CMC Markets
Regulated in your country CMC Markets is allowed by ASIC to onboard clients residing in Australia.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
Pepperstone
Regulated in your country Pepperstone is allowed by ASIC to onboard clients residing in Australia.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
Best for
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders CMC Markets and Pepperstone are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in Australia.Pepperstone is better than CMC Markets for professional traders. High-volume traders, scalpers and swing traders can choose either Pepperstone or CMC Markets.
| Overall score | CMC Markets 80 -3 | Pepperstone 83 |
|---|---|---|
| Day trading i | ||
| Long-term investing i | ||
| Professional traders i | ||
| High-volume traders i | ||
| Scalpers i | ||
| Swing traders i | ||
| News traders i | ||
| Algo traders i | ||
| Stock traders i | ||
| Crypto traders i | ||
| Futures traders i | ||
| Options traders i |
Regulation
What we compare A comparison between the financial authorities that supervise CMC Markets and the ones that supervise Pepperstone.CMC Markets and Pepperstone are both regulated in Australia, by ASIC.
| Section score | CMC Markets 100 | Pepperstone 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Tier-1 regulators | ||
| ESMA (European Union) i | ||
| FCA (United Kingdom) i | ||
| ASIC (Australia) i | ||
| CFTC (United States) i | ||
| NFA (United States) i | ||
| SEC (United States) i | ||
| CIRO (Canada) i | ||
| MAS (Singapore) i | ||
| SFC (Hong Kong) i | ||
| JFSA (Japan) i | ||
| FINMA (Switzerland) i | ||
| Tier-2 regulators | ||
| FMA (New Zealand) i | ||
| CBR (Russia) i | ||
| FSCA (South Africa) i | ||
| DFSA (Dubai) i | ||
| CSRC (China) i | ||
| ISA (Israel) i | ||
| LFSA (Malaysia) i | ||
| JSC (Jordan) i | ||
| CMA (Kenya) i | ||
| Tier-3 regulators | ||
| FSA (Seychelles) i | ||
| MMA (Maldives) i | ||
| SCB (Bahamas) i | ||
| FSC (Mauritius) i | ||
| VFSC (Vanuatu) i | ||
| FSC (Belize) i | ||
| CIMA (Cayman Islands) i | ||
| SV FSA (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) i | ||
| FSRC (St. Kitts & Nevis) i | ||
| BMA (Bermuda) i | ||
| BVI FSC (British Virgin Islands) i | ||
| EDR (External Dispute Resolution) i | ||
Safety
What we compare A comparison of the tools and services that CMC Markets and Pepperstone have in place to protect your money in Australia.Both CMC Markets and Pepperstone offer segregated client funds and two-factor authentication.
| Section score | CMC Markets 73 Best | Pepperstone 65 -8 |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 1989 | 2010 |
| Parent company i | CMC Markets plc | Pepperstone Group Limited |
| CEO i | Peter Cruddas | Tamas Szabo |
| Money safety | ||
| Segregated client funds i | ||
| Two-factor authentication i | ||
| Investor compensation scheme i | ||
| Additional money insurance i | ||
| Partner bank i | Barclays Bank Ireland, J.P. Morgan SE | N/A |
| Brand power | ||
| Number of customers worldwide i | 1,000,000 | 909,000 |
| Annual revenue i | US$324,700,000 | US$13,000,000 |
| Monthly website search traffic i | 10.5M monthly visits | 1.3M monthly visits |
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with CMC Markets and with Pepperstone in Australia, both on each trade and on holding the account.Pepperstone is better than CMC Markets for costs, since Pepperstone has tighter EUR/USD raw spreads, at 0.1 pip (against CMC Markets' 0.3 pips), and does not charge inactivity fees or deposit fees, unlike CMC Markets. Neither CMC Markets nor Pepperstone charges account maintenance fees or withdrawal fees.
| Section score | CMC Markets 68 -6 | Pepperstone 74 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Broker fees | ||
| Deposit fees i | ||
| Withdrawal fees i | ||
| Overnight fees i | ||
| Inactivity fees i | ||
| Currency conversion fees i | ||
| Discounts on volume i | ||
| Real time market data fee i | ||
| Dividend withholding i | ||
| Account opening fees i | ||
| Account maintenance fee i | ||
| Portfolio management fee i | ||
| Fees on CFDs | ||
| Forex commission per lot i | US$5 | US$7 |
| EUR/USD average standard spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average raw spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average fixed spread i | ||
| EUR/USD total cost per lot i | US$6.5 | US$9 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 0.5 points | 0.5 points |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.2 points | 0.21 points |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | US$15 | US$15 |
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | US$0.02 | US$0.02 |
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Commission, Percentage | |
| US stocks fees (real) i | ||
| ETF fees (real) i | ||
| Management costs i | ||
| Connection costs i | ||
| Fees on futures | ||
| Futures fees per contract i | ||
| Platform fees i | ||
| Fees on options | ||
| Options fees per contract i | ||
| Event fees i | ||
| Fees on savings plans | ||
| IRA opening fee i | ||
| IRA maintenance fee i | ||
| 401k opening fee i | ||
| 401k maintenance fee i | ||
Available markets
What we compare A comparison of the markets and products you can trade with CMC Markets and with Pepperstone in Australia, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.CMC Markets and Pepperstone are equally good for available markets, as CMC Markets gives access to 12,000 tradable symbols (against Pepperstone's 1,350). On the other hand, Pepperstone offers CFDs on ETFs. Both CMC Markets and Pepperstone offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, forex, indices and stocks.
| Section score | CMC Markets 75 | Pepperstone 75 |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 12,000 | 1,350 |
| Currency pairs i | ||
| Indices i | ||
| Commodities i | ||
| Stocks i | ||
| ETF i | ||
| Cryptocurrencies i | ||
| Bonds i | ||
| Interest rates i | ||
| Portfolios i | ||
| CFDs i | Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices, Stocks | Commodities, Crypto, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks |
| Futures i | ||
| Options i | ||
| Assets you can own i |
Platform
What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that CMC Markets and Pepperstone make available to their clients in Australia.Pepperstone is better than CMC Markets for platforms, as Pepperstone offers cTrader, social trading and copy trading, which CMC Markets does not. Both CMC Markets and Pepperstone offer a proprietary platform and MetaTrader 5.
| Section score | CMC Markets 91 -6 | Pepperstone 97 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Proprietary platform i | ||
| MetaTrader 4 i | ||
| MetaTrader 5 i | ||
| cTrader i | ||
| Social trading platform i | ||
| Copy trading platform i | ||
| ZuluTrade i | ||
| TradingView i | ||
| Duplitrade i | ||
| Mirror Trader i | ||
| NinjaTrader i | ||
| AutoChartist i | ||
| Real time pricing i | ||
| 5 digit pricing i | ||
| One-click trading i |
Mobile
What we compare A comparison of the mobile apps of CMC Markets and Pepperstone in Australia, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.Pepperstone is better than CMC Markets for mobile trading, given that Pepperstone offers the cTrader app, mobile charting tools and mobile drawing tools, which CMC Markets does not. CMC Markets and Pepperstone both offer a proprietary mobile app and the MetaTrader 5 app.
| Section score | CMC Markets 73 -13 | Pepperstone 86 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Proprietary app i | ||
| Social trading app i | ||
| Copy trading app i | ||
| MetaTrader 4 app i | ||
| MetaTrader 5 app i | ||
| cTrader app i | ||
| Mobile trading signals i | ||
| Mobile alerts i | ||
| Mobile charting tools i | ||
| Mobile drawing tools i | ||
| Mobile watchlist i | ||
| Smartwatch app i |
Trading features
What we compare A comparison of the trading tools and strategies that CMC Markets and Pepperstone allow on their platforms in Australia.CMC Markets and Pepperstone are equally good for trading features, since CMC Markets executes orders faster, within 40 ms (against Pepperstone's 50 ms), and offers guaranteed stop losses. On the other hand, Pepperstone offers VPS hosting and API access. Both CMC Markets and Pepperstone offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.
| Section score | CMC Markets 89 | Pepperstone 87 -2 |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | Agency | Hybrid |
| Average execution time i | 40 ms | 50 ms |
| Slippage occurrence i | ||
| Requotes occurrence i | 0.08% | 0.08% |
| Tier-1 liquidity providers i | ||
| PFOF i | ||
| Leverage | ||
| Major FX pairs leverage i | 30:1 | 30:1 |
| Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i | 20:1 | 20:1 |
| Major indices leverage i | 20:1 | 20:1 |
| Minor indices leverage i | 10:1 | 10:1 |
| Gold leverage i | 20:1 | 20:1 |
| Commodities leverage i | 10:1 | 10:1 |
| Equities leverage i | 5:1 | 5:1 |
| Cryptocurrency leverage i | 2:1 | 2:1 |
| Risk management | ||
| Stop losses i | ||
| Take profits i | ||
| Limit orders i | ||
| Trailing stop i | ||
| Margin call i | ||
| OCO orders i | ||
| Guaranteed stop loss i | ||
| Negative balance protection i | ||
| Minimum trade size (FX) i | 0.01 lots | 0.01 lots |
| Minimum trade size (stocks) i | US$1 | US$1 |
| Fractional stocks i | ||
| Trading compliance | ||
| Scalping strategies allowed i | ||
| Hedging strategies allowed i | ||
| Automated trading strategy allowed i | ||
| EAs use allowed i | ||
| HFT strategy allowed i | ||
| VPS use allowed i | ||
| API use allowed i | ||
| Price scraping allowed i | ||
| FIFO rule applies i | ||
Account types
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of account you can open at CMC Markets and at Pepperstone in Australia, and of who each one is meant for.Pepperstone is better than CMC Markets for account types, given that Pepperstone offers a managed account, an Islamic account and a copy trading account, which CMC Markets does not. CMC Markets and Pepperstone both offer a demo account and a professional traders account.
| Section score | CMC Markets 53 -24 | Pepperstone 77 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Demo account i | ||
| Unlimited demo account i | ||
| Standard account i | ||
| Micro account i | ||
| Cent account i | ||
| Nano account i | ||
| Raw spread account i | ||
| ECN account i | ||
| Swap-free account i | ||
| Islamic account i | ||
| Professional traders account i | ||
| Fixed spread account i | ||
| Spread betting account i | ||
| Copy trading account i | ||
| Corporate account i | ||
| Managed account i | ||
| Stock investing account i | ||
| Margin investing account i | ||
| Savings account i | ||
| Retirement account i |
Account opening
What we compare A comparison of what it takes to open and fund an account with CMC Markets and with Pepperstone in Australia.Pepperstone is better than CMC Markets for account opening, since Pepperstone offers 6 account base currencies (against CMC Markets' 3), and supports 3 e-wallets (against CMC Markets' 1). Neither CMC Markets nor Pepperstone requires a minimum deposit.
| Section score | CMC Markets 70 -15 | Pepperstone 85 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | US$0 | US$0 |
| Minimum withdrawal i | US$0 | US$0 |
| Wire transfers i | ||
| Credit cards i | ||
| Debit cards i | ||
| eWallets i | PayPal | PayPal, Neteller, Skrill |
| Local payment methods i | ||
| Account base currencies i | AUD, USD, HKD | USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, SGD, HKD |
| Deposit waiting time i | Instant | Instant |
| Withdrawal waiting time i | Instant | up to 2 business days |
| Bonus program i |
Customer care
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of CMC Markets and Pepperstone in Australia, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.Pepperstone is better than CMC Markets for customer care, because Pepperstone offers customer support in 10 languages (against CMC Markets' 2). Both CMC Markets and Pepperstone offer a dedicated account manager and phone support.
| Section score | CMC Markets 71 -7 | Pepperstone 78 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 9 | 10 |
| Website languages i | German, English, French, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish, Swedish, Chinese | Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | English, Chinese | Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese |
| Customer support in English i | ||
| Call back request i | ||
| Email support i | ||
| Phone support i | ||
| Live chat i | ||
| Priority customer support i | ||
| Dedicated account manager i | ||
| Cash sweep i | ||
| Stock lending i | ||
| Distributes proceeds i | ||
| Tax withholding agent i | ||
| Tax assistance i |
Learning
What we compare A comparison of the educational material that CMC Markets and Pepperstone provide to their clients in Australia.CMC Markets is better than Pepperstone for learning, as CMC Markets offers professional reports, which Pepperstone does not. Both CMC Markets and Pepperstone offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
| Section score | CMC Markets 88 Best | Pepperstone 84 -4 |
|---|---|---|
| Education | ||
| Education center i | ||
| Education for beginners i | ||
| Education for advanced traders i | ||
| Webinars i | ||
| Tutorials i | ||
| Glossary i | ||
| Research | ||
| Economic calendar i | ||
| Traders' sentiment i | ||
| Daily market commentary i | ||
| Daily trading ideas i | ||
| News via social media i | ||
| Professional reports i | ||
| Watchlist i | ||
CMC Markets vs Pepperstone: which one should you choose?
CMC Markets
CFD/FX Choose CMC Markets if you want a CFD and forex broker with low trading costs and a wide choice of markets.
Open Account CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
Pepperstone
CFD/FX Choose Pepperstone if you want an online CFD broker with cTrader, islamic accounts and copy trading accounts.
Open Account CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.Other popular comparisons
Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include CMC Markets or Pepperstone, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
