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 Plus500'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 Plus500's Cyprus entity.
IG Markets
74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Plus500
CFD service. 82% of retail investor accounts lose money
Best for
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders IG Markets and Plus500 are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in .IG Markets is better than Plus500 for professional traders, high-volume traders and scalpers. Long-term investors, swing traders and news traders can choose either IG Markets or Plus500.
| Overall score | IG Markets 89 Best 88 Best | Plus500 77 -12 74 -14 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Plus500.IG Markets and Plus500 are both regulated by top-tier authorities, IG Markets by BaFin, ASIC (Australia) and the FCA (United Kingdom) and Plus500 by CySEC, ASIC (Australia) and the FCA (United Kingdom).
| Section score | IG Markets 100 100 | Plus500 100 100 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Plus500 have in place to protect your money in .IG Markets and Plus500 both offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme. IG Markets is also a licensed bank.
| Section score | IG Markets 91 Best 91 Best | Plus500 85 -6 85 -6 |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 1974 | 2008 |
| Parent company i | IG Group Holdings plc | Plus500 Ltd. |
| CEO i | Breon Corcoran | David Zruia |
| 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 | 30,000,000 |
| Annual revenue i | USD 987,300,000 | USD 768,300,000 |
| Monthly website search traffic i | 97.1K monthly visits | |
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with IG Markets and with Plus500 in , both on each trade and on holding the account.IG Markets is better than Plus500 for CFD/FX costs, given that IG Markets has tighter S&P 500 CFD spreads, at 0.4 points (against Plus500's 0.7 points), has tighter gold CFD spreads, at 0.3 points (against Plus500's 0.75 points), and charges lower Bitcoin CFD fees, at 36 USD (against Plus500's 118.34 USD). Neither IG Markets nor Plus500 charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.
Plus500 is better than IG Markets for real stock costs, as Plus500 does not charge real-time market data fees, unlike IG Markets. Neither IG Markets nor Plus500 charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.
| Section score | IG Markets 75 Best 75 -5 | Plus500 64 -11 80 Best |
|---|---|---|
| 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). | Free |
| 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 8 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 0.4 points | 0.7 points |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.3 points | 0.75 points |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | USD 36 | USD 118.34 |
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | USD 0.02 | Free |
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Commission | Commission, Percentage, Spread |
| US stocks fees (real) i | Free | USD 0.12 |
| 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 Plus500 in , and of how many instruments each one gives access to.IG Markets is better than Plus500 for CFD/FX markets, because IG Markets gives access to 17,000 tradable symbols (against Plus500's 2,800), lets you own ETFs outright, which Plus500 does not, and offers options on commodities, forex, indices and stocks, which Plus500 does not. Both IG Markets and Plus500 offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, ETFs, forex, indices and stocks, and let you own stocks outright.
IG Markets is better than Plus500 for real stock markets, since IG Markets lets you own ETFs outright, which Plus500 does not, gives access to 17,000 tradable symbols (against Plus500's 2,800), and offers options on commodities, forex, indices and stocks, which Plus500 does not. Both IG Markets and Plus500 let you own stocks outright, and offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, ETFs, forex, indices and stocks.
| Section score | IG Markets 100 Best 100 Best | Plus500 75 -25 15 -85 |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 17,000 | 2,800 |
| 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 | Stocks |
Platform
What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that IG Markets and Plus500 make available to their clients in .IG Markets is better than Plus500 for platforms, given that IG Markets offers MetaTrader 4, TradingView and AutoChartist, which Plus500 does not. IG Markets and Plus500 both offer a proprietary platform and one-click trading.
| Section score | IG Markets 91 Best 91 Best | Plus500 75 -16 75 -16 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Plus500 in , and of what each one lets you do from your phone.IG Markets is better than Plus500 for mobile trading, since IG Markets offers the MetaTrader 4 app and mobile trading signals, which Plus500 does not. Both IG Markets and Plus500 offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.
| Section score | IG Markets 93 Best 93 Best | Plus500 80 -13 80 -13 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Plus500 allow on their platforms in .IG Markets is better than Plus500 for CFD/FX trading features, given that IG Markets offers tier-1 liquidity providers, which Plus500 does not, and allows for scalping and automated trading. Both IG Markets and Plus500 offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.
IG Markets is better than Plus500 for real stock trading features, because IG Markets offers tier-1 liquidity providers and API access, which Plus500 does not, and allows for automated trading. IG Markets and Plus500 both offer trailing stops.
| Section score | IG Markets 89 Best 85 Best | Plus500 67 -22 76 -9 |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | Agency | Agency |
| Average execution time i | 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 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 Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 30:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 300:1 (other accepted countries). |
| 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 Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 20:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 300:1 (other accepted countries). |
| 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 Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 20:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 150:1 (other accepted countries). |
| 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 Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 10:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 150:1 (other accepted countries). |
| 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 Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 20:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 150:1 (other accepted countries). |
| 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 Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 10:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 150:1 (other accepted countries). |
| 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 Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 5:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 20:1 (other accepted countries). |
| 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 Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 2:1 (the UAE, Australia), 5:1 (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 IG Markets and at Plus500 in , and of who each one is meant for.IG Markets is better than Plus500 for CFD/FX account types, as IG Markets offers a corporate account and a spread betting account, which Plus500 does not. Both IG Markets and Plus500 offer a demo account and a professional traders account.
IG Markets is better than Plus500 for real stock account types, because IG Markets offers a corporate account and a spread betting account, which Plus500 does not. IG Markets and Plus500 both offer a demo account and an unlimited demo account.
| Section score | IG Markets 48 Best 35 Best | Plus500 38 -10 25 -10 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Plus500 in .Plus500 is better than IG Markets for account opening, since Plus500 offers 3 account base currencies (against IG Markets' 1), supports 2 e-wallets (against IG Markets' 1), and has a lower minimum withdrawal, at 100 USD (against IG Markets' 150 USD). However, IG Markets does not require a minimum deposit at all (against Plus500's 100 USD).
| Section score | IG Markets 65 -4 65 -4 | Plus500 69 Best 69 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | USD 0 | USD 100About this value. This is the minimum deposit at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: USD 100 (the UAE, other accepted countries, the UK), USD 70 (Australia). |
| Minimum withdrawal i | USD 150 | USD 100 |
| Wire transfers i | ||
| Credit cards i | ||
| Debit cards i | ||
| eWallets i | PayPal | PayPal, SkrillAbout this value. This is the ewallets at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). It is different at Plus500's companies in the UAE and the UK. |
| 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. | AUD, EUR, USDAbout this value. This is the account base currencies at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). It is different at Plus500's companies in 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 Plus500 in , in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.IG Markets is better than Plus500 for customer care, given that IG Markets offers a dedicated account manager and phone support, which Plus500 does not. IG Markets and Plus500 both offer live chat and email support.
| Section score | IG Markets 78 Best 78 Best | Plus500 58 -20 58 -20 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 12 | 29 |
| Website languages i | Arabic, Danish, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish | Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Croatian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | Arabic, Danish, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish | Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Croatian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, 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 Plus500 provide to their clients in .IG Markets is better than Plus500 for learning, given that IG Markets offers professional reports and daily market commentary, which Plus500 does not. IG Markets and Plus500 both offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
| Section score | IG Markets 100 Best 100 Best | Plus500 80 -20 80 -20 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Plus500: which one should you choose?
IG Markets
CFD/FX Choose IG Markets if you want a CFD and forex broker for scalping and automated trading, with a wide choice of markets.
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.
Plus500
CFD/FX Choose Plus500 if you want an online CFD broker.
Stocks Choose Plus500 if you want a share dealing service.
Open Account CFD service. 82% of retail investor accounts lose moneyOther popular comparisons
Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include IG Markets or Plus500, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
