HF Markets vs CMC Markets

HF Markets or CMC Markets – which is better for UK traders 2024? Compare HF Markets and CMC Markets in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.

HF Markets vs CMC Markets Comparison Table 2024
HF Markets CMC Markets
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4
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4.7
HF Markets is ranked #92 among CFD brokers. CMC Markets is ranked #3 among CFD brokers.
HF Markets is an established CFD broker with over 3 million clients and more than 60 industry awards. The trustworthy firm is authorized by several leading regulators, including the CySEC and FCA. New traders get a choice of accounts to suit different strategies and experience levels while the firm stands out for its impressive range of trading tools, from the MetaTrader software to Autochartist and the bespoke copy trading app, HFCopy. Established in 1989, CMC Markets is a respected broker listed on the London Stock Exchange and authorized by several tier-one regulators, including the FCA, ASIC and CIRO. More than 1 million traders from around the world have signed up with the multi-award winning brokerage.
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when spread betting and/or trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Pros
  • Respected brand with millions of users and 60+ accolades
  • Heavily regulated holding licenses with top financial agencies including CySEC
  • Superb research tools including advanced insights dashboard and daily market commentary
  • MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 integration with desktop and mobile compatibility
  • Excellent breadth of products including fractional shares
  • Beginner-friendly copy trading app
  • Demo account with no expiry
  • Free deposits and withdrawals
  • The web platform delivers a fantastic user experience with advanced charting tools for trading and customizable features, catering to both beginners and experienced traders. MT4 (but not MT5) is also supported.
  • CMC offers excellent pricing, including tight spreads and low trading fees for all but stock CFDs. The Alpha and Price+ schemes also offer perks for active traders with up to 40% discounts on spreads.
  • CMC Markets is heavily regulated by reputable financial authorities and maintains its stellar reputation, helping to ensure a secure and trustworthy trading environment.
  • The brokerage continues to stand out with its wide range of value-add resources, including pattern recognition scanners, webinars, tutorials, news feeds, and research from respected sources like Morningstar.
  • CMC Markets offers a rich investment offering with over 12,000 CFDs and more recently options trading, providing opportunities to trade market volatility and hedge existing positions.
Cons
  • Slow sign-up process
  • Mediocre range of funding options
  • Average spreads on some assets
  • HFM app has limited analysis tools compared to MetaTrader
  • Despite improvements, the web platform still requires enhancements to make it as intuitive to trade on as software from rivals like IG.
  • While CMC offers an above-average suite of assets, there is no support for trading real stocks and UK clients can’t trade cryptocurrencies.
  • Trading stock CFDs incurs a relatively high commission, especially compared to the cheapest brokers like IC Markets.
  • An inactivity fee of $10 per month is applied after 12 months of inactivity, which may deter casual investors.
  • The CMC Markets app offers the complete trading package but the design and user experience trails category leaders like eToro.
Awards
  • Best Forex Trading App 2022 - Capital Finance International Magazine
  • Best Educational Broker 2022 - Global Forex Awards
  • Best Forex Broker South Africa 2022 - International Finance Awards
  • Best Forex Broker Middle East 2022 - All Forex Review
  • Best CFD Trading Conditions 2021 - World Economic Magazine
  • Best Market Research & Education Global 2021 - Capital Finance International Magazine
  • Best Client Services 2020 - Capital Finance International Magazine
  • Best Trading App 2023 - DayTrading.com
  • No.1 Platform Technology 2022
  • No.1 New Tool 2022
  • No.1 Most Currency Pairs 2022
  • Best Trade Execution 2021
  • Best Forex Broker For Beginners 2021
  • Most Transparent Forex Broker Europe 2020
  • Best Trading Platform 2020
  • Best Trading App 2019
  • Best Customer Service 2018
FCA Regulated
Yes Yes
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Metals, Energies, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Bonds, ETFs CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Treasuries, Custom Indices, Spread Betting
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0 $0
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots 0.01 Lots
Regulator
CySEC, FCA, DFSA, FSCA, FSA, CMA FCA, ASIC, MAS, CIRO, BaFin, FMA, DFSA
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS & Android
Trading App

The award-winning app from CMC Markets has transformed mobile trading. The app’s modern and customizable interface offers a unique user experience, distinct from competitors. Moreover, with its comprehensive charting capabilities featuring 25 technical indicators and 15 drawing tools, as well as its fast and stable trading environment, it’s an exceptional choice for traders.

iOS App Rating
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4.1
Android App Rating
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3.7
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
1%
MetaTrader 4
Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5
Yes No
cTrader
No No
AlgoTrader
No No
OmniTrader
No No
TradingView
No No
Autochartist
Yes No
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
No No
STP Account
Yes No
ECN Account
Yes No
DMA Account
Yes No
MAM Account
No No
PAMM Account
No No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
No No
Robo Advisor
No No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes Yes
Market Maker
Yes Yes
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
Yes No
Copy Trading Platform
The HFCopy app allows users to automatically copy the trades of experienced traders in a few taps. You can follow multiple traders at the same time, set a rescue level to protect your capital, and withdraw profits without restrictions. You can start copy trading in 4 easy steps.
Social Trading
No Yes
Trade Signals
Yes
VPS Hosting
Yes Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No Yes
Ethical Investing
Yes No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No Yes
Inactivity Fee
$5 $10
Islamic Account
Yes Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • PLN
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • SGD
  • PLN
Commodities
  • Oil
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Platinum
  • Palladium
  • Cocoa
  • Coffee
  • Copper
  • Cotton
  • Sugar
  • Gold
  • Oil
  • Silver
  • Copper
  • Coffee
  • Wheat
  • Precious Metals
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Orange Juice
  • Nickel
  • Palladium
  • Steel
  • Cannabis
  • Platinum
  • Livestock
  • Sugar
  • Gasoline
  • Cattle
  • Lean Hogs
CFD
HF Markets offers over 1000 CFDs spanning forex, stocks, indices, commodities, bonds and ETFs. Traders can speculate on rising and falling prices with flexible leverage. Fees are also transparent with no hidden charges. CMC lets you trade CFDs on 12,000+ assets across currencies, indices, commodities, shares, ETFs and treasuries. Spreads are relatively tight, there are no hidden fees and the industry-leading MetaTrader 4 platform is also supported for leveraged trading. Year after year, CMC shines as one of the best CFD brokers in the market.
Leverage
1:30 (EU), 1:1000 (Global) 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
1.7 1 pt
GBPUSD Spread<
2.0 0.9
Oil Spread
0.05 3.5
Stocks Spread
Variable 0.02
Forex
HF Markets offers trading on over 50 currency pairs including all majors. The no dealing desk model ensures fast execution speeds with tight spreads from 0.1 pips. HFM also offers excellent research and analysis in the currency markets. CMC presents an extensive array of 300+ forex pairs characterized by tight spreads and rapid executions, surpassing the offerings of many competitors in terms of currency diversity. Forex indices also present a fairly unique and holistic way to speculate on the value of key currencies like the USD, EUR and GBP.
Assets
50+ 300+
GBPUSD Spread
2.0 0.9
EURUSD Spread
1.2 0.7
EURGBP Spread
1.7 1.1
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • JPY
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • CHF
HF Markets CMC Markets
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when spread betting and/or trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
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