IG Index vs Markets.com

IG Index or Markets.com – which is better for UK traders 2024? Compare IG Index and Markets.com in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.

IG Index vs Markets.com Comparison Table 2024
IG Index Markets.com
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4.4
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4.4
IG Index is ranked #19 among CFD brokers. Markets.com is ranked #29 among CFD brokers.
Review
Review
Founded in 1974, IG is part of IG Group Holdings Plc, a publicly traded (LSE: IGG) brokerage. The brand offers spread betting, CFD and forex trading across an almost unrivalled selection of 17,000+ markets, with a range of user-friendly platforms and investing apps. For 50 years, IG has maintained its position as an industry leader, excelling in all key areas for traders. Markets.com is a respected broker, offering multi-asset trading opportunities through CFDs or spread betting (UK only). Established in 2008, the brand has an impressive 4.3 million registered customers and is overseen by trusted regulators, including the FCA, ASIC and CySEC. 79.1% of retail accounts lose money.
71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 79.1% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Note: trading Cryptocurrency CFDs and Spread Bets is restricted in the UK for all retail clients.
Pros
  • IG is amongst the best in terms of its range of instruments, which includes stocks, forex, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies, providing ample diversification opportunities
  • The proprietary web-based platform continues to caters to traders of all levels, with advanced charting tools and real-time market data useful for trading
  • The IG app offers a superb mobile trading experience with a clean design that helped it secure Runner Up at our Best Trading App award
  • As a well-established broker, IG operates under strict regulatory guidelines in multiple jurisdictions, maintaining a high level of trust
  • IG offers an extensive collection of professional and engaging educational resources, including webinars, articles, and analysis
  • The ProRealTime advanced charting platform is free as long as certain modest monthly trading activity requirements are met
  • Markets.com continues to offer a strong proprietary platform with a TradingView-powered charting interface, pro-level technical analysis and custom alerts
  • Traders can access the MT4 and MT5 software, which offer dozens of technical tools and a huge online community for scripts, bots and custom tools
  • CFD and spread-betting opportunities are available on multiple asset classes including forex, stocks, ETFs, bonds and indices
  • Comprehensive educational content is on offer, especially for beginners, including podcasts, webinars and financial market videos
  • The $10 inactivity fee is only charged after 12 months of no trading activity (many competitors start charging after only 3 months)
  • Markets.com is a trusted broker with oversight from tier-one regulators including the FCA, CySEC and ASIC
  • There are no deposit/withdrawal charges, account registration or order admin costs
  • There's good customer support with responses in <1 minute during testing
  • The low minimum deposit of $100 should appeal to beginners
Cons
  • Beginners might find IG’s fee structure complex, with various fees for different types of trades or services, potentially leading to confusion or unexpected charges
  • While there is negative balance protection in the UK and EU, there is no account protection or guaranteed stop losses for US clients
  • IG has discontinued its swap-free account, reducing its appeal to Islamic traders
  • Stock and CFD spreads still trail the cheapest brokers like CMC Markets based on tests
  • IG applies an inactivity fee of $12 per month after 2 years, deterring casual investors
  • The single retail account option doesn't offer traders any choice of trading conditions, or any additional perks for active trading
  • There are no auto or copy trading terminals outside of the MetaTrader platforms, such as DupliTrade
  • Unlike some top competitors like XM, customer support is not available on the weekend
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
  • Best Trading Platform 2020 - FXScouts
  • Runner Up - Best FX Broker 2019 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Forex Provider 2017 - UK Forex Awards
  • Best FX Platform 2017 - UK Forex Awards
FCA Regulated
Yes Yes
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Futures, Options, Crypto, Spread Betting CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Commodities, Indices, Crypto, ETFs, Bonds, Spread Betting (UK Only)
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0 $100
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots 0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, ASIC, NFA, CFTC, DFSA, BaFin, MAS, FSCA FCA, CySEC, ASIC, FSCA, FSC
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS, Android
Trading App

IG offers a superb all-round trading app. One of the pioneers of mobile trading, the application has been developed and refined over many years, meaning it is now among the best trading apps. Quick response, user-friendly layout, access to full charting and a stable and reliable application. It also offers guaranteed stops – an important risk management tool not available on many apps we’ve tested.

Markets.com operate MarketsX – the bespoke platform, both on WebTrader and mobile applications. The app, available on android and iOS has been downloaded over a million times.
iOS App Rating
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4.6
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3.2
Android App Rating
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4
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4.5
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
2.5%
MetaTrader 4
Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5
No Yes
cTrader
No No
AlgoTrader
No No
OmniTrader
No No
TradingView
No No
Autochartist
Yes No
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
Yes No
STP Account
No No
ECN Account
No No
DMA Account
Yes No
MAM Account
No No
PAMM Account
No No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
No No
Robo Advisor
Yes No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes Yes
Market Maker
Yes Yes
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, build your own on ProRealTime
Copy Trading
No No
Social Trading
No No
Trade Signals
Yes Trading Insights
VPS Hosting
Yes No
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
Yes No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
Yes Yes
Inactivity Fee
$12 $10
Islamic Account
No Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • JPY
  • ZAR
  • SEK
  • DKK
  • CHF
  • HKD
  • SGD
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • ZAR
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • DKK
  • PLN
  • CZK
  • AED
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Copper
  • Oil
  • Palladium
  • Silver
  • Sugar
  • Coffee
  • Wheat
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Orange Juice
  • Nickel
  • Steel
  • Iron
  • Precious Metals
  • Aluminium
  • Lithium
  • Cannabis
  • Gold
  • Oil
  • Silver
  • Natural Gas
  • Copper
  • Corn
  • Soybeans
  • Cotton
  • Palladium
  • Wheat
CFD
IG offers a huge selection of 17,000+ CFDs, providing more trading opportunities than most CFD brokers. Traders can go long or short on popular markets like stocks, currencies, commodities and cryptos, while custom price alerts and the IG Academy continue to enhance the trading experience. Markets.com offers a strong variety of CFD products, not only covering popular asset classes but also more interesting markets such as IPOs and Bonds. The low fees and educational resources will appeal to beginners, whilst seasoned CFD traders will appreciate the feature-rich charting platforms.
Leverage
1:30 (Retail), 1:222 (Pro) 1:30
FTSE Spread
1.0 2 pips
GBPUSD Spread<
0.9 1.3 pips (var)
Oil Spread
2.8 0.05
Stocks Spread
0.02 4 pips
Forex
IG offers an above-average suite of 80+ currency pairs on its proprietary web platform, mobile app or MetaTrader 4, with more advanced charts and forex analysis tools available on the ProRealTime software. Forex spreads are competitive based on tests, starting from 0.1 pips on majors like the EUR/USD. Markets.com offers 43 major, minor and exotic currency pairs. The range is around the industry average, though spreads are fairly competitive, starting from 0.6 pips for EUR/USD. There’s also an excellent range of tools and education, including forex calculators and trading videos.
Assets
80+ 67
GBPUSD Spread
0.9 1.3 pips (var)
EURUSD Spread
0.8 0.70 pips (var)
EURGBP Spread
0.9 1.0 pip (var)
Currency Indices
  • USD
IG Index Markets.com
Review
Review
71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 79.1% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Note: trading Cryptocurrency CFDs and Spread Bets is restricted in the UK for all retail clients.
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