ActivTrades vs Plus500 Comparison – 2025

Top Reasons to Choose ActivTrades vs Plus500

ActivTrades is a sophisticated forex and CFD broker that stands out with its robust lineup of trading platforms, including the flagship ActivTrader, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and TradingView. It also boasts impressive credentials: lightning-fast order execution speeds averaging just 4 milliseconds, a global client base of over 100,000 traders from 170 countries, and a client compensation scheme of up to $1 million.

Plus500 is a major player in the online trading space, offering a broad and diverse range of 2,800+ leveraged products across forex, commodities, share CFDs, indices, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, and options. The broker is also well known for its feature-rich proprietary platform that puts advanced tools and insights right at your fingertips. With its cutting-edge market analytics and user-friendly experience, Plus500 delivers 500-plus-1 perks to traders of all experience levels.

ActivTrades: Snapshot

ActivTrades is a UK-based forex and CFD broker that was established in 2001. It operates as a No-Dealing-Desk (NDD) broker with a maximum retail leverage of 1:400 under its FSC entity. ActivTrades offers more than 1,100 tradable instruments across different markets at fair pricing. Traders can choose from MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView, or the broker’s excellent proprietary platform ActivTrader.

ActivTrades: Who is it For?

ActivTrades is a great choice for casual traders and news traders. Its universal trading account features competitive fees and no minimum deposit requirement, making it accessible and beginner-friendly. The integration of Trading Central’s analysis tools supports real-time opportunity spotting, while the diverse platform offering accommodates different trading styles and preferences.

What Makes ActivTrades Stand Out?

ActivTrades claims to achieve average order execution speeds of just 4 milliseconds — far faster than the industry average of 60 milliseconds. This level of performance makes it a standout choice for high-precision traders, including scalpers.

Plus500: Snapshot

Plus500 is a financial derivatives broker and a well-established name in the trading industry. Founded in 2008, this global powerhouse operates in 50+ countries and is even listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: PLUS) — a strong mark of credibility. The broker has built a strong reputation as a reliable partner for traders of all kinds. Operating as a market maker, it offers fast order execution and employs hundreds of professionals worldwide. Plus500 provides both trading and investing opportunities across a wide range of markets.

Plus500: Who is it For?

Plus500 is well-suited to casual traders and swing traders. Its low deposit requirement, competitive swap rates, diverse selection of tradable instruments, robust proprietary platform, and advanced market analytics provide traders with a distinct edge in fast-moving markets. The broker also offers access to real stocks and ETFs, making it suitable for value investors and those looking to build a diversified portfolio. Additionally, the Plus500 Trading Academy serves as a valuable resource for building essential market knowledge.

What Makes Plus500 Stand Out?

Plus500 stands out with its broad selection of tradable assets, powerful proprietary platform, and advanced analytics powered by its proprietary +Insights tool. This combination of tools and services empowers traders to identify and capitalize on a wide range of market opportunities.

Trust

ActivTrades vs Plus500 Trust and Regulation Comparison

With nearly 25 years in the industry, ActivTrades operates through five entities regulated by financial authorities, including the FCA (UK), CMVM (Portugal), BCB (Brazil), SCB (Bahamas), and FSC (Mauritius). The broker keeps client funds in segregated accounts and guarantees negative balance protection across all entities. Additionally, ActivTrades demonstrates a strong commitment to client safety by offering private indemnity insurance that covers client funds up to $1,000,000. I also found the broker to be highly transparent in its operations.

Plus500 is licensed and regulated by a wide range of authorities worldwide, including the FCA (UK), CySEC (Cyprus), EFSA (Estonia), ASIC (Australia), FMA (New Zealand), FSCA (South Africa), DFSA (UAE), MAS (Singapore), FSA (Seychelles), and SCB (Bahamas). It provides robust client protection, including segregated funds and negative balance protection. The broker has a 17-year operating history and maintains transparency through readily available legal documentation. Plus500 Ltd is also listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

Fees

ActivTrades vs Plus500 Spreads, Fees and Commissions Comparison

Live testing revealed that ActivTrades’ spreads vary across asset classes — they are highly competitive for major forex pairs and share CFDs but tend to be above average for most other instruments. Overall trading costs remain competitive, thanks to commission-free trading on the broker’s universal account. However, swap fees ranged from average to high compared to the industry benchmark in our tests. Deposits and withdrawals are free, though a £10 monthly inactivity fee applies to dormant accounts.

Plus500’s spreads generally exceed the industry average across most instruments, while its swap rates are in line with industry standards. On the upside, DAX 40 spreads were slightly better than the industry benchmark, making it a cost-effective option for index traders. Like ActivTrades, Plus500 offers commission-free trading on its standard account, which is particularly appealing to beginner traders. Deposits and withdrawals are free of charge, but a $10 inactivity fee is charged after three months of no trading activity.

For more options, you can also check out our list of the best forex brokers with the lowest spreads and lowest swap fees.

Platforms and Tools

ActivTrades vs Plus500 Trading Platforms Comparison

ActivTrades shines in the platforms category with its flagship ActivTrader platform, which has a clean and user-friendly look. ActivTrader offers a streamlined trading experience with 106 technical indicators, 75 drawing tools, 9 timeframes, and 16 chart types. Its high-definition charts are powered by TradingView, delivering strong visual performance. The platform supports one-click trading, watchlist customization, chart-based trading, and a progressive trailing stop feature for advanced risk management. ActivTrades also provides access to MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and the TradingView platform, giving traders a powerful and flexible toolset.

Plus500 makes its mark with an excellent proprietary web trader that blends sleek design with powerful functionality. The platform features fluid, scalable charts that allow for detailed price action analysis. It includes hundreds of technical indicators, drawing tools, and various chart configurations. Traders can place market, limit, and stop orders, as well as use trailing stops for tighter position control as markets move. The platform also allows for watchlist customization and setting trading alerts. However, it lacks one-click trading and the ability to trade directly from the chart, making it less suitable for day traders and scalpers.

Tradable Instruments

ActivTrades vs Plus500 Instruments Selection Comparison

ActivTrades offers more than 1,100 tradable instruments across currency pairs, commodities, share CFDs, indices, ETFs, and bonds. The broker strikes a fine balance between lower-risk securities and higher-risk/higher-reward assets, catering to the varied needs of different types of traders. It also steps up its game with spread betting available through its UK-based entity. One notable drawback is that cryptocurrency trading is not available to UK clients under FCA regulation, though crypto CFDs are accessible via other ActivTrades entities.

Plus500 excels in the tradable instruments category with a vast offering of over 2,800 assets across multiple classes. The broker features a broad selection of currency pairs, commodities, share CFDs, indices, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, and options. This diversity allows traders to pursue a range of strategies and trading opportunities. Additionally, Plus500 offers hundreds of real stocks for long-term investors seeking dividend income and portfolio diversification. The broker also enables extended hours trading for CFDs on selected shares, including the “Magnificent 7” tech stocks.

Customer Support

ActivTrades vs Plus500 Customer Support Comparison

ActivTrades provides 24/5 customer support in 11 languages, including English, German, Spanish, Arabic, and others. The support team can be reached via live chat, WhatsApp, email, and over the phone. They respond swiftly and are generally knowledgeable. ActivTrades’ website also has a dedicated Help Center for more general queries.

Plus500’s customer support is available 24/7 via live chat, WhatsApp, and email. Phone support is currently unavailable. Usually, agents respond within 2 minutes of opening a new ticket and tend to provide high-quality answers. They have a good overall grasp of Plus500’s offering and deliver reliable customer support.

Research

ActivTrades vs Plus500 Research Tools Comparison

ActivTrades features integrated research from Trading Central, including the Market Buzz sentiment gauge, actionable trading signals across a wide range of assets, and detailed technical analyses that incorporate elements of fundamental research. This package offers a comprehensive, 360-degree view of current market trends. In addition, ActivTrades supplements this with high-quality, in-house market commentary and analysis.

Plus500 stands out in the research category thanks to its advanced market analytics delivered through the proprietary +Insights tool. By aggregating data from the trading activity of its hundreds of thousands of active clients, Plus500 provides a clear snapshot of evolving market sentiment — highlighting shifts in buying and selling pressures. A key advantage of +Insights is that it’s fully integrated into the trading platform, enabling users to make informed decisions in real time.

Deposits & Withdrawals

ActivTrades vs Plus500 Deposit and Withdrawal Methods Comparison

ActivTrades supports payments via bank wire, credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. The broker does not charge any handling fees for deposits or withdrawals — except for USD withdrawals — though third-party fees may still apply. Processing times are standard, typically taking up to 24 hours.

Plus500 accepts deposits and withdrawals via bank wire, credit/debit cards, PayPal, and Skrill. The broker does not impose internal processing fees, but external banking charges may apply. Processing times are generally within the norm, though withdrawals can take up to 3 business days.

Account Types and Terms

ActivTrades vs Plus500 Account Types Comparison

ActivTrades offers a universal trading account with commission-free trading and floating spreads from 0.8 pips. There is no minimum deposit requirement, and traders are free to implement any strategy. The account comes with a 100% margin call level and a 50% stop-out level. Islamic accounts are also available for swap-free trading in accordance with Shariah law. ActivTrades applies a strict client categorization policy and supports both CFD trading and spread betting.

Plus500 also offers a single, one-size-fits-all trading account with zero commissions and floating spreads starting from 1.2 pips. The minimum deposit is 100 units of the base currency. For eligible clients, Professional Accounts are available, offering benefits such as higher leverage. Plus500 also provides Islamic accounts for swap-free trading under Shariah law.

Education

ActivTrades vs Plus500 Educational Content Comparison

I rate ActivTrades’ educational content as very high quality. The offering consists of in-depth, hour-long webinars covering topics such as technical analysis, fundamental analysis, and trading psychology. These webinars are available in seven languages. More than 100 past webinars can be accessed via the broker’s YouTube channel, along with several platform tutorials. However, ActivTrades does not provide other educational formats, such as ebooks or written articles.

Plu500’s Trading Academy features a broad collection of well-structured educational content tailored to beginner, intermediate, and advanced traders. The broker hosts regular webinars and has developed a comprehensive eBook titled Trading With Plus500, which offers deep insights into essential trading concepts — including technical and fundamental analysis, trading psychology, and risk management.

Our Methodology

Since 2011, FX Empire has developed a detailed methodology for evaluating CFD brokers, involving over 250 variables across nine crucial categories. Our team of experts, with deep industry knowledge, conducts live testing and research by interacting with the brokers directly. We check regulations, open accounts, test spreads, account costs, platform functionality, instrument variety, customer support reliability, and the quality of research and educational content. This granular analysis helps us identify each broker’s strengths and weaknesses, keeping our comparisons current with market trends and ensuring our guides meet traders’ needs.

We strive to evaluate each broker objectively, considering how their offerings align with the diverse trading goals and preferences of our readers. Our focus is on providing a balanced overview of each broker’s strengths and weaknesses. This method ensures that our readers receive clear, insightful comparisons to aid in making well-informed trading decisions.

We employ a comprehensive rating system across nine key categories:

• Trust
• Fees
• Platforms and Tools
• Tradable Instruments
• Customer Support
• Research
• Deposits and Withdrawals
• Account Types and Terms
• Education

In each category, we conduct an in-depth analysis for both brokers, outlining features, advantages, and disadvantages and determining their suitability for different trader profiles. By blending insights from our extensive reviews with first-hand experiences and observations, we ensure each comparison is balanced, informative, and tailored to the trader’s unique needs. You can read more about our review process here.

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