Overview
ActivTrades is a London-based CFD and forex broker that's been around since 2001. It suits retail traders who want a well-established FCA-regulated firm, no minimum deposit and a choice between its own platform and MetaTrader. The UK company, ActivTrades PLC, is authorised by the FCA, and there are sister entities supervised in Portugal (CMVM), Mauritius (FSC), the Bahamas (SCB) and Brazil (CVM). Client money is kept segregated, retail accounts get negative balance protection, and on top of FSCS cover for eligible UK clients the broker carries extra insurance up to £1 million or $1 million depending on the entity.
Accounts and costs
Most people open the Individual account. There's no minimum deposit in most regions, forex is commission-free with spreads from 0.5 pips, and share CFDs carry a small commission. Retail leverage follows the local rules, so 1:30 on major pairs in the UK and EU, while the Professional account goes up to 1:400. An Islamic account drops rollover interest, and UK clients can also spread bet. Watch for a 0.5% fee if you fund in a currency other than your base one, and an inactivity fee after a long break.
Platforms and markets
You can trade on ActivTrader, the broker's own web and mobile platform with TradingView charts, as well as MT4, MT5 and TradingView itself. ActivTrader has a progressive trailing stop that's handy around news. There are more than 1,000 instruments across forex, indices, commodities, shares, ETFs, bonds and crypto CFDs. A demo account runs on live prices, but there's no copy trading.
Money in and out
Deposits are free by bank transfer, card, Skrill, Neteller and a list of cryptocurrencies, though your provider may charge. Withdrawals are mostly free too, except some bank transfers, which can cost about £9.
Good
- Regulated by the FCA since 2001, with further licences in Portugal, Mauritius, the Bahamas and Brazil
- No minimum deposit in most regions
- Commission-free forex with spreads from 0.5 pips
- Extra insurance on client funds up to $1,000,000 on top of segregation
- Choice of ActivTrader, MT4, MT5 and TradingView, with 24/7 support
Watch for
- No copy or social trading
- Bank transfer withdrawals can carry a fee of around £9
- Inactivity fee after a long period without trading
- 0.5% conversion fee on deposits or withdrawals in a currency other than your base currency
Accounts and costs
What each account needs to open and what you pay to trade on it.
| Account | Min deposit | Pricing | Max leverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | None | No commission on forex, spreads from 0.5 pips; commission on share CFDs (US from $1 or $0.02 per share) | 1:30 on major forex for retail clients under UK/EU rules |
| Professional | — | Same spreads as the Individual account with lower margin requirements | Up to 1:400 |
| Islamic | — | No rollover interest or rollover commission on positions held over 24 hours | — |
| Spread betting (UK) | — | — | — |
Regulation
Which entity holds which licence. Your protection depends on the entity you open an account with.
Investor protection: FSCS up to £85,000 for eligible UK clients, plus excess of loss insurance up to £1,000,000 (UK) or $1,000,000 (other accounts)
Platforms and markets
Platforms
Markets
Deposits and withdrawals
- Methods
- Bank transfer, Card, Skrill, Neteller, Crypto
- Minimum deposit
- None
What traders say
Scores from the sites traders use, and our summary of what they're saying, checked 6 October 2026.
ActivTrades gets a mixed but mostly positive picture, with a trust question hanging over its review counts. It sits around 3.9 on Trustpilot from about 1,100 reviews and 4.7 on Reviews.io from about 590. Sitejabber has hidden its rating after flagging suspicious review activity, Trustpilot says it has removed fake reviews, and Forex Peace Army has stripped ratings it tied to employee accounts, so the high numbers deserve some caution. Third-party sites quote a 4.6 average on TradingView and Forex Peace Army figures between 2.7 and 3.8, but neither site's own score is in our evidence.
What traders like
Low costs. Reviewers on Myfxbook, Reviews.io and Trustpilot often mention tight spreads, especially on major pairs and gold, and no commission on forex.
Platform choice. The direct TradingView connection gets repeated praise, alongside MT4, MT5 and the in-house ActivTrader.
Quick, helpful support in several languages.
Withdrawals that arrive within a day for many reviewers.
Common complaints
Profits removed or accounts closed. The most serious recurring theme on Trustpilot and Forex Peace Army is traders saying profitable trades were cancelled or accounts closed for breaking trading rules, often without, they say, any evidence shared.
Withdrawal delays. Several reviewers describe withdrawals stuck for days while the account was reviewed.
Offshore entity concerns. Some Forex Peace Army posters raise terminations under the Bahamas entity.
Night-time spread widening and missing instruments come up occasionally.
Recently
July to September 2026: BrokerChooser's summary of user feedback lists scam accusations and profit removal as the biggest complaint, and new Trustpilot posts continue that theme, including one from an introducing partner about unpaid commissions. Reviews.io's average stayed at 4.7.
Where this comes from
Trustpilot: the main review page.
Reviews.io: mostly positive reviews in several languages.
Forex Peace Army: trader reviews, dispute threads and moderator notes on suspicious reviews.
TradingView: reviews from TradingView customers.
Myfxbook: trader reviews.
Sitejabber: rating withheld for suspicious activity.
Reddit search: a few broker comparison threads.
Verified reviews
Reviews from traders who've connected an account at ActivTrades to Chartnaut, so you know they actually traded there. Opening soon.