfs | 13000 | 1000+ |
Interactive Brokers boasts a more diverse product lineup in comparison to CMC Markets, encompassing Bonds and Futures, as well as trading in both CFD products and Real Stocks, Futures, and Indices. Moreover, Interactive Brokers offers a wider array of ETFs, resulting in a larger selection of instruments overall. However, CMC Markets, unlike Interactive Brokers, offers Treasuries and holds an edge by offering Spread Betting to its UK clients.
Trading Platforms
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms |
|
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Both Interactive Brokers and CMC Markets provide their proprietary trading platforms, alongside additional options such as MetaTrader4 for CMC, and WebTrader for Interactive Brokers. Interactive Brokers’ platforms are tailored for experienced traders who favor advanced technical solutions, including API trading. On the other hand, CMC Markets offerings are more oriented toward beginner traders, emphasizing user-friendliness and accessibility.
Deposit & Withdrawal Methods
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Payment methods |
|
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Both Interactive Brokers vs CMC Markets deposit method offering is restricted offering only debit/credit card and one e-wallet.
Others
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | CMC Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Others |
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Others
CMC Markets and Interactive Brokers share a client-centric approach that complements their strong trading offerings, backed by comprehensive customer support accessible via Web Live Chat, phone, and email. Both brokers excel in providing valuable learning materials. Notably, Interactive Brokers gains an edge with its Trading Academy and an extensive array of apps, widgets, and advanced software solutions.
Conclusion on CMC Markets vs Interactive Brokers
In conclusion, both Interactive Brokers vs CMC Markets are reputable and well-regulated brokers. Interactive Brokers caters to advanced traders, offering sophisticated solutions for real stocks and futures, while CMC Markets is beginner-friendly with a focus on CFD trading and MT4. Interactive Brokers suits bond and options traders, whereas CMC Markets excels in spread betting options for UK traders. Here is our final recommendation:
- CMC Markets – 🥇Best Customer Support Broker for having one of the most powerful in the industry suitable for all the traders.
- Interactive Brokers – 🥇 Best Broker for Futures Trading offering advanced technical solutions
