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IG vs BlackBull Markets

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

IG vs BlackBull Markets Comparison Table 2025
IG	BlackBull Markets

4.7	3.7
IG is ranked #6 among CFD brokers.	BlackBull Markets is ranked #12 among CFD brokers.
Review	Review
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.	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.
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% 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 stands out with its extensive range of instruments, offering stocks, forex, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. Additionally, it has recently introduced US-listed futures and options, along with an AI Index. These options enhance opportunities for diversification in trading. 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.	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, upgrading its CopyTrader, and activating cTrader Copy, BlackBull provides an exceptionally thorough 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
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.	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 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	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
Yes	No List of FCA Regulated Brokers
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Futures, Options, Crypto, Spread Betting	CFDs, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Futures, Crypto
Demo Account
Yes	Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0	$0
Payment Methods
Credit Cards Debit Card Mastercard PayPal Visa Wire Transfer	Credit Cards Debit Card FasaPay Mastercard Neteller Skrill Visa Wire Transfer
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots	0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, ASIC, NFA, CFTC, DFSA, BaFin, MAS, FSCA, FINMA, CONSOB, AFM	FMA, FSA
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android	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.	BlackBull delivers a comprehensive mobile trading ecosystem. It provides traders with excellent charting tools and impressive execution speeds of less than 100ms. Options include MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView apps, accommodating varied preferences.
iOS App Rating
4.6	3.7
Android App Rating
4	3.7
Margin Trading
Yes	Yes
Margin Rate
2.5%
MetaTrader 4
Yes	Yes
MetaTrader 5
No	Yes
cTrader
No	Yes
AlgoTrader
No	No
OmniTrader
No	No
TradingView
Yes	Yes
Autochartist
Yes	Yes
eSignal
No	No
Trading Central
Yes	No
STP Account
No	No
ECN Account
No	Yes
DMA Account
Yes	No
MAM Account
No	Yes
PAMM Account
No	Yes
LAMM Account
No	No
Demat Account
No	No
AI / Machine Learning
Yes	Yes
Robo Advisor
Yes	No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes	Yes
Market Maker
Yes	No
P2P Trading
No	No
Spot Trading
Yes	Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, build your own on ProRealTime	Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, cTrader Automate
Copy Trading
No	Yes
Copy Trading Platform
	Blackbull excels with its extensive array of trading solutions, including its CopyTrader, HokoCloud, DupliTrade, and Myfxbook. It provides detailed metrics to assess traders, featuring annual and percentage returns on intuitive dashboards, making it one of the most thorough trading packages available today, particularly with the addition of cTrader Copy in 2025.
Social Trading
No	Yes
Trade Signals
Yes	BlackBull Research stock recommendation service
VPS Hosting
Yes	Yes
Tournaments
No	No
Demo Competitions
No	No
Ethical Investing
Yes	No
Custodial Account
No	No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
Yes	No
Inactivity Fee
$12	$0
Islamic Account
No	Yes
Account Currencies
USD EUR GBP CAD AUD JPY ZAR SEK DKK CHF HKD SGD	USD EUR GBP CAD AUD NZD JPY ZAR 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	Gold Silver Oil Gasoline Cocoa Wheat Corn Sugar Coffee Natural Gas Platinum Palladium Copper Aluminium Lead Zinc
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.	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 (Retail), 1:222 (Pro)	1:500
FTSE Spread
1.0	1.5
GBPUSD Spread<
0.9	0.5
Oil Spread
2.8	1.5
Stocks Spread
0.02	Variable
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.	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
80+	64
GBPUSD Spread
0.9	0.5
EURUSD Spread
0.8	0.3
EURGBP Spread
0.9	0.8
Currency Indices
USD
Cryptocurrency
IG offers a limited range of 11 crypto CFDs, lagging behind leading brokers such as Vantage, which provides access to over 40 tokens. Nonetheless, IG distinguishes itself with its crypto index, tracking the top 10 digital currencies by market capitalisation. This index offers traders a comprehensive method to speculate on the overall value of the crypto market.	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
Variable	245
Coins
BTC BCH LTC ETH ADA DOT DOGE LINK UNI XLM	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

IG	BlackBull Markets
Review	Review
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% 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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