CMC Invest review

Find out the key features of CMC Invest, which launched in September 2022. Our review rounds up the pros and cons of its app-based platform.

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Updated

Mar 14, 2023

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CMC Invest’s app lets you trade in UK and US stocks commission-free; it makes money through foreign exchange fees and bundled monthly subscription fees. It offers a basic, free plan too, but this limits the features on offer – for example, you won’t have access to its stocks and shares ISA. It’s regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK and covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), so you’ll be protected for up to £85,000 if CMC Invest were to go bust.

Our experts have analysed and rated the key features of CMC Invest and what you can invest in through the app.

CMC Invest products

1 - 2 of 2

Name	Product	Ratings	Finder rating	Customer rating	Min. initial deposit	Price per trade	Frequent trader rate	Platform fee	Offer	Link
OFFER CMC Invest CMC Invest	OFFER	Finder score ★★★★★	★★★★★ Expert analysis	Not yet rated	£0	£0	N/A	£0	Get a £50 welcome bonus when you invest a minimum of £50. T&Cs apply.	Go to site Capital at risk Platform details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
OFFER CMC Invest Plus CMC Invest Plus	OFFER	Finder score ★★★★★	★★★★★ Expert analysis	Not yet rated	£0	£0	N/A	£10 per month	Get a £50 welcome bonus and the first 3 months free. T&Cs apply.	Go to site Capital at risk Platform details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

As of December 2022, CMC Invest’s product range is fairly limited – a general investment account and a standard stocks and shares ISA. You can’t invest in a Junior ISA, or in a personal pension or SIPP. It has plans to make a SIPP available to “Premium” customers in the future, but for now you’ll need to look elsewhere if you’re looking to start a pension.

What stocks can you trade with CMC Invest?


UK - London Stock Exchange
US - NASDAQ
US - New York Stock Exchange
Canada - Toronto Stock Exchange
Japan - Japan Exchange Group
Euronext
Germany - Deutsche Börse
Keep in mind	Capital at risk
	Go to site More Info

CMC Invest allows you to invest in more than 100 stocks from the London Stock Exchange (with more “coming soon”), plus more than 1,100 from the two biggest US stock exchanges – the NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Major stocks on offer include Amazon, HSBC, Microsoft, Tesco and Tesla.

You can also diversify your portfolio by investing in more than 300 ETFs and investment trusts. It plans to add mutual funds to its investment range soon.

Unlike some platforms, you are currently limited to US and UK stocks. You can’t invest in other global stock exchanges such as the Toronto Stock Exchange, the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, or Euronext.

CMC Invest fees

Minimum deposit	£10
Platform charge (monthly)	£0 (Core Plan) / £10 (Plus Plan)
Fee per trade	£0
Forex conversion fee	0.5%
Deposit fee	£0
Withdrawal fee	£0 (£15 for urgent withdrawals)
Inactivity fee (monthly)	£0

CMC Invest promises “commission-free investing with fair, flat fees”. There’s no commission on trades, which may suit you nicely if you intend to trade regularly.

You can operate its basic account (dubbed “Core”) without paying a platform fee. However, if you want to invest in its flexible stocks and shares ISA, you’ll need to pay a £10 monthly fee for its “Plus” plan. This also gets you access to a USD currency wallet, which could save you money on FX fees. This could be useful given that most of the shares on offer from CMC Invest are US shares.

It also has a “Premium” plan in the pipeline, which will include access to a SIPP and additional features.

CMC Invest also offers the option of telephone trades, but this comes with a £50 commission charge, so you may prefer to stick to trading online via its app.

CMC Invest features and tools

At present, the tools on offer from CMC Invest are fairly limited. Its platform is still pretty new in the UK, and it says it wants to “design the investment app of the future”, with help from its users. Once you’ve created your account, you’ll be invited to join its CMC Invest community so that you can feed back on the features you want and help shape the app, as well as hearing about the latest updates and sharing insights and experiences with other CMC Invest users.

It has a learning centre on its website, with a (currently small) range of guides to help you get up to speed with investing – for example, “Getting started with ETFs”. Within its app, it’s just introduced ESG ratings for its investments, to help you make sustainable choices. And it says that company fundamental analysis is “coming soon” for “Plus” plan subscribers.

CMC Invest customer satisfaction


Customer help in app
Customer help via email
Customer help over the phone
Community or forums
Keep in mind	Capital at risk
	Go to site More Info

When it comes to customer satisfaction with CMC Invest, it’s a bit of a case of “watch this space”. The UK version of CMC Invest’s platform only launched in September 2022, so it simply hasn’t had much time to build up substantial ratings.

Early signs look reasonably promising. Its early adopters on Apple’s App Store (all 26 of them, as of December 2022) have collectively awarded it 4.5 out of 5 stars. But only time will tell if it fulfils this early promise.

CMC Invest referral promotions

If you add between £50 and £50,000+ as a one-off payment within 30 days of opening your account, CMC Invest will give you a £50 welcome bonus, funded directly to your account (valid as of 16 December 2022 and – as always – T&Cs apply.)

To open an account, you’ll need:

To be over 18
A UK address
Your national insurance number (or, for non-UK citizens, a national ID number)

You’ll need to supply basic personal information including your name and email address.

Once your account is open, you’ll need to add funds to buy investments and, if you’ve opted for a plan that requires a monthly payment, to pay your subscription. You can add money at any time using your debit card.

Can you invest ethically with CMC Invest?

CMC Invest has excellent tools for investing ethically, including showing environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores on assets available in the app.

To check out a company’s ESG score, you just need to search for the investment you’re interested in and toggle from “Overview” to “ESG”.

Here, you’ll be able to see the ESG risk score and controversy score, which range from “Excellent” to “Very poor”. You can also see the product involvement areas, which show the extent of a company’s involvement in certain business activities, such as military contracting, animal testing and oil sands extraction.

Pros and cons of CMC Invest

Pros

Commission-free trades
Large number of US stocks
Offers a free subscription option
No withdrawal fees (for non-urgent withdrawals)

Cons

Range of UK stocks currently limited, and no stocks available outside of UK and US
Currently limited tools and advice to support investors
Stocks and shares ISA only available for £10 monthly subscription

Our verdict: Is CMC Invest any good?

It’s still very early days for the CMC Invest app, and customer feedback so far is very limited, so only time will tell whether it proves to hit the mark for UK investors. Many will appreciate the fact that it charges no commission, and if you’re happy with a general investment account this will help keep trading costs to a minimum.

It’s good news that it’s just launched a stocks and shares ISA, given the tax-free benefits this can offer, but this is only available under it’s £10 a month “Plus” subscription plan. And it looks as though a SIPP will be coming soon, along with a wider range of UK shares and funds, though this may incur an even higher monthly payment.

On its website, CMC Invest says that: “We are disrupters at heart and we see technology as the best way to be efficient and bring down the costs of investments. We build and own our technology and invest heavily in it with minimal dependency on third parties.” If this sounds like the kind of company that would suit you, and you’re happy with an investment process that explicitly involves “no human intervention”, then it could be one to add to your shortlist of investment platforms to consider.

All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.

Frequently asked questions

CMC Invest is a trading name of CMC Markets Investments Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. It’s also covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, so you’ll be protected for up to £85,000 in the event the company goes bust. However, as with any type of investment, your money is at risk when you use CMC Invest, and there’s no guarantee of profits.

Thank you for your feedback!

Ceri Stanaway

Ceri Stanaway is a researcher, writer and editor with more than 15 years’ experience, including a long stint at independent publisher Which?. She’s helped people find the best products and services, and avoid the pitfalls, across topics ranging from broadband to insurance. Outside of work, you can often find her sampling the fares in local cafes.

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