Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD/FX brokers: leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto. Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as stock brokers: real shares and ETFs you own outright.
IC Markets
Regulated in your country IC Markets is allowed by ASIC to onboard clients residing in Australia.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
IG Markets
Regulated in your country IG Markets is allowed by ASIC to onboard clients residing in Australia.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
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 Australia.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.
| Overall score | IC Markets 84 -3 not offered | IG Markets 87 Best 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.IC Markets and IG Markets are both regulated in Australia, by ASIC.
| Section score | IC Markets 100 not offered | IG Markets 100 100 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 IC Markets and IG Markets have in place to protect your money in Australia.IC Markets and IG Markets both offer segregated client funds and two-factor authentication. IG Markets is also a licensed bank.
| Section score | IC Markets 65 -13 not offered | IG Markets 78 Best 78 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | US$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 Australia, both on each trade and on holding the account.IG Markets is better than IC Markets for CFD/FX costs, because IG Markets charges lower forex commissions, at US$6 per lot (against IC Markets' US$7), has tighter S&P 500 CFD spreads, at 0.36 points (against IC Markets' 0.49 points), and does not charge inactivity fees, unlike IC Markets. 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.
| Section score | IC Markets 64 -8 not offered | IG Markets 72 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 | US$7 | US$6 |
| 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 | US$8 | US$9.475 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 0.492 points | 0.36 points |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.08 points | 0.27 points |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | US$12.01 | US$40 |
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | US$0.02 | US$0.02 |
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Commission, Percentage | Free, 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 | ||
| Platform fees i | ||
| Fees on options | ||
| Options fees per contract i | ||
| 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 Australia, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.IG Markets is better than IC Markets for CFD/FX markets, because IG Markets gives access to 18,000 tradable symbols (against IC Markets' 2,250), 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.
| Section score | IC Markets 75 -25 not offered | IG Markets 100 Best 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 2,250 | 18,000 |
| 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 Australia.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.
| 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 Australia, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.IG Markets is better than IC Markets for mobile trading, because IG Markets offers mobile trading signals, which IC Markets does not. Both IC Markets and IG Markets offer a proprietary mobile app and the MetaTrader 4 app.
There is no like-for-like comparison for mobile trading, as IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | IC Markets 86 -7 not offered | IG Markets 93 Best 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 Australia.IC Markets and IG Markets are equally good for CFD/FX trading features, as IC Markets allows for high-frequency trading. On the other hand, IG Markets executes orders faster, within 14 ms (against IC Markets' 40 ms), and offers guaranteed stop losses. IC Markets and IG Markets both 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.
| Section score | IC Markets 87 -2 not offered | IG Markets 89 85 |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | Hybrid | Agency |
| Average execution time i | 40 ms | 14 ms |
| Slippage occurrence i | 11% | |
| Requotes occurrence i | 0% | |
| 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 | 2:1 | 2:1 |
| 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 | US$0 | US$1 |
| 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 Australia, and of who each one is meant for.IC Markets is better than IG Markets for CFD/FX account types, because IC Markets offers an ECN account, an Islamic account and an unlimited demo 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.
| Section score | IC Markets 74 Best not offered | IG Markets 46 -28 68 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Australia.IC Markets is better than IG Markets for account opening, as IC Markets supports 3 e-wallets (against IG Markets' 1), and has no minimum withdrawal (against IG Markets' US$150). However, IG Markets does not require a minimum deposit at all (against IC Markets' US$200).
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.
| Section score | IC Markets 85 Best not offered | IG Markets 80 -5 80 |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | US$200 | US$0 |
| Minimum withdrawal i | US$0 | US$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, USD, EUR, CAD, GBP, SGD, NZD, JPY, HKD, CHF | AUD, CAD, CHF, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, JPY, NOK, NZD, SEK, SGD, USD, ZAR |
| Deposit waiting time i | up to 5 business days | Instant |
| Withdrawal waiting time i | up to 5 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 Australia, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.IC Markets is better than IG Markets for customer care, because IC Markets offers customer support in 17 languages (against IG Markets' 2), 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.
| Section score | IC Markets 92 Best not offered | IG Markets 71 -21 71 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | English, 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 IC Markets and IG Markets provide to their clients in Australia.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.
| 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 vs IG Markets: which one should you choose?
IC Markets
CFD/FX Choose IC Markets if you want a CFD and forex broker for high-frequency trading strategies, with MetaTrader 5 and cTrader.
Open Account CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
IG Markets
CFD/FX Choose IG Markets if you want an online CFD broker with no minimum deposit, a wide choice of markets and ProRealTime.
Stocks Choose IG Markets if you want a share dealing service with options, ETFs and commission-free US stocks.
Open Account CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.Other popular comparisons
Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include IC Markets or IG Markets, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
