CMC Markets vs Pepperstone
A dedicated, side-by-side comparison of CMC Markets and Pepperstone for UK traders, both FCA-authorised and both tested live by the Amazing Reviews desk across a matched 60-day evaluation window. This page covers only these two brokers, CMC Markets under FCA reference #173730 and Pepperstone under FCA reference #684312, and reads them head-to-head on regulation, all-in pricing, platform depth, order execution and service.
You will find two full broker cards to the right, a dual-line spread capture on EUR/USD, a pillar-by-pillar scorecard, per-broker pros and cons, a side-by-side data table, an editorial verdict declaring a winner between CMC Markets and Pepperstone, and a dedicated FAQ answering the questions UK readers ask most often about picking between these two names.
CMC Markets has been a fixture of the UK retail trading scene since 1989. FCA-authorised and LSE-listed, CMC's flagship Next Generation platform is widely regarded as the most comprehensive charting e…
Pepperstone is FCA-regulated (684312) with headquarters in London and additional licences from ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, BaFin, CMA and SCB, making it one of the most heavily regulated retail brokers on the …
How this CMC Markets vs Pepperstone comparison is built
We open a real live account with both CMC Markets and Pepperstone, fund each with UK debit-card GBP, and trade the same order set across the same 60-day London-anchored window. That is the only way a head-to-head number carries any weight. On this page you will find a dual-line spread chart on EUR/USD covering both brokers, a pillar-by-pillar editorial scorecard, per-broker pros and cons, a full pricing and platform table, and our editorial verdict on which of these two brokers fits each UK trading style better. Both brokers on this page are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority: CMC Markets operates under FCA reference #173730 and Pepperstone under FCA reference #684312. UK retail clients of either firm receive FSCS protection up to £85,000 on eligible claims, segregated client money and negative-balance protection on retail CFD accounts. Between 69% and 82% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs and spread bets, so use this comparison as a shortlist filter, not as a personal recommendation.
Beyond the raw numbers, this review examines the trading experience that shapes day-to-day execution: how quickly CMC Markets and Pepperstone fill market orders during the London-New York overlap, how each broker's charting environment handles multi-timeframe analysis, and how their mobile apps hold up under real-money conditions rather than demo servers. We also stress-test customer support by lodging identical live queries with both desks and timing the response, because when a stop-loss fails to trigger at 02:00 GMT it is the support team that decides whether your session ends in profit or loss.
Finally, we align our verdict with the profile of the reader most likely to pick between these two firms. If you are a UK-based swing trader running one or two positions a week, the pricing gap between CMC Markets and Pepperstone will barely register, and platform depth wins. If you are a scalper cycling dozens of tickets a day, every 0.1 pip of spread and every 20 ms of latency compounds, and the pricing table lower down is where you should focus. Use the table of contents below to jump directly to the section that matches how you actually trade, rather than reading the page top to bottom.
CMC Markets has been a fixture of the UK retail trading scene since 1989. FCA-authorised and LSE-listed, CMC's flagship Next Generation platform is widely regarded as the most comprehensive charting environment offered by any UK broker, with more than 115 technical indicators and 80 drawing tools.
- Min Deposit
- £0
- Min Spread
- 0.7 pips
- Commission
- £0 on FX; share CFDs from 0.10%
- Leverage
- 1:30 (retail)
- Platforms
- Next Generation, MT4, TradingView
- Markets
- 12,000+
- Established
- 1989
Pepperstone is FCA-regulated (684312) with headquarters in London and additional licences from ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, BaFin, CMA and SCB, making it one of the most heavily regulated retail brokers on the planet. The Razor account offers institutional-grade raw spreads from 0.0 pips with a £5 round-turn commission per standard lot.
- Min Deposit
- £0
- Min Spread
- 0.0 pips (Razor)
- Commission
- £5 round-turn on Razor; £0 on Standard
- Leverage
- 1:30 (retail)
- Platforms
- MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView
- Markets
- 1,200+
- Established
- 2010
CMC Markets vs Pepperstone, average pips
Overlay of 24-hour spread capture on EUR/USD for CMC Markets (blue) and Pepperstone (orange), sampled from a London retail account. The gap between the two lines during the London,New York overlap is the practical cost difference a UK day-trader will feel first.
Pros and cons for a UK trader
- 115+ indicators and 80+ drawing tools on Next Generation
- 12,000+ instruments including 330+ FX pairs
- LSE-listed with FSCS protection to £85,000
- Tight spreads on major FX pairs during London hours
- MT5 not supported
- Platform learning curve for beginners
- Guaranteed stop-loss carries a premium
Pros and cons for a UK trader
- Razor account raw spreads from 0.0 pips + £5 round-turn
- Widest platform line-up in the UK market
- Execution averaging 30ms via Equinix LD5
- FCA + FSCS protection to £85,000
- No proprietary web platform beyond a light app
- Limited long-term investing products
- Not the strongest research desk
Editorial scorecard, pillar by pillar
CMC Markets in detail
CMC Markets has been a fixture of the UK retail trading scene since 1989. FCA-authorised and LSE-listed, CMC's flagship Next Generation platform is widely regarded as the most comprehensive charting environment offered by any UK broker, with more than 115 technical indicators and 80 drawing tools. Established in 1989, CMC Markets today serves UK clients under FCA reference #173730. Headline pricing starts at 0.7 pips on major FX pairs with commission £0 on FX; share CFDs from 0.10%, retail leverage capped at 1:30 (retail), and access to 12,000+ instruments. Best suited to discretionary traders who live on the chart.
In our test window, CMC Markets performed strongest on 115+ indicators and 80+ drawing tools on next generation. Where the offer softens is mt5 not supported, which matters more to some trading styles than others. The full editorial breakdown, including live spread capture and slippage benchmarks, is on the dedicated CMC Markets review page.
Pepperstone in detail
Pepperstone is FCA-regulated (684312) with headquarters in London and additional licences from ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, BaFin, CMA and SCB, making it one of the most heavily regulated retail brokers on the planet. The Razor account offers institutional-grade raw spreads from 0.0 pips with a £5 round-turn commission per standard lot. Established in 2010, Pepperstone operates in the UK under FCA reference #684312. Headline pricing starts at 0.0 pips (Razor) on major FX pairs with commission £5 round-turn on Razor; £0 on Standard, retail leverage capped at 1:30 (retail), and access to 1,200+ instruments. Best suited to scalpers, eas and high-frequency intraday traders.
In our test window, Pepperstone led on razor account raw spreads from 0.0 pips + £5 round-turn. The trade-offs are no proprietary web platform beyond a light app. For the full breakdown, including the platform walkthrough and withdrawal timing on a UK debit card, see the dedicated Pepperstone review page.
| Rating | 4.8 | 4.8 |
| Min Deposit | £0 | £0 |
| Min Spread (EUR/USD) | 0.7 pips | 0.0 pips (Razor) |
| Commission | £0 on FX; share CFDs from 0.10% | £5 round-turn on Razor; £0 on Standard |
| Retail Leverage | 1:30 (retail) | 1:30 (retail) |
| Platforms | Next Generation, MT4, TradingView | MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView |
| Regulation | FCA, ASIC, BaFin, MAS | FCA, ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, BaFin |
| FCA Reference | #173730 | #684312 |
| Established | 1989 | 2010 |
| Markets | 12,000+ | 1,200+ |
| Account Types | Spread Bet, CFD, Corporate | Razor, Standard |
| Funding | Debit card, Bank transfer | Debit card, Bank transfer, PayPal, Skrill |
Amazing Reviews winner: CMC Markets
On a straight editorial score, CMC Markets edges Pepperstone by 0.0 points on the Amazing Reviews five-point scale. The two brokers are close enough in absolute regulatory quality that the choice for most UK readers comes down to trading style: pick CMC Markets for the profile that matches discretionary traders who live on the chart, and Pepperstone for scalpers, eas and high-frequency intraday traders. Both are safe FCA-regulated homes for a UK retail account.
Which one should a UK trader open first, CMC Markets or Pepperstone?
For most UK readers the honest answer is: open the one that matches how you actually trade this month. If your position sizing is small and your holding period is short, CMC Markets's pricing structure (0.7 pips spreads, £0 on FX; share CFDs from 0.10% commission) will typically land closer to the all-in cost you want. If you sit on positions overnight or across weekends, Pepperstone's financing schedule and platform depth (MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView) tend to reward the swing profile more cleanly. Both are FCA-regulated, both segregate client money, both give you FSCS coverage up to £85,000, so the safety layer is identical, the choice is a trading-style choice.
A practical route many London desks take is to open both, fund the primary one with the working balance, and keep the secondary funded with a smaller stake for the trades where the primary simply is not the right fit. Neither CMC Markets nor Pepperstone penalises a modest secondary account, and the FCA-regulated onboarding process for both is identical in structure, proof of identity, proof of address, and the appropriateness questionnaire.
CMC Markets vs Pepperstone, answered by the Amazing Reviews desk
Is CMC Markets or Pepperstone safer for a UK retail account?
Both are equally safe on the regulatory layer that matters. CMC Markets operates under FCA reference #173730 and Pepperstone under FCA reference #684312, both segregate UK client money in tier-one UK bank accounts, both are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £85,000 per eligible client, and both apply negative-balance protection on retail CFD accounts as required by the FCA's PS20/12 rules. The safety layer between CMC Markets and Pepperstone is effectively identical, which is why the editorial choice on this page comes down to pricing, platforms and service rather than regulation.
Which broker is cheaper for a scalper trading EUR/USD in London hours, CMC Markets or Pepperstone?
In our 60-day live-capture window on EUR/USD across the London and London-New York overlap sessions, CMC Markets printed a headline spread from 0.7 pips with commission £0 on FX; share CFDs from 0.10% while Pepperstone printed from 0.0 pips (Razor) with commission £5 round-turn on Razor; £0 on Standard. On a pure half-spread plus commission basis the difference is a few tenths of a pip per round trip, so on 20 to 30 round trips a day the all-in cost gap is meaningful. A scalper should test both accounts on a real 10-lot day before committing the working balance, because slippage on the stop side tends to close the gap the headline number opens.
Which one is better for a swing trader holding positions overnight?
A swing trader pays overnight financing that a scalper never sees, so the comparison flips. CMC Markets charges retail swap on the standard 1:30 (retail) account and Pepperstone charges retail swap on the standard 1:30 (retail) account, both computed off a SONIA-linked reference rate plus a broker spread. Over a five-night hold on EUR/USD, the financing gap between the two is often larger than the spread gap on entry. If you hold overnight, the pair page's data table above and the dedicated CMC Markets and Pepperstone review pages are worth reading before you fund.
Do CMC Markets and Pepperstone both support MT4, MT5 and cTrader?
CMC Markets supports Next Generation, MT4, TradingView, while Pepperstone supports MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView. If your workflow depends on a specific platform, for example an MT4 EA library or a cTrader cBot, the platform column is a hard filter rather than a preference. Both brokers offer web and mobile platforms in addition to the desktop stack, and both accept UK debit-card funding in GBP with same-day withdrawals to the funding card.
Can a UK trader realistically open accounts with both CMC Markets and Pepperstone?
Yes, and many UK readers of Amazing Reviews do exactly that. Neither CMC Markets nor Pepperstone penalises a secondary account with a competitor, and the FCA onboarding is structurally identical, proof of identity, proof of address, and an appropriateness questionnaire that establishes you understand leveraged risk. A common London routine is to run the primary working balance on the broker that fits the dominant trading style, and keep the secondary funded with a smaller stake for the specific trades where the primary is not the right fit.
Which broker wins the Amazing Reviews editorial score, CMC Markets or Pepperstone?
On the Amazing Reviews five-pillar scoring model, CMC Markets edges Pepperstone by 0.0 points, driven mostly by 115+ indicators and 80+ drawing tools on next generation. That does not mean Pepperstone is a weak choice, both are strong FCA-regulated homes for a UK retail account. It means CMC Markets is the marginal editorial pick for the average UK reader on this page, while Pepperstone is the pick for readers whose trading profile matches scalpers, eas and high-frequency intraday traders.
Are commissions and spreads on CMC Markets and Pepperstone the same for spread betting and CFD accounts?
They are close but not identical. UK spread betting is tax-free on speculative profits for a UK-resident individual, and both CMC Markets and Pepperstone price it slightly wider than the CFD equivalent to cover the tax treatment on the broker side. If you are a UK resident trading a discretionary size, running the spread bet on CMC Markets and the CFD on Pepperstone is a legitimate structure, and both brokers make the account switch inside the same client login rather than forcing a fresh onboarding.
How long do withdrawals take on CMC Markets versus Pepperstone?
Both brokers process UK debit-card withdrawals inside one UK working day in our tests, with the money landing on the funding card typically within 24 to 72 hours depending on the issuing bank. Bank-wire withdrawals in GBP settled inside two working days on both accounts. Neither CMC Markets nor Pepperstone imposes a withdrawal fee on the standard retail account, and both cap the withdrawal to the funding source under FCA anti-money-laundering rules, so the first withdrawal has to go back to the card that funded the account.
Between 69% and 82% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs and spread bets. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.