FP Markets vs IG Index

FP Markets or IG – which is better for UK traders 2026? Compare FP Markets and IG in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.

FP Markets vs IG Comparison Table 2026
FP Markets IG
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4
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4.5
FP Markets is ranked #54 among CFD brokers. IG is ranked #3 among CFD brokers.
Review
Review
Founded in Australia in 2005, FP Trading is a broker regulated by ASIC and CySEC. It offers a wide range of tradable assets. The Standard and Raw accounts are tailored to suit all traders. Its robust tools include the MetaTrader suite, intuitive TradingView, and insights from Trading Central and AutoChartist. Founded in 1974, IG is a part of IG Group Holdings Plc, a publicly listed brokerage (LSE: IGG). The company provides spread betting, CFD, and forex trading, offering access to over 17,000 markets. Its platforms and investing apps are notably user-friendly. Over the past 50 years, IG has consistently been an industry leader, excelling in all essential areas for traders.
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Pros
  • FP Trading provides an exceptional range of tradable assets, notably with its expanded commodities portfolio and support for over 10,000 stocks.
  • FP Trading offers outstanding platform versatility, integrating MetaTrader, cTrader, Iress, and the newly added TradingView.
  • FP Trading offers rapid and reliable assistance, accessible 24/5, with test response times averaging under 1 minute.
  • FP Trading offers a smooth onboarding process, distinguished by crypto deposits and more than ten base currencies, serving traders worldwide.
  • FP Trading has incorporated premier research tools from Trading Central and Autochartist. These tools assist traders in spotting short-term opportunities through chart patterns, indicators, and other technical elements.
  • IG excels with its diverse instruments, offering stocks, forex, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. Additionally, it provides US-listed futures, options, and an AI Index, ensuring varied diversification opportunities.
  • IG secured a crypto asset license from the FCA, enabling its return to the UK market. It now offers buying, selling, and storage services for over 55 digital tokens with fees starting at 1.49%, all under FCA regulation.
  • The web-based platform supports traders at every level, offering advanced charting tools and real-time market data vital for trading. Additionally, IG now includes TradingView integration.
  • The IG app provides an excellent mobile trading experience with an intuitive design, earning it the Runner Up position in our 'Best Trading App' award.
  • As a seasoned broker, IG adheres to stringent regulatory standards across various regions, ensuring significant trust.
  • IG provides a wide range of professional and engaging educational materials, such as webinars, articles, and analyses, tailored for traders.
  • The ProRealTime advanced charting platform remains free, provided traders meet modest monthly activity requirements.
Cons
  • The Raw account offers excellent pricing. However, the Standard account has wider spreads, averaging 1.1 pips on EUR/USD, which lags behind the competitive 0.8-pip spread at IC Markets.
  • FP Trading’s Iress platform is exclusive to Australian clients. It prioritises stock trading, with less focus on forex. Data fees may quickly escalate unless one trades actively or holds a high-balance account.
  • FP Trading lags behind top MetaTrader brokers. Although it provides a Trader's Toolbox on MT4, it only offers 130 instruments. This limitation curtails opportunities for serious traders, particularly when compared to Pepperstone's 1,300 assets.
  • Traders Hub offers valuable resources such as the Daily Report, Technical Report, Market Insights, and Fundamental Analysis. Yet, it should diversify its daily content and ensure its forex news remains current to compete with market leaders like IG.
  • Beginners may find IG's fees complicated, as they vary depending on the trades or services. This could cause confusion and unexpected costs.
  • In the UK and EU, negative balance protection is available. However, US clients lack account protection and guaranteed stop losses.
  • IG has ended its swap-free account, diminishing its attractiveness to Islamic traders.
  • Based on tests, stock and CFD spreads remain less competitive than the lowest-cost brokers, such as CMC Markets.
  • IG imposes a monthly inactivity fee of $12 after two years, discouraging occasional traders.
Awards
  • Best Global Forex Value Broker 2023 - Global Forex Awards
  • Best Forex Partners Programme Asia 2023 - Global Forex Awards
  • Best Forex Broker Europe 2023 - Global Forex Awards
  • Best Global Forex Value Broker 2022 - Global Forex Awards
  • Best Global Forex Value Broker 2021 - Global Forex Awards
  • Best Customer Service 2022 - Online Money Awards
  • Best Spread Betting Provider 2022 - Online Money Awards
  • Best Platform for the Active Trader 2022 - ADVFN International Financial Awards
  • Best Multi Platform Provider 2022 - ADVFN International Financial Awards
  • Best Finance App 2022 - ADVFN International Financial Awards
FCA Regulated
No

List of FCA Regulated Brokers

Yes
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Bonds, ETFs, Crypto CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Futures, Options, Crypto, Spread Betting
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$40 $0
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots 0.01 Lots
Regulator
ASIC, CySEC, FSA, CMA FCA, ASIC, NFA, CFTC, DFSA, BaFin, MAS, FSCA, FINMA, CONSOB, AFM, JFSA
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS & Android
Trading App
FP Trading lacks its own web-based or mobile app, which may deter novices. Yet, mobile versions of MT4/MT5, cTrader, and TradingView provide live quotes, advanced charting, account management, and order execution. Moreover, Australian clients have exclusive access to the Iress mobile platform, offering advanced analytics, module linking, and multi-portfolio management. IG provides an excellent trading app. As a mobile trading pioneer, it has evolved over the years into a top-tier app. Expect swift responses, an intuitive interface, comprehensive charting, and dependable performance. Additionally, it includes guaranteed stops, a crucial risk management feature absent in many apps we've evaluated.
iOS App Rating
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4
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4.6
Android App Rating
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4
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4
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
2.5%
MetaTrader 4
Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5
Yes No
cTrader
Yes No
AlgoTrader
No No
OmniTrader
No No
TradingView
Yes Yes
Autochartist
Yes Yes
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
Yes Yes
STP Account
Yes No
ECN Account
Yes No
DMA Account
Yes Yes
MAM Account
Yes No
PAMM Account
Yes No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
No Yes
Robo Advisor
No Yes
Negative Balance Protection
Yes Yes
Market Maker
No Yes
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, build your own on ProRealTime
Copy Trading
Yes No
Copy Trading Platform
FP Trading launched a unique social copy trading platform and access to the MetaTrader signals market. Alongside Myfxbook support, these features position FP Markets as a strong choice for social copy trading, despite its less intuitive system compared to cTrader Copy.
Social Trading
Yes No
Trade Signals
Yes
VPS Hosting
Yes Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
No Yes
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No Yes
Inactivity Fee
$0 $12
Islamic Account
Yes No
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • JPY
  • CHF
  • HKD
  • SGD
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • JPY
  • ZAR
  • SEK
  • DKK
  • CHF
  • HKD
  • SGD
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Natural Gas
  • Oil
  • Platinum
  • Palladium
  • Copper
  • Aluminium
  • Soybeans
  • Corn
  • Wheat
  • Steel
  • Iron
  • Cocoa
  • Cotton
  • Sugar
  • Coffee
  • Gold
  • Copper
  • Oil
  • Palladium
  • Silver
  • Sugar
  • Coffee
  • Wheat
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Orange Juice
  • Nickel
  • Steel
  • Iron
  • Precious Metals
  • Aluminium
  • Lithium
  • Cannabis
  • Lean Hogs
  • Cattle
CFD
FP Trading provides CFD trading across a premier range of financial markets, including equities, leading global indices, commodities, metals, cryptocurrencies, and bonds. Benefit from tight spreads, rapid execution, leverage up to 1:500, and superior liquidity, ensuring an efficient trading experience for short-term investors. IG provides over 17,000 CFDs, giving traders more opportunities than most brokers. Investors can trade long or short on key markets such as equities, forex, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. Additionally, customised price alerts and the IG Academy enrich the trading experience.
Leverage
1:30 (UK), 1:500 (Global) 1:30 (Retail), 1:222 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
1.64 1.0
GBPUSD Spread<
1.9 average 0.9
Oil Spread
0.04 2.8
Stocks Spread
Variable 0.02
Forex
FP Trading excels in forex trading, offering over 70 currency pairs, including a diverse range of exotics. With an average spread of 0.1 on EUR/USD in its Raw account, it ensures competitive pricing for traders. IG provides an extensive selection of over 80 currency pairs through its own web platform, mobile app, or MetaTrader 4. For advanced charting and forex analysis, the ProRealTime software is available. Testing shows forex spreads are competitive, beginning at 0.1 pips on major pairs such as EUR/USD.
Assets
70+ 80+
GBPUSD Spread
0.2 0.9
EURUSD Spread
0.1 0.8
EURGBP Spread
0.3 0.9
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • USD
Cryptocurrency
FP Trading offers CFDs on leading cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin. However, it does not facilitate direct coin ownership. FP Markets lacks emerging tokens for crypto enthusiasts seeking the latest opportunities. IG provides more than 55 crypto CFDs and digital assets for trade and storage. It uniquely features a crypto index tracking the top 10 digital currencies by market cap, allowing broad speculation on the crypto market’s value. In the UK, its crypto services strengthened post-acquisition of an FCA digital asset licence, enabling regulated trading and investment in leading cryptocurrencies.
Spread
17.3 (Bitcoin) Variable
Coins
  • ADA
  • BCH
  • BTC
  • DOG
  • DOT
  • EOS
  • ETH
  • LNK
  • LTC
  • RPL
  • SOL
  • XLM
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • SOL
  • XRP
  • BCH
  • ADA
  • TIA
  • LINK
  • EOS
  • HBAR
  • ICP
  • LTC
  • NEAR
  • NEO
  • ONDO
  • PEPE
  • DOT
  • POL
  • SHIB
  • XLM
  • SUI
  • TRX
  • TON
  • UNI
  • DOGE
  • AAVE
  • APT
  • ARB
  • AVAX
  • CRYPTO10
Crypto Lending
No No
Crypto Mining
No No
Crypto Staking
No No
Auto Market Maker
No No
FP Markets IG
Review
Review
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
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