Pepperstone vs ActivTrades
ActivTrades features its innovative proprietary trading platform, offering manual traders market sentiment, hedging, and quality trading charts. Algorithmic and copy traders get the core MT4/MT5 trading platforms upgraded through seven quality plugins. ActivTrades also allows API trading, granting advanced traders with proprietary solutions access to its superb technology infrastructure.
Pepperstone provides Autochartist and the Smart Trader Tools upgrade package for MT4/MT5, consisting of 28 plugins. It creates one of the most competitive environments. It added Capitalise AI, a code-free environment to automate trading strategies, and cTrader is also available. Besides the embedded copy trading services available in all its trading platforms, Pepperstone offers Myfxbook Autotrade and DupliTrade.
We have conducted an in-depth review of ActivTrades and Pepperstone 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
- eToro versus ActivTrades - Verdict
Features and Platforms
| Features & Platforms | ActivTrades (visit site) | Pepperstone (visit site) |
 |  | |
| Headquarter: | UK | Australia |
Established : | 2001 | 2010 |
Retail Loss Rate: | 81.00% | 81.18% |
Regulation: | ||
Minimum Deposit: | $10 | $200 |
Demo Account: | ||
Managed Account: | ||
Islamic Account: | ||
Inactivity Fee | £10 monthly after one year | No |
Deposit Fee: | Yes + Third-Party | Third-Party |
Withdrawal Fee | Yes + Third-Party | Third-Party |
Funding Methods: | 6 | 9 |
MT4: | ||
MT5: | ||
cTrader: | ||
Proprietary Platform: | ||
Automated Trading: | ||
Social / Copy Trading: | ||
MT4/MT5 Add-ons: | ||
Guaranteed Stop Loss: | ||
Negative Balance Protection: | ||
Bonuses and Promotions: | ||
Unique Feature One: | Superb technology infrastructure | Excellent MT4 upgrade with 28 plugins |
Unique Feature Two: | Excellent education | VPS, Autochartist, and TradingView |
Broker Offers: |
Noteworthy:
ActivTrades provides one-on-one training sessions, and a dedicated institutional division confirms deep liquidity pools. Pepperstone added the active TradingView community, featuring 30M+ traders.
Available Markets
| Available Markets | ActivTrades | Pepperstone |
| Currency Pairs: | ||
Cryptocurrency Pairs: | ||
Commodities and Metals: | ||
Indices: | ||
Equities: | ||
Bonds: | ||
ETFs: | ||
Options, Futures, and Synthetics: | ||
Maximum Retail Leverage: | 1:200 | 1:500 |
Maximum Pro Leverage: | 1:400 | 1:500 |
The asset selection at ActivTrades and Pepperstone is similar, but Pepperstone maintains an edge with 1,200+ trading instruments versus 1,000+ at ActivTrades. Forex traders get a broader choice of currency pairs with 60+, three currency indices, and notably more cryptocurrency pairs. Both brokers allow cross-asset diversification, but Pepperstone adds more quantity and therefore opportunities.
Typical Spreads and Fees
| Typical Spreads & Fees | ActivTrades | Pepperstone |
Minimum Raw Spreads: | Not applicable | 0.0 pips |
Minimum Standard Spreads: | 0.5 pips | 0.6 pips |
Minimum Commission for Forex: | Commission-free | $6.00 per round lot |
Commission for CFDs/DMA: | 0.10% / $0.02 per share | $7.00 per round lot |
Commission Rebates: | Yes | Yes |
Execution Type: | Market Maker | ECN/NDD |
Both brokers offer competitive trading costs. ActivTrades has lower minimum fees, while Pepperstone maintains cheaper average trading costs. Commission rebates exist at ActivTrades and Pepperstone, where minimum Forex costs at Pepperstone drop to as low as $3.00 per lot. Equity commissions are also lower at Pepperstone than at ActivTrades.
Security and Trust
ActivTrades
| Country of the Regulator | Name of the Regulator | License Number |
UK | Financial Conduct Authority | 434413 |
Bahamas | Securities Commission of The Bahamas | 199667 B |
Luxembourg | Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier | B232167 |
Italy | Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa | 198 |
Bulgaria | Financial Supervision Commission | Undisclosed |
Pepperstone
| Country of the Regulator | Name of the Regulator | License Number |
Australia | Australian Securities & Investments Commission | 414530 |
Bahamas | Securities Commission of The Bahamas | SIA-F217 |
Cyprus | Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission | 388/20 |
Dubai | Dubai Financial Services Authority | F004356 |
Germany | Federal Financial Supervisory Authority | HRB 91279 |
Kenya | Capital Markets Authority | 128 |
UK | Financial Conduct Authority | 684312 |
ActivTrades and Pepperstone segregate client deposits from corporate funds and offer negative balance protection. ActivTrades additional provides $1,000,000 in third-party insurance protection. Both brokers have a spotless regulatory record and established themselves as secure, reliable, and trustworthy Forex brokers.
Pepperstone vs ActivTrades – Verdict
ActivTrades
| Pros | Cons |
| Upgraded MT4/MT5 trading platforms and a cutting-edge proprietary alternative | Limited choice of cryptocurrencies |
| Excellent order execution due to superior technology infrastructure | |
| Outstanding educational resources for beginners | |
| Interest payments on free margin and volume-based cash rebate program |
Pepperstone
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent choice of trading platforms consisting of MT4/MT5, and cTrader | Minimum deposits are slightly higher but within a reasonable range |
| Market-leading MT4/MT5 upgrade package, Autochartist, and API trading | |
| Social trading support via Myfxbook, MetaTrader Signals, and DupliTrade | |
| Leverage of up to 1:500 and superb trade execution |
Both brokers maintain upgraded trading platforms, low trading costs, deep liquidity, and extensive support for algorithmic traders. ActivTrades offers an excellent feature with its one-on-one training sessions for beginners, but Pepperstone remains the more competitive multi-asset broker overall. It has superior trading platform upgrades, a broader asset selection, lower trading costs for high-volume traders, and more copy trading solutions.
FAQs
Who owns ActivTrades?
Alex Pusco is the founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors, but an ownership structure of ActivTrades, a private company, is unavailable.
Is ActivTrades regulated?
ActivTrades has regulatory oversight from five regulators, where it maintains a clean record.
Does Pepperstone have the NAS100?
Yes, Pepperstone offers the NASDAQ 100 Index as a CFD product.
Can I trade crypto on Pepperstone?
Pepperstone offers cryptocurrency traders 24 CFDs, including three cryptocurrency indices.
Does Pepperstone have a ZAR account?
No, Pepperstone does not have a ZAR account.
Is Pepperstone a trusted broker?
Yes, Pepperstone established itself as one of the most trusted brokers globally, confirmed by its spotless regulatory record with seven regulators and clean operational history.
Does Pepperstone allow scalping?
Yes, Pepperstone allows scalping and maintains a highly competitive trading environment for scalpers.
Does Pepperstone have the Volatility 75 index?
Yes, Pepperstone offers the Volatility 75 index as a CFD product.
Is Pepperstone a South African broker?
No, Pepperstone is not a South African broker but an Australian-headquartered broker with a growing international presence.
Is Pepperstone a true ECN?
Yes, Pepperstone offers traders a true ECN trading environment in its commission-based Razor account.
How reliable is Pepperstone?
Pepperstone has 10+ years of operational experience and a spotless regulatory record with seven regulators, making it one of the most reliable brokers industry wide.
Which broker is better than Pepperstone?
It depends on individual preferences, but Pepperstone generally ranks among the top ten brokers globally.