ActivTrades publishes target spreads on all nine pairs we read, and no average, typical or fixed figure on any of them. That is unusual among the accounts we track.
🗺️ FCA regulated: ActivTrades Plc (FRN 434413), checked on the FCA register 22 Sep 2026
Our spread bet content is supported by broker partners, who pay us on a retainer basis rather than per referral.
Our Verdict On ActivTrades
ActivTrades scores 60/100 and ranks 11 of 14. ActivTrades publishes only target spreads, which we keep out of the brokers' average. Judge it on the rest and check its prices on the platform.
How We Scored ActivTrades
Our overall score for ActivTrades is 60 out of 100. Below is the assessment behind it: ActivTrades marked on each of the criteria we score every account against, each one out of 10.
ActivTrades marked out of ten on each of the six criteria we score every account against, shown as a bar on each row.
Criterion
ActivTrades
Trading Cost
4 / 10Assessed
Trading Experience
6 / 10Assessed
Trading Platform
6 / 10Assessed
Trust
6 / 10Assessed
Range Of Markets
8 / 10Assessed
Customer Service
6 / 10Assessed
The overall score shown above the table is the sum of these six marks, each out of 10, divided by 60 and multiplied by 100, rounded half up. No criterion is weighted, and this has been how every score on the site is computed since 24 September 2026.
Our scoring methodology names the six criteria, what each one covers, and the published sources behind every mark.
Who You Contract With At ActivTrades
Spread bets at ActivTrades are placed with ActivTrades Plc (FRN 434413). The brand and the authorised firm share a name here, so a register search for ActivTrades returns the company you were looking for.
On 15 March 2011 the Financial Services Authority (the FCA’s predecessor regulator) issued a Final Notice against ActivTrades Plc, FRN 434413, fining it £85,750 for breaches of Principle 3 (Management and control) and Principle 10 (Clients’ assets) of the FSA’s Principles for Businesses, and associated CASS Rules, between 14 April 2009 and 2 September 2010. The notice itself states that the failings placed some client money at risk (although none of ActivTrades’ clients suffered any losses as a result). It was settled at stage 1 of the regulator’s procedure for a 30% discount. The firm remained authorised at the FCA register read on 31 August 2026; the register marks such action as historic or possibly current without stating which.
The FCA register lists two clone firms impersonating ActivTrades between 24 May 2023 and 16 January 2025; these are fraudsters copying the name, not findings about the firm. Check FRN 434413 on the register before depositing.
The Financial Ombudsman Service and the FSCS may be available to you, depending on eligibility.
Our guide to FCA regulation of spread betting publishes the authorised entity and reference number for every provider we track. It also sets out what electing professional status costs you, which matters here because ActivTrades publishes a professional leverage ceiling.
Is ActivTrades Regulated By The FCA?
Activtrades Plc is on the Financial Services Register under firm reference number 434413, and its status panel reads Authorised, since 27 Oct 2005. We read the entry on 3 Sep 2026, and the capture below is what the register showed that day.
Activtrades Plc, FRN 434413, on the FCA Financial Services Register: status Authorised, since 27 Oct 2005. Captured 3 Sep 2026. Source: the firm’s register entry, Financial Conduct Authority.
The permissions panel is not in the capture, so this page makes no claim about which regulated activities the authorisation covers. Our regulation guide sets out how to look a broker up on the FCA register.
ActivTrades Trust, Ownership And Client Money Protection
Can You Trust ActivTrades?
ActivTrades is run by Activtrades Plc, a firm Authorised by the FCA since 2005. ActivTrades states that it "segregates all retail client funds from its own money in accordance with the UK FCA's Client Asset rules", and that it "will reimburse the negative balance on your account". The firm reference number is 434413. (FCA register, read ; ActivTrades's own site, read ; ActivTrades's own site, read )
Who Owns ActivTrades?
Companies House lists one individual, not named here, as a person with significant control of Activtrades Plc, the UK firm that runs ActivTrades and holds FCA authorisation. (Companies House, read )
What Happens To Your Money If ActivTrades Fails?
ActivTrades states that it "segregates all retail client funds from its own money in accordance with the UK FCA's Client Asset rules". It also states that it is "a member of the UK's Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)". The FSCS's own limit, from fscs.org.uk, is up to £85,000 per eligible person, per firm, for a firm that failed after 1 April 2019. (ActivTrades's own site, read ; FSCS, read )
£10 a month once there has been no activity on the account for 18 months
ActivTrades Spread Betting Costs
ActivTrades publishes a target spread for spread betting on all nine pairs, in pips. A target is the spread it says it aims to execute at, a statement of intent rather than a measurement.
We list the targets below and keep them out of the brokers' average.
This table shows what ActivTrades publishes for spread betting on the nine pairs, with the kind of each figure and its window, as read on 18 Sep 2026.
The spread figure ActivTrades publishes for spread betting on each currency pair, with the kind of figure and the window it covers.
ActivTrades' target spreads are in pips across all nine pairs, and our Forex Spread Betting Explained guide explains how a pip moves your profit or loss by your stake per point.
Guaranteed Stops At ActivTrades
ActivTrades does not offer guaranteed stop-loss orders. An ordinary stop closes your trade at the next available price rather than at the price you set. A market that gaps overnight can therefore close you out below your stop, and the loss is yours.
You can spread bet at ActivTrades on ActivTrader, MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5, and our spread betting app comparison lists the platforms behind its account and the minimum deposit.
ActivTrades publishes a practice spread betting account, and we read its terms off ActivTrades’s own demo page rather than inferring them: £10,000 virtual funds, no deposit to open, checked 22 September 2026.
ActivTrades’ Trustpilot profile, captured 1 Oct 2026. We re-read these ratings every month, so the figure in the table is the one the platform displayed on that capture date.
On 1 Oct 2026, Trustpilot showed neither a TrustScore nor a star rating for ActivTrades, and the profile carried Trustpilot's own notice that the rating is unavailable because of a breach of its guidelines, and the screenshot above shows the notice as it appeared. A withheld score is not a score of zero and not a low rating, and it means Trustpilot is not vouching for the figure at the moment.
ActivTrades’ Apple App Store listing, captured 1 Oct 2026. We re-read these ratings every month, so the figure in the table is the one the platform displayed on that capture date.ActivTrades’ Google Play listing, captured 1 Oct 2026. We re-read these ratings every month, so the figure in the table is the one the platform displayed on that capture date.ActivTrades’ TradingView profile, captured 1 Oct 2026. We re-read these ratings every month, so the figure in the table is the one the platform displayed on that capture date.
ActivTrades At A Glance
Key facts about ActivTrades: its FCA-regulated entity, minimum deposit, spread bet platforms, markets, inactivity fee and guaranteed stops.
🗺️ FCA regulated
ActivTrades Plc (FRN 434413)
💰 Minimum deposit
£0
📊 Spread bet platforms
ActivTrader, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5
🛍️ Markets available
601
💱 Inactivity fee
£10 a month once there has been no activity on the account for 18 months
🛡️ Guaranteed stops
Not offered
What You Can Bet On
ActivTrades publishes these counts on its own market pages.
Forex pairs: 48
Commodities: 17
ETFs: 34
ActivTrades Pros And Cons
Pros
No minimum deposit
601 markets on the spread betting account
Cons
Publishes Target Spreads Only
Ranks 11 of 14 on our review score
No guaranteed stop-loss orders
Your Experience With ActivTrades
If you have traded with ActivTrades, tell us what a new customer should know. Submissions are read by the team. Only reviews we can verify are ever published, and none are published yet. Nothing you enter here appears on this page.
Reviews are never paid for and never edited for a broker.
ActivTrades Spread Betting FAQs
Which Company Do You Contract With When You Spread Bet At ActivTrades?
Spread bets at ActivTrades are placed with ActivTrades Plc (FRN 434413). ActivTrades runs separate companies under separate regulators in other countries, and those are different firms.
What Spreads Does ActivTrades Charge On A Spread Bet?
ActivTrades publishes targets instead of prices. Its own pricing page states, for each pair, the spread it aims to execute at, with no method or window behind the numbers.
Does ActivTrades Offer Guaranteed Stop-Loss Orders?
No. ActivTrades does not offer guaranteed stop-loss orders. Its UK Customer Agreement, read on 22 Sep 2026, offers none, and its help centre article on order types lists no guaranteed stop.
What Leverage Can You Use On An ActivTrades Spread Bet?
The same caps as at every FCA-authorised provider, because the limits are set by the regulator rather than by the firm. ActivTrades publishes a higher ceiling for professional clients, and electing professional status removes the retail protections that come with those caps. Our regulation guide sets out what is given up in that trade.
Is An ActivTrades Spread Betting Account Worth Opening?
Several of the FCA-regulated spread betting platforms we rank score higher than this account and publish their pricing.
If you came here for one market rather than for the account, our pages on index spread betting and commodity spread betting cover how those bets are priced. For most UK retail traders, spread betting profits are not subject to Capital Gains Tax, though tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and can change. Our guide to spread betting and tax covers the details.
69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.
Your capital is at risk. Spread betting is leveraged, so losses can exceed the amount you set out to risk on a bet. This page is not financial or tax advice.
Justin Grossbard co-founded Spread-Bet.co.uk with Noam Korbl in 2024, and co-founded the broker comparison network CompareForexBrokers with him in 2014. He has written for Kiplinger, Entrepreneur, Finance Magnates and MoneyShow since 2022, with articles on forex and trading at MoneyShow, Finance Magnates and Kiplinger.
Updated . Updated on 14 Oct 2026: ActivTrades' spread betting market count moves to 601, from 603, and its commodity count to 17, from 18, both read from its UK leverage table on 14 Oct 2026. Its 69% retail-loss disclosure is unchanged, and every other ActivTrades fact we hold held steady on the same day's read.
