74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Welcome to our comprehensive review of ActivTrades, a global multi-asset CFD and forex broker offering trading services since 2001.
ActivTrades has gained a reputation for being a reliable and reputable broker with a range of trading options and outstanding security features.
In this review, we’ll look closer at ActivTrades’ product offerings, trading platforms, fees, educational resources, and more to help you determine if they are the right fit.
(74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider)
Pros and Cons of ActivTrades
Pros
- Low trading fees
- 24h customer support in 14 languages
- Great trading prices
- Balance protection
- $1 million in insurance
- Supports a variety of bank accounts
- Available to customers in more than 140 countries
- Powerful security
Cons
- Slim product portfolio
- Basic research tools
- Conversion fee
- Inactivity fee
ActivTrades Commissions & Fees: A Breakdown of Costs
| Fees | Charges |
|---|---|
| Funding Fees (credit/debit card) | UK and EU credit/debit cards do not incur any funding fees. Credit/debit cards from outside the UK & EEA are charged 1.5%. |
| Other Funding Methods | There is no charge or commission fee for using any other method, although be advised that you may incur a fee from your bank when withdrawing funds to your account via bank transfer. |
| Withdrawal Fee | There is no charge for withdrawals. |
| Trading Commissions | Buy/Sell Spreads, ActivTrade is compensated for its services through the Buy/Sell (Bid/Ask) spread, so when you open a position, you essentially “pay” the spread. This spread is incorporated into the ActivTrade quoted rates and is not an additional charge or fee payable by you above the quoted rates. |
| Transaction Charges (UK) | 0.10% of the transaction value (£1 minimum commission) |
| Overnight Premium | The Overnight Premium is a set fee, charged on positions that remain open overnight (22:00 GMT). |
| Market Data Charges | No fees for Europe (incl. London). Please note that market data for CFDs on shares is displayed with a 15-minute delay in demo accounts. |
| Currency Conversion Fee | ActivTrades will charge a Currency Conversion Fee for all trades on instruments denominated in a currency different to the currency of your account. 0.3% fee will applied. |
| Inactivity Fee | After 3 consecutive months of non-use (“Inactivity Period”), and every successive Inactivity Period, an inactivity fee will be deducted from the value of the Customer’s trading account. This fee is £50 |
| Administration Fee | Your trading account may be subject to an annual administration fee of GBP Account: £100, unless prohibited by law. After 12 consecutive months of non -use (“Annual Inactivity Period”), an administration fee will be deducted from the value of your trading account. |
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ActivTrades Reviews: How Does This Broker Measure Up?
ActivTrades has received positive customer feedback with an overall rating of 4.3 stars out of 5 on Trustpilot.
Customers appreciate ActivTrades’s ‘vast inventory of assets’, ‘simplicity and convenience’ and ‘great execution + customer service’.
However, some negative reviews have mentioned issues with slow withdrawal processing times and the inactivity fee.
Overall, ActivTrades has a strong reputation among its customers and the industry.
The broker has also won prestigious awards, including Best Online Trading Services at the ADVFN International Financial Awards and Safest Global Broker at the International Investor Business Award.
ActivTrades has also received positive feedback on Sitejabber, with a high consumer rating of 4.67 stars from 123 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally satisfied with their purchases. ActivTrades ranks 6th among Currency Trading sites on the platform, highlighting its strong reputation and customer satisfaction in the industry.
ActivTrades Product Range Overview: What Can You Trade?
The most significant limitation of ActivTrades is the range offered.
Forex – You can trade around over 50 forex pairs and two precious metals. This is significantly lower than, for example, CMC Markets, which offers 150 pairs at the time of writing.
Stocks – There are 1000 company shares you can invest in, again much less than someone like Etoro, who offers 3000.
Indices – You can trade the following indices S&P 500 (USA500), Nasdaq 100 (USATEC), Dow Jones Industrial Average (USAIND), DAX 40 (GER40) and FTSE 100 (UK100). This is relatively minimal besides a platform like XTB, which allows trading on 35 different indices worldwide.
Crypto – ActivTrades also offers access to limited cryptocurrency trading, with Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Ripple available to trade as CFDs.
We were pleased to see that ActivTrades offers a free demo account, allowing traders to practice trading with virtual funds before committing real money; This is a great way to get a feel for the platform.
Acount Types
| Account Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Free Demo Account | ActivTrades offers a free demo account for traders to practice and test their strategies before trading with real money. The demo account is fully functional and comes with a virtual balance of $10,000. |
| Individual Account | This is a standard trading account for individual traders who want to trade with real money. The account can be opened with a minimum deposit of £10 and offers access to all of ActivTrades’ trading platforms and instruments. |
| Pro Account | The professional account is designed for experienced traders who require higher leverage and are classified as professionals under MiFID II regulations. The account offers lower margin requirements and access to ActivTrades’ professional trading tools. You must have carried out significantly large transactions, in the relevant market, at an average frequency of 10 transactions per quarter over the previous four quarters. |
| Islamic Account | The Islamic account is an interest-free account designed for clients who follow Sharia law. |
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ActivTrades Trading Platforms
ActivTrades offers three trading platforms to its clients: MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5), and their own proprietary trading platform, ActivTrader. Here’s a breakdown of the features and functionality of each platform:
| Platform | Features | Functionality |
|---|---|---|
| MetaTrader 4 | One-click trading, automated trading, customizable charts, multiple order types | MT4 is the most popular trading platform among forex traders. It offers a user-friendly interface, extensive charting capabilities, and a wide range of technical indicators. MT4 also supports automated trading through Expert Advisors (EAs). |
| MetaTrader 5 | Market depth, economic calendar, advanced order types, built-in MQL5 programming language | MT5 builds upon the features of MT4 and adds more advanced functionality, including market depth, an economic calendar, and more advanced order types. MT5 also has a built-in programming language, MQL5, that allows traders to develop custom indicators and trading robots. |
| ActivTrader | Advanced charting, order management tools, risk management tools, multi-asset trading | ActivTrader is ActivTrades’ proprietary trading platform. It offers advanced charting capabilities, order management tools, and risk management tools. ActivTrader also supports multi-asset trading, allowing traders to access forex, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies all from a single platform. |
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ActivTrades Education: Tools and Resources for Traders
ActivTrades offers a range of educational tools and resources for traders, designed to help both new and experienced traders improve their knowledge and skills. Here are some of the key features of ActivTrades’ educational offerings:
- Webinars: ActivTrades regularly hosts live webinars covering a variety of trading topics, including technical analysis, trading strategies, and market updates.
- Video tutorials: The broker offers a comprehensive library of video tutorials covering a wide range of topics, including platform tutorials, trading strategies, and technical analysis.
- Trading guides: ActivTrades provides a variety of trading guides covering topics such as Forex trading, CFD trading, and risk management.
- Trading tools: ActivTrades offers a range of trading tools to help traders make more informed trading decisions, including an economic calendar, a market sentiment indicator, and a pivot point calculator.
- Demo account: ActivTrades offers a free demo account with virtual funds, allowing traders to practice their trading strategies in a risk-free environment.
- Market analysis: ActivTrades provides daily market analysis and commentary on major currency pairs, as well as other popular markets, such as commodities and indices.
ActivTrades Research: Analysis and Insights for Traders
When it comes to research, ActivTrades offers a decent range of analytical tools, although they may not be as comprehensive as some other brokers. The broker provides market analysis articles, in-depth analysis, a summary of the markets, and weekly outlook videos, although these tools do not offer trading ideas or much in the way of fundamental data.
ActivTrades offers over 103 technical indicators for charting capabilities and an economic calendar that constantly monitors financial events from across the globe. However, one missing feature is the option to view historical data. The broker also provides Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), which can be useful for traders looking to utilise an automated trading strategy.
Overall, while the selection of research tools at ActivTrades is not outstanding, the available options should be sufficient for most traders.
ActivTrades Safety: How Your Funds Are Protected
ActivTrades takes the safety and security of its clients’ funds seriously, and the company has implemented several measures to protect customer assets. Firstly, ActivTrades is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, which means that it must adhere to strict regulatory standards and maintain high financial stability.
In addition, ActivTrades implements a negative balance protection policy, which ensures that clients cannot lose more than their account balance. The company also offers balance protection, which means that if a client’s account balance falls below zero, ActivTrades will bring the account back to zero at no cost to the client.
ActivTrades also segregates client funds from its own funds, which means that in the unlikely event of company insolvency, client funds will be protected and returned to clients.
ActivTrades also provides clients with up to £1 million in insurance through the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which provides an extra layer of protection to client funds.
Overall, ActivTrades takes the safety and security of its clients’ funds seriously, and has implemented several measures to ensure that customer assets are protected at all times
ActivTrades Opening an Account: How to Get Started
ActivTrades makes it easy for traders to open an account and start trading. The account opening process is entirely online and can be completed in just a few simple steps.
- Visit the ActivTrades website and click on the “Open an Account” button.
- Choose the type of account you want to open.
- Fill out the online application form with your personal and financial details.
- Upload the required KYC documents to verify your identity and address.
- Wait for your account to be approved by ActivTrades.
- Once your account is approved, deposit funds into your account.
- Download the trading platform and start trading.
ActivTrades Deposit and Withdrawal: Options and Processing Times
ActivTrades offers a range of deposit and withdrawal options, including bank transfer, credit and debit cards, PayPal, Sofort, Skrill, and Neteller.
Deposits and withdrawals are largely free, and the minimum deposit is relatively low compared to other brokers at £10.
Before making your first deposit, you’ll need to choose between the following base currencies: EUR, USD, GBP, or CHF.
There are no fees for deposits made via bank transfer or electronic wallet.
ActivTrades FAQs: Answers to Your Most Common Questions
What types of accounts does ActivTrades offer?
ActivTrades offers demo, individual, pro and accounts.
What is the minimum deposit required to open an account with ActivTrades?
The minimum deposit required to open a UK account with ActivTrades is £10, which is relatively low compared to other brokers.
What trading platforms does ActivTrades offer?
ActivTrades offers the popular MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 trading platforms and its proprietary platform, ActivTrader.
Does ActivTrades charge commissions?
ActivTrades is compensated for its services through the Buy/Sell (Bid/Ask) spread, so you essentially “pay” the spread when you open a position. This spread is incorporated into the quoted rates and is not an additional charge or fee payable by you above the quoted rates.
