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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' UK entity and Pepperstone's UK 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' UK entity and Pepperstone's UK entity.

Best overall 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. Regulated in your country IG Markets is allowed by FCA to onboard clients residing in the UK.
IG Markets review ›
90CFD/FXOverall score IG Markets scores 90/100 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

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

Pepperstone

CFDCFD Pepperstone 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 Pepperstone offers forex trading: currency pairs such as EUR/USD, traded with leverage. Forex is rated together with CFDs, on the CFD/FX side. Regulated in your country Pepperstone is allowed by FCA to onboard clients residing in the UK.
Pepperstone review ›
85CFD/FXOverall score Pepperstone scores 85/100 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

72.9% 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 United Kingdom.
1 / 12

IG Markets is better than Pepperstone for day traders, futures traders and options traders. Both are a good fit for professional traders, high-volume traders and scalpers.

Best for
Overall score IG Markets 90 Best 88 Pepperstone 85 -5 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.
2 / 12

IG Markets and Pepperstone are both regulated in the UK, by the FCA.

Regulation
Section score IG Markets 100 100 Pepperstone 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 Pepperstone have in place to protect your money in United Kingdom.
3 / 12

Both IG Markets and Pepperstone offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme. IG Markets is also a licensed bank.

Safety
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 Barclays|Lloyds N/A
Brand power
Number of customers worldwide i 820,000 900,000
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 United Kingdom, both on each trade and on holding the account.
4 / 12

IG Markets is better than Pepperstone for CFD/FX costs, since IG Markets is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 5.08 USD per lot (against Pepperstone's 9.05 USD). 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.

Costs
Section score IG Markets 87 Best 75 Pepperstone 74 -13 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 USD 6.1
EUR/USD average standard spread i
0.85 pips
1.1 pips
EUR/USD average raw spread i
0.165 pips
0.1 pips
EUR/USD average fixed spread i
EUR/USD total cost per lot i USD 5.075 USD 9.05
S&P 500 fees (CFD) i 0.4 points 0.4 points
Gold fees (CFD) i 0.3 points 0.15 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 United Kingdom, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.
5 / 12

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), offers futures on indices and commodities, 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, 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.

Available markets
Section score IG Markets 100 Best 100 Pepperstone 65 -35 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, Forex, Indices, Stocks Commodities, 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 Pepperstone make available to their clients in United Kingdom.
6 / 12

IG Markets and Pepperstone are equally good for platforms, as IG Markets offers a proprietary platform while Pepperstone offers cTrader and social trading. IG Markets and Pepperstone both offer MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4.

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

Platform
Section score IG Markets 91 -1 91 Pepperstone 92 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 United Kingdom, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.
7 / 12

Pepperstone is better than IG Markets for mobile trading, because Pepperstone offers the cTrader app, a social trading app and a copy trading app, which IG Markets does not. IG Markets and Pepperstone both offer a proprietary mobile app and the MetaTrader 5 app.

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

Mobile
Section score IG Markets 93 -7 93 Pepperstone 100 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 United Kingdom.
8 / 12

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.

Trading features
Section score IG Markets 89 -4 92 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 30:1 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 Pepperstone in United Kingdom, and of who each one is meant for.
9 / 12

Pepperstone is better than IG Markets for CFD/FX account types, because Pepperstone offers an ECN account, an Islamic account and a copy trading 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.

Account types
Section score IG Markets 46 -29 29 Pepperstone 75 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 United Kingdom.
10 / 12

Pepperstone is better than IG Markets for account opening, given that Pepperstone offers 10 account base currencies (against IG Markets' 1), has no minimum withdrawal (against IG Markets' 100 USD), and offers local payment methods, which IG Markets does not. Neither IG Markets nor Pepperstone requires a minimum deposit.

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.

Account opening
Section score IG Markets 62 -18 62 Pepperstone 80 Best not offered
Minimum deposit i USD 0 USD 0
Minimum withdrawal i USD 100 USD 0
Wire transfers i
Credit cards i
Debit cards i
eWallets i
Local payment methods i
Account base currencies i GBP AUD, CAD, CHF, EUR, GBP, HKD, JPY, NZD, SGD, 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 Pepperstone in United Kingdom, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.
11 / 12

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.

Customer care
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 United Kingdom.
12 / 12

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.

Learning
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
Open Account 70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Pepperstone
Open Account 72.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Our verdict

IG Markets vs Pepperstone: which one should you choose?

IG Markets

CFD/FX Choose IG Markets if you want an online CFD broker with low trading costs, a wide choice of markets and a guaranteed stop loss.

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 70% 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 with cTrader, copy trading and several account base currencies.

Open Account 72.9% 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.

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