Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD/FX brokers (leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto), using the data of IG Markets' Germany entity and Pepperstone's Cyprus entity. Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as stock brokers (real shares and ETFs you own outright), using the data of IG Markets' Germany entity and Pepperstone's Cyprus entity.
IG Markets
74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Pepperstone
74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Best for
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders IG Markets and Pepperstone are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in .IG Markets is better than Pepperstone for long-term investors and options traders. Both are a good fit for professional traders, high-volume traders and scalpers.
| Overall score | IG Markets 89 Best 88 | Pepperstone 85 -4 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 Pepperstone.IG Markets and Pepperstone are both regulated by top-tier authorities, IG Markets by BaFin, ASIC (Australia) and the FCA (United Kingdom) and Pepperstone by BaFin, CySEC and ASIC (Australia).
| Section score | IG Markets 100 100 | Pepperstone 100 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Tier-1 regulators | ||
| ESMA (European Union) i | BaFin (Germany) | CySEC (Cyprus) |
| 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 Pepperstone have in place to protect your money in .Both IG Markets and Pepperstone offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme. IG Markets is also a licensed bank.
| Section score | IG Markets 91 Best 91 | Pepperstone 78 -13 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 1974 | 2010 |
| Parent company i | IG Group Holdings plc | Pepperstone Group Limited |
| CEO i | Breon Corcoran | Tamas Szabo |
| Money safety | ||
| Segregated client funds i | ||
| Two-factor authentication i | ||
| Investor compensation scheme i | ||
| Additional money insurance i | ||
| Partner bank i | UniCredit Bank AG, UniCredit S.p.A., J.P. Morgan SE, CaixaBank, Citigroup, BNP Paribas | N/A |
| Brand power | ||
| Number of customers worldwide i | 320,000 | 900,000 |
| Annual revenue i | USD 987,300,000 | USD 13,000,000 |
| Monthly website search traffic i | 97.1K monthly visits | 1.3M monthly visits |
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with IG Markets and with Pepperstone in , both on each trade and on holding the account.IG Markets is better than Pepperstone for CFD/FX costs, since IG Markets is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 8.5 USD per lot (against Pepperstone's 9.5 USD), has tighter S&P 500 CFD spreads, at 0.4 points (against Pepperstone's 0.47 points), and has tighter gold CFD spreads, at 0.3 points (against Pepperstone's 0.5 points). Neither IG Markets nor Pepperstone charges inactivity fees or account maintenance fees.
Only IG Markets can be assessed for real stock costs, since Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | IG Markets 75 Best 75 | Pepperstone 72 -3 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 | 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). | USD 7 |
| 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 8.5 | USD 9.5 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 0.4 points | 0.47 points |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.3 points | 0.5 points |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | USD 36 | |
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | USD 0.02 | USD 0.02 |
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Commission | Commission, Percentage |
| 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 Pepperstone in , and of how many instruments each one gives access to.IG Markets is better than Pepperstone for CFD/FX markets, because IG Markets gives access to 17,000 tradable symbols (against Pepperstone's 1,444), lets you own stocks and ETFs outright, which Pepperstone does not, and offers options on commodities, forex, indices and stocks, which Pepperstone does not. Both IG Markets and Pepperstone offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, ETFs, forex, indices and stocks.
Pepperstone does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so IG Markets and Pepperstone cannot be compared for real stock markets.
| Section score | IG Markets 100 Best 100 | Pepperstone 75 -25 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 17,000 | 1,444 |
| 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 IG Markets and Pepperstone make available to their clients in .Pepperstone is better than IG Markets for platforms, given that Pepperstone offers cTrader, MetaTrader 5 and social trading, which IG Markets does not. Both IG Markets and Pepperstone offer a proprietary platform and MetaTrader 4.
Pepperstone does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so IG Markets and Pepperstone cannot be compared for platforms.
| Section score | IG Markets 91 -6 91 | Pepperstone 97 Best 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 Pepperstone in , and of what each one lets you do from your phone.Pepperstone is better than IG Markets for mobile trading, because Pepperstone offers the cTrader app, the MetaTrader 5 app and a social trading app, which IG Markets does not. IG Markets and Pepperstone both offer a proprietary mobile app and the MetaTrader 4 app.
There is no like-for-like comparison for mobile trading, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | IG Markets 93 -5 93 | Pepperstone 98 Best 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 Pepperstone allow on their platforms in .Pepperstone is better than IG Markets for CFD/FX trading features, given that Pepperstone allows for high-frequency trading. Both IG Markets and Pepperstone offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.
Pepperstone does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so IG Markets and Pepperstone cannot be compared for real stock trading features.
| Section score | IG Markets 89 -4 85 | Pepperstone 93 Best not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | Agency | NDD |
| Average execution time i | 14 ms | 30 ms |
| Slippage occurrence i | 11% | |
| Requotes occurrence i | 0.08% | |
| 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 IG Europe GmbH (BaFin). At IG Markets' other companies: 30:1 (Australia, the UK), 200:1 (other accepted countries), 25:1 (Japan). | 30:1About this value. This is the major fx pairs leverage at Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 200:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 30:1 (the EU, Australia, the UK). |
| Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i | 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). | 20:1About this value. This is the minor/exotic fx pairs leverage at Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 200:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 20:1 (the EU, Australia, the UK). |
| Major indices leverage i | 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). | 20:1About this value. This is the major indices leverage at Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 200:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 20:1 (the EU, Australia, the UK). |
| Minor indices leverage i | 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). | 10:1About this value. This is the minor indices leverage at Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 100:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 10:1 (the EU, Australia, the UK). |
| Gold leverage i | 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). | 20:1About this value. This is the gold leverage at Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 200:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 20:1 (the EU, Australia, the UK). |
| Commodities leverage i | 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). | 10:1About this value. This is the commodities leverage at Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 50:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 10:1 (the EU, Australia, the UK). |
| Equities leverage i | 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). | 5:1About this value. This is the equities leverage at Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 20:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 5:1 (the EU, Australia, the UK). |
| Cryptocurrency leverage i | 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). | 2:1About this value. This is the cryptocurrency leverage at Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). At Pepperstone's other companies: 20:1 (the UAE, other accepted countries), 2:1 (the EU, Australia). |
| 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 Pepperstone in , and of who each one is meant for.Pepperstone is better than IG Markets for CFD/FX account types, because Pepperstone offers an ECN account, an Islamic account and a swap-free account, which IG Markets does not. Both IG Markets and Pepperstone offer a demo account and a professional traders account.
IG Markets and Pepperstone cannot be compared for real stock account types, because IG Markets is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Pepperstone is a CFD broker.
| Section score | IG Markets 48 -19 35 | Pepperstone 67 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 Pepperstone in .Pepperstone is better than IG Markets for account opening, given that Pepperstone offers 4 account base currencies (against IG Markets' 1), has no minimum withdrawal (against IG Markets' 150 USD), and offers local payment methods, which IG Markets does not. However, IG Markets does not require a minimum deposit at all (against Pepperstone's 10 USD).
IG Markets and Pepperstone cannot be set side by side for account opening, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike IG Markets.
| Section score | IG Markets 65 -5 65 | Pepperstone 70 Best not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | USD 0 | USD 10 |
| Minimum withdrawal i | USD 150 | USD 0 |
| Wire transfers i | ||
| Credit cards i | ||
| Debit cards i | ||
| eWallets i | PayPal | PayPalAbout this value. This is the ewallets at Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). It is different at Pepperstone's companies in the UAE, Australia and other accepted countries. |
| Local payment methods i | ||
| Account base currencies i | 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. | GBP, USD, EUR, CHFAbout this value. This is the account base currencies at Pepperstone EU Limited (CySEC). It is different at Pepperstone's companies in the UAE, the EU, other accepted countries and Australia. |
| 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 Pepperstone in , in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.IG Markets is better than Pepperstone for customer care, given that IG Markets offers customer support in 12 languages (against Pepperstone's 10), and has a website in 12 languages (against Pepperstone's 9). IG Markets and Pepperstone both offer a dedicated account manager and phone support.
Only IG Markets can be assessed for customer care, since Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | IG Markets 78 Best 78 | Pepperstone 73 -5 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 12 | 10 |
| Website languages i | Arabic, Danish, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish | Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | Arabic, Danish, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish | Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, 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 Pepperstone provide to their clients in .IG Markets is better than Pepperstone for learning, given that IG Markets offers professional reports, which Pepperstone does not. Both IG Markets and Pepperstone offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
There is no like-for-like comparison for learning, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | IG Markets 100 Best 100 | Pepperstone 88 -12 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 Pepperstone: which one should you choose?
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, ETFs and options.
Open Account 74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Pepperstone
CFD/FX Choose Pepperstone if you want a CFD and forex broker for high-frequency trading strategies, with MetaTrader 5 and cTrader.
Open Account 74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.Other popular comparisons
Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include IG Markets or Pepperstone, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
