Which CFD brokers have the best trading platform?
Verdict
- For UK CFD traders, Pepperstone is our pick: one Razor account opens MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, TradingView and Pepperstone's own web platform and app.
- IG lists the longest menu of the UK firms we checked (its own platform, MT4, MT5, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer, TradingView and APIs), but not cTrader.
- Capital.com covers its own web platform and app plus MT4, MT5 and TradingView; Plus500 offers only its own platform.
- The best platform is the one that fits how you trade: TradingView for charting, MetaTrader or cTrader for automation, a broker's own app for simple order entry.
No platform is best for everyone, so we judged brokers on how many of the platforms traders actually ask for they let you use from one account. On that test, Pepperstone covers the most ground for a UK retail trader, with IG close behind and stronger on specialist tools.
Why Pepperstone comes first
Pepperstone puts all four major third-party platforms (MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView) next to its own app on one account type, Razor, and IG, Capital.com and CMC Markets each miss at least one of them. That matters because you can switch platforms without moving money or changing price: the same raw spreads apply, and only the commission varies, from $3.00 per side on cTrader FX to $3.50 on MT5 and TradingView. Its UK spread betting account connects to all five as well. The trade-off: MT4 and TradingView are not available on the Standard CFD account.
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Platform line-up at UK CFD brokers
| Broker | Own platform | MT4 / MT5 | cTrader | TradingView | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperstone | Web and app | Both | Yes | Yes (Razor) | Smart Trader Tools, API trading |
| Capital.com | Web and app | Both | No | Yes | — |
| IG | Web and app | Both | No | Yes | ProRealTime, L2 Dealer, APIs |
| CMC Markets | Next Generation, app | MT4 | No | No | — |
| Saxo | SaxoTrader, SaxoInvestor | No | No | Yes | MultiCharts, OpenAPI |
| Spreadex | Web and apps | No | No | Yes | — |
| Plus500 | Web and app | No | No | No | — |
Match the platform to the job
- Charting first: TradingView is offered by Pepperstone, Capital.com, IG, Saxo and Spreadex. At Pepperstone you need Razor or spread betting to use it.
- Automated strategies: MT4 and MT5 run expert advisors; cTrader runs C# bots through cTrader Automate. Pepperstone offers all three.
- Direct market access and advanced charting packages: IG's L2 Dealer and ProRealTime are specialist tools the others in this table do not list.
- Simplicity: a single in-house app, as at Plus500, is easy to learn but leaves you nowhere to go if you outgrow it.
Where Capital.com fits
Capital.com is our second choice for UK traders who want TradingView and MetaTrader together with a guaranteed stop-loss, which Pepperstone does not offer. It lacks cTrader, and our data holds no published EUR/USD average for it, so compare live prices in its platform before committing.
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Test before you fund
Platform marketing pages all look polished. Before choosing, check three things in the software itself: whether your usual order types are there (trailing stop, one-cancels-other), whether you can see the full cost of a trade before placing it, and whether the mobile app shows the same positions and alerts as the desktop. A small first deposit, such as Pepperstone's £10 minimum, lets you check withdrawals too.
Sources
Platform lists as published by each broker.
Which UK CFD broker offers cTrader?
Pepperstone does, on Standard, Razor and spread betting accounts. IG, Capital.com, CMC Markets, Saxo, Spreadex and Plus500 do not list it.
Is a broker's own platform worse than MetaTrader?
Not necessarily. In-house platforms are often simpler and well integrated with the account, but you cannot take them to another broker, and they rarely run third-party automated strategies.
Do I pay more to use TradingView at Pepperstone?
No more than on MT5: Razor commission on TradingView is $3.50 per side per lot in a USD account. cTrader is slightly cheaper at $3.00.
Contracts for difference are complex and leveraged, and losses can mount very quickly whichever platform you use. We list what brokers publish and do not give investment advice. Platform availability can change, so confirm it with the broker.