ActivTrades vs FOREX.com

vs
ActivTrades vs FOREX.com Comparison Table 2024
ActivTrades FOREX.com
4
4.5

FOREX.com is #1 in our broker rankings.

United States Flag Traders from US not accepted
United States Flag Traders from US accepted

ActivTrades is a UK-headquartered CFD and forex broker established in 2001. The award-winning brokerage has secured licenses from trusted bodies, notably the UK’s FCA, and facilitates trading on over 1000 instruments spanning 7 asset classes, with over 93.60% of orders are executed at the requested price.

Founded in 1999, FOREX.com is now part of StoneX, a financial services organization serving over one million customers worldwide. Regulated in the US, UK, EU, Australia and beyond, the broker offers thousands of markets, not just forex, and provides excellent pricing on cutting-edge platforms.

Customer Reviews
5
4.7
Bonus Offer
Cashback on Trades Active Trader Program With A 15% Reduction In Costs
Comment by Reviewer
"ActivTrades is an obvious choice for day traders at all levels, with almost unmatched execution speeds of 4ms and a choice of leading trading software, from MT4, MT5 and TradingView to ActivTrader, which sports a simple and elegant interface that aspiring traders will enjoy using." "FOREX.com remains a best-in-class brokerage for active forex traders of all experience levels, with over 80 currency pairs, tight spreads from 0.0 pips and low commissions. The powerful charting platforms collectively offer over 100 technical indicators, as well as extensive research tools."
Pros
  • ActivTrades offers tight spreads, particularly for forex trading with spreads starting from 0.5 pips on major currency pairs without additional commissions. The €/£10 inactivity fee doesn’t kick in for 52 weeks either, so it doesn’t penalize active traders.
  • Although cTrader isn’t supported, MT4, MT5, TradingView and the broker’s ActivTrader cater to diverse trading needs, with the firm’s web-accessible platform hitting the mark for beginners during testing with a slick look and feel.
  • ActivTrades is highly trusted, boasting 20+ years in the industry, authorization from 3 ‘green tier’ bodies under DayTrading.com’s Regulation & Trust Rating, and it goes the extra mile for UK traders with £1M in investor compensation (exceeding the £85K through the FSCS) in the event of brokerage insolvency.
  • ActivTrades provides fast, dependable and multilingual support based on our tests of its live chat, email, and phone assistance, making it excellent for active traders and beginners.
  • With execution speeds averaging just 4ms, an order fulfilment rate of 93.6%, and no restrictions on short-term strategies, ActivTrades offers an excellent environment for fast-paced strategies like day trading.
  • With over 20 years of experience, excellent regulatory oversight, and multiple accolades including runner-up in our 'Best Forex Broker' awards, FOREX.com boasts a global reputation as a trusted brokerage.
  • The in-house Web Trader continues to shine as one of the best-designed platforms for aspiring day traders with a slick design and over 80 technical indicators for market analysis.
  • Alongside a choice of leading platforms, FOREX.com offers a superb suite of supplementary tools including Trading Central research, SMART Signals pattern scanner, trading signals, and strategy builders.
  • FOREX.com offers industry-leading forex pricing starting from 0.0 pips, alongside competitive cashback rebates of up to 15% for serious day traders.
  • There’s a wealth of educational resources including tutorials, webinars, and a stacked YouTube channel to help you get educated in the financial markets.
Cons
  • There are no copy trading or social trading features, which is a drawback for traders seeking passive investment opportunities or the ability to mimic the trades of more experienced traders, especially compared to eToro and Vantage.
  • There's a varied selection of 1000+ markets, such as forex, commodities, indices, and ETFs, but the range of asset classes overall is limited, notably there are zero stocks outside the US, UK and Europe, while BlackBull offers a superior 26,000+ markets.
  • Its research tools are good but not great, with a growing ‘Analysis’ hub but no Trading Central or Autochartist for advanced technical summaries which could help aspiring traders identify opportunities in fast-moving markets.
  • ActivTrades still has some way to go to match firms like XTB and CMC Markets in the education department, with some well-presented, informative webinars but limited courses and quizzes for a more comprehensive and engaging learning journey.
  • Despite increasing its range of instruments, FOREX.com's product portfolio is still limited to forex and CFDs, so there are no options to invest in real stocks, real ETFs or real cryptocurrencies.
  • FOREX.com's MT4 platform offers approximately 600 instruments, significantly fewer than the over 5,500 available on its non-MetaTrader platforms.
  • Funding options are limited compared to leading alternatives like IC Markets and don’t include many popular e-wallets, notably UnionPay and POLi.
  • There’s no negative balance protection for US clients, so you may find yourself owing more money than your initial deposit into your account.
  • Demo accounts are frustratingly time-limited to 90 days, which doesn’t give you enough time to test day trading strategies effectively.
Awards
  • Safest Global Broker 2023 - International Investor Magazine
  • Best Online Trading Services 2023 - ADVFN International Financial Awards
  • Best Forex Broker Europe 2022 - Forex-Awards.com
  • Most Trusted Global FX Broker 2022 - International Investor Magazine
  • Best CFD Broker 2021 - Rankia
  • Safest Global Broker 2021 - International Investor Award Winners
  • Best FX Broker 2021 - Le Fonti Award
  • Best CFD Broker 2022 - Rankia
  • Best HNW Service 2022 - Dubai Forex Expo
  • Best US Broker 2020 - DayTrading.com
  • Best US Broker 2019 - DayTrading.com
  • Runner-Up - Best Forex Broker 2019 - DayTrading.com
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Bonds, ETFs, Futures, Cryptos (location dependent) Forex, Stocks, Futures, Futures Options
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0 $100
Trading Platforms
  • ActivTrades
  • MT4
  • MT5
  • TradingView
  • MT4
  • MT5
  • TradingView
  • eSignal
  • AutoChartist
  • TradingCentral
Payment Methods
Debit Card, ACH Transfer, Wire Transfer
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots 0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, CMVM, CSSF, SCB NFA, CFTC
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
STP Account
Yes Yes
ECN Account
No Yes
DMA Account
No Yes
MAM Account
No No
PAMM Account
No No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
No Yes
Robo Advisor
No No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes Yes
Market Maker
Yes No
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
No Yes
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS & Android
App Review

ActivTrades provides a choice of mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. The proprietary ActivTrader app and support for MT4, MT5, and TradingView give access to real-time market data, advanced charting tools, and customizable trading features. All four apps let you trade and manage you accounts intuitively, but ActivTrades boasts the most seamless trading experience, combining the broker’s ultra-fast execution speeds with dynamic charting and research tools.

Running alongside the MT4 and Web Trader platforms, the FOREX.com app offers full trading capabilities on a user-friendly, compact platform. Integrated news and analysis, plus real time trade alerts, are two mobile specific features that set this app above the crowd. Additionally, it beats out MT4 when it comes to mobile charting tools, with over 80 indicators and 11 chart types, not to mention a slicker design that we love.

Android App Rating
3.8
3.8
iOS App Rating
4.9
3.6
Auto Trading
Yes (APIs), Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
No No
Social Trading
No No
Trade Signals
Yes
VPS Hosting
No Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
No No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No No
Inactivity Fee
€/£10 $15
Islamic Account
Yes Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CHF
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • JPY
  • CHF
  • PLN
Stock Exchanges
Commodities
CFD Trading
ActivTrades specializes in CFD trading, offering over 1000 instruments spanning currencies, shares, indices, commodities, and more. The broker has picked up industry awards for its CFD trading environment, delivering fast and reliable order execution with transparent margin requirements for day traders. CFD trading not offered
Leverage
1:30 (UK and EU), 1:400 (Global & Pro) 1:50
FTSE Spread
0.6 1.0
GBPUSD Spread
0.8 1.3
Oil Spread
0.03 2.5
Stocks Spread
Variable 0.14
Forex Trading
ActivTrades offers its lowest fees in the forex department, with excellent spreads on majors like the EUR/USD from 0.5 pips and zero commissions, keeping pricing simple. Improvements to the ActivTrades platform, alongside access to the industry-leading MetaTrader 4, also give traders the tools they need to navigate the FX market confidently. FOREX.com continues to uphold its stature as a premier FX broker, offering over 80 currency pairs and boasting some of the most competitive fees in the industry. With EUR/USD spreads dipping as low as 0.0 and $5 commission per $100k, it stands out. Moreover, its SMART Signals help to identify price behaviors across numerous major currency markets.
Forex App

Running alongside the Advanced and Web Trader Platforms, the FOREX.com mobile app offers full trading capabilities on a user-friendly, compact platform. Integrated news and analysis, plus real time trade alerts, are two mobile specific features that set this app above the crowd.

GBPUSD Spread
0.8 1.3
EURUSD Spread
0.5 1.2
EURGBP Spread
0.8 1.4
Assets
50+ 80+
Currency Indices
  • USD
Cryptocurrency
Trade 15+ of the most know cryptos, including Bitcoin and Ethereum. Digital currencies can be traded around the clock with no hidden fees. 1:10 leverage is also available on major tokens like BTC. Crypto trading not offered
Spread
Variable BTC 1.4%, ETH 2%
Coins
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • LTC
  • BCH
  • DOT
  • EOS
  • LINK
  • XLM
  • NEO
  • ADA
  • SOL
  • XRP
  • BNB
  • XMR
  • AVAX
  • DOGE
  • BTC
  • BCH
  • ETH
  • LTC
  • XRP
Crypto Lending
No No
Crypto Mining
No No
Crypto Staking
No No
Auto Market Maker
No No