Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FOREX.com vs ActivTrades, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
When choosing a trading platform, understanding the level of trust and security a broker offers is crucial. FOREX.com, established in 1999, stands out with its impressive ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99, indicating it's highly trusted. The company is publicly traded, which often adds a layer of transparency, and it holds 7 Tier-1 licenses, the highest number in the industry, showcasing its strong regulatory standing. Although it’s not a bank, the platform is considered a secure choice for online trading.
In contrast, ActivTrades, founded in 2001, has a Trust Score rating of 81, placing it in the trusted category. Although not publicly traded, ActivTrades holds 2 Tier-1 licenses and 1 Tier-2 license, providing a solid regulatory framework, though not as extensive as FOREX.com. Like its counterpart, ActivTrades is not a bank, but it remains a viable option for traders looking for a platform with a trusted track record.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
When comparing FOREX.com and ActivTrades in terms of commissions and fees, both online brokers offer unique advantages. FOREX.com is known for providing multiple account types and diverse execution methods, including a Standard account and a newly launched RAW Spread account. The Standard account has higher spreads averaging 1.4 pips for EUR/USD pairs in the U.S., making it suitable for traders who prioritize market-maker execution. The RAW Spread account, on the other hand, offers lower spreads starting at 0.13 pips, but charges a commission of $7 per Standard lot, with the potential for volume-based rebates. FOREX.com is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars for its commissions and fees, ranking #13 out of 62 brokers.
ActivTrades provides a conventional Individual Account, along with options for Professional and Islamic accounts. Although ActivTrades does not have a specific account for high-volume traders or offer active trader pricing, it does provide competitive spreads which averaged 0.98 pips for the EUR/USD as of May 2024. ActivTrades’ fees vary according to the assets traded, with spreads potentially widening during the rollover period. Despite these variations, ActivTrades manages to offer slightly better than average industry spreads overall, earning a 4-star rating for commissions and fees and ranking #28 out of 62 brokers.
Both brokers cater to different trading needs; FOREX.com stands out with its flexibility in account types and competitive pricing for high-volume traders, while ActivTrades offers a straightforward approach with its consistent spreads across account options. Depending on your trading volume and required features, either broker could be a suitable choice for varying strategies and goals in the forex market.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | 0 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.4 | 0.98 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.9 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing FOREX.com and ActivTrades in terms of their available range of investments, both brokers offer forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts. However, FOREX.com provides a wider selection with 5,500 tradeable symbols and 91 forex pairs compared to ActivTrades, which offers 1,267 tradeable symbols and 49 forex pairs. Neither platform supports exchange-traded securities on U.S. exchanges. While FOREX.com does not offer access to international exchange-traded securities, ActivTrades does, allowing clients to purchase shares like Vodafone on the London Stock Exchange.
Both brokers offer cryptocurrency derivatives but do not provide the option to buy actual cryptocurrencies. ActivTrades distinguishes itself by offering copy trading, a feature absent from FOREX.com. In ratings and rankings, FOREX.com shines with a 5-star rating for its range of investments and holds a strong position at #7 out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. Meanwhile, ActivTrades holds a respectable 4-star rating and ranks at #31, suggesting a solid yet slightly more limited selection compared to FOREX.com.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 1267 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 91 | 49 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
When choosing between FOREX.com and ActivTrades for trading platforms and tools, both brokers provide a range of features that cater to different trading needs. Both offer free simulated trading with a demo account and have developed their own proprietary platforms. Additionally, they provide Windows-based desktop and web-based trading platforms, along with access to MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 for more advanced trading. However, a key distinction lies in their social trading capabilities: ActivTrades supports copy trading, which FOREX.com does not. Despite having fewer charting drawing tools than FOREX.com, which boasts 239, compared to ActivTrades' 15, both allow users to trade directly from stock charts.
When it comes to customizing watch lists, FOREX.com stands out with 20 fields, surpassing ActivTrades' 11. This attention to detail contributes to FOREX.com's excellent rating of 5 stars in trading platforms and tools, placing it at number 7 out of 62 brokers ranked by ForexBrokers.com. Meanwhile, ActivTrades earns 4 stars and ranks 30th. This comparison suggests that while both brokers offer strong platform features, FOREX.com provides a slightly more comprehensive and highly-rated trading experience.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 88 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 239 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 20 | 11 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When comparing the mobile trading apps offered by FOREX.com and ActivTrades, both platforms cater to iPhone and Android users, providing apps that enable stock or forex price alerts. While each app supports drawing trendlines and viewing multiple time frames on charts, FOREX.com stands out by offering 88 technical studies for chart analysis compared to ActivTrades' 30. Furthermore, FOREX.com allows for watchlist symbol syncing across devices, a feature ActivTrades currently does not support. Users of both apps can create watchlists with real-time quotes, with the added benefit of auto-saving chart drawings on both platforms.
In terms of ratings and rankings, FOREX.com receives a shining 5-star rating for its mobile trading apps and ranks 3rd out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. In comparison, ActivTrades has a respectable 4-star rating and holds the 19th spot in the same ranking. This suggests that while both apps offer valuable features, FOREX.com’s mobile app is generally perceived as more feature-rich and user-friendly by industry reviewers.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 88 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing market research offerings between FOREX.com and ActivTrades, both brokers provide daily market commentary and access to forex news from highly regarded sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. However, FOREX.com stands out with additional features such as access to Trading Central's technical analytics, a valuable asset for traders seeking detailed analysis. Both brokers offer sentiment-based trading tools that provide the ratio of long and short positions across various instruments, and they both include an economic calendar to keep traders informed of upcoming global news events. Notably, neither broker offers market research from companies like Autochartist, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading.
In terms of ratings, FOREX.com is awarded a research rating of 4.5 stars out of five, ranking #9 out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. ActivTrades, on the other hand, has a slightly lower research rating of 4 stars, placing it at #30 in the same list. This highlights FOREX.com’s advantage in market research capabilities, offering a more comprehensive suite of tools and resources to support traders in making informed decisions.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to educational resources for beginners in the world of forex and CFDs trading, both FOREX.com and ActivTrades stand out as viable options by providing ample educational tools tailored to traders at different levels. Each platform offers entry-level traders over ten educational pieces, which include articles, videos, and archived webinars. They both host at least one educational webinar a month, with FOREX.com and ActivTrades allowing access to a library of previously recorded webinars, making it easy for learners to find helpful materials at their convenience. Each broker also provides over ten beginner-level educational videos, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of trading basics.
While both platforms offer advanced educational content, FOREX.com has the upper hand by providing an investor dictionary with over fifty investment terms — a feature not currently available with ActivTrades. As a result of these offerings, FOREX.com is highly rated with 4.5 stars and ranks #4 out of 62 brokers for education by ForexBrokers.com. Meanwhile, ActivTrades also provides substantial educational resources but receives a slightly lower rating of 4 stars and ranks #38. This makes FOREX.com a more attractive option for beginners aiming to deepen their knowledge with structured and easily accessible educational content.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that FOREX.com is better than ActivTrades. FOREX.com finished with an overall rank of #5, while ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #33.
FOREX.com is a trusted brand that delivers an excellent trading experience for forex and CFDs traders across the globe. It offers a wide range of markets and provides an impressive suite of proprietary platforms – alongside limited access to MetaTrader.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
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| Trust Score | 99 | 81 |
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Both FOREX.com and ActivTrades do not offer the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency but do provide options for trading cryptocurrency derivatives.
When comparing the online brokers FOREX.com and ActivTrades, FOREX.com offers diverse options for depositing and withdrawing funds including ACH or SEPA transfers, PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires, whereas ActivTrades provides Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, and bank wire options but does not support ACH, SEPA, or PayPal.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | FOREX.com | ActivTrades | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FOREX.com Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Broker Screenshots | FOREX.com | ActivTrades | |
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| Regulation | FOREX.com | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 81 | |
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | FOREX.com | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | FOREX.com | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | FOREX.com | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 1267 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 91 | 49 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | FOREX.com | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.4 | 0.98 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.9 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | FOREX.com | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | 0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | FOREX.com | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | FOREX.com | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 20 | 11 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 88 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 239 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FOREX.com | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 88 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | FOREX.com | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FOREX.com | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | FOREX.com | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | FOREX.com Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Overall | FOREX.com | ActivTrades | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FOREX.com Review | ActivTrades Review |
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