Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when spread betting and/or trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Open a CFD demo account

Trade CFDs on indices, currency pairs, shares, commodities and treasuries, at home or on the go.

KEY BENEFITS

Open a CFD demo account for free

Get £10,000 of virtual funds

Trade from anywhere with our CFD trading app

Join over 90,000 active clients worldwide*

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FCA regulated

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Segregated funds

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FTSE250 company

How to open a CFD demo account

1

Apply

Just enter your email address and a password, then verify your email address to create your free CFD trading demo account.

2

Explore

Get to know the platform by exploring the product library, charts, watchlists, order tickets, analyst insights and more. Learn about paper trading.

3

Learn

Practise CFD trading with £10,000 of virtual funds. Conduct analysis on free live charts. View our CFD platform quick guide and watch platform tutorials.

The ideal platform for CFD trading

Fast execution, precise charting and accurate insights are vital to your success as a trader.

Industry-leading charting**

Advanced order execution

Pattern recognition scanner

Award-winning app

What is CFD trading?

Contract for difference (CFD) trading is a popular type of derivative trading. CFDs provide a way to take a position on the rising and falling prices of financial markets from all over the world, including indices, currency pairs, commodities, shares and treasuries.

CFD trading accounts allow you to ‘trade on margin’ using leverage, so you only need to deposit a percentage of the full value of your position to enter the trade.

You can practise for free with a demo CFD trading account on our award-winning CFD trading platform. Trade via your web browser, or download our iPhone, iPad and Android apps.

Why trade CFDs with CMC Markets?

We're No.1 for customer service**

Trade CFDs anywhere with our award-winning app

Listed on the London Stock Exchange

Is CFD trading right for you?

Trade a range of asset classes, from one account

Competitive spreads from 0.7 points on FX and 1 point on major indices

Margin rates from 3.3% on FX CFDs and 5% on indices

You don’t pay stamp duty^

Analyse price performance with advanced charts, technical indicators and drawing tools

Use features like guaranteed stop-loss orders to manage risk

FAQS

How do I open a CFD demo account?

All you need to do to open a CFD demo account is provide a valid email address, your full name, phone number and password. Once you have opened a demo account, you will need to click on the verification link sent to your registered email address to activate it. Learn more about documentation to provide when opening a CFD demo account.

How long does a CFD demo account last?

You can keep your demo account open for as long as you like. Please note that shares on a CFD trading demo account are available for a limited period due to exchange restrictions. Most shares, including US shares, are available for 30 days once activated. For UK and Italy shares, demo subscriptions are available for the current calendar month only. When you select to activate shares from these countries, you will see a message confirming this, enabling you to either activate straightaway, or wait for the beginning of the following month. This gives you the opportunity to trade on UK and Italy shares for a whole month. Learn more about the share market.

How can I switch from a demo to a CFD live account?

Just click on the ‘Live Account’ button on the login page to go to the online application form. Use your CFD demo account login details to get started and then follow the step-by-step instructions to apply for your live account.

How will a CFD demo account prepare me for live trading?

Our CFD demo account is a risk-free simulation of our platform. You can get a taste for the features and you can use it to test strategies, even after you've opened a live account. You can add more virtual funds at any time via the 'Payments' menu. Learn about our Next Generation platform features.