Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of CMC Markets vs Exness, 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.
CMC Markets and Exness offer online trading services, but their regulatory standings and trust levels differ notably. Founded in 1989, CMC Markets is a well-established entity, publicly traded, and holds a perfect Trust Score of 99, positioning it in the highly trusted category according to ForexBrokers.com. The broker boasts five Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license, reflecting strong regulatory compliance and extensive oversight. Though not a bank, CMC Markets’ long-standing presence and robust regulatory framework make it a highly credible choice for traders.
Founded in 2008, Exness is a privately owned online broker carrying a Trust Score of 81, categorizing it as a trusted broker by ForexBrokers.com. Exness holds two Tier-1 and three Tier-2 licenses, indicating fair regulatory oversight. While not listed on any stock exchange, the broker provides a level of trustworthiness due to its regulatory compliance. Traders may find Exness a suitable option, although its trust rating and regulatory licenses are fewer compared to CMC Markets.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2008 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of CMC Markets and Exness, CMC Markets emerges as a leader in affordability and consistency. Awarded the #1 spot in the Commissions and Fees category in the 2025 Annual Awards, CMC Markets boasts a competitive spread offering with typical spreads of 0.61 pips on EUR/USD. One of its standout features is the FX Active pricing structure, which offers a commission-based model that keeps trading costs low. With a commission of $2.50 per side and minimum spreads of zero pips, the all-in cost here is notably efficient. These features underscore why CMC Markets is rated 5 stars for commissions and fees.
Exness, on the other hand, provides a diverse range of accounts catering to different trader needs, including two standard accounts and three professional ones. The Zero Spread and Raw accounts charge per-trade commissions of $0.05 and up to $7 per round turn lot, respectively, offering lower spreads in exchange for these commissions. The Zero Spread account offers considerable flexibility, with no restrictions on leverage and a 30% trigger for margin calls. Despite these offerings, Exness is rated 4 stars in the commissions and fees category and ranked #35 among 63 brokers.
The choice between CMC Markets and Exness can significantly influence trading costs. CMC Markets, with its high rating and consistent pricing, excels in providing low costs across all account types, making it the top choice for traders looking for low commission and spread options. Meanwhile, Exness offers a variety of accounts to suit different trading strategies but often involves navigating through more complex fee structures. Both brokers have their strong points, but CMC Markets remains the clear leader in fees, ranked as the top broker for commissions and fees by ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $10 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.61 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.51 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
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When comparing the range of investments offered by CMC Markets and Exness, it's clear that CMC Markets provides a more extensive selection for traders looking to diversify their portfolios. CMC Markets boasts an impressive array of 11,925 tradeable symbols, far outpacing Exness, which offers 227. For those particularly interested in forex trading, CMC Markets presents 156 tradeable forex pairs compared to Exness’s 96. Beyond forex and CFD trading, CMC Markets allows investors to engage with exchange traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges, offering opportunities to buy stocks like Apple and Vodafone directly. In contrast, Exness does not provide access to these exchange traded securities, focusing more narrowly on forex and CFDs. Both brokers do, however, offer options for crypto derivatives, enabling engagement with cryptocurrency markets, though neither provides the purchase of actual cryptocurrencies.
In terms of facilitating trades through copy trading, both CMC Markets and Exness offer this feature, appealing to those who prefer a hands-off approach by mirroring the strategies of experienced traders. Despite some similarities, such as the availability of cryptocurrency derivatives and copy trading, the sheer volume and diversity of CMC Markets' offerings have earned it a notable edge in the industry. Rated 5 stars for its range of investments and ranked ninth out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, CMC Markets is a standout choice for those seeking a wide selection of trading opportunities. Exness, while respected, achieves a 3.5-star rating and ranks 55th in the same category, reflecting a less comprehensive suite of investment options.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 11925 | 227 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 156 | 96 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | 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 comparing CMC Markets with Exness for their trading platforms and tools, both brokers deliver a comprehensive suite of features suitable for traders at all levels. Both offer free virtual demo accounts, which are ideal for beginners to practice without financial risk. Additionally, CMC Markets and Exness provide proprietary platforms alongside popular choices like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Traders can access these platforms on both Windows desktop and web browsers. Each broker also features copy trading capabilities, adding flexibility and variety to your trading strategies.
CMC Markets stands out with its higher number of watch list columns, offering 11 compared to Exness's 7, allowing for detailed market analysis. While both allow direct trading from stock charts, Exness provides more drawing tools for charting with 87 options against CMC Markets' 40. Despite these close comparisons, ForexBrokers.com ranks CMC Markets higher, placing it at #4 with a perfect 5-star rating for trading platforms and tools, whereas Exness holds the #26 position with a 4-star rating. This suggests that while both brokers are well-equipped, CMC Markets might offer a slightly greater trading experience for some users.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| 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) | 79 | 107 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 40 | 87 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 7 |
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When it comes to mobile trading, both CMC Markets and Exness offer feature-rich apps for iPhone and Android users. They both support crucial functions like price alerts and trendline drawing on stock or forex charts. However, CMC Markets takes a step further by providing watchlist symbol syncing across their mobile app and online account, which Exness lacks. This means any updates you make to your watchlist on CMC Markets are automatically reflected across platforms, simplifying portfolio management. Moreover, while both apps provide the ability to view multiple time frames on charts, CMC Markets also auto-saves drawings, offering a more seamless user experience.
In terms of technical analysis, Exness edges out with 35 technical studies compared to CMC Markets’ 29. Despite this, CMC Markets receives a higher rating with five stars for their mobile trading app, compared to Exness’s four-star rating. This difference is echoed in their rankings by ForexBrokers.com, where CMC Markets holds the 5th position out of 63 brokers, while Exness is ranked 26th. Offering real-time quotes on watchlists, both platforms cater well to traders on the go, but CMC Markets appears to provide a more integrated and highly-rated mobile trading experience.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 35 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing CMC Markets and Exness in terms of market research offerings, both brokers provide daily market commentary and forex news from leading sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones. CMC Markets takes the lead with additional tools, offering services from Autochartist, which Exness does not. Both brokers provide sentiment-based trading tools and comprehensive economic calendars to keep traders informed about global financial events.
While Exness incorporates tools from Trading Central, providing another layer of market insight, it lacks the Autochartist feature that CMC Markets provides. Neither broker offers research from companies like TipRanks or Acuity Trading. In terms of overall research rating, CMC Markets earns a strong 5 stars, ranking 6th out of 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com, while Exness comes in with a 3.5-star rating and ranks 41st. This clear distinction in ratings suggests CMC Markets may offer more comprehensive research solutions for traders seeking in-depth analysis.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to educational resources for beginners, both CMC Markets and Exness provide a solid foundation with more than 10 educational materials such as articles, videos, and archived webinars focused on forex and CFDs. However, neither broker offers monthly live webinars for clients. Both brokers do maintain a searchable archive of past webinars, which facilitates self-paced learning. For those starting out, CMC Markets shines by offering over 10 beginner-focused educational videos. Exness matches this offering for beginners, helping newcomers grasp essential trading concepts.
For more advanced traders, CMC Markets has the edge, providing over 10 educational videos aimed at experienced users, whereas Exness falls short in this category. Both brokers do offer investor dictionaries with definitions for at least 50 investing terms, aiding understanding of complex terminology. When evaluated by ForexBrokers.com, CMC Markets secures a high rating of 5 stars for education and holds the 10th spot among 63 brokers. In contrast, Exness receives a lower rating of 3.5 stars and ranks 47th in the same list, highlighting CMC Markets as the more comprehensive choice for educational resources.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | No | 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 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that CMC Markets is better than Exness. CMC Markets finished with an overall rank of #4, while Exness finished with an overall rank of #43.
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
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 81 |
| Range of Investments |
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Both CMC Markets and Exness do not provide the option to purchase actual cryptocurrencies, focusing instead on offering cryptocurrency derivatives for their trading platforms.
CMC Markets offers ACH or SEPA transfers and PayPal for deposits and withdrawals, unlike Exness, which lacks these options but provides Skrill, with both brokers supporting Visa, Mastercard, and bank wire transactions.
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 | CMC Markets | Exness | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 81 | |
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| Review | CMC Markets Review | Exness Review |
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| Regulation | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 81 | |
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2008 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | 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) | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | Yes |
| Investments | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 11925 | 227 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 156 | 96 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | 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 | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.61 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.51 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $10 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 79 | 107 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 40 | 87 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 35 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | 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 | CMC Markets | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | CMC Markets Review | Exness Review |
| Overall | CMC Markets | Exness | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Exness Review |
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