IC Markets vs BlackBull Markets

IC Markets or BlackBull Markets – which is better for UK traders 2025? Compare IC Markets and BlackBull Markets in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.

IC Markets vs BlackBull Markets Comparison Table 2025
IC Markets BlackBull Markets
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4.8
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3.7
IC Markets is ranked #5 among CFD brokers. BlackBull Markets is ranked #14 among CFD brokers.
IC Markets is an internationally acclaimed forex and CFD broker, admired for its competitive pricing, diverse trading instruments, and superior technology. Established in 2007 and based in Australia, the firm is under the regulation of ASIC, CySEC, and FSA. It has successfully drawn over 180,000 clients from more than 200 nations. BlackBull, a New Zealand-based CFD broker, offers a wide range of trading options across more than 26,000 instruments. Following a 2023 rebrand, it boasts a contemporary design and provides advanced trading tools along with ultra-fast execution speeds, averaging 20ms.
Pros
  • IC Markets provides some of the industry's narrowest spreads, offering 0.0-pip spreads on major currency pairs. This makes it an extremely cost-effective choice for traders.
  • As a well-regulated and reputable broker, IC Markets focuses on client safety and transparency to provide a dependable global trading experience.
  • In 2025, IC Markets earned DayTrading.com's accolade for 'Best MT4/MT5 Broker' due to its top-tier MetaTrader integration. This achievement highlights the broker's continuous refinement over the years to enhance the platform experience.
  • IC Markets provides reliable 24/5 support, especially for account and funding queries, drawing from direct experience.
  • Access over 2,250 CFDs across diverse markets like forex, commodities, indices, shares, bonds, and cryptocurrencies. This variety enables traders to employ diversified strategies.
  • BlackBull provides everything a trader needs: execution speeds under 100ms, leverage as high as 1:500, and competitive spreads starting at 0.0 pips.
  • BlackBulls's research excels, particularly in the daily 'Trading Opportunities' articles. These publications simplify complex market dynamics into clear insights, enabling traders to effectively capitalise on emerging trends.
  • After collaborating with ZuluTrade and Myfxbook and refining its CopyTrader, BlackBull now provides an exceptionally comprehensive trading experience.
  • BlackBull provides three ECN-powered accounts—Standard, Prime, and Institutional—to cater to traders of all experience levels, from novices to seasoned professionals. The variety of account types allows for flexible options tailored to individual trading needs and available capital.
Cons
  • IC Markets provides metals and cryptocurrencies for trading through CFDs, though the selection is narrower compared to brokers such as eToro. This limits opportunities for traders focused on these asset classes.
  • The tutorials, webinars, and educational resources require enhancement, lagging behind competitors such as CMC Markets, which diminishes their appeal to novice traders.
  • Certain withdrawal methods incur fees, including a $20 charge for wire transfers. These costs can reduce profits, particularly with frequent withdrawals.
  • Although there are four top-tier third-party platforms available, the absence of in-house software or a trading app tailored for novice traders is notable.
  • Interest is not paid on idle cash, a feature gaining popularity with alternatives such as Interactive Brokers.
  • Despite an expanding range of over 26,000 assets, including new additions to Asia Pacific indices, their offerings are primarily equities. The selection of currency pairs and indices remains average.
  • Unlike many leading brokers, BlackBull imposes a bothersome $5 fee for withdrawals. This charge can reduce the overall cost-effectiveness, particularly for traders who regularly transfer funds.
  • Despite enhancements such as webinars and tutorials in the Education Hub, our review indicates that the courses still require greater emphasis on elucidating broader economic factors affecting prices.
  • BlackBull does not offer its own trading platform, instead utilising MetaTrader, cTrader, and TradingView. Although these platforms are highly regarded, some brokers, such as eToro, provide proprietary platforms with distinct features that cater well to novice traders.
Awards
  • Best MT4/MT5 Broker 2025 - DayTrading.com
  • Best MT4/MT5 Broker 2023 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Forex Broker 2022 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Overall Broker 2020 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Trading App 2020 - DayTrading.com
  • Fast 50 Index (multiple years) - Deloitte
  • Best Global FX Broker 2022 - Forex Expo Dubai
  • Fastest Growing Exporter for Auckland 2018 - Westpac Auckland Business Awards
FCA Regulated
No

List of FCA Regulated Brokers

No

List of FCA Regulated Brokers

Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Bonds, Futures, Crypto CFDs, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Futures, Crypto
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$200 $0
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots 0.01 Lots
Regulator
ASIC, CySEC, FSA, CMA FMA, FSA
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS & Android
Trading App

IC Markets deliver mobile apps for their cTrader, MT4, MT5 and TradingView  platforms. They have been developed on Android and iOS separately, taking full advantage of the functionality available on each. With raw pricing, and spreads from 0.0, the apps deliver an excellent trading tool for all levels of trader. Yet what really stands out is how they’ve managed to maintain the lightning-fast execution speed IC Markets is known for, right within the apps. It’s a seamless trading experience that feels both professional and highly responsive.

BlackBull offers one of the most complete mobile trading ecosystems we’ve seen, providing active traders with first-rate charting tools and the broker’s impress execution speeds of <100ms on a choice of MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView apps, catering to diverse preferences.

iOS App Rating
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3.1
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3.7
Android App Rating
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4.2
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3.7
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
MetaTrader 4
Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5
Yes Yes
cTrader
Yes Yes
AlgoTrader
No No
OmniTrader
No No
TradingView
Yes Yes
Autochartist
No Yes
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
Yes No
STP Account
No No
ECN Account
Yes Yes
DMA Account
Yes No
MAM Account
Yes Yes
PAMM Account
Yes No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
No No
Robo Advisor
No No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes Yes
Market Maker
No No
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, cBots on cTrader, Myfxbook AutoTrade Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, cTrader Automate
Copy Trading
Yes Yes
Copy Trading Platform
Introduced in February 2023, the IC Social app provides an easy platform for learning, sharing, and replicating the trades of other traders with minimal effort. The app also includes risk management features and supports specialised trading groups. Alternatively, IC Markets offers access to Signal Start and popular third-party copy trading platforms like ZuluTrade and cTrader Copy. Blackbull excels with its extensive array of trading solutions, featuring options like CopyTrader, HokoCloud, DupliTrade, and Myfxbook. User-friendly dashboards display detailed metrics to evaluate strategy providers, including annual and percentage returns. This contributes to its reputation as a leading provider of inclusive trading packages available today.
Social Trading
Yes Yes
Trade Signals
Signal Start BlackBull Research stock recommendation service
VPS Hosting
Yes Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
No No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No No
Inactivity Fee
$0 $0
Islamic Account
Yes Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • JPY
  • CHF
  • HKD
  • SGD
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • JPY
  • ZAR
  • SGD
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Oil
  • Silver
  • Orange Juice
  • Cocoa
  • Coffee
  • Corn
  • Soybeans
  • Sugar
  • Wheat
  • Natural Gas
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Oil
  • Gasoline
  • Cocoa
  • Wheat
  • Corn
  • Sugar
  • Coffee
  • Natural Gas
  • Platinum
  • Palladium
  • Copper
  • Aluminium
  • Lead
  • Zinc
CFD
Trade over 2,250 CFDs anytime from Monday to Friday across key markets, including forex, commodities, indices, stocks, and bonds. IC Markets leverages deep liquidity and cutting-edge bridge technology to offer ideal trading conditions for scalpers, hedgers, and algorithmic traders. BlackBull stands out for CFD traders with leverage up to 1:500 and competitive spreads starting at 0.0 pips. It boasts round-the-clock support, which proved outstanding in tests, instilling confidence for traders in dynamic markets.
Leverage
1:30 (ASIC & CySEC), 1:500 (FSA), 1:1000 (Global) 1:500
FTSE Spread
1.0 1.5
GBPUSD Spread<
0.23 0.5
Oil Spread
0.03 1.5
Stocks Spread
0.02 Variable
Forex
IC Markets remains dedicated to offering tight 0.0-pip spreads on major currency pairs like EUR/USD, ensuring outstanding execution with an average speed of 35 milliseconds. Ideal for traders seeking high performance, those dealing in large volumes can also enjoy rebates of up to $2.50 per forex lot. BlackBull provides 64 currency pairs with competitive pricing via its ECN accounts. The Standard account offers commission-free spreads starting at 0.8 pips. BlackBull's swift execution is also available on MT4, the leading platform among active forex traders.
Assets
75 64
GBPUSD Spread
0.23 0.5
EURUSD Spread
0.02 0.3
EURGBP Spread
0.27 0.8
Cryptocurrency
IC Markets provides a range of over 20 cryptocurrencies for trading through CFDs, featuring less common tokens like Avalanche, Kusama, and Uniswap. Traders can enjoy commission-free transactions and experienced individuals can utilise high leverage up to 1:200 via the MetaTrader platforms. BlackBull facilitates short-term trading on 11 cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, with leverage of up to 1:5. Cryptos are traded against USD. The broker's 'Daily Opportunities' provide exceptional insights into emerging cryptocurrency trends.
Spread
BTC 42.036 245
Coins
  • BTC
  • BCH
  • DOT
  • DSH
  • EMC
  • EOS
  • ETH
  • LNK
  • LTC
  • NMC
  • PPC
  • XLM
  • XRP
  • ADA
  • BNB
  • DOG
  • UNI
  • XTZ
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • XRP
  • LTC
  • ADA
  • POLY
  • XFET
  • XINJ
  • XNAKA
  • XAX
  • XCOTI
Crypto Lending
No No
Crypto Mining
No No
Crypto Staking
No No
Auto Market Maker
No No
IC Markets BlackBull Markets
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