Compare

CMC Markets vs Interactive Brokers

Side-by-side broker intelligence across regulation, spreads, fees, platforms, and overall model score. Category winners use transparent heuristics and should be treated as editorial guidance, not investment advice.

CMC Markets rating

4.7

Interactive Brokers rating

4.5

Score gap

10 pts

Matchup

Head to head

Winners by category

Pricing & spreads

CMC Markets leads— Edge for CMC Markets (97.6 vs 87.0).

Regulation breadth

CMC Markets leads— Edge for CMC Markets (85.0 vs 80.0).

User experience

Tie— Too close to call on available data.

Editorial composite

CMC Markets leads— Edge for CMC Markets (104.1 vs 93.5).

Full comparison table

Rating

CMC Markets

4.7

Interactive Brokers

4.5

Model score

CMC Markets

Interactive Brokers

Regulation

CMC Markets

FCA (UK), ASIC (Australia), BaFin (Germany), MAS (Singapore), IIROC (Canada), FMA (New Zealand), DFSA (Dubai)

Interactive Brokers

Highly trusted and authorized by eight Tier-1 regulators. Key regulatory bodies include the SEC and FINRA (USA), FCA (UK), ASIC (Australia), IIROC (Canada), MAS (Singapore), and JFSA (Japan).

Spreads

CMC Markets

Spreads start from 0.0 pips on major pairs via FX Active, and from 0.7 pips on Standard accounts. Automated 100% electronic execution hosted on London servers.

Interactive Brokers

Instead of marking up spreads, IBKR aggregates liquidity from top global banks to provide raw, interbank spreads. Orders are executed using IBKR's SmartRouting technology to ensure the best available prices.

Fees

CMC Markets

Standard CFD Account: Spread-only pricing (average EUR/USD ~0.65 pips). FX Active Account: Raw spreads from 0.0 pips + 0.0025% commission per side ($2.50 per $100k). No minimum deposit required.

Interactive Brokers

Excellent transparent pricing structure. There are no monthly inactivity fees or account maintenance fees. Forex trading uses a commission-based model starting at 0.20 basis points (0.002%) of trade value, with a typical minimum of $2.00 per order ($4.00 round turn).

Platforms

CMC Markets

Next Generation Platform, CMC Mobile App, MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5), TradingView

Interactive Brokers

ncludes the advanced Trader Workstation (TWS) desktop platform, the streamlined IBKR Desktop, IBKR Mobile, and the beginner-friendly IBKR GlobalTrader app. It also supports TradingView for advanced charting.

Account types

CMC Markets

Individual CFD Account, FX Active Account, Spread Betting (UK), Professional Account, Demo Account

Interactive Brokers

Offers Individual, Joint, Trust, IRA, and various Institutional/Corporate accounts. Pricing is broadly split into IBKR Lite (commission-free for U.S. equities) and IBKR Pro (designed for active traders with advanced order routing).

Min deposit

CMC Markets

$0 (Varies)

Interactive Brokers

$0 for standard individual cash or retirement accounts. (Note: Accessing margin trading requires a minimum net liquidating value of $2,000, and institutional/advisor accounts require $10,000).

Topic	CMC Markets	Interactive Brokers
Rating	4.7	4.5
Model score	90	80
Regulation	FCA (UK), ASIC (Australia), BaFin (Germany), MAS (Singapore), IIROC (Canada), FMA (New Zealand), DFSA (Dubai)	Highly trusted and authorized by eight Tier-1 regulators. Key regulatory bodies include the SEC and FINRA (USA), FCA (UK), ASIC (Australia), IIROC (Canada), MAS (Singapore), and JFSA (Japan).
Spreads	Spreads start from 0.0 pips on major pairs via FX Active, and from 0.7 pips on Standard accounts. Automated 100% electronic execution hosted on London servers.	Instead of marking up spreads, IBKR aggregates liquidity from top global banks to provide raw, interbank spreads. Orders are executed using IBKR's SmartRouting technology to ensure the best available prices.
Fees	Standard CFD Account: Spread-only pricing (average EUR/USD ~0.65 pips). FX Active Account: Raw spreads from 0.0 pips + 0.0025% commission per side ($2.50 per $100k). No minimum deposit required.	Excellent transparent pricing structure. There are no monthly inactivity fees or account maintenance fees. Forex trading uses a commission-based model starting at 0.20 basis points (0.002%) of trade value, with a typical minimum of $2.00 per order ($4.00 round turn).
Platforms	Next Generation Platform, CMC Mobile App, MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5), TradingView	ncludes the advanced Trader Workstation (TWS) desktop platform, the streamlined IBKR Desktop, IBKR Mobile, and the beginner-friendly IBKR GlobalTrader app. It also supports TradingView for advanced charting.
Account types	Individual CFD Account, FX Active Account, Spread Betting (UK), Professional Account, Demo Account	Offers Individual, Joint, Trust, IRA, and various Institutional/Corporate accounts. Pricing is broadly split into IBKR Lite (commission-free for U.S. equities) and IBKR Pro (designed for active traders with advanced order routing).
Min deposit	$0 (Varies)	$0 for standard individual cash or retirement accounts. (Note: Accessing margin trading requires a minimum net liquidating value of $2,000, and institutional/advisor accounts require $10,000).