The ActivTrades alternatives reviewed in this guide are:
1. Bullwaves
2. Pepperstone
3. AvaTrade
4. XTB
5. IC Markets
6. Capital.com
7. OANDA
8. CMC Markets
9. Admirals
Each alternative offers a different combination of platforms, account structures, pricing and trading tools. The most relevant option depends on which parts of the existing workflow need to remain familiar and which features the trader wants to change.
The profiles below begin with Bullwaves and then examine the other platforms individually. After those profiles, the comparison tables and supporting sections provide the additional detail needed to compare the shortlist consistently.
Readers can use the individual profiles to understand each option first, then continue to the later tables and practical sections for a more detailed comparison of the factors that matter to their own situation.
ActivTrades combines ActivTrader with MetaTrader. Moving to Bullwaves makes sense when MT5 is the platform you actually use and you would rather add research and social tools around that one environment than maintain several interfaces.
The strongest reason to switch is focus. Bullwaves' setup removes the choice between ActivTrader, MT4 and MT5, but that is only an advantage if an MT5-centred workflow matches the way you place and manage trades. Bullwaves offers Classic, VIP and ECN routes, so the useful comparison is the total cost for your instruments, not the lowest spread printed beside an account name.
Where Bullwaves stands out
1. MT5 on web, desktop and mobile.
2. AI Insights, market news and social trading around the execution platform.
3. Three account routes for different pricing preferences.
4. A direct path from research to the client dashboard.
5. A more focused platform decision than the one presented by ActivTrades.
What to check before switching
1. Equitex Capital Limited is regulated by the Seychelles FSA under licence SD185; Bullwaves is not an EU-regulated broker.
2. Eligibility, products and payment methods depend on country.
3. The Bullwaves workflow should be tested against the feature you use most at ActivTrades.
Next step: Compare its spreads live in the client dashboard. Compare Bullwaves account types
Bullwaves brings the main parts of the trading journey into one MT5-centred environment. Traders can use MetaTrader 5 on desktop, web and mobile, build watchlists, analyse charts, place market and pending orders, set protective levels and review account history from the same core platform.
The account experience is supported by AI Insights, market information and Social Trading. Together, these tools can help users organise research, follow market developments and study how other strategies are structured while keeping position size, margin use and risk decisions under their own control.
Before moving from research to live trading, users can compare the available account route, current spreads and commissions, instrument specifications and funding methods shown for their region. A practical first step is to recreate a normal watchlist in a demo account, test the orders used most often and confirm how the platform behaves across the devices that will form part of the everyday workflow.
Compared with ActivTrades, Pepperstone is a credible alternative for traders who want a broad platform choice and a clearly separated raw-pricing route. Its official material describes MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader and TradingView, with regional differences and standard and Razor pricing models.
Where it changes the decision
Its broader platform menu is the main reason to shortlist it. A trader can compare MetaTrader, cTrader and TradingView routes instead of committing to one interface.
What could make it a poor switch
That choice also creates more variables. Match the platform, Standard or Razor pricing route, and legal entity before comparing its costs with ActivTrades.
Review the Pepperstone pricing and Pepperstone regulation before deciding.
Compared with ActivTrades, AvaTrade is a credible alternative for traders who value a proprietary app alongside MetaTrader and broad educational support. Its official material describes AvaTradeGO, WebTrader, MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, with regional availability and retail and professional routes, plus product-specific and regional variants.
Where it changes the decision
AvaTrade is the app-led option in this group. It can appeal when a proprietary mobile and web experience matters as much as access to MetaTrader.
What could make it a poor switch
Tools and protections vary by country and entity. Check that the feature drawing you away from ActivTrades is available for the account you can actually open.
Review the AvaTrade regulation comparison and AvaTrade platforms before deciding.
Compared with ActivTrades, XTB is a credible alternative for traders who prefer a proprietary investing and CFD platform with integrated research. Its official material describes XTB's proprietary web and mobile platform; its official help centre says MT4 and MT5 are not currently offered and a Standard account structure on the international site.
Where it changes the decision
XTB represents the clearest move towards a proprietary investing and CFD interface. Its research and order workflow are designed around its own web and mobile platform.
What could make it a poor switch
This is a bigger platform change than it first appears. If you use MetaTrader at ActivTrades, confirm that losing that workflow is acceptable and check which cash investments and CFDs exist locally.
Review the XTB account types and XTB group regulation before deciding.
Compared with ActivTrades, IC Markets is a credible alternative for active or automated traders who prioritise raw pricing and platform choice. Its official material describes MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader and TradingView on parts of the group offering and standard and Raw Spread pricing structures.
Where it changes the decision
IC Markets is most relevant to active and automated traders comparing raw-pricing routes and a wider selection of third-party platforms.
What could make it a poor switch
Published global conditions are not universal. Compare commission, typical spread and server setup for the exact entity rather than using one headline number against ActivTrades.
Review the IC Markets platforms and IC Markets regulation before deciding.
Compared with ActivTrades, Capital.com is a credible alternative for traders who prefer an intuitive proprietary platform and integrated education. Its official material describes Capital.com's proprietary web/mobile platform and MetaTrader options under relevant entities and a proprietary-platform CFD account structure, with regional product differences.
Where it changes the decision
Capital.com is the usability-led alternative. Its proprietary platform and educational material can suit someone who wants a guided web and mobile experience.
What could make it a poor switch
Platform and product availability changes by entity. Verify whether the account offered in your country delivers the feature that ActivTrades does not.
Review the Capital.com client-funds protection and Capital.com fraud and regulation information before deciding.
Best for: a long-established route with proprietary and MetaTrader workflows.
OANDA is worth comparing when transparent regional terms and a choice between a proprietary interface and MetaTrader matter. Platform, product and pricing availability differs by legal entity, so the useful comparison is the exact account offered in your country.
Check the current platform, instruments, fees and legal entity for your country before opening an account.
ActivTrades can suit traders who want a proprietary platform alongside MetaTrader. However, another broker may fit better if you want a different platform, pricing structure, regulatory entity or research workflow.
CMC Markets provides proprietary charting, research and order controls for traders who want an integrated broker-designed workflow.
This option is particularly relevant for traders looking for a feature-rich proprietary trading platform. Platform access, pricing and account availability should be compared for the country in which the account will be opened.
Admirals combines MetaTrader access with a wider investing and trading environment, subject to the products and account terms available through the relevant entity.
This option is particularly relevant for traders looking for MetaTrader access in a broader multi-asset setting. Platform access, pricing and account availability should be compared for the country in which the account will be opened.
We selected these ActivTrades alternatives by comparing the parts of the ActivTrades experience that most often drive a genuine switch:
1. Platform and device access.
2. Account structure and total trading costs.
3. Suitability for manual, automated or proprietary-platform workflows.
4. Public information about the legal entity and regional availability.
5. Funding, withdrawal and account-management practicalities.
6. The specific feature each option can replace without creating a larger workflow problem.
Each broker had to solve a distinct use case and provide enough official product or legal information for that fit to be checked. The order reflects the purpose stated in this guide, not a universal ranking for every trader or country.
The official ActivTrades material presents activTrader, MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 and individual and professional routes, with entity-specific product terms. That can be a good fit, but traders may still compare alternatives because they need a different platform, an MT5-only workflow, local regulatory access, another payment method or a simpler account structure.
The regulatory entity and compensation arrangements depend on the client's country. Before switching, record the features you actually use. A longer feature list does not compensate for a missing instrument, unsuitable entity or unfamiliar order workflow.
Write down the three functions you use every week at ActivTrades. If an alternative cannot reproduce the most important one, a lower advertised spread will not rescue the switch.
Compare spread, commission, overnight financing and conversion costs on the same instruments and typical holding periods. A demo can test workflow, but it cannot reproduce every live cost.
ActivTrades users are not all replacing the same product. Someone trading through ActivTrader has a different migration job from an MT5 user, and a TradingView-led workflow creates another set of dependencies. Write down the current platform, instruments, order types, chart tools and reporting exports before choosing an alternative.
XTB and Capital.com are the clearest proprietary-platform comparisons in this shortlist. Test how quickly you can move from research to an order, whether the ticket exposes the information you rely on and how the mobile app handles an open position during a connection change. AvaTrade also keeps a broker-built app in the mix while retaining MetaTrader routes in parts of its group offering.
Bullwaves offers the cleanest move into a focused MT5 environment. Pepperstone and IC Markets make more sense when the migration must preserve a wider selection of third-party platforms or a raw-pricing workflow. Export templates and settings, but rebuild each symbol carefully. Contract size, suffixes, swap and allowed automation can differ even when both accounts display MT5.
Do not assume a broker that advertises TradingView allows the same execution route for every entity and account. Confirm whether the connection is for analysis only or live order placement, which pricing account it uses and whether all required instruments are available through that connection.
A ten-minute demo tour shows the best-case workflow. A better test includes one awkward situation: cancel a pending order on mobile, restore a chart on another device, find the statement entry for financing and locate the support path for a rejected payment. The broker that handles this sequence clearly may be more useful than the one with the longest feature page.
Review the withdrawal method, account-name matching and conversion treatment before sending a larger deposit. ActivTrades publishes its own funding conditions, so compare them with the exact route offered by the alternative rather than a group-level claim. The switch is incomplete until you understand how money comes back out.
ActivTrades publishes platform, spread and funding information through different parts of its site. Reconstruct a month from the statement instead of selecting one attractive trade. Total the spread paid, any commission, swaps, currency conversion and payment charges. Then model the same instruments and holding periods under the alternative's exact account.
Bullwaves Classic, VIP and ECN accounts should be compared with the ActivTrades route you actually use, not with the most convenient headline from either side. Pepperstone and IC Markets add another variable because pricing may be tied to platform and account. AvaTrade, XTB and Capital.com require the same discipline even when their proprietary tickets make the entry cost easy to see.
Rebuilding an Expert Advisor, learning a new ticket or recreating reports has a cost even when no fee appears on the statement. Estimate the hours required and decide whether the expected improvement justifies them. A small monthly saving can disappear if the new setup needs continuous manual maintenance.
Create the watchlist and template used most often. Check time zones, price history, symbol names and saved layouts.
Place a market order and two pending-order types in demo. Modify stops from desktop and mobile, then verify how the platform confirms each change.
Find the spread, commission estimate, margin and overnight charge before entry. After closing, locate each item in the statement.
Log in from another device, restore the workspace and find the support path. A robust routine should survive more than the ideal desktop session.
Read the payment rules for your country, including base-currency conversion and original-source refunds. The best ActivTrades alternative should be understandable from verification through withdrawal, not just during order entry.
Wait if the alternative is unavailable through a suitable entity, omits a central instrument or requires an automation rewrite you have not tested. Also wait when the comparison depends on a minimum spread with no realistic cost sample. Keeping the current account while a new one is evaluated is often less disruptive than forcing a one-day migration.
Bullwaves is the focused MT5 decision. It removes the need to choose between ActivTrader, MT4 and MT5, but it also gives up the proprietary ActivTrader experience. That makes it strongest for an existing MT5 user and weaker for someone whose routine depends on broker-built controls.
Pepperstone is the platform-expansion decision. It is worth the extra complexity when cTrader or a TradingView route solves a real limitation. AvaTrade is the app-led alternative, keeping a proprietary environment beside MetaTrader instead of narrowing the account to one terminal.
XTB makes the cleanest break from MetaTrader. It can suit a trader who wants one proprietary investing and CFD workspace and is prepared to rebuild templates and automation as manual processes. IC Markets takes the opposite route by prioritising third-party platforms, raw-style pricing and automated workflows.
Capital.com is the usability comparison. It should be judged by how clearly its proprietary platform handles research, exposure and review, not by whether it contains every ActivTrader feature. These six routes are intentionally different. Pick the one that fixes the existing friction with the least unnecessary migration work. Document that choice before opening the account.
We place Bullwaves first among these ActivTrades alternatives for eligible traders who want an MT5-first ecosystem with AI Insights and social trading. The other options can be stronger for proprietary platforms, additional platform choice or a different regional entity.
Open the platform in demo mode where possible, then compare the account and legal entity you can actually access with your current ActivTrades setup.
For a move away from ActivTrades into an MT5-focused workflow with integrated AI and social-trading tools, we place Bullwaves first. Choose a different option if the feature you are replacing points to cTrader, TradingView execution, a proprietary platform or a particular regulated entity.
Usually not. You normally open and verify a separate account, manage or close existing positions independently, and withdraw funds under ActivTrades's payment rules. Do not close leveraged positions without considering market conditions and costs.
No. Platform support differs. For example, XTB's official help centre says it does not currently offer MT4 or MT5, while Bullwaves centres its experience on MT5. Compare that difference directly with the platform you currently use at ActivTrades.
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Bullwaves is a trading name of Equitex Capital Limited (Registration No. 8434948-1), a company authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (the "FSA", licence no. SD185) with legal registered address in CT House, office number 9A, Providence, Mahe, Seychelles and physical address in Office No. Al9C, Providence Complex, Providence, Mahe, Seychelles.
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