IC Markets vs IG Index

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

IC Markets vs IG Comparison Table 2026

IC Markets	IG
Not Rated	4.5
IC Markets is ranked # among .	IG is ranked #3 among CFD brokers.
	Review
IC Markets has closed or no longer accepts UK clients.	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
	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
	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 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
	Yes
Instruments
	CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Futures, Options, Crypto, Spread Betting
Demo Account
	Yes
Minimum Deposit
	$0
Payment Methods
	Credit Card Debit Card Mastercard PayNow PayPal Visa Wire Transfer
Minimum Trade
	0.01 Lots
Regulator
	FCA, ASIC, NFA, CFTC, DFSA, BaFin, MAS, FSCA, FINMA, CONSOB, AFM, JFSA
Mobile Apps
	iOS & Android
Trading App
	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
	4.6
Android App Rating
	4
Margin Trading
	Yes
Margin Rate
	2.5%
MetaTrader 4
	Yes
MetaTrader 5
	No
cTrader
	No
AlgoTrader
	No
OmniTrader
	No
TradingView
	Yes
Autochartist
	Yes
eSignal
	No
Trading Central
	Yes
STP Account
	No
ECN Account
	No
DMA Account
	Yes
MAM Account
	No
PAMM Account
	No
LAMM Account
	No
Demat Account
	No
AI / Machine Learning
	Yes
Robo Advisor
	Yes
Negative Balance Protection
	Yes
Market Maker
	Yes
P2P Trading
	No
Spot Trading
	Yes
Auto Trading
	Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, build your own on ProRealTime
Copy Trading
	No
Social Trading
	No
Trade Signals
	Yes
VPS Hosting
	Yes
Tournaments
	No
Demo Competitions
	No
Ethical Investing
	Yes
Custodial Account
	No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
	Yes
Inactivity Fee
	$12
Islamic Account
	No
Account Currencies
	USD EUR GBP CAD AUD JPY ZAR SEK DKK CHF HKD SGD
Commodities
	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
	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 (Retail), 1:222 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
	1.0
GBPUSD Spread<
	0.9
Oil Spread
	2.8
Stocks Spread
	0.02
Forex
	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
	80+
GBPUSD Spread
	0.9
EURUSD Spread
	0.8
EURGBP Spread
	0.9
Currency Indices
	USD
Cryptocurrency
	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
	Variable
Coins
	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
Crypto Mining
	No
Crypto Staking
	No
Auto Market Maker
	No
IC Markets	IG
	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.
More Comparisons
IC Markets vs Select... ActivTrades Anzo Capital Axi City Index CMC Markets Coinbase Eightcap eToro Forex.com Fortrade FXCM FXGiants FXOpen FXPro FXTM HYCM IG Interactive Brokers IronFX Kraken Pepperstone Plus500 Saxo Spreadex Swissquote Tickmill Trade Nation Vantage FX XTB 4xCube AdroFX Bitfinex BitMEX BlackBull Markets Bullwaves Errante FinPros Firstrade FP Markets Fusion Markets FXCC Global Prime GO Markets IC Trading IFC Markets Ingot Brokers InstaForex InstaTrade M4Markets MultiBank FX Nexo NinjaTrader NordFX OKX Optimus Futures Pionex Plexytrade PrimeXBT PU Prime SimpleFX Switch Markets TMGM UnitedPips VT Markets xChief ZacksTrade	IG vs Select... ActivTrades Anzo Capital Axi City Index CMC Markets Coinbase Eightcap eToro Forex.com Fortrade FXCM FXGiants FXOpen FXPro FXTM HYCM Interactive Brokers IronFX Kraken Pepperstone Plus500 Saxo Spreadex Swissquote Tickmill Trade Nation Vantage FX XTB 4xCube AdroFX Bitfinex BitMEX BlackBull Markets Bullwaves Errante FinPros Firstrade FP Markets Fusion Markets FXCC Global Prime GO Markets IC Trading IFC Markets Ingot Brokers InstaForex InstaTrade M4Markets MultiBank FX Nexo NinjaTrader NordFX OKX Optimus Futures Pionex Plexytrade PrimeXBT PU Prime SimpleFX Switch Markets TMGM UnitedPips VT Markets xChief ZacksTrade