Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of ActivTrades vs Octa, 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 and Octa, both established players in the online brokerage industry, offer distinct experiences for traders. Founded in 2001, ActivTrades has built a reputation for reliability, evidenced by its holding of two Tier-1 licenses and a Trust Score of 81 out of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, which rates it as a trusted broker. Meanwhile, Octa, which began operations in 2011, holds one Tier-1 license and carries a Trust Score of 72, placing it in the average risk category. Neither ActivTrades nor Octa is publicly traded or operates as a bank, emphasizing their focus on brokerage services.
Choosing between ActivTrades and Octa involves assessing regulatory trust levels and operational years. ActivTrades's higher Trust Score and regulatory standing with two Tier-1 licenses might appeal to traders looking for increased reassurance. However, Octa's decade-long presence and competitive offering make it a viable option for those comfortable with a moderate level of risk.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2011 |
| 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 |
ActivTrades stands out with its slightly better-than-average spreads, though it doesn't quite match up to the best low-cost forex brokers. With one primary Individual Account type, alongside Professional and Islamic options, ActivTrades lacks specific account types for high-volume traders and does not offer active trader pricing. The spreads remain consistent across account types, though commissions and fees largely depend on the assets traded. ActivTrades has an average spread of 0.98 pips for the EUR/USD pair as of May 2024, further illustrating its competitive but not leading cost structure. Rated 4 stars for commissions and fees, ActivTrades ranks #27 out of 62 brokers in this category according to ForexBrokers.com.
Octa has significantly improved its pricing, now closely competing with the lowest-cost MetaTrader brokers. It benefits traders by offering no slippage on 97.5% of executed orders and no overnight carry costs. However, account-specific commissions and fees will vary based on the Octa entity regulating your account—European clients are limited to MT5, while international clients can opt for MT4, MT5, or OctaTrader accounts. Spreads differ, with the EUR/USD pair averaging 0.5 pips for the EU entity and 0.9 pips for foreign ones. Despite its enhanced pricing, the absence of a date range for spread data makes precise comparisons challenging. Octa also earns a 4-star rating for its commissions and fees, placing it at #28 out of 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | 0 | $25 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | 0.9 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing investment options between ActivTrades and Octa, ActivTrades offers a wider selection, boasting over 1,267 tradeable symbols, while Octa provides 300. In terms of forex, ActivTrades again takes the lead with 49 tradeable pairs compared to Octa's offering of 35. Both brokers provide the option to trade forex via CFDs or spot contracts, and neither offers direct purchase of U.S. exchange-traded securities. However, they allow for trading of international exchange securities and access to cryptocurrency derivatives, but not actual cryptocurrencies. For investors interested in guided trading, both platforms support copy trading.
In evaluating range of investment offerings, ActivTrades receives a higher rating of four stars, compared to Octa's 3.5 stars. This distinction is reflected in their rankings on ForexBrokers.com, where ActivTrades is positioned at #31 out of 62, surpassing Octa, which stands at #52. These ratings and rankings suggest that ActivTrades not only offers more diverse trading options but is also more favorably viewed in the market for its investment range.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 300 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 35 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | 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.
ActivTrades and Octa both offer trading enthusiasts comprehensive platforms featuring notable similarities and unique distinctions tailored to optimize user experience. Both brokers provide simulated (paper) trading with a free virtual demo account, a valuable tool for novices and experienced traders testing strategies risk-free. Each broker's trading platform comes with proprietary options developed in-house, accompanied by Windows-based desktop downloads and web-based platforms, ensuring flexibility for traders on various devices. Additionally, users can access popular MetaTrader platforms—MT4 and MT5—facilitating seamless trading experiences with advanced charting tools. While both brokers support copy trading initiatives, they do not offer DupliTrade or ZuluTrade, which might be noteworthy for traders seeking specialized third-party copy trading services.
In terms of charting capabilities, ActivTrades and Octa align perfectly, offering 15 drawing tools and direct trading capabilities from stock charts. A slight variation exists in watch list customizability, with ActivTrades offering 11 columns compared to Octa’s 7. Rated 4 stars for their trading platforms and tools, both brokers provide a solid trading environment, though their rankings differ slightly; ActivTrades stands at 29th, ahead of Octa’s 37th position out of 62 brokers, according to ForexBrokers.com. These subtle differences may impact traders who value customizable watch lists and a higher industry ranking when choosing their trading platform.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When comparing the mobile trading apps of ActivTrades and Octa, both platforms cater to iPhone and Android users, delivering essential features for active traders. Each app allows users to receive stock and forex price alerts, providing timely updates for informed decision-making. Chart enthusiasts will appreciate the 30 technical studies at their disposal for in-depth analysis along with the ability to draw trendlines and switch between different time frames. Furthermore, both apps ensure your creative annotations on charts are automatically saved, allowing you to effortlessly maintain continuity in your analysis.
Watchlist creation with real-time quotes is seamlessly integrated into both apps, though neither offers watchlist symbol syncing between mobile and online accounts. ActivTrades and Octa share a common rating of 4 stars for their mobile trading apps. However, ActivTrades boasts a higher ranking from ForexBrokers.com, coming in at #19 out of 62 brokers, compared to Octa's position at #35. This distinction highlights ActivTrades' slight edge in user satisfaction and recognition within the trading community.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 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.
Both ActivTrades and Octa provide daily market commentary and offer forex news from reliable sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters. However, when it comes to specific tools, they show distinct differences. While Octa benefits from the Autochartist's technical analysis tools, ActivTrades does not. On the other hand, ActivTrades provides a sentiment-based trading tool to gauge market positions, a feature lacking in Octa's offerings. Both brokers do not offer resources from Trading Central, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading but do support users with economic calendars to keep track of important global events.
In terms of research ratings, both platforms are well-regarded with four stars out of five. Nevertheless, Octa slightly edges out in rank, as positioned at #26 compared to ActivTrades at #30 by ForexBrokers.com among 62 brokers. This suggests both brokers offer competitive research capabilities that cater to investors seeking thorough market insights, with Octa having a slight advantage primarily due to its broader range of technical tools.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational resources available to beginners offered by ActivTrades and Octa, both brokers provide a solid range of learning materials. Each broker offers more than 10 educational pieces focused on forex and CFDs, including articles, videos, and webinars. They also hold online webinars for clients at least once a month and provide access to their archives. Both support newcomers with more than 10 beginner-specific videos, making it easier to grasp essential trading concepts. For those looking to deepen their understanding, both brokers supply over 10 advanced educational videos tailored for traders with more experience.
One notable difference between the two is that Octa offers an investor dictionary with definitions of over 50 investing terms, whereas ActivTrades does not. Despite these subtle differences, both brokers receive a 4-star rating for their educational offerings. However, when ranked by ForexBrokers.com out of 62 brokers, ActivTrades is placed at #38, while Octa sits slightly lower at #41. Overall, both brokers provide a comprehensive educational foundation for beginners looking to enter the forex and CFDs market, with some additional perks from Octa's side in the form of a detailed investor dictionary.
| Feature |
ActivTrades
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| 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) | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that ActivTrades is better than Octa. ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #33, while Octa finished with an overall rank of #47.
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
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 81 | 72 |
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Both ActivTrades and Octa provide the option to trade cryptocurrency derivatives but do not offer the ability to purchase actual delivered cryptocurrency.
Both ActivTrades and Octa do not offer ACH or SEPA transfers or PayPal for depositing or withdrawing funds, but both provide options like Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires for account transactions.
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 | ActivTrades | Octa | |
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| Trust Score | 81 | 72 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | Octa Review |
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| Regulation | ActivTrades | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 81 | 72 | |
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2011 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes | |
| 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 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC 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 | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | ActivTrades | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | ActivTrades | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1267 | 300 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 35 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | 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 | ActivTrades | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | 0.9 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | ActivTrades | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | 0 | $25 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | ActivTrades | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | ActivTrades | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | ActivTrades | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 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 | ActivTrades | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | ActivTrades | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | No | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | ActivTrades | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ActivTrades Review | Octa Review |
| Overall | ActivTrades | Octa | |
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| Trust Score | 81 | 72 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | ActivTrades Review | Octa Review |
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