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ActivTrades Review

Steven Hatzakis

Written by Steven Hatzakis
Edited by John Bringans
Fact-checked by Joey Shadeck

August 02, 2024

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 82% of retail CFD accounts lose money. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

ActivTrades is a long-standing brand with a proprietary trading platform, ActivTrader. ActivTrades also provides a well-rounded offering of third-party platforms and a good selection of custom add-ons, indicators, and trading tools for MetaTrader. Drawbacks include a smaller selection of tradeable symbols and fewer educational resources than what’s available from the best forex brokers.

ActivTrades
4/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: 0
  • Trust Score: 81
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 1267
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Trade with a leading forex broker!

(82% of retail CFD accounts lose money)

travel_explore Can I open an account with this broker?

Yes, based on your detected country of HK, you can open an account with this broker.

ActivTrades pros & cons

thumb_up_off_alt Pros

  • Indemnity insurance up to $1 million from Lloyd’s of London (ActivTrades offers additional insurance up to $1 million, under specific terms and conditions).
  • Market analysis and Weekly Outlook articles provide a good foundation for research.
  • Offers TradingView and the full MetaTrader suite (MT4 and MT5).
  • Multiple custom add-ons for MetaTrader including the SmartOrder tool, SmartTemplate and Pivot Points Indicators, and SmartPattern and Smartlines tools.
  • Good variety of webinars and educational videos, but not as many as category leaders for market research and education.
  • News headlines from FXStreet.
  • Advanced trading tool feature with a progressive trailing stop, akin to a complex order type.

thumb_down_off_alt Cons

  • Weekly Outlook videos have been discontinued.
  • ActivTrades holds fewer licenses than the most trusted brokers.
  • Educational articles are unorganized and there are no interactive courses.
  • The minimum deposit is $500 if you reside in Brazil or China (otherwise it is zero).
  • Offers a smaller range of tradeable assets than the top multi-asset brokers.

Overall Summary

Feature ActivTrades logoActivTrades
Overall Rating info 4/5 Stars
Trust Score info 81
Offering of Investments 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4/5 Stars
Platform & Tools 4/5 Stars
Research 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 4/5 Stars
Education 3.5/5 Stars

ForexBrokers.com has been reviewing online forex brokers for over six years, and our reviews are the most cited in the industry. Each year, we collect thousands of data points and publish tens of thousands of words of research. Here's how we test.

Is ActivTrades safe?

Trust Score
81
ForexBrokers.com

ActivTrades is considered Trusted, with an overall Trust Score of 81 out of 99. ActivTrades is not publicly traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by two Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), one Tier-2 regulator (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulators (Average Risk), and one Tier-4 regulator (High Risk). ActivTrades is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulators: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and regulated in the European Union via MiFID . Learn more about Trust Score.

Feature ActivTrades logoActivTrades
Year Founded info 2001
Publicly Traded (Listed) info No
Bank info No
Tier-1 Licenses info 2
Tier-2 Licenses info 1
Tier-3 Licenses info 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 1

Offering of investments

ActivTrades offers CFD trading across 1,267 symbols on MetaTrader 5 and the broker’s proprietary ActivTrader platform. MetaTrader 4 has a smaller selection, as it does not support share trading. ActivTrader covers the most popular asset classes available as CFDs, including popular indices, forex pairs, ETFs, commodities, bonds, and cryptocurrencies, across its platform and account types.

Feature ActivTrades logoActivTrades
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 1267
Forex Pairs (Total) info 49
U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) info No
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) info Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading info Yes
Cryptocurrency (Physical) info No
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) info 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).

Commissions and fees

ActivTrades offers one primary account type (referred to as its “Individual Account”) along with Professional Account and Islamic Account options. Traders can also use a demo account to practice trading without risking their funds. It’s worth noting that there is no account type designed specifically for high-volume traders, and no active trader pricing.

As with most trading accounts marketed as “professional accounts”, the main differentiator is the lower margin requirements, which can impact the amount of leverage you can access; spreads remain the same across account types. The Islamic Account option at ActivTrades is designed to meet Sharia compliance for religious purposes.

All that said, commissions and fees at ActivTrades will largely depend on the assets you trade and the availability of individual assets will vary depending on the platform you use.

Average spreads: ActivTrades lists its target spread for each asset, but actual spreads may vary throughout the trading session – including during the rollover period when spreads can widen (this is common amongst brokers). I reached out to ActivTrades directly to obtain average spread data for the EUR/USD, which stood at 0.98 pips for May 2024.

Overall, I found that ActivTrade’s spreads are slightly better than the industry average but not as good as the best low-cost forex brokers.

Feature ActivTrades logoActivTrades
Minimum Deposit info 0
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard info 0.98 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info N/A
Active Trader or VIP Discounts info No
ACH or SEPA Transfers info No
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes
Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) info Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes

Mobile trading apps

ActivTrades provides a good selection of mobile trading apps. Traders gain access to the broker’s flagship ActivTrader mobile app along with third-party apps MetaTrader (MT4 and MT5) and TradingView. All mobile apps are available for iOS (via Apple’s App Store) and Android (via the Google Play Store).

The MetaTrader and TradingView mobile apps available with ActivTrades are the standard versions you’d get straight from the developer. As such, I focused my testing on ActivTrades’ proprietary mobile app for this review.

ActivTrader mobile app: The ActivTrader mobile app offers a smooth user experience and delivers a good balance of features. In addition to sentiment data, the mobile version of ActivTrader includes TradingView charts and forex news headlines from FxStreet.

User experience: I found the ActivTrader user experience to be straightforward and smooth. For example, the trade ticket window features trailing stops and the ability to set stops or limit levels as a price or in pips. More complex order types are available, such as buy entry stops, sell entry stops, buy entry limits, and sell entry limits. That said, some advanced order types, like one-cancels-other and one-triggers-other orders, weren’t available.

While testing the ActivTrader platform, I found some intriguing tweaks to order types. I liked that the platform’s Progressive Trailing Stop makes a regular trailing stop even more dynamic with an additional parameter that modifies the original stop distance. There’s even an option to adjust the stop distance if specific price targets are met along the way. I was intrigued by this innovative feature; recreating such orders manually would be complicated (in many cases, this would be impossible without a trading API).

Overall, I felt that the ActivTrader mobile app has a great foundation, and the addition of more features will only further enhance the experience and bring the app closer to the best mobile trading apps provided by industry leaders.

Feature ActivTrades logoActivTrades
Android App info Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes
Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields info Yes
Watchlists - Total Fields info 11
Watchlist Syncing info No
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 30
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) info 15
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes
Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes
Mobile Economic Calendar info Yes

Other trading platforms

ActivTrades offers four different trading platforms, including two from MetaQuotes, consisting of the MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) trading platforms, and the TradingView platform developed by TradingView, in addition to their flagship ActivTrader web platform.

MetaTrader: The MT4 and MT5 platforms at ActivTrades come with a good variety of proprietary indicators and downloadable custom tools. The MetaTrader add-ons available at ActivTrades do a great job of complementing the default MetaTrader experience. Though many of the best MetaTrader brokers offer add-ons to enhance the platform, I was pleased to see the level of detail in these enhancements and I was impressed by the value added by ActivTrades’ custom tools.

TradingView: The TradingView platform available with ActivTrades is the standard TradingView experience that can be found with all brokers that offer this award-winning trading platform. The only difference to be noted here between ActivTrades and the best TradingView brokers would be the number of tradeable markets and the applicable spreads and trading costs.

ActivTrader: The web version of the broker’s flagship ActivTrader platform is similar to the mobile app in design, featuring a simple layout with the ability to customize watchlists and explore pre-defined lists by asset class. Forex charting is powered by TradingView, which is a plus. All that said, there simply isn’t much going on in the platform beyond charts powered by TradingView, predefined and custom watchlists, positions and orders section, and news headlines. Though ActivTrader offers a simple, minimalistic platform experience, it has a good foundation and – like its mobile counterpart – I see room for continued improvement.

Feature ActivTrades logoActivTrades
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes
Proprietary Platform info Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes
Web Platform info Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading info Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info Yes
DupliTrade info No
ZuluTrade info No
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 30
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) info 15
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes
Watchlists - Total Fields info 11
View More

Research

Research at ActivTrades primarily consists of an assortment of articles available within its analysis portal, including its Weekly Outlook series, as well as Market Analysis and Macro Analysis articles. Overall, I found the quality of the research to be good. ActivTrades’ research content balances detail with ease of reading, though it’s not yet at the level of the best brokers for research.

ActivTrades also provides video content, such as its weekly Monday Market Matters webinar series. I was disappointed to see that the broker’s Weekly Outlook videos seem to have been discontinued in recent months. It’s also worth noting that ActivTrades streams headlines from FxStreet within its platforms, a feature that helps to round out its overall offering.

Though I found that ActivTrades has a good balance of research content, the quantity of content trails behind what you find with the best forex brokers.

Feature ActivTrades logoActivTrades
Daily Market Commentary info Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes
Autochartist info No
Trading Central (Recognia) info No
Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs info Yes

Education

ActivTrades offers platform tutorials and a good selection of archived webinars, but the lion’s share of the broker’s educational content consists of 70+ articles found in its Macro Analysis section. It’s worth noting that these articles, including examples such as “Understanding Oil Benchmarks,” were organized as research content – not as educational resources. Such topics could benefit from being organized into a new educational section. Until then, the Learn to Trade section makes up the remaining core of ActivTrades’ educational resources.

Webinars: ActivTrades produces good quality webinars which are archived on its YouTube channel. ActivTrades’ webinars typically run just under an hour and are hosted by in-house staff (and occasionally by third-party providers, such as Symax Fintech). It would be great to see ActivTrades organize these webinars into dedicated playlists for a more streamlined viewing experience. Another way they could add to the value of this content is by connecting them to specific courses with progress tracking and quizzes. This kind of interactive educational experience is becoming more common across the best forex brokers.

Feature ActivTrades logoActivTrades
Education (Forex or CFDs) info Yes
Client Webinars info Yes
Client Webinars (Archived) info Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes
Investor Dictionary (Glossary) info No

Final thoughts

ActivTrades is a mature broker that has been in business for over 20 years. Though the broker’s Trust Score of 81 (Trusted) is respectable, it holds fewer regulatory licenses than the most trusted brokers in our database.

During my testing of the broker’s offering and platforms, I found ActivTrades to be a well-rounded option with some unexpected unique features that boosted my overall opinion. Two innovations that helped ActivTrades stand out include its proprietary progressive stop-loss order and its custom suite of add-ons and plugins for the MetaTrader platform.

Though there’s room for ActivTrades to grow in the Research and Education categories, the broker has built a solid foundation in these areas. While its average spreads are better than the industry average, there is no active trading account or volume-based discounts, and ActivTrades offers fewer markets than the best multi-asset brokers.

About ActivTrades

Founded in 2001, ActiveTrades today holds regulatory licenses across the EU, the UK, Brazil, and the Bahamas, and has executed over 500 million trades for over 100,000 customers. In 2012, ActivTrades launched its MetaTrader platform offering, followed by its proprietary ActivTrader platform in 2016, and most recently added the TradingView platform in 2022.

FAQs

What is the minimum deposit for ActivTrades?

There is no minimum deposit at ActivTrades – in most regions. If you reside in China or Brazil, the minimum deposit jumps to $500.

Which trading platforms does ActivTrades offer?

ActivTrades offers four platforms: MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5), TradingView, and the broker’s proprietary ActivTrader platform for web and mobile.

Is ActivTrades good for beginners?

ActivTrades is a good choice for beginners due to its easy-to-use ActivTrader platform, well-laid-out website, and decent balance of educational content and research tools. The ActivTrader platform is easy to use, thanks to its minimalist design and layout, making it suitable for beginners who might be intimidated by more complex trading software. The only drawbacks for beginners would be the broker’s lack of educational courses and interactive quizzes and the fact that many of the broker’s educational articles are nestled away in the research category, which can make them difficult to find. I’d also mention that ActivTrades hasn’t yet developed a full educational video offering, which you typically find with the best brokers for beginners.

2024 Review Methodology

At ForexBrokers.com, our reviews of online forex brokers and their products and services are based on our collected data as well as the observations and qualified opinions of our expert researchers. Each year we publish tens of thousands of words of research on the top forex brokers and monitor dozens of international regulator agencies (read more about how we calculate Trust Score here).

Our research team conducts thorough testing on a wide range of features, products, services, and tools (collecting and validating thousands of data points in the process). We test all available trading platforms for each broker – whether they are proprietary or come from third-party providers – and evaluate them based on a host of data-driven variables.

We also take an in-depth look at each broker’s commissions and fees, such as bid/ask spreads – including the average spread data for some of the most popular forex currency pairs. We research other trading costs, such as inactivity or custody fees, minimum deposit requirements, VIP rebates and/or discounts, and a range of other important fee-based data points.

Some of the other important research categories that are factored into our testing include mobile trading accessibility and capability, availability of market research and educational content, and each broker’s overall Trust Score.

All content on ForexBrokers.com is handwritten by a writer, fact-checked by a member of our research team, and edited and published by an editor. Generative AI tools are not a part of our content creation or product testing processes. Our ratings, rankings, and opinions are entirely our own, and the result of our extensive research and decades of collective experience covering the forex industry. Read our Generative AI policy to learn more.

Read our full explanation and accounting of our research and testing process to learn more about how we test.

Forex Risk Disclaimer

There is a very high degree of risk involved in trading securities. With respect to margin-based foreign exchange trading, off-exchange derivatives, and cryptocurrencies, there is considerable exposure to risk, including but not limited to, leverage, creditworthiness, limited regulatory protection and market volatility that may substantially affect the price, or liquidity of a currency or related instrument. It should not be assumed that the methods, techniques, or indicators presented in these products will be profitable, or that they will not result in losses. Read more on forex trading risks.

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About the Editorial Team

Steven Hatzakis
Steven Hatzakis

Steven Hatzakis is the Global Director of Research for ForexBrokers.com. Steven previously served as an Editor for Finance Magnates, where he authored over 1,000 published articles about the online finance industry. A forex industry expert and an active fintech and crypto researcher, Steven advises blockchain companies at the board level and holds a Series III license in the U.S. as a Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA).

John Bringans
John Bringans

John Bringans is the Senior Editor of ForexBrokers.com. An experienced media professional, John has close to a decade of editorial experience with a background that includes key leadership roles at global newsroom outlets. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from San Francisco State University, and conducts research on forex and the financial services industry while assisting in the production of content.

Joey Shadeck
Joey Shadeck

Joey Shadeck is the Content Strategist and Research Analyst for ForexBrokers.com. He holds dual degrees in Finance and Marketing from Oakland University, and has been an active trader and investor for close to ten years. An industry veteran, Joey obtains and verifies data, conducts research, and analyzes and validates our content.

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