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CMC Markets vs XM Group 2026

ForexBrokers.com

Written by ForexBrokers.com

February 05, 2025
  Fact Checked

In this head to head comparison of CMC Markets vs XM Group, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.

CMC Markets
5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0
  • Trust Score: 99
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 12029
XM Group
4.5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $5
  • Trust Score: 93
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 1429

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.

Regulation

CMC Markets vs. XM Group: both are well-regulated online brokers with high marks for trust. CMC Markets holds a 99/99 ForexBrokers.com Trust Score, while XM Group scores 93/99—both fall in the “highly trusted” range of 90–99. For context, 80–89 is trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and below 59 should not be trusted.

Founded in 1989, CMC Markets is publicly traded and not a bank. It carries 6 Tier-1 licenses and 1 Tier-2 license. XM Group, founded in 2009, is privately held, not a bank, and holds 4 Tier-1 licenses and 3 Tier-2 licenses. CMC offers a higher score and more top-tier licenses, while XM also delivers strong regulatory coverage.

Feature CMC Markets logoCMC Markets
XM Group logoXM Group
Year Founded info 1989 2009
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes No
Bank info No No
Tier-1 Licenses info 6 4
Tier-2 Licenses info 1 3
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 1

Fees

When it comes to commissions and fees, CMC Markets comes out ahead of XM Group. CMC Markets earns 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 36 brokers for Commissions and Fees, thanks to its low spread pricing across account types. Its average EUR/USD spread was 0.61 pips, and its FX Active pricing can bring all-in trading costs down to 0.5 pips on EUR/USD when commissions are included.

CMC Markets also offers an active trader program, called Price Plus, which can lower trading costs further based on monthly trading volume and Trading Points earned. This makes it a strong choice for traders who want low everyday costs and extra discounts as they trade more.

XM Group, by comparison, scores 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #34 out of 36 brokers in this category. Its standard account spreads are considered expensive, and average spreads are not published for the commission-based XM Zero account, making it harder to judge true trading costs. For traders focused on fees, CMC Markets is the better-priced option overall.

Feature CMC Markets logoCMC Markets
XM Group logoXM Group
Minimum Deposit info $0 $5
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info 1.3 info 2 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.65 info N/A info
Non-wire bank transfer info Yes No
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Featured Offers


Range of investments

When it comes to range of investments, CMC Markets offers more choice than XM Group. CMC Markets lists 12,029 tradeable symbols and 141 forex pairs, while XM Group provides 1,429 symbols and 55 forex pairs. Both online brokers let you trade forex as a CFD or spot contract, and both also offer exchange traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges, plus copy trading. For cryptocurrency, neither broker lets you buy actual coins, but both do offer crypto CFDs.

Overall, CMC Markets has the wider selection and is rated 5 stars for Range of Investments, with a ForexBrokers.com ranking of #9 out of 36 brokers. XM Group is still a solid choice, but it trails behind with a 4.5-star rating and a ranking of #19 out of 36. If having more markets and more forex pairs matters most, CMC Markets has the edge.

Feature CMC Markets logoCMC Markets
XM Group logoXM Group
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 12029 1429
Forex Pairs (Total) info 141 55
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info Yes Yes
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info Yes Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info No No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info 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.

Trading platforms and tools

CMC Markets and XM Group both give traders a wide set of platform choices, including free demo accounts, Windows desktop downloads, web-based trading, copy trading, MetaTrader 4, and MetaTrader 5. Both brokers also let users trade directly from charts, which is helpful for active traders who want to place orders quickly while reviewing market moves.

The main difference is that CMC Markets also offers its own in-house trading platform, while XM Group does not. That extra platform choice, along with CMC Markets’ higher Trading Platforms and Tools rating of 5 stars versus XM Group’s 4 stars, helps explain why CMC Markets ranks higher in this category: #6 out of 36 brokers, compared with XM Group at #27 out of 36. For traders comparing online brokers, CMC Markets has the edge for platform variety and overall tools, while XM Group still covers the core needs well.

Feature CMC Markets logoCMC Markets
XM Group logoXM Group
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes No
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes Yes
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info Yes Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 73 30
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.

Forex trading apps

CMC Markets and XM Group both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with stock or forex price alerts, watchlist syncing between mobile and online accounts, and the ability to draw trendlines on charts. On paper, the two brokers are closely matched for core mobile trading features, making either one a workable choice for traders who want to manage positions on the go.

The main differences show up in charting and app quality scores. XM Group offers slightly more technical studies in its mobile app, with 30 compared with 29 at CMC Markets, but CMC Markets has the edge in overall mobile experience thanks to auto-saving chart drawings, a 5-star Mobile Trading Apps rating, and a higher ForexBrokers.com ranking at #5 out of 36 brokers. XM Group is rated 4 stars and ranks #26, which suggests CMC Markets is the stronger option overall for mobile trading apps.

Feature CMC Markets logoCMC Markets
XM Group logoXM Group
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 29 30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info Yes No

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

CMC Markets and XM Group both stand out for market research, with each offering daily market commentary, top-tier forex news from sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, a sentiment tool showing long and short positioning, and an economic calendar for tracking upcoming global events. Both brokers also earn a 5-star Research rating, but CMC Markets has a slight edge in third-party tools thanks to Autochartist, while XM Group does not offer it.

XM Group balances that gap with Trading Central research tools, which CMC Markets does not provide. Neither broker includes TipRanks or Acuity Trading. In ForexBrokers.com’s Research rankings, CMC Markets places higher at #6 out of 36 brokers, compared with XM Group at #8, making CMC Markets the stronger choice overall for market research by a narrow margin.

Feature CMC Markets logoCMC Markets
XM Group logoXM Group
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Yes
Autochartist info Yes No
Trading Central info No Yes
Client sentiment data info Yes Yes
TipRanks info No No
Acuity Trading info No No
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

When it comes to learning support for beginners, both CMC Markets and XM Group give new traders a lot to work with. Each broker offers at least 10 beginner videos, at least 10 advanced videos, and a full set of forex or CFD learning materials, which makes either one a solid place to start if you want to build trading knowledge step by step. Both are also rated 5 out of 5 stars for Education, showing that each broker scores highly for training content overall.

The biggest difference is in live learning. XM Group offers online educational webinars at least once a month, while CMC Markets does not. That gives XM Group an edge for beginners who learn best from regular live sessions and direct market discussions. This difference is also reflected in their ForexBrokers.com Education rankings, where XM Group places #5 out of 36 brokers and CMC Markets sits at #10, making XM Group the stronger pick for traders who want more frequent educational support.

Feature CMC Markets logoCMC Markets
XM Group logoXM Group
Webinars info No Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.

Winner

After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that CMC Markets is better than XM Group. CMC Markets finished with an overall rank of #5, while XM Group finished with an overall rank of #16.

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 logoCMC Markets
XM Group logoXM Group
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 93
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 4.5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with CMC Markets or XM Group?

CMC Markets vs XM Group: both online brokers offer cryptocurrency CFD trading but do not provide the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies.

What funding options does each broker offer?

Compared to XM Group, CMC Markets supports ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wire transfers (but not Skrill), while XM Group supports Skrill and bank wires (but not ACH/SEPA or PayPal), with Visa/Mastercard availability not specified for either broker.

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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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Overall Rating CMC Markets XM Group
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Education 4.5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 93
Winner check_circle
Review CMC Markets Review XM Group Review
Broker Screenshots CMC Markets XM Group
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info
CMC Markets Next Generation mobile trade ticket order. CMC Markets Next Generation web platform layout light theme CMC Markets research weekly outlook detail. CMC Markets OPTO Podcast.
XM MetaTrader 5 mobile trading app XM MetaTrader 5 desktop trading platform. XM research articles market news and analysis XM educational content forex course chapters.
Regulation CMC Markets XM Group
Trust Score info 99 93
Year Founded info 1989 2009
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes No
Bank info No No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info Yes
Tier-1 Licenses info 6 4
Tier-2 Licenses info 1 3
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 1
Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) CMC Markets XM Group
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info Yes Yes
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info Yes No
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info No No
Japan (FSA Authorised) info No No
Singapore (MAS Authorised) info Yes No
Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) info
United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) info Yes No
USA (CFTC Authorized) info No No
New Zealand (FMA Authorised) info Yes No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info Yes
Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) CMC Markets XM Group
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info Yes
Israel (ISA Authorised) info No No
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info No Yes
UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) info Yes Yes
India (SEBI Authorised) info No No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info
Investments CMC Markets XM Group
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 12029 1429
Forex Pairs (Total) info 141 55
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info Yes Yes
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info Yes Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info No No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info 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 CMC Markets XM Group
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info 1.3 info 2 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.65 info N/A info
Inactivity Fee info Yes Yes
Order execution: Agency info No No
Order execution: Market Maker info Yes Yes
Funding CMC Markets XM Group
Minimum Deposit info $0 $5
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes
Non-wire bank transfer info Yes No
Trading Platforms CMC Markets XM Group
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes No
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes Yes
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info Yes Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info Yes Yes
cTrader info No No
Trading Tools CMC Markets XM Group
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 73 30
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes
Charts can be saved info Yes Yes
Mobile Trading CMC Markets XM Group
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] info
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 29 30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info Yes No
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Research CMC Markets XM Group
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Yes
Autochartist info Yes No
Trading Central info No Yes
TipRanks info No No
Client sentiment data info Yes Yes
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Education CMC Markets XM Group
Webinars info No Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Major Forex Pairs CMC Markets XM Group
GBP/USD [DELETED] info
USD/JPY [DELETED] info
EUR/USD info Yes Yes
USD/CHF [DELETED] info
USD/CAD [DELETED] info
NZD/USD [DELETED] info
AUD/USD [DELETED] info
Review CMC Markets Review XM Group Review
Overall CMC Markets XM Group
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Education 4.5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 93
Winner check_circle
Review CMC Markets Review XM Group Review
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