Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of CMC Markets vs Questrade, 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.
CMC Markets vs. Questrade: For safety and regulation, ForexBrokers.com uses a 99-point Trust Score where 90–99 is highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and below 59 not trusted. CMC Markets earns 99/99 (highly trusted), while Questrade scores 85/99 (trusted).
CMC Markets, founded in 1989, is publicly traded and not a bank. It holds 6 Tier-1 licenses (highly trusted) and 1 Tier-2 license (trusted). Questrade, founded in 2000, is privately held and not a bank, with 1 Tier-1 license and no Tier-2 licenses. In short, CMC Markets has broader top-tier oversight, while Questrade maintains a solid trust standing.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2000 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
When it comes to commissions and fees, CMC Markets comes out ahead of Questrade. CMC Markets is rated 5 stars and ranked #4 out of 36 brokers for this category by ForexBrokers.com. Its pricing is built around consistently low spreads, with average EUR/USD spreads around 0.61 pips, plus added savings for active traders through the Price Plus Scheme. It also offers FX Active, a commission-based option with $2.50 per side and all-in EUR/USD costs as low as 0.5 pips.
Questrade is simpler in structure but generally more expensive. It is rated 3.5 stars and ranked #33 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees. Questrade Global uses spread-based pricing, with advertised spreads as low as 0.8 pips under normal market conditions, but typical major-pair spreads were closer to 2.1 to 2.5 pips in review. That can add up fast, with a standard lot often costing around $20 per trade based on a roughly 2-pip spread.
For CFDs, Questrade can also be costly because it adds a $9.95 USD trading fee per unit on top of the spread, which can make trades significantly more expensive once opening, closing, and overnight costs are included. Overall, CMC Markets is the stronger choice for traders who want lower trading costs, while Questrade may be easier to understand but usually ends up costing more.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 0.8 or higher |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When it comes to range of investments, CMC Markets offers a wider selection than Questrade. CMC Markets gives traders access to 12,029 tradeable symbols and 141 forex pairs, compared with Questrade’s 675 symbols and 110 forex pairs. CMC Markets also lets clients buy exchange traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, while Questrade does not offer those stocks. In addition, CMC Markets supports copy trading and cryptocurrency CFDs, giving active traders more ways to diversify their accounts.
Questrade still provides forex trading and earns a 5-star rating for range of investments, just like CMC Markets. However, CMC Markets is ranked higher by ForexBrokers.com in this category, placing 9th out of 36 brokers versus Questrade at 12th. Neither broker offers actual, delivered cryptocurrency, but CMC Markets stands out overall for the broader mix of markets and instruments available.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 675 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 110 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | No |
| 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.
CMC Markets and Questrade both give traders a strong set of platform choices, including free demo accounts, their own in-house platforms, desktop downloads for Windows, and web-based trading. Both also let users trade directly from a stock chart, which is helpful for placing trades quickly while watching market moves. In ratings for trading platforms and tools, CMC Markets comes out ahead with 5 out of 5 stars and a #6 ranking out of 36 brokers, while Questrade is rated 4 out of 5 stars and ranked #28.
Where CMC Markets stands apart is in its wider platform support and extra trading tools. It offers copy trading plus both MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, giving traders more ways to analyze markets and place orders. Questrade does not offer copy trading, MT4, or MT5, so its platform setup is simpler by comparison. For traders who want more platform variety and built-in tools, CMC Markets has the edge, while Questrade still covers the basics well for everyday trading.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 73 | 64 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
CMC Markets and Questrade both make it easy to trade on the go with iPhone and Android apps, plus useful features like price alerts, watchlist syncing, trendline drawing, and automatic saving of chart drawings. In other words, both mobile trading apps cover the basics well for everyday traders who want to check markets, manage watchlists, and act fast from their phones.
The main difference is in charting and overall mobile app ratings. CMC Markets offers 29 technical studies in its app, while Questrade offers 64, giving Questrade more chart tools to work with. Even so, CMC Markets is rated higher for mobile trading apps at 5 stars and ranks #5 out of 36 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, compared with Questrade’s 3.5 stars and #28 ranking. If you want stronger expert-rated mobile app performance, CMC Markets has the edge; if more chart indicators matter most, Questrade stands out.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 64 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, CMC Markets has a clear edge over Questrade. CMC Markets offers daily market commentary, forex news from top sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, a sentiment tool showing long and short positions, and an economic calendar for global events. It also includes Autochartist for chart and signal ideas. By comparison, Questrade does not provide daily market commentary, top-tier forex news, sentiment data, or an economic calendar, but it does offer Autochartist, Trading Central, and TipRanks for added research support.
Overall, CMC Markets is rated 5 out of 5 stars for research and ranks #6 out of 36 brokers in the ForexBrokers.com Research category, while Questrade is rated 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #34. If you want a broker with more built-in market updates, news, and tools to help guide trading decisions, CMC Markets is the stronger choice for research.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central | No | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | Yes |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to beginner-friendly learning tools, CMC Markets clearly has the edge over Questrade. CMC Markets offers enough forex and CFDs education to meet the minimum standard, plus at least 10 beginner videos and 10 advanced videos for traders who want to keep learning as they gain experience. Questrade, by comparison, does not meet the same level of forex or CFDs education and does not offer at least 10 beginner or 10 advanced trading videos. Neither broker offers online educational client webinars at least once a month.
These differences show up in the ratings as well. CMC Markets earns 5 stars for Education and ranks #10 out of 36 brokers in the Education category at ForexBrokers.com, while Questrade is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #28. For beginners looking for more trading lessons, videos, and a wider range of education on forex and CFDs, CMC Markets is the stronger choice.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| 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 CMC Markets is better than Questrade. CMC Markets finished with an overall rank of #5, while Questrade finished with an overall rank of #29.
CMC Markets is well-trusted across the globe, and delivers a terrific trading experience thanks to its excellent pricing and selection of over 12,000 tradeable instruments.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
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Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 85 |
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CMC Markets vs Questrade: neither broker supports buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but only CMC Markets offers cryptocurrency CFD trading while Questrade does not.
Online broker CMC Markets supports ACH/SEPA and PayPal for deposits and withdrawals (Questrade supports neither), both CMC Markets and Questrade allow bank wire transfers, neither supports Skrill, and Visa/Mastercard availability was not specified.
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 | CMC Markets | Questrade | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Questrade Review |
| Broker Screenshots | CMC Markets | Questrade | |
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| Regulation | CMC Markets | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 85 | |
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2000 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | CMC Markets | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | CMC Markets | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | 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 | CMC Markets | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 675 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 110 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | CMC Markets | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 0.8 or higher | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | No |
| Funding | CMC Markets | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | CMC Markets | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | CMC Markets | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 73 | 64 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | CMC Markets | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 64 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | CMC Markets | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | Yes | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Education | CMC Markets | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | CMC Markets | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Questrade Review |
| Overall | CMC Markets | Questrade | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Questrade Review |
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