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FP Markets vs IC Markets: Comparison and Analysis

Trying to figure out whether to use FP Markets or IC Markets? This comparison article lays out the features of both brokers in detail, so you can see which is the best platform according to your needs.

We’ve compared more than 100 variables and features so you can see the pros and cons of FP Markets and IC Markets side by side. We’ve divided the comparisons into a logical structure so it’s easy to navigate.

Scroll the whole post below, or use the quick menu to jump to the relevant section.

Open Account
74-89% of retail CFD accounts lose money
FP Markets review
Open Account
74-89% of retail CFD accounts lose money
IC Markets review

Overall Ratings


Rated
88
Rated
91

General Breakdown. This graph highlights the key scores from each Macro, uniquely calculated by us.

  • FP Markets
  • IC Markets

Security 93
Security 93

Cost 64
Cost 85

Trading 100
Trading 100

Education 75
Education 66

Company Info


Foundation
2005
2007
Is it Regulated?
Is it Publicly Traded?
Is it a Bank?
Segregated Clients Funds ?
No-ESMA Branches? ?
Accepts EU Clients?
Accepts US Clients?
Accepts Canadian Clients?
Website Languages
en, ar, de, es, fr, po, ru, viet, mal, it
en, ar, bul, chi(t/s), cro, cz, de, es, fr, po, ru, thai, ko, ind, viet, mal, it

Leverage


Non-EU Leverage ?
500:1
500:1
European Leverage ?
30:1
30:1
Australian Leverage ?
30:1
30:1
US Leverage ?
0
0
Canadian Leverage ?
0
0

Tier 1 Regulation


FSA ?
MAS ?
FINMA ?
FCA ?
CFTC ?
MIFID-ESMA ?
ASIC ?
CIRO ?
SFC ?

Tier 2 Regulation


FMA ?
CBR ?
FSCA ?
SEC ?
DFSA ?
CBRC ?
CySEC ?
ISA ?

Tier 3 Regulation


Offshore ?
MMA (Maldives) ?
EDR ?
FSA (Seychelles) ?
SCB (Bahamas) ?
FSC (Mauritius) ?
VFSC (Vanuatu) ?
IFSC (Belize) ?
CIMA (Cayman Islands) ?
SVG (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) ?
FSRC (St. Kitts & Nevis) ?
BMA (Bermuda) ?
BVI (British Virgin Islands) ?

Brand Power


SimilarWeb - Website Ranking
414910
19551
SimilarWeb - Total Visits
101660
117889
Facebook Likes
126810
54458
Twitter Likes
2378
3276
Instagram Likes
14397

Deposit and Withdrawal


Minimum Deposit ?
100 USD
100 USD
Minimum Withdraw ?
Credit Card ?
Bank Transfer ?
PayPal
Neteller
Skrill
Other Methods Available ?
Bpay, Broker to Broker, FasaPay, Klarna, POLi, RapidPay, THAI Internet Banking, UnionPay, Vietnamese Internet Banking, Bitcoin Wallet
Deposit Waiting Time ?
1 business day
instant
Withdraw Waiting Time ?
1 business day
1 business day
Bonus Program ?

Costs and Fees


Deposit Fees ?
Withdrawal Commissions ?
Overnight/Swap Fee ?
Inactivity Fee ?
Conversion Fee ?

Account Types


Demo Account ?
Demo Account Expiration ?
Account Currencies ?
EUR, USD
AUD, EUR, GBP, USD, CAD, CHF, HKD, JPY, NZD, SGD
Standard Account ?
Micro Account ?
Low-cost Account ?
Variable Spread Account ?
Fixed Spread Account ?
Zero Spread Account ?
ECN Account ?
Swap Free Account ?
Islamic Account ?
Professional Traders Account ?
Active Trader Program ?

Commodities


Crude Oil ?
0.03
0.010
Natural Gas ?
0.001
Silver ?
0.01
Platinum ?
Copper ?
Soybeans ?
1.35
Corn ?
0.6
Gold ?
0.78

Forex Fixed Spreads


EUR/GBP Spread
EUR/USD Spread
USD/JPY Spread
GBP/USD Spread
USD/CHF Spread
AUD/USD Spread
USD/CAD Spread
NZD/USD Spread

Forex Variable Spreads


EUR/USD Average Spread
0.09
0.1
USD/JPY Average Spread
0.36
0.2
USD/CHF Average Spread
0.41
0.5
GBP/USD Average Spread
0.49
0.4
USD/CAD Average Spread
0.58
0.5
AUD/USD Average Spread
0.3
0.2
NZD/USD Average Spread
0.45
0.4
EUR/GBP Average Spread
0.61
0.4

Fees on Stocks


Apple
Facebook
Alphabet
Snapchat
BP
Tesco
Barclays
Lloyds

Fees on Indices


FTSE100
1.65
1.0
S&P500
0.54
0.6
Dow Jones
3.56
Nasdaq
1.56
CAC40
1.96
1.0
DAX30
1.73
0.950
Nikkei 225
8.74
6.0
Euro Stoxx 50
2.0

Fees on Cryptocurrencies


Bitcoin
1
1
Ethereum
4.61
4.0
Ripple
0.0009
0.015
Litecoin
3.31
3.0
Bitcoin Cash
5.04
5.0
Dash
0
4.0
Monero
0
0
Neo
0
0

Platforms


cTrader Desktop
cTrader Web
Mirror Trader
ZuluTrade ?
MT4 Dekstop
MT4 Web
MT5 Desktop
MT5 Web
Proprietary Desktop Platform
Proprietary Web Platform
MAC Platforms
Sirix

Mobile Trading


Android ?
iOS ?
Windows ?
Trading Signals on Mobile ?
Smart Watch App ?
Forex Trading ?
CFD Trading ?
Alerts ?
Chartings-Drawing Tools ?
Mobile Available Language ?
en, chi
en, dan, de, ne, pol, afrk, chi
Watchlist Mobile ?

Available Markets


Forex Pairs ?
70
63
Crypto ?
60
63
Commodities ?
18
21
Stocks ?
10000
1650
Indices ?
11
25
ETF ?
Futures ?
4
Options ?
Bonds ?
7
Metal ?
4
7
Agricultural ?
6
Energies ?
3
5
Interest Rates ?
Penny Stocks ?
IPO ?
Blends ?
Dow Jones ?
FTSE ?
Dax ?
Nikkei ?
Gold Market ?
Bitcoin ?
Real Assets ?

Trading Execution


Direct Market Access (DMA) ?
Straigh Through Processing (STP) ?
Electronic Communication Network (ECN) ?
Market Maker ?
Non Dealing Desk (NDD) ?
FIFO Applies? ?
4 Digits Decimal Pricing ?
5 Digits Decimal Pricing ?

Risk Management


Stop Losses ?
Take Profits ?
Limit Orders ?
Trailing Stop ?
Margin Call ?
OCO Orders ?
Guaranteed Stop Loss ?
Negative Balance Protection ?
Minimum Trade Size ?
0.01 lots
0.01 lots
Maximum Trade Size ?
100 lots
100 lots

Special Trading Conditions


MAM ?
PAMM ?
Social Trading ?
Copy Trading ?
LAMM ?

Available Trading Techniques


Scalping ?
Hedging ?
Spread Betting ?
Expert Advisor (EA) ?
Virtual Private Server ?
API ?

Trading Tools


One-Click Trading ?
Signal Trading ?
Price Alerts ?
Number Chart Indicators ?
51
51
Number Chart Drawing Tools ?
31
31
Trade Directly From Chart ?
Watchlist ?

Education


Education Center ?
Webinars
Platform Tutorial Video ?
Video on Trading for Beginners ?
Video on Trading for Experts ?
Tutorial Guide
Glossary

Customer Support


Call Back Request ?
Email Support
Phone Support
Live Chat
Support Language Available
en, ar, chi(t/s), de, es, fr, po, thai, ko, ind, mal, it
en, ar, bul, chi(t/s), cro, cz, de, es, fr, po, ru, thai, ko, ind, viet, mal, it

Research


Professional Reports
Social Trading Features - Social Feeds ?
Economic Calendar
Daily Email With Trading Ideas
Analysis From Trading Central (Recognia)
Analysis From Delkos Research
AutoChartist
Traders Sentiment ?
News via Twitter
News via FaceBook
Daily Market Commentary

FP Markets vs IC Markets: Which Broker is the Best for You?

FP Markets and IC Markets are two popular Australian-based brokers that have attracted a significant number of traders worldwide. Both brokers offer a wide range of trading instruments, low spreads, and high leverage ratios. However, there are some differences between them that traders need to consider before choosing one over the other. In this comparison, we will analyse the most important characteristics of FP Markets and IC Markets, including security, demo account, account opening, social-copy trading, markets, trading fees, platforms, education, and customer care.

Security

Both FP Markets and IC Markets are well-regulated brokers. FP Markets is regulated by CySEC, ASIC, FSCA, and SVG, while IC Markets is regulated by CySEC, ASIC, FSA, and SCB. FP Markets and IC Markets have the same security rating of 93, which is a good indication of their reliability.

Demo Account

FP Markets offers a demo account with a duration of 30 days and virtual funds of $100,000. Traders can replenish their virtual funds by contacting customer support. On the other hand, IC Markets offers an unlimited demo account that allows traders to choose the virtual funds amount, up to $5,000,000. Traders can restore their virtual funds by contacting customer support. Overall, IC Markets has a more flexible demo account than FP Markets.

Account Opening

FP Markets requires a minimum deposit of $100 for Standard and Raw accounts, $1,000 for Iress accounts. IC Markets, on the other hand, does not have a minimum deposit in place, but they suggest a minimum deposit of $200. FP Markets offers 10 base currencies, including AUD, USD, EUR, and GBP, while IC Markets offers over 10 base currencies, including USD, EUR, AUD, and GBP, making it easier for traders to avoid currency conversion fees. FP Markets offers a wider range of account types, including the Standard Account, Raw Account, Iress Account, Islamic Account, and professional account for advanced traders, while IC Markets offers the Standard account, RAW Spread account, and professional account for advanced traders. Overall, FP Markets offers more account types, but IC Markets is more flexible in terms of deposit amount and account currency.

Social-Copy Trading

FP Markets does not offer copy-social trading, while IC Markets allows traders to engage in copy trading through third-party platforms such as ZuluTrade. Therefore, IC Markets is the better option for traders who want to engage in social-copy trading.

Markets

FP Markets offers a wider range of markets than IC Markets. FP Markets offers Forex (70+), commodities (18), indices (11), crypto assets (60), and stocks (10,000+). On the other hand, IC Markets offers Forex (63), commodities (21), indices (25), crypto assets (63), and stocks (1600+). However, IC Markets offers CFD trading only, while FP Markets offers CFD and DMA (Direct Market Access) trading for shares. Therefore, FP Markets is the better option for traders who want to engage in long-term investing.

Trading Fees

Both FP Markets and IC Markets offer low spreads, starting from 0 pip on Forex. FP Markets charges a commission of $6 per lot traded on Raw accounts, while IC Markets charges up to $7 per lot traded. FP Markets charges a minimum commission of $10 on stocks, while IC Markets charges variable spreads. Overall, both brokers offer competitive trading fees, and the choice depends on the trader’s trading strategy.

Platforms

FP Markets offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5), and Iress, while IC Markets offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and cTrader. All the platforms offered by both brokers allow traders to engage in algo trading, and they also offer VPS services. Therefore, the choice depends on the trader’s preference in terms of trading platform.

Education/Customer Care

Both brokers offer a wide range of educational materials, including video tutorials, webinars, eBooks, podcasts, and market analysis. However, FP Markets provides more resources for both beginner and advanced traders. In terms of customer care, both brokers offer easy-to-contact support through email, telephone, and live chat. FP Markets offers services in various languages, while IC Markets offers over 18 languages. Therefore, the choice depends on the trader’s preference in terms of education and customer care.

Conclusion

In summary, both FP Markets and IC Markets are reliable and well-regulated brokers that offer low spreads, high leverage ratios, and a wide range of trading instruments. FP Markets offers more account types, a wider range of markets, and more educational resources, while IC Markets offers a more flexible demo account, a wider range of base currencies, and the ability to engage in social-copy trading. The choice ultimately depends on the trader’s preferences and trading strategies. Traders who are interested in long-term investing may prefer FP Markets, while traders who are interested in short-term investing or social-copy trading may prefer IC Markets.