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City Index vs IG Markets: Comparison and Analysis

Written by Filippo Ucchino Publication Date Last Updated
Our verdict · CFD trading

IG Markets is better than City Index for CFD trading in the UK by a small margin, because it has a lower EUR/USD cost (5.08 USD per lot against 8.00 USD), asks for no minimum deposit, where City Index asks for 50.00 USD, and lists more tradable symbols (17,000 against 13,500). IG Markets runs MetaTrader 5, TradingView and ProRealTime next to the MetaTrader 4 and proprietary platform both brokers share, adds options and futures to the CFDs, allows scalping and VPS hosting with a guaranteed stop loss, and pays out withdrawals in 1 day against 3 days. City Index, on the other hand, fills orders in 2 ms against 14 ms, opens micro and fixed-spread accounts and holds more account base currencies (three against one). City Index and IG Markets are both regulated in the UK by the FCA. The two brokers cover CFDs on commodities, forex, indices and stocks, allow hedging, expert advisors and API access, open professional accounts and provide a demo account.

Our verdict · Real stock investing

City Index and IG Markets cannot be compared for real stock investing in the UK, because City Index is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks to buy. If you want to invest in real stocks and you are choosing between City Index and IG Markets, IG Markets is the better option of the two, because it charges no fees on US stocks and opens the door to options and futures trading.

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.

City Index

CFDCFD This broker offers CFD trading: leveraged contracts that follow the price of an asset without owning it. Switch the comparison to CFD to rate it on that. Regulated in your country City Index holds a licence from the regulator of the country this site is for, so local investor protections apply.
City Index review ›
84CFDOverall score InvestinGoal score from 0 to 100, calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas (regulation, safety, costs, platforms and more). CFD and stock trading are scored separately: the number follows the side selected above. not offeredStocksOverall score InvestinGoal score from 0 to 100, calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas (regulation, safety, costs, platforms and more). CFD and stock trading are scored separately: the number follows the side selected above.
Open Account

70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Best overall Best overall

IG Markets

CFDCFD This broker offers CFD trading: leveraged contracts that follow the price of an asset without owning it. Switch the comparison to CFD to rate it on that. StocksStocks This broker lets you buy real assets that you own outright. Switch the comparison to Stocks to rate it on that. Regulated in your country IG Markets holds a licence from the regulator of the country this site is for, so local investor protections apply.
IG Markets review ›
90CFDOverall score InvestinGoal score from 0 to 100, calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas (regulation, safety, costs, platforms and more). CFD and stock trading are scored separately: the number follows the side selected above. 88StocksOverall score InvestinGoal score from 0 to 100, calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas (regulation, safety, costs, platforms and more). CFD and stock trading are scored separately: the number follows the side selected above.
Open Account

69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Best for

1 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders City Index and IG Markets are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in United Kingdom.

City Index is better than IG Markets for news traders. IG Markets, on the other hand, is better for day traders, scalpers and crypto traders. High-volume traders, algo traders and CFD stock traders can choose either City Index or IG Markets.

Best for
Overall score City Index 84 -6 not offered IG Markets 90 Best 88
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

2 / 12
What we compare A comparison between the financial authorities that supervise City Index and the ones that supervise IG Markets.
Regulation
Section score City Index 100 not offered IG Markets 100 100
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

3 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the tools and services that City Index and IG Markets have in place to protect your money in United Kingdom.
Safety
Section score City Index 95 Best not offered IG Markets 91 -4 91
Company info
Is it publicly traded i
Is it a bank i
Year founded i 1983 1974
Parent company i StoneX Group Inc IG Group Holdings plc
CEO i Clive Cooke Breon Corcoran
Money safety
Segregated client funds i
Two-factor authentication i
Investor compensation scheme i
Additional money insurance i
Partner bank i N/A Barclays|Lloyds
Brand power
Number of customers worldwide i 235,000 820,000
Annual revenue i USD 124,800,000 USD 987,300,000
Monthly website search traffic i 12.1K monthly visits 97.1K monthly visits

Costs

4 / 12
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with City Index and with IG Markets in United Kingdom, both on each trade and on holding the account.

IG Markets is better than City Index for CFD costs, as IG Markets is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 5.08 USD per lot (against City Index's 8 USD).

There is no like-for-like comparison for real stock costs, as City Index is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Costs
Section score City Index 69 -18 not offered IG Markets 87 Best 75
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
0.8 pips
0.85 pips
EUR/USD average raw spread i
0.165 pips
EUR/USD average fixed spread i
EUR/USD total cost per lot i USD 8 USD 5.075
S&P 500 fees (CFD) i 0.4 points 0.4 points
Gold fees (CFD) i 0.3 points 0.3 points
Bitcoin fees (CFD) i USD 36
US stocks fees (CFD) i USD 0.018 USD 0.02
Fees on stocks
Stock fee type i Commission, Percentage Commission
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

5 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the markets and products you can trade with City Index and with IG Markets in United Kingdom, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.

IG Markets is better than City Index for CFD markets.

Only IG Markets can be assessed for real stock markets, since City Index is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Available markets
Section score City Index 75 -25 not offered IG Markets 100 Best 100
Total tradable symbols i 13,500 17,000
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

6 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that City Index and IG Markets make available to their clients in United Kingdom.

City Index and IG Markets are equally good for platforms.

IG Markets and City Index cannot be set side by side for platforms, as City Index is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike IG Markets.

Platform
Section score City Index 88 -3 not offered IG Markets 91 91
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

7 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the mobile apps of City Index and IG Markets in United Kingdom, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.

IG Markets is better than City Index for mobile trading.

There is no like-for-like comparison for mobile trading, as City Index is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Mobile
Section score City Index 80 -13 not offered IG Markets 93 Best 93
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

8 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the trading tools and strategies that City Index and IG Markets allow on their platforms in United Kingdom.

IG Markets is better than City Index for CFD trading features.

IG Markets and City Index cannot be compared for real stock trading features, because IG Markets is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while City Index is a CFD broker.

Trading features
Section score City Index 79 -10 not offered IG Markets 89 Best 92
Trade execution
Broker type i Agency Agency
Average execution time i 2 ms 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

9 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of account you can open at City Index and at IG Markets in United Kingdom, and of who each one is meant for.

IG Markets is better than City Index for CFD account types.

There is no like-for-like comparison for real stock account types, as City Index is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Account types
Section score City Index 40 -6 not offered IG Markets 46 Best 29
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

10 / 12
What we compare A comparison of what it takes to open and fund an account with City Index and with IG Markets in United Kingdom.

City Index and IG Markets are equally good for account opening.

City Index does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so IG Markets and City Index cannot be compared for account opening.

Account opening
Section score City Index 62 not offered IG Markets 62 62
Minimum deposit i USD 50 USD 0
Minimum withdrawal i USD 0 USD 100
Wire transfers i
Credit cards i
Debit cards i
eWallets i
Local payment methods i
Account base currencies i AUD, EUR, USD GBP
Deposit waiting time i up to 3 business days Instant
Withdrawal waiting time i up to 3 business days up to 1 business days
Bonus program i

Customer care

11 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of City Index and IG Markets in United Kingdom, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.

IG Markets is better than City Index for customer care.

Only IG Markets can be assessed for customer care, since City Index is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Customer care
Section score City Index 73 -5 not offered IG Markets 78 Best 78
Number of languages supported i 6 12
Website languages i Arabic, German, English, Polish, Spanish, Chinese Arabic, Danish, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish
Website available in English i
Customer support languages i Arabic, German, English, Polish, Spanish, Chinese Arabic, Danish, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish
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

12 / 12
What we compare A comparison of the educational material that City Index and IG Markets provide to their clients in United Kingdom.

City Index and IG Markets are equally good for learning.

City Index does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so IG Markets and City Index cannot be compared for learning.

Learning
Section score City Index 100 not offered IG Markets 100 100
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
City Index
Open Account 70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
IG Markets
Open Account 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Our verdict

City Index vs IG Markets: which one should you choose?

City Index

CFD Choose City Index if you want an online CFD broker with fast execution and fixed-spread accounts.

Open Account 70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
IG Markets

CFD Choose IG Markets if you want a CFD and forex broker with a wide choice of markets, low trading costs and no minimum deposit.

Stocks Choose IG Markets if you want a broker for securities investing with commission-free US stocks.

Open Account 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

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