Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of ActivTrades vs IUX, 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.
ActivTrades (founded 2001) and IUX (founded 2016) are online brokers that are not publicly traded and are not banks. This comparison looks at their regulatory status and trust signals to help traders gauge safety.
ForexBrokers.com rates Trust Scores as follows: 90–99 highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and under 59 not trusted. ActivTrades holds two Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license with a Trust Score of 80, placing it in the trusted bracket. IUX holds one Tier-1 and one Tier-2 license with a Trust Score of 76, indicating average risk. Both have regulatory oversight, but ActivTrades edges ahead on licensing depth and overall trust rating.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2016 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
When comparing ActivTrades vs. IUX for commissions and fees, both brokers offer pricing that is generally competitive, but neither is the cheapest option in the market. ActivTrades earns a 4-star rating and ranks #21 out of 36 for commissions and fees. Its spreads are slightly better than average overall, with a reported EUR/USD spread of 0.98 pips in May 2024. ActivTrades uses a simple account setup, and while it offers Individual, Professional, Islamic, and demo accounts, there is no special pricing for high-volume traders. Costs can also vary depending on the asset and platform used.
IUX rates a little higher at 4.5 stars and ranks #19 out of 36. Its pricing depends on the account type, with Standard and Standard+ accounts starting at a $10 minimum deposit, and Raw and Pro accounts aimed at more active traders requiring a $500 minimum deposit. The Standard account is spread-only, while the Raw account adds a $6 commission per 100,000 units. IUX lists average EUR/USD spreads around 0.9 pips on Standard, 0.7 pips on Pro, and about 0.6 pips on Raw when the commission is included.
In simple terms, IUX has the edge on commissions and fees, especially for traders who want lower spreads and don’t mind comparing account types. ActivTrades is still a solid choice, with fair pricing and no commission on standard accounts, but IUX offers slightly better value overall for cost-conscious traders.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $50 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.08 | 0.86 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.92 | 0.6 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
ActivTrades offers a wider range of investments than IUX, making it the stronger choice for traders who want more market variety. Both brokers provide forex trading as a CFD or spot contract, and both let clients trade cryptocurrency CFDs rather than buy actual crypto. They also each offer access to exchange-traded securities on international exchanges, but neither provides U.S.-listed shares as non-CFD investments. Where ActivTrades stands out is in breadth: it lists 1,267 tradeable symbols and 49 forex pairs, compared with IUX’s 152 symbols and 34 forex pairs.
ActivTrades also has an edge with copy trading, which IUX does not offer. That wider product menu is reflected in third-party ratings too, with ActivTrades scoring 4 out of 5 for Range of Investments and ranking 25th out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while IUX is rated 3.5 out of 5 and ranks 35th. In short, if you want more choice across instruments and added features like copy trading, ActivTrades comes out ahead for range of investments.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 152 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 34 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
ActivTrades and IUX both give traders a wide set of platform choices, including free demo accounts, their own in-house platforms, desktop downloads for Windows, web-based access, and MetaTrader 5. Both also let users trade directly from charts, which can make placing orders faster and easier. In short, each broker covers the basics well for traders who want flexibility across devices and a choice of platform styles.
The main difference is that ActivTrades offers a few extra tools that IUX does not, including copy trading and MetaTrader 4. That broader tool set helps explain why ActivTrades is rated higher for Trading Platforms and Tools, at 4 stars versus IUX’s 3.5 stars, and why it places better in ForexBrokers.com’s ranking, coming in at #26 out of 36 brokers compared with IUX at #35. For traders who want more platform options, ActivTrades has the edge, while IUX still provides a solid setup for everyday trading needs.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 106 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
ActivTrades and IUX both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, so traders can manage accounts and trade on the go with either broker. ActivTrades has an edge for everyday mobile use because it offers stock and forex price alerts, while IUX does not. Both apps let users auto-save chart drawings, but neither broker supports watchlist syncing between the mobile app and the online account, so changes made on one device will not carry over to the other.
For charting, IUX gives mobile traders more technical studies, with 106 compared with ActivTrades’ 30. However, ActivTrades is better for hands-on chart work because it supports trendline drawing in the app, while IUX does not. Overall, ActivTrades earns a higher mobile trading app score of 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #21 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while IUX scores 3.5 stars and ranks #35, making ActivTrades the stronger choice for most mobile traders.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 106 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, ActivTrades has the edge over IUX. ActivTrades provides daily market commentary, forex news from major sources like Reuters and Bloomberg, a sentiment tool that shows long and short positioning, and an economic calendar to track upcoming global events. IUX, by comparison, offers only an economic calendar and does not include daily commentary, top-tier news feeds, or sentiment data.
Neither broker includes research tools from Autochartist, Trading Central, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading. Even so, ActivTrades earns a stronger research score, with 4 out of 5 stars and a ForexBrokers.com ranking of #26 out of 36 brokers, while IUX is rated 3 out of 5 stars and placed #35 out of 36. For traders who want more built-in market insights, ActivTrades is the better choice.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to beginner-friendly learning, ActivTrades has the edge over IUX. ActivTrades offers forex and CFDs education, holds online educational client webinars at least once a month, and provides 10 or more beginner videos as well as 10 or more advanced videos for traders who want to keep learning. IUX also offers at least 10 beginner videos, but it does not provide monthly educational webinars and does not meet the same standard for advanced video content, which may matter for traders who want a wider range of learning support.
That difference shows up in ratings and rankings too. ActivTrades earns 4 out of 5 stars for Education and ranks #30 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while IUX is rated 3 out of 5 stars and ranks #35 out of 36. For beginners looking for more ways to study forex and CFDs, ActivTrades appears to offer a more complete set of educational resources than IUX.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that ActivTrades is better than IUX. ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #28, while IUX finished with an overall rank of #35.
ActivTrades is a long-standing brand that offers a proprietary trading platform, ActivTrader, and support for the award-winning TradingView and MetaTrader (MT4 and MT5) platforms. ActivTrades also delivers a selection of custom add-ons, indicators, and trading tools for traders who prefer to use MetaTrader. Drawbacks for trading with ActivTrades include a smaller selection of tradeable symbols and fewer educational resources than what’s available from the best forex brokers.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 80 | 76 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Trading Fees |
|
|
| Trading Platforms |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
ActivTrades vs IUX: both online brokers let you trade cryptocurrency CFDs, but neither allows buying and taking delivery of actual cryptocurrencies.
In a head-to-head comparison of deposit and withdrawal methods, both ActivTrades and IUX do not support ACH/SEPA or PayPal, both support Skrill and bank wire transfers, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either broker.
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.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | ActivTrades | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 80 | 76 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | IUX Review |
| Broker Screenshots | ActivTrades | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
| Regulation | ActivTrades | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 80 | 76 | |
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2016 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | ActivTrades | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | ActivTrades | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | ActivTrades | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 152 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 34 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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). |
| Cost | ActivTrades | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.08 | 0.86 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.92 | 0.6 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | ActivTrades | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $50 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | ActivTrades | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | ActivTrades | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 106 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | No |
| Mobile Trading | ActivTrades | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 106 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Research | ActivTrades | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | ActivTrades | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | ActivTrades | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | IUX Review |
| Overall | ActivTrades | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 80 | 76 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | IUX Review |
IG
FOREX.com
CMC Markets
XTB
eToro
AvaTrade
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill