Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of ThinkMarkets vs Eightcap, 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.
ThinkMarkets and Eightcap are two established names in the online brokerage world, with ThinkMarkets founded in 2010 and Eightcap in 2009. Neither company is publicly traded or operates as a bank, which is common in this sector. When it comes to regulatory licenses, ThinkMarkets stands out with five Tier-1 licenses, a distinction indicating high trust. In comparison, Eightcap holds three Tier-1 licenses, which is still commendable but slightly fewer.
Considering Trust Scores from ForexBrokers.com, ThinkMarkets earns a rating of 92 out of 99, positioning it as a highly trusted broker. This is backed by its seven regulatory licenses, including two Tier-2 licenses. Meanwhile, Eightcap scores an admirable 85, categorizing it as a trusted broker, despite not holding any Tier-2 licenses. Both brokers offer reassurance, but ThinkMarkets edges ahead with its higher Trust Score and greater regulatory presence.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2009 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
When comparing ThinkMarkets to Eightcap in terms of commissions and fees, both online brokers offer competitive services, but with some differences. ThinkMarkets earns a solid four-star rating for its commissions and fees, but specific average spread data is not available, which can make it challenging for potential clients to assess overall costs. Despite this, ThinkMarkets remains a credible option for traders.
Eightcap, on the other hand, provides a more transparent fee structure with two different account types. The Raw account involves a commission-based model, whereas the Standard account is spread-only. For the Raw account, Eightcap lists an average spread of 0.06 pips, but when you add a per-side commission of $3.50 per trade, the total cost comes to about 0.76 pips—just below the industry average of 0.8 pips. Like ThinkMarkets, Eightcap also garners a four-star rating for its commissions and fees but tends to be slightly more costly compared to some of the lowest-priced forex brokers.
In terms of industry rankings, ThinkMarkets holds the 48th position out of 62 brokers as per ForexBrokers.com, indicating room for improvement. Eightcap ranks higher at 26th, reflecting its more clearly defined fee structure and slightly better value for specific traders, particularly those utilizing its Raw account.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $100 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 0.76 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| 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 the range of investments offered by ThinkMarkets and Eightcap, traders will find noteworthy differences between the two. ThinkMarkets boasts a broader selection with 4,000 tradeable symbols, while Eightcap offers 736. In the realm of forex trading, ThinkMarkets provides 46 currency pairs, whereas Eightcap offers a slightly wider choice with 56 pairs. However, ThinkMarkets takes an edge in offering exchange-traded securities on international exchanges, a feature not available with Eightcap. Both brokers offer forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts and provide opportunities for copy trading and trading cryptocurrency derivatives, but neither allows for trading actual cryptocurrencies or U.S. exchange-traded securities like Apple shares.
The two brokers receive different ratings for their range of investments. ThinkMarkets earns a rating of 4.5 stars, positioning itself at number 21 out of 62 brokers in the Range of Investments category on ForexBrokers.com. Eightcap, on the other hand, receives a rating of 3.5 stars and ranks at number 40. For traders seeking a wide array of investment options, ThinkMarkets clearly offers a more extensive selection, which may appeal to those exploring varied market opportunities.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 4000 | 736 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 56 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| 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.
When choosing an online broker for trading platforms and tools, both ThinkMarkets and Eightcap offer compelling features for traders of all levels. Notably, both brokers provide free virtual demo accounts, allowing users to practice trading without any financial risk. ThinkMarkets stands out with its proprietary platform developed in-house, alongside offering industry-standard platforms like MetaTrader 4 and 5. Unlike ThinkMarkets, Eightcap does not have a proprietary platform, but it also provides access to the popular MetaTrader suite. Both brokers excel by offering Windows-based desktop platforms and web-based options, ensuring great flexibility for traders. Additionally, they support copy trading, enhancing social trading opportunities for their clients.
On the charting front, both ThinkMarkets and Eightcap offer 15 drawing tools, but ThinkMarkets provides a broader watch list functionality with 15 columns compared to Eightcap’s 7. Both brokers enable users to trade directly from stock charts, which simplifies the trading process significantly. Despite having several similar features, ThinkMarkets scores slightly ahead with a ranking of #27 compared to Eightcap's #38 in the Trading Platforms and Tools category on ForexBrokers.com. Both have earned four out of five stars in this area, illustrating their competence in providing reliable and effective tools for traders.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No |
| 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 | 15 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When it comes to mobile trading apps, both ThinkMarkets and Eightcap deliver solid experiences for iPhone and Android users. They each offer crucial features like stock and forex price alerts, as well as the ability to draw trendlines and view multiple time frames on charts. Furthermore, both platforms allow users to create watchlists with real-time quotes and ensure that any drawings on charts are automatically saved, which can be a helpful feature for active traders.
Where the two differ is in the synchronization of watchlist symbols and the range of technical studies available. Eightcap includes watchlist symbol syncing, allowing seamless transitions between mobile and desktop platforms, while ThinkMarkets does not offer this feature. However, ThinkMarkets excels by providing 94 technical studies for charting, compared to Eightcap's 30. Both companies receive a rating of four out of five stars for their mobile trading apps, but ThinkMarkets is ranked higher at #20 by ForexBrokers.com, compared to Eightcap's rank at #38.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 94 | 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.
When it comes to market research offerings, ThinkMarkets and Eightcap both provide daily market commentary along with a comprehensive economic calendar that reviews global news events. However, ThinkMarkets sets itself apart by providing forex news from elite sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, while Eightcap does not offer forex news from such well-known outlets. Both brokers present sentiment-based trading tools, which give insights on long and short positions across various instruments. Yet, neither offers research tools from Autochartist or Trading Central.
In terms of unique research tools, ThinkMarkets gains an edge by including tools from Acuity Trading, such as the Signal Centre, a feature that Eightcap lacks. Despite these differences, the two brokers share an equal research rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars. Looking at their rankings, Eightcap holds the 39th spot for research, ahead of ThinkMarkets, which is ranked 50th among 62 brokers, according to ForexBrokers.com. These factors could influence any trader’s choice depending on their priority for high-tier news sources and additional research tools.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational resources for beginners between ThinkMarkets and Eightcap, both online brokers offer a solid foundation of learning materials. ThinkMarkets provides a comprehensive selection of more than ten educational pieces, including articles, videos, and archived webinars, primarily focused on forex and CFDs. ThinkMarkets goes a step further with regular online client webinars, available monthly, and maintains a searchable archive of these sessions for easy access. For beginners, ThinkMarkets offers at least ten educational videos specifically designed to introduce basic trading concepts.
Eightcap also offers over ten educational pieces covering forex and CFDs, including a searchable archive of previously recorded webinars. However, it doesn’t offer monthly webinars, which may limit real-time learning opportunities. Like ThinkMarkets, Eightcap has a good selection of beginner-focused videos but falls short in providing advanced educational videos for experienced traders. Both platforms offer an investor dictionary with over fifty terms, helpful for those new to trading terms. While rated equally at 3.5 stars for education, Eightcap ranks higher than ThinkMarkets in this category on ForexBrokers.com, coming in at #40 compared to ThinkMarkets' #52 rank.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that ThinkMarkets is better than Eightcap. ThinkMarkets finished with an overall rank of #27, while Eightcap finished with an overall rank of #38.
ThinkMarkets has multiple regulatory license and offers a proprietary trading platform, as well as the entire MetaTrader suite. The broker has made progress in key areas, such as research and education, and the range of markets available, although trails behind the best brokers in these categories.
| Feature |
ThinkMarkets
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Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 92 | 85 |
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Both ThinkMarkets and Eightcap do not provide the option to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency, but they do offer the ability to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
In comparing online brokers, ThinkMarkets does not support ACH, SEPA, or PayPal for deposits and withdrawals, but does accept Skrill, Visa/Mastercard, and bank wires, while Eightcap also lacks ACH and SEPA options but offers PayPal, alongside Skrill, Visa/Mastercard, and bank wires for flexible transaction solutions.
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 | ThinkMarkets | Eightcap | |
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| Trust Score | 92 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Eightcap Review |
| Broker Screenshots | ThinkMarkets | Eightcap | |
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| Regulation | ThinkMarkets | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 92 | 85 | |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2009 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | ThinkMarkets | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | ThinkMarkets | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | ThinkMarkets | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 4000 | 736 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 56 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | ThinkMarkets | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.1 | 1.0 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 0.76 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | ThinkMarkets | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| 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 | ThinkMarkets | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No | |
| 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 | ThinkMarkets | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 15 | 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 | ThinkMarkets | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 94 | 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 | ThinkMarkets | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | ThinkMarkets | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | ThinkMarkets | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Eightcap Review |
| Overall | ThinkMarkets | Eightcap | |
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| Trust Score | 92 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Eightcap Review |
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