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IC Markets vs IG Markets: Comparison and Analysis

Written by Filippo Ucchino Fact-Checked by Luca Puddu Publication Date Last Updated
Our verdict · CFD/FX trading

IC Markets and IG Markets are two great brokers for scalping and automated trading. However, IG Markets is the better choice if you are looking for ProRealTime, a proprietary trading platform, more tradable symbols (17,000 against 2,850) and faster execution (14 ms against 66 ms). IC Markets is better because it has MetaTrader 5, cTrader and high-frequency trading strategies. IC Markets is regulated by CySEC and ASIC, with an offshore company regulated by the FSA (Seychelles), while IG Markets is regulated by BaFin, the FCA and ASIC, with an offshore company regulated by the BMA (Bermuda) and a Japanese company registered with the JFSA. IC Markets charges 7.80 USD per lot to trade EUR/USD, against 8.50 USD at IG Markets, and both offer a demo account. IG Markets asks for no minimum deposit at any of its companies, while IC Markets asks for 224.00 USD at its European company, 200.00 USD at its Australian company and no minimum deposit at its offshore company. IC Markets offers crypto CFDs at all its companies, while IG Markets offers them except at its UK and Japanese companies.

Our verdict · Real stock investing

IC Markets and IG Markets cannot be compared for real stock investing, because IC Markets 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 IC Markets and IG Markets, IG Markets is the better option of the two, because it offers stocks and ETFs to own and options to trade, and it charges no fees on US stocks.

Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD/FX brokers (leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto), using the data of IC Markets' Cyprus entity and IG Markets' Germany entity. Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as stock brokers (real shares and ETFs you own outright), using the data of IC Markets' Cyprus entity and IG Markets' Germany entity.

IC Markets

CFDCFD IC Markets offers CFD trading: leveraged contracts that follow the price of an asset without owning it. Switch the comparison to CFD/FX to rate it on that. FXFX IC Markets offers forex trading: currency pairs such as EUR/USD, traded with leverage. Forex is rated together with CFDs, on the CFD/FX side.
IC Markets review ›
87CFD/FXOverall score IC Markets scores 87/100 for CFD/FX trading. The overall score is calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas. 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

72.52% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Best overall

IG Markets

CFDCFD IG Markets offers CFD trading: leveraged contracts that follow the price of an asset without owning it. Switch the comparison to CFD/FX to rate it on that. FXFX IG Markets offers forex trading: currency pairs such as EUR/USD, traded with leverage. Forex is rated together with CFDs, on the CFD/FX side. StocksStocks IG Markets lets you buy real assets that you own outright. Switch the comparison to Stocks to rate it on that.
IG Markets review ›
89CFD/FXOverall score IG Markets scores 89/100 for CFD/FX trading. The overall score is calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas. 88StocksOverall score IG Markets scores 88/100 for stock investing. The overall score is calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas.
Open Account

74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Best for

What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders IC Markets and IG Markets are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in .
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IG Markets is better than IC Markets for long-term investors, high-volume traders and options traders. Professional traders, scalpers and swing traders can choose either IG Markets or IC Markets.

Best for
Overall score IC Markets 87 -2 not offered IG Markets 89 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

What we compare A comparison between the financial authorities that supervise IC Markets and the ones that supervise IG Markets.
2 / 12

IC Markets and IG Markets are both regulated by top-tier authorities, IC Markets by CySEC and ASIC (Australia) and IG Markets by BaFin, ASIC (Australia) and the FCA (United Kingdom).

Regulation
Section score IC Markets 100 not offered IG Markets 100 100
Tier-1 regulators
ESMA (European Union) i CySEC (Cyprus) BaFin (Germany)
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 IC Markets and IG Markets have in place to protect your money in .
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IC Markets and IG Markets both offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme. IG Markets is also a licensed bank.

Safety
Section score IC Markets 78 -13 not offered IG Markets 91 Best 91
Company info
Is it publicly traded i
Is it a bank i
Year founded i 2007 1974
Parent company i International Capital Markets Pty Ltd IG Group Holdings plc
CEO i Andrew Budzinski Breon Corcoran
Money safety
Segregated client funds i
Two-factor authentication i
Investor compensation scheme i
Additional money insurance i
Partner bank i Eurobank UniCredit Bank AG, UniCredit S.p.A., J.P. Morgan SE, CaixaBank, Citigroup, BNP Paribas
Brand power
Number of customers worldwide i 320,000
Annual revenue i USD 987,300,000
Monthly website search traffic i 2.2M monthly visits 97.1K monthly visits

Costs

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

IG Markets is better than IC Markets for CFD/FX costs, because IG Markets does not charge forex commissions (against IC Markets' 7 USD per lot), does not charge inactivity fees, unlike IC Markets, and offers volume discounts, which IC Markets does not. Neither IC Markets nor IG Markets charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.

IG Markets and IC Markets cannot be set side by side for real stock costs, as IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike IG Markets.

Costs
Section score IC Markets 65 -10 not offered IG Markets 75 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 USD 7 FreeAbout this value. This is the forex commission per lot at IG Europe GmbH (BaFin). At IG Markets' other companies: USD 6 (Australia, other accepted countries), Free (the UK, Japan).
EUR/USD average standard spread i
0.8 pips
0.85 pips
EUR/USD average raw spread i
0.06 pips
EUR/USD average fixed spread i
EUR/USD total cost per lot i USD 7.8 USD 8.5
S&P 500 fees (CFD) i 0.36 points 0.4 points
Gold fees (CFD) i 0.08 points 0.3 points
Bitcoin fees (CFD) i USD 6.46 USD 36
US stocks fees (CFD) i USD 0.02 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 Free 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 IC Markets and with IG Markets in , and of how many instruments each one gives access to.
5 / 12

IG Markets is better than IC Markets for CFD/FX markets, because IG Markets gives access to 17,000 tradable symbols (against IC Markets' 2,850), lets you own stocks and ETFs outright, which IC Markets does not, and offers options on commodities, forex, indices and stocks, which IC Markets does not. Both IC Markets and IG Markets offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, ETFs, forex, indices and stocks.

IG Markets and IC Markets cannot be compared for real stock markets, because IG Markets is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while IC Markets is a CFD broker.

Available markets
Section score IC Markets 75 -25 not offered IG Markets 100 Best 100
Total tradable symbols i 2,850 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, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks Commodities, Crypto, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks
Futures i
Options i Commodities, Forex, Indices, Stocks
Assets you can own i Stocks, ETF

Platform

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

IC Markets and IG Markets are equally good for platforms, as IC Markets offers cTrader and MetaTrader 5. On the other hand, IG Markets offers a proprietary platform and AutoChartist. IC Markets and IG Markets both offer MetaTrader 4 and TradingView.

IC Markets does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so IG Markets and IC Markets cannot be compared for platforms.

Platform
Section score IC Markets 89 -2 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

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

There is little between IC Markets and IG Markets on mobile trading, as both offer a proprietary mobile app and the MetaTrader 4 app. IC Markets has a slight edge, as it offers the cTrader app and the MetaTrader 5 app.

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

Mobile
Section score IC Markets 93 not offered IG Markets 93 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

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

IC Markets is better than IG Markets for CFD/FX trading features, since IC Markets allows for high-frequency trading. Both IC Markets and IG Markets offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.

IC Markets does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so IG Markets and IC Markets cannot be compared for real stock trading features.

Trading features
Section score IC Markets 93 Best not offered IG Markets 89 -4 85
Trade execution
Broker type i NDD Agency
Average execution time i 66 ms 14 ms
Slippage occurrence i 11%
Requotes occurrence i
Tier-1 liquidity providers i
PFOF i
Leverage
Major FX pairs leverage i 30:1About this value. This is the major fx pairs leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 30:1 (Australia), 5000:1 (other accepted countries). 30:1About this value. This is the major fx pairs leverage at IG Europe GmbH (BaFin). At IG Markets' other companies: 30:1 (Australia, the UK), 200:1 (other accepted countries), 25:1 (Japan).
Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i 20:1About this value. This is the minor/exotic fx pairs leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 20:1 (Australia), 5000:1 (other accepted countries). 20:1About this value. This is the minor/exotic fx pairs leverage at IG Europe GmbH (BaFin). At IG Markets' other companies: 20:1 (Australia, the UK), 133:1 (other accepted countries), 25:1 (Japan).
Major indices leverage i 20:1About this value. This is the major indices leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 20:1 (Australia), 200:1 (other accepted countries). 20:1About this value. This is the major indices leverage at IG Europe GmbH (BaFin). At IG Markets' other companies: 20:1 (Australia, the UK), 200:1 (other accepted countries), 10:1 (Japan).
Minor indices leverage i 10:1About this value. This is the minor indices leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 10:1 (Australia), 200:1 (other accepted countries). 10:1About this value. This is the minor indices leverage at IG Europe GmbH (BaFin). At IG Markets' other companies: 10:1 (Australia, the UK, Japan), 200:1 (other accepted countries).
Gold leverage i 20:1About this value. This is the gold leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 20:1 (Australia), 2000:1 (other accepted countries). 20:1About this value. This is the gold leverage at IG Europe GmbH (BaFin). At IG Markets' other companies: 20:1 (Australia, the UK, Japan), 200:1 (other accepted countries).
Commodities leverage i 10:1About this value. This is the commodities leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 10:1 (Australia), 1000:1 (other accepted countries). 10:1About this value. This is the commodities leverage at IG Europe GmbH (BaFin). At IG Markets' other companies: 10:1 (Australia, the UK), 67:1 (other accepted countries), 20:1 (Japan).
Equities leverage i 5:1About this value. This is the equities leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 5:1 (Australia), 20:1 (other accepted countries). 5:1About this value. This is the equities leverage at IG Europe GmbH (BaFin). At IG Markets' other companies: 5:1 (Australia, the UK, Japan), 20:1 (other accepted countries).
Cryptocurrency leverage i 2:1About this value. This is the cryptocurrency leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 2:1 (Australia), 500:1 (other accepted countries). 2:1About this value. This is the cryptocurrency leverage at IG Europe GmbH (BaFin). At IG Markets' other companies: 2:1 (Australia), 10:1 (other accepted countries).
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 IC Markets and at IG Markets in , and of who each one is meant for.
9 / 12

IC Markets is better than IG Markets for CFD/FX account types, because IC Markets offers a managed account, an ECN account and a copy trading account, which IG Markets does not. Both IC Markets and IG Markets offer a demo account and a professional traders account.

IC Markets does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so IG Markets and IC Markets cannot be compared for real stock account types.

Account types
Section score IC Markets 79 Best not offered IG Markets 48 -31 35
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 IC Markets and with IG Markets in .
10 / 12

IC Markets is better than IG Markets for account opening, as IC Markets offers 10 account base currencies (against IG Markets' 1), supports 3 e-wallets (against IG Markets' 1), and has no minimum withdrawal (against IG Markets' 150 USD). However, IG Markets does not require a minimum deposit at all (against IC Markets' 224 USD).

IG Markets and IC Markets cannot be compared for account opening, because IG Markets is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while IC Markets is a CFD broker.

Account opening
Section score IC Markets 85 Best not offered IG Markets 65 -20 65
Minimum deposit i USD 224About this value. This is the minimum deposit at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: USD 200 (Australia), USD 0 (other accepted countries). USD 0
Minimum withdrawal i USD 0 USD 150
Wire transfers i
Credit cards i
Debit cards i
eWallets i PayPal, Neteller, Skrill PayPal
Local payment methods i
Account base currencies i AUD, CAD, CHF, EUR, GBP, HKD, JPY, NZD, SGD, USDAbout this value. This is the account base currencies at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). It is different at IC Markets' companies in Australia. EURAbout this value. This is the account base currencies at IG Europe GmbH (BaFin). It is different at IG Markets' companies in Australia, other accepted countries, the UK and Japan.
Deposit waiting time i Instant Instant
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 IC Markets and IG Markets in , in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.
11 / 12

IC Markets is better than IG Markets for customer care, because IC Markets offers customer support in 17 languages (against IG Markets' 12), has a website in 17 languages (against IG Markets' 12), and offers priority support, which IG Markets does not. IC Markets and IG Markets both offer a dedicated account manager and phone support.

There is no like-for-like comparison for customer care, as IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Customer care
Section score IC Markets 87 Best not offered IG Markets 78 -9 78
Number of languages supported i 17 12
Website languages i Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, German, English, French, Croatian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese Arabic, Danish, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish
Website available in English i
Customer support languages i Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, German, English, French, Croatian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, 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

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

IC Markets and IG Markets are equally good for learning, as both offer education for advanced traders and webinars.

There is no like-for-like comparison for learning, as IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Learning
Section score IC Markets 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
IC Markets
Open Account 72.52% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
IG Markets
Open Account 74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Our verdict

IC Markets vs IG Markets: which one should you choose?

IC Markets

CFD/FX Choose IC Markets if you want a CFD and forex broker with MetaTrader 5 and cTrader.

Open Account 72.52% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
IG Markets

CFD/FX Choose IG Markets if you want an online CFD broker with ProRealTime, a wide choice of markets and fast execution.

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 74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

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