Admirals versus ActivTrades

Manual traders at ActivTrades get a cutting-edge proprietary trading platform, while MT4/MT5 traders get seven quality plugins. ActivTrades operates on a quality infrastructure built on the IBM Cloud, offers API trading for advanced requirements, and pays traders interest on free margin. Beginners will benefit from excellent educational resources, including one-on-one training and webinars.

Admirals upgrades MT4/MT5 with the excellent MetaTrader Supreme Edition package, the SteroTrader upgrade, and services by Trading Central. It developed a proprietary mobile app and an in-house social trading platform. Asset management services exist via a partnership with Finexware, and Admirals introduced fractional share investments. It also presents quality educational content and research.

We have conducted an in-depth review of ActivTrades and Admirals to determine which presents the better overall choice and which traders will benefit the most at either broker.

• Features and Platforms
• Available Markets
• Typical Spreads and Fees
• Security and Trust
• Admirals versus ActivTrades - Verdict

Headquarters	United Kingdom	United Kingdom
Regulators	N/A	ASIC, CySEC, FCA, FSCS
Tier 1 Regulator(s)?
Owned by Public Company?
Year Established	2001	2001
Execution Type(s)	Market Maker	Market Maker
Minimum Deposit	$0	$100
Negative Balance Protection		N/A
Trading Platform(s)	Other, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Trading View+	Other, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5+
Average Trading Cost EUR/USD	$10.00	0.1 pips ($1.00)
Average Trading Cost GBP/USD	$14.00	0.1 pips ($1.00)
Average Trading Cost WTI Crude Oil	$0.06	$0.03
Average Trading Cost Gold	$42.00	$0.25
Retail Loss Rate	83.00%	N/A
Minimum Raw Spreads	Not applicable	N/A
Minimum Standard Spreads	0.5 pips	N/A
Minimum Commission for Forex	Commission-free	N/A
Islamic Account
Signals
US Persons Accepted?
Managed Accounts
	Get Started	Get Started

Features and Platforms

MT4
MT5
cTrader
Proprietary Platform
Automated Trading
DOM?
Guaranteed Stop Loss
Scalping
Hedging
One-Click Trading
OCO Orders
Interest on Margin
	Get Started	Get Started

Noteworthy:

Both brokers offer quality market commentary, but Admirals includes a Premium service and provides actionable trading signals for its traders.

Available Markets

Commodities
Crude Oil
Gold
Metals
Equity Indices
Stocks (non-CFDs)	N/A
ETFs
Options		N/A
Futures
Synthetics
	Get Started	Get Started

Traders at both brokers get a balanced asset selection, where Admirals’ 8,000+ trading instruments trumps the 1,000+ at ActivTrades. Neither broker offers Forex traders a very broad choice of currency pairs, with 48 at ActivTrades and 50 at Admirals. Retail traders have sufficient assets at either broker, but Admirals caters better to advanced requirements.

Typical Spreads and Fees

Average Trading Cost EUR/USD	$10.00	0.1 pips ($1.00)
Average Trading Cost GBP/USD	$14.00	0.1 pips ($1.00)
Average Trading Cost WTI Crude Oil	$0.06	$0.03
Average Trading Cost Gold	$42.00	$0.25
Average Trading Cost Bitcoin	$101.00	$125.60
Minimum Raw Spreads	Not applicable	N/A
Minimum Standard Spreads	0.5 pips	N/A
Minimum Commission for Forex	Commission-free	N/A
	Get Started	Get Started

Both brokers offer a competitive pricing environment and have a volume-based rebate program. While minimum costs at ActivTrades are lower than at Admirals, average fees remain cheaper at Admirals, especially for major currency pairs where they are as low as $3.60 per lot.

Security and Trust

Country of the Regulator	Brazil, The Bahamas, Luxembourg, Portugal, United Kingdom	Australia, Cyprus, Jordan, Kenya, United Kingdom, South Africa
Name of the Regulator	N/A	ASIC, CySEC, FCA, FSCS
Regulatory License Number	434413, 199667 B, 433, undisclosed, undisclosed	595450, 201/13, 410681, 51311, 178, 57026
Regulatory Tier	1, 4, 1, 1, 2	1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2
	Get Started	Get Started

Segregation of client deposits and negative balance protection applies at ActivTrades and Admirals, and both have subsidiaries with an investor compensation fund, where Admirals takes the lead. Both maintain equally secure and trustworthy environments, confirmed by their spotless regulatory track record. ActivTrades protects all clients with a $1,000,000 third-party liability insurance policy.

Admirals vs ActivTrades – Verdict

ActivTrades

Pros	Cons
Upgraded MT4/MT5 trading platforms and a cutting-edge proprietary alternative	No choice of account types
Excellent order execution due to superior technology infrastructure
Outstanding educational resources for beginners
Interest payments on free margin and volume-based cash rebate program

Admirals

Pros	Cons
Industry-leading upgrades to the MT4/MT5 trading platforms	Industry-leading upgrades to the MT4/MT5 trading platforms
Low trading costs for traders and investors	A higher minimum deposit for traders but within a reasonable range
Proprietary copy trading service and fractional share dealing
Excellent trading services for asset managers

Admirals offers traders and investors one of the most balanced and competitive trading environments, consisting of low trading costs, a well-balanced asset selection, and quality trading tools. ActivTrades offers a similar core environment with fewer assets and higher fees but shines with its exceptional educational portfolio, including one-on-one training sessions. Therefore, it remains a better and high-quality choice for beginners.

You might also be interested in reviewing the below broker comparisons:

• Admirals vs IG Markets
• Admirals vs RoboMarkets
• Admirals vs Plus500
• ActivTrades vs Pepperstone
• ActivTrades vs IC Markets
• ActivTrades vs XTB

Read full ActivTrades Review

Read full Admirals Review