IronFX or ActivTrades – which is better for UK traders 2025? Compare IronFX and ActivTrades in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.
IronFX is a multi-regulated forex and CFD broker founded in 2010. This award-winning firm offers 500+ markets to over 1.5 million clients across 180 countries. Traders can access various account types with competitive pricing on the MT4 platform, as well as 24/5 customer support in 30 languages.
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.
Pros
Alongside MT4, the broker continues to offer several additional services, including copy trading, a VPS solution, and PAMM/MAM accounts
Fixed and floating spread accounts are available, making IronFX a good choice for both beginners and experienced traders
Traders get access to the popular Trading Central research tool, which offers automated AI analytics and 24/7 support
IronFX is an established firm and is regulated by several reputable bodies, including the CySEC, FCA and FSCA
The broker frequently offers trading competitions with cash prizes, as well as welcome bonuses for new clients
The IronFX Academy delivers some excellent educational tools for beginners through to advanced traders
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 trading.
Cons
It’s a shame that the broker doesn’t offer any additional software such as MT5 or TradingView to give experienced traders more choice
Commissions start from $13.50 per lot in the zero-spread accounts, nearly double the industry average
Compared to the leading brokers, IronFX offers a relatively small selection of share CFDs
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.
Awards
Best Online Trading Platform (2019)
Best Broker of the Year (2019)
Most Trustworthy Forex Broker Global (2019)
Best Online Trading & Financial Services Company (2020)
Best Online Forex Trading Platform (2021)
International Online Currency Trading Platform of the Year (2021)
Most Outstanding Online Trading Partners Program (2022)
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
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.
iOS App Rating
2.1
4.9
Android App Rating
2.5
3.8
Margin Trading
Yes
Yes
MetaTrader 4
Yes
Yes
MetaTrader 5
No
Yes
cTrader
No
No
AlgoTrader
No
No
OmniTrader
No
No
TradingView
No
Yes
Autochartist
Yes
No
eSignal
No
No
Trading Central
Yes
No
STP Account
Yes
Yes
ECN Account
Yes
No
DMA Account
No
No
MAM Account
Yes
No
PAMM Account
Yes
No
LAMM Account
Yes
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
No
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Yes (APIs), Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
Yes
No
Copy Trading Platform
The TradeCopier service allows aspiring investors to copy the strategies of top traders in real-time. The tool is a great way for beginners to learn from more experienced investors, whilst strategy providers can earn performance fees.
Social Trading
Yes
No
Trade Signals
Yes
Yes
VPS Hosting
Yes
No
Tournaments
Yes
No
Demo Competitions
No
No
Ethical Investing
No
No
Custodial Account
No
No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No
No
Inactivity Fee
3%
€/£10
Islamic Account
Yes
Yes
Account Currencies
USD
EUR
GBP
AUD
JPY
PLN
CZK
USD
EUR
GBP
CHF
Commodities
Cocoa
Coffee
Copper
Corn
Cotton
Soybeans
Sugar
Oil
Wheat
Natural Gas
Gold
Silver
Platinum
Palladium
Gold
Oil
Natural Gas
Wheat
Copper
Cocoa
Coffee
Corn
Orange Juice
Palladium
Platinum
Silver
Soybeans
Sugar
CFD
IronFX’s asset list of 300+ instruments covers forex, stocks, commodities and index CFDs. Maximum leverage from 1:30 to 1:1000 is available depending on account location. Traders can access superb technical analysis features, including 30 pre-integrated indicators and 9 charting time frames.
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 traders.
IronFX continues to offer a strong selection of 80 currency pairs. You can trade through the market-leading MT4 platform with a range of forex market research tools. That said, commission charges in the zero-spread accounts are high, starting from $13.50 per lot.
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.
Assets
80+
50+
GBPUSD Spread
0.8
0.8
EURUSD Spread
0.7
0.5
EURGBP Spread
0.9
0.8
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.
