Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Pepperstone 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.
Pepperstone and ActivTrades are established online brokers with clear regulatory profiles. Pepperstone was founded in 2010 and ActivTrades in 2001; neither is publicly traded or a bank. According to ForexBrokers.com, scores of 90–99 are highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and below 59 not trusted. Pepperstone’s Trust Score is 94 (highly trusted), while ActivTrades scores 80 (trusted).
On licensing, Pepperstone holds 3 Tier-1 licenses (highly trusted) and 2 Tier-2 licenses (trusted). ActivTrades holds 2 Tier-1 licenses and 1 Tier-2 license. This means Pepperstone benefits from a wider set of top-tier regulators, whereas ActivTrades has fewer, yet still reputable, approvals.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
Pepperstone comes out ahead on commissions and fees, especially for active forex traders. Its Razor account uses commission-based pricing and, on EUR/USD, had an average spread of 0.10 pips in July 2024, with an estimated all-in cost of 0.80 pips after commissions. That is close to the industry average, but still better than Pepperstone’s Standard account, which is commission-free yet showed a wider average EUR/USD spread of 1.1 pips. Pepperstone is rated 5 stars and ranked #6 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees.
ActivTrades is also fairly competitive, but it does not match Pepperstone for low-cost trading. Its spreads are a little better than the market average overall, though not as low as the cheapest forex brokers. Based on data shared directly by ActivTrades, the average EUR/USD spread was 0.98 pips in May 2024. The broker mainly offers an Individual Account, plus Professional and Islamic Account options, but it does not have a special pricing plan for high-volume traders, and there is no active trader rebate program. ActivTrades is rated 4 stars and ranked #21 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees.
In simple terms, Pepperstone is usually the better pick if keeping trading costs low is your main goal, especially if you can benefit from its Active Trader rebates. ActivTrades is still a solid choice, but its pricing is more average and less tailored to frequent traders.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.1 | 1.08 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | 0.92 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Pepperstone and ActivTrades both give traders access to forex as CFDs or spot contracts, plus copy trading and cryptocurrency CFDs. Neither broker lets you buy actual cryptocurrency or U.S.-listed exchange traded securities such as Apple shares. In ForexBrokers.com’s Range of Investments category, both brokers are rated 4 out of 5 stars, showing that each offers a solid selection for everyday traders looking mainly for leveraged products.
That said, Pepperstone has the edge on choice. It offers 1,726 tradeable symbols and 65 forex pairs, compared with ActivTrades’ 1,267 symbols and 49 forex pairs. ActivTrades stands out in one area by offering exchange traded securities on international exchanges, such as London-listed shares, while Pepperstone does not. In the same category, Pepperstone ranks #23 out of 36 brokers, slightly ahead of ActivTrades at #25.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1726 | 1267 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 49 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| 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). | 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.
Pepperstone and ActivTrades both give traders a solid mix of platform choices and tools. Each broker offers a free demo account, its own proprietary platform, a Windows desktop app, and a web-based platform for trading from a browser. Both also support MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and copy trading, plus the ability to place trades directly from a chart. In short, either broker works well for traders who want flexible ways to trade across desktop and web.
When it comes to independent ratings, Pepperstone edges ahead slightly in the Trading Platforms and Tools category, earning 4 out of 5 stars and ranking #21 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com. ActivTrades also scores 4 out of 5 stars, but ranks #26 out of 36. That means the two brokers are closely matched overall, though Pepperstone has a small lead in the published ranking.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Pepperstone and ActivTrades both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, making it easy to trade on the go from either type of device. Each app also includes stock and forex price alerts, 30 technical studies for charting, trendline drawing, and automatic saving of chart drawings. Both brokers are rated 4 out of 5 stars for mobile trading apps, so on the basics, they are closely matched.
The main difference is watchlist syncing. Pepperstone lets watchlists in its mobile app sync with a client’s online account, so updates carry over between devices, while ActivTrades does not offer this feature. In ForexBrokers.com’s mobile trading apps ranking, Pepperstone places slightly higher at #19 out of 36 brokers, compared with ActivTrades at #21, giving Pepperstone a small edge for mobile app convenience.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Pepperstone and ActivTrades both give traders useful market research features, including daily market commentary, forex news from major sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, a sentiment tool showing long and short positions, and an economic calendar for tracking global events. This means both brokers provide a solid mix of news and data that can help traders stay informed before making decisions.
Where Pepperstone pulls ahead is in extra research support, thanks to Autochartist, which ActivTrades does not offer. Pepperstone is also rated higher for research overall, with 4.5 out of 5 stars and a #13 ranking out of 36 brokers, while ActivTrades holds 4 stars and ranks #26. If research tools matter to you, Pepperstone has the edge, though ActivTrades still covers the main essentials well.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Pepperstone and ActivTrades both give beginners plenty of learning material, including forex and CFD education with at least 10 relevant pieces, monthly online webinars, and more than 10 beginner and advanced videos each. That means new traders can find step-by-step guidance, while more experienced users can also access material that goes beyond the basics. In short, both brokers make it easy to start learning and keep building skills over time.
That said, Pepperstone has the edge overall for education. It is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #15 out of 36 brokers for the Education category on ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades scores 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #30. For beginners who want the stronger mix of learning resources and a higher-rated education offering, Pepperstone comes out ahead, though ActivTrades still provides a solid range of useful content.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Pepperstone is better than ActivTrades. Pepperstone finished with an overall rank of #17, while ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #28.
Pepperstone offers a growing range of tradeable markets, good-quality research, and support for multiple social copy trading platforms.
| Feature |
Pepperstone
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 94 | 80 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Trading Fees |
|
|
| Trading Platforms |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
Pepperstone vs ActivTrades: neither broker offers the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but both provide access to cryptocurrency CFDs for trading.
In the Pepperstone vs ActivTrades comparison of deposit and withdrawal methods, Pepperstone offers ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wire transfers, whereas ActivTrades offers Skrill and bank wire transfers but not 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.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | Pepperstone | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 94 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Pepperstone Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Pepperstone | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Regulation | Pepperstone | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 94 | 80 | |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Pepperstone | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Pepperstone | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | Pepperstone | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1726 | 1267 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 49 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| 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). | 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 | Pepperstone | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.1 | 1.08 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | 0.92 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Pepperstone | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Pepperstone | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | Pepperstone | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Pepperstone | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Pepperstone | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Pepperstone | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Pepperstone | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Pepperstone Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Overall | Pepperstone | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 94 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Pepperstone Review | ActivTrades Review |
IG
FOREX.com
CMC Markets
XTB
eToro
AvaTrade
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill