Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD brokers: leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto. Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as stock brokers: real shares and ETFs you own outright.
IG Markets
Regulated in your country IG Markets holds a licence from the regulator of the country this site is for, so local investor protections apply.
69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Plus500
Regulated in your country Plus500 holds a licence from the regulator of the country this site is for, so local investor protections apply.
CFD service. 82% of retail investor accounts lose money
Best for
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders IG Markets and Plus500 are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in United Kingdom.IG Markets is better than Plus500 for day traders, scalpers and news traders. Professional traders, high-volume traders and swing traders can choose either IG Markets or Plus500.
| Overall score | IG Markets 90 Best 88 | Plus500 78 -12 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Day trading i | ||
| Long-term investing i | ||
| Professional traders i | ||
| High-volume traders i | ||
| Scalpers i | ||
| Swing traders i | ||
| News traders i | ||
| Algo traders i | ||
| Stock traders i | ||
| Crypto traders i | ||
| Futures traders i | ||
| Options traders i |
Regulation
What we compare A comparison between the financial authorities that supervise IG Markets and the ones that supervise Plus500.IG Markets and Plus500 are both regulated in the UK, by the FCA.
| Section score | IG Markets 100 100 | Plus500 100 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Tier-1 regulators | ||
| ESMA (European Union) i | ||
| FCA (United Kingdom) i | ||
| ASIC (Australia) i | ||
| CFTC (United States) i | ||
| NFA (United States) i | ||
| SEC (United States) i | ||
| CIRO (Canada) i | ||
| MAS (Singapore) i | ||
| SFC (Hong Kong) i | ||
| JFSA (Japan) i | ||
| FINMA (Switzerland) i | ||
| Tier-2 regulators | ||
| FMA (New Zealand) i | ||
| CBR (Russia) i | ||
| FSCA (South Africa) i | ||
| DFSA (Dubai) i | ||
| CSRC (China) i | ||
| ISA (Israel) i | ||
| LFSA (Malaysia) i | ||
| JSC (Jordan) i | ||
| CMA (Kenya) i | ||
| Tier-3 regulators | ||
| FSA (Seychelles) i | ||
| MMA (Maldives) i | ||
| SCB (Bahamas) i | ||
| FSC (Mauritius) i | ||
| VFSC (Vanuatu) i | ||
| FSC (Belize) i | ||
| CIMA (Cayman Islands) i | ||
| SV FSA (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) i | ||
| FSRC (St. Kitts & Nevis) i | ||
| BMA (Bermuda) i | ||
| BVI FSC (British Virgin Islands) i | ||
| EDR (External Dispute Resolution) i | ||
Safety
What we compare A comparison of the tools and services that IG Markets and Plus500 have in place to protect your money in United Kingdom.IG Markets and Plus500 both offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme. IG Markets is also a licensed bank.
| Section score | IG Markets 91 Best 91 | Plus500 85 -6 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 1974 | 2008 |
| Parent company i | IG Group Holdings plc | Plus500 Ltd. |
| CEO i | Breon Corcoran | David Zruia |
| Money safety | ||
| Segregated client funds i | ||
| Two-factor authentication i | ||
| Investor compensation scheme i | ||
| Additional money insurance i | ||
| Partner bank i | Barclays|Lloyds | N/A |
| Brand power | ||
| Number of customers worldwide i | 820,000 | 30,000,000 |
| Annual revenue i | USD 987,300,000 | USD 768,300,000 |
| Monthly website search traffic i | 97.1K monthly visits | |
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with IG Markets and with Plus500 in United Kingdom, both on each trade and on holding the account.IG Markets is better than Plus500 for CFD costs, given that IG Markets is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 5.08 USD per lot (against Plus500's 8 USD), has tighter S&P 500 CFD spreads, at 0.4 points (against Plus500's 0.7 points), and has tighter gold CFD spreads, at 0.3 points (against Plus500's 0.75 points). Neither IG Markets nor Plus500 charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.
There is no like-for-like comparison for real stock costs, as Plus500 is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | IG Markets 87 Best 75 | Plus500 69 -18 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Broker fees | ||
| Deposit fees i | ||
| Withdrawal fees i | ||
| Overnight fees i | ||
| Inactivity fees i | ||
| Currency conversion fees i | ||
| Discounts on volume i | ||
| Real time market data fee i | ||
| Dividend withholding i | ||
| Account opening fees i | ||
| Account maintenance fee i | ||
| Portfolio management fee i | ||
| Fees on CFDs | ||
| Forex commission per lot i | Free | Free |
| EUR/USD average standard spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average raw spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average fixed spread i | ||
| EUR/USD total cost per lot i | USD 5.075 | USD 8 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 0.4 points | 0.7 points |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.3 points | 0.75 points |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | USD 36 | |
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | USD 0.02 | Free |
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Commission | Spread |
| US stocks fees (real) i | Free | |
| ETF fees (real) i | Free | |
| Management costs i | ||
| Connection costs i | ||
| Fees on futures | ||
| Futures fees per contract i | USD 2 | |
| Platform fees i | ||
| Fees on options | ||
| Options fees per contract i | USD 2 | |
| Event fees i | ||
| Fees on savings plans | ||
| IRA opening fee i | ||
| IRA maintenance fee i | ||
| 401k opening fee i | ||
| 401k maintenance fee i | ||
Available markets
What we compare A comparison of the markets and products you can trade with IG Markets and with Plus500 in United Kingdom, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.IG Markets is better than Plus500 for CFD markets, because IG Markets gives access to 17,000 tradable symbols (against Plus500's 2,800), offers futures on indices and commodities, which Plus500 does not, and offers options on commodities, forex, indices and stocks, which Plus500 does not. Both IG Markets and Plus500 offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, forex, indices and stocks.
IG Markets and Plus500 cannot be set side by side for real stock markets, as Plus500 is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike IG Markets.
| Section score | IG Markets 100 Best 100 | Plus500 75 -25 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 17,000 | 2,800 |
| Currency pairs i | ||
| Indices i | ||
| Commodities i | ||
| Stocks i | ||
| ETF i | ||
| Cryptocurrencies i | ||
| Bonds i | ||
| Interest rates i | ||
| Portfolios i | ||
| CFDs i | Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices, Stocks | Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices, Stocks |
| Futures i | Indices, Commodities | |
| Options i | Commodities, Forex, Indices, Stocks | |
| Assets you can own i |
Platform
What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that IG Markets and Plus500 make available to their clients in United Kingdom.IG Markets is better than Plus500 for platforms, given that IG Markets offers MetaTrader 5, MetaTrader 4 and TradingView, which Plus500 does not. IG Markets and Plus500 both offer a proprietary platform and one-click trading.
IG Markets and Plus500 cannot be set side by side for platforms, as Plus500 is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike IG Markets.
| Section score | IG Markets 91 Best 91 | Plus500 72 -19 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Proprietary platform i | ||
| MetaTrader 4 i | ||
| MetaTrader 5 i | ||
| cTrader i | ||
| Social trading platform i | ||
| Copy trading platform i | ||
| ZuluTrade i | ||
| TradingView i | ||
| Duplitrade i | ||
| Mirror Trader i | ||
| NinjaTrader i | ||
| AutoChartist i | ||
| Real time pricing i | ||
| 5 digit pricing i | ||
| One-click trading i |
Mobile
What we compare A comparison of the mobile apps of IG Markets and Plus500 in United Kingdom, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.IG Markets is better than Plus500 for mobile trading, since IG Markets offers the MetaTrader 5 app, the MetaTrader 4 app and mobile trading signals, which Plus500 does not. Both IG Markets and Plus500 offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.
There is no like-for-like comparison for mobile trading, as Plus500 is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | IG Markets 93 Best 93 | Plus500 80 -13 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Proprietary app i | ||
| Social trading app i | ||
| Copy trading app i | ||
| MetaTrader 4 app i | ||
| MetaTrader 5 app i | ||
| cTrader app i | ||
| Mobile trading signals i | ||
| Mobile alerts i | ||
| Mobile charting tools i | ||
| Mobile drawing tools i | ||
| Mobile watchlist i | ||
| Smartwatch app i |
Trading features
What we compare A comparison of the trading tools and strategies that IG Markets and Plus500 allow on their platforms in United Kingdom.IG Markets is better than Plus500 for CFD trading features, given that IG Markets offers tier-1 liquidity providers, which Plus500 does not, and allows for scalping and automated trading. Both IG Markets and Plus500 offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.
There is no like-for-like comparison for real stock trading features, as Plus500 is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | IG Markets 89 Best 92 | Plus500 72 -17 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | Agency | Agency |
| Average execution time i | 14 ms | |
| Slippage occurrence i | 11% | |
| Requotes occurrence i | ||
| Tier-1 liquidity providers i | ||
| PFOF i | ||
| Leverage | ||
| Major FX pairs leverage i | 30:1 | 30:1 |
| Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i | 20:1 | 20:1 |
| Major indices leverage i | 20:1 | 20:1 |
| Minor indices leverage i | 10:1 | 10:1 |
| Gold leverage i | 20:1 | 20:1 |
| Commodities leverage i | 10:1 | 10:1 |
| Equities leverage i | 5:1 | 5:1 |
| Cryptocurrency leverage i | ||
| Risk management | ||
| Stop losses i | ||
| Take profits i | ||
| Limit orders i | ||
| Trailing stop i | ||
| Margin call i | ||
| OCO orders i | ||
| Guaranteed stop loss i | ||
| Negative balance protection i | ||
| Minimum trade size (FX) i | 0.01 lots | 0.01 lots |
| Minimum trade size (stocks) i | USD 0 | USD 0 |
| Fractional stocks i | ||
| Trading compliance | ||
| Scalping strategies allowed i | ||
| Hedging strategies allowed i | ||
| Automated trading strategy allowed i | ||
| EAs use allowed i | ||
| HFT strategy allowed i | ||
| VPS use allowed i | ||
| API use allowed i | ||
| Price scraping allowed i | ||
| FIFO rule applies i | ||
Account types
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of account you can open at IG Markets and at Plus500 in United Kingdom, and of who each one is meant for.Plus500 is better than IG Markets for CFD account types, as Plus500 offers an Islamic account, an unlimited demo account and a swap-free account, which IG Markets does not. Both IG Markets and Plus500 offer a demo account and a professional traders account.
IG Markets and Plus500 cannot be compared for real stock account types, because IG Markets is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Plus500 is a CFD broker.
| Section score | IG Markets 46 -5 29 | Plus500 51 Best not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Demo account i | ||
| Unlimited demo account i | ||
| Standard account i | ||
| Micro account i | ||
| Cent account i | ||
| Nano account i | ||
| Raw spread account i | ||
| ECN account i | ||
| Swap-free account i | ||
| Islamic account i | ||
| Professional traders account i | ||
| Fixed spread account i | ||
| Spread betting account i | ||
| Copy trading account i | ||
| Corporate account i | ||
| Managed account i | ||
| Stock investing account i | ||
| Margin investing account i | ||
| Savings account i | ||
| Retirement account i |
Account opening
What we compare A comparison of what it takes to open and fund an account with IG Markets and with Plus500 in United Kingdom.Plus500 is better than IG Markets for account opening, since Plus500 offers 3 account base currencies (against IG Markets' 1), supports e-wallets, which IG Markets does not, and has no minimum withdrawal (against IG Markets' 100 USD). However, IG Markets does not require a minimum deposit at all (against Plus500's 100 USD).
Only IG Markets can be assessed for account opening, since Plus500 is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | IG Markets 62 -10 62 | Plus500 72 Best not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | USD 0 | USD 100 |
| Minimum withdrawal i | USD 100 | USD 0 |
| Wire transfers i | ||
| Credit cards i | ||
| Debit cards i | ||
| eWallets i | PayPal, Skrill | |
| Local payment methods i | ||
| Account base currencies i | GBP | AUD, EUR, USD |
| Deposit waiting time i | Instant | up to 1 business days |
| Withdrawal waiting time i | up to 1 business days | up to 1 business days |
| Bonus program i |
Customer care
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of IG Markets and Plus500 in United Kingdom, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.IG Markets is better than Plus500 for customer care, given that IG Markets offers a dedicated account manager and phone support, which Plus500 does not. IG Markets and Plus500 both offer live chat and email support.
Only IG Markets can be assessed for customer care, since Plus500 is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | IG Markets 78 Best 78 | Plus500 58 -20 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 12 | 29 |
| Website languages i | Arabic, Danish, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish | Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Croatian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | Arabic, Danish, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish | Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Croatian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese |
| Customer support in English i | ||
| Call back request i | ||
| Email support i | ||
| Phone support i | ||
| Live chat i | ||
| Priority customer support i | ||
| Dedicated account manager i | ||
| Cash sweep i | ||
| Stock lending i | ||
| Distributes proceeds i | ||
| Tax withholding agent i | ||
| Tax assistance i |
Learning
What we compare A comparison of the educational material that IG Markets and Plus500 provide to their clients in United Kingdom.IG Markets is better than Plus500 for learning, given that IG Markets offers professional reports, daily market commentary and an economic calendar, which Plus500 does not. IG Markets and Plus500 both offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
Plus500 does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so IG Markets and Plus500 cannot be compared for learning.
| Section score | IG Markets 100 Best 100 | Plus500 75 -25 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Education | ||
| Education center i | ||
| Education for beginners i | ||
| Education for advanced traders i | ||
| Webinars i | ||
| Tutorials i | ||
| Glossary i | ||
| Research | ||
| Economic calendar i | ||
| Traders' sentiment i | ||
| Daily market commentary i | ||
| Daily trading ideas i | ||
| News via social media i | ||
| Professional reports i | ||
| Watchlist i | ||
IG Markets vs Plus500: which one should you choose?
IG Markets
CFD Choose IG Markets if you want an online CFD broker with low trading costs, a wide choice of markets and room for automated strategies.
Stocks Choose IG Markets if you want a broker for securities investing with commission-free US stocks and a wide choice of markets.
Open Account 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Plus500
CFD Choose Plus500 if you want a CFD and forex broker with an account held in several currencies.
Open Account CFD service. 82% of retail investor accounts lose moneyOther popular comparisons
Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include IG Markets or Plus500, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
