Pepperstone vs IC Markets

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

Pepperstone vs IC Markets Comparison Table 2026
Pepperstone IC Markets
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4.8
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Pepperstone is ranked #1 among CFD brokers. IC Markets is ranked # among .
Review
Established in Australia in 2010, Pepperstone is a top-rated forex and CFD broker with over 830,000 clients worldwide. It offers access to 1,400+ instruments on leading platforms MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView, maintaining low, transparent fees. Pepperstone is also regulated by trusted authorities like the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC, ensuring a secure environment for traders at all levels.
IC Markets has closed or no longer accepts UK clients.
CFDs and FX are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.
Pros
  • Support for top-tier charting platforms such as MT4, MT5, TradingView, and cTrader. These tools accommodate different short-term trading methods, including algorithmic trading.
  • In recent years, Pepperstone has significantly enhanced the deposit and withdrawal process. By 2025, clients can use Apple Pay and Google Pay, while 2024 saw the introduction of PIX and SPEI for customers in Brazil and Mexico.
  • Pepperstone presents itself as an economical choice for traders, offering spreads as low as 0.0 in its Razor account. The Active Trader programme provides rebates up to 30% on indices and commodities, plus $3 per lot on forex.
  • Award-winning customer support is available via telephone, email or live chat with response times of <5 minutes during testing and friendly agents knowledgeable about its products and trading tools.
  • After adding spread betting through TradingView, Pepperstone provides a seamless, tax-efficient trading experience with advanced analysis tools for financial spread bettors in supported countries.
  • Offers a dedicated CopyTrading app for traders who want a less active approach to trading.
Cons
  • Overnight holding fees are higher than that found with some Market Maker brokers (usually Benchmark + 2.5%). This makes pepperstone an ideal broker for traders and forex scalpers but less suitable for swing traders who often keep position open overnight.
  • Execution may not feel as reliable in fast markets as headline speeds suggest. In our own testing, execution was fast at desired prices, but some community complaints focus on slippage, stop-loss fills and spread-sensitive order triggers during volatile conditions.
  • Despite improvements to its range of markets, crypto offerings are still fairly limited compared to other brokers who focus on this area, such as Eightcap, and there's no option to invest in real coins.
  • Offers limited internal market research. They partner with third-party providers like Autochartist to fill this gap. This is a minor issue as there are plenty of other sources that can provide in-depth market analysis.
Awards
  • Best Overall Broker - DayTrading.com 2025
  • Best Forex Broker Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025
  • Best Trading App Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025
  • Best MT4/MT5 Broker Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025
  • Best TradingView Broker Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025
  • Best Forex Broker - DayTrading.com 2024
  • Best Overall Broker - DayTrading.com 2023
  • Best Trading App - DayTrading.com 2022
  • Best Forex Broker - DayTrading.com 2021
FCA Regulated
Yes
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Currency Indices, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Crypto (only Pro clients), Spread Betting
Demo Account
Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, ASIC, CySEC, BaFin, DFSA, SCA, CMA, SCB
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android
Trading App
Pepperstone shines with top-tier integration with MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView, ideal for traders using these major platforms. They offer stable mobile trading, boosted by Pepperstone's rapid execution speeds and extensive asset variety. It recently achieved second place in DayTrading.com's 2025 'Best Trading App' award.
iOS App Rating
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4.4
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Android App Rating
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4.1
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Margin Trading
Yes
MetaTrader 4
Yes
MetaTrader 5
Yes
cTrader
Yes
AlgoTrader
No
OmniTrader
No
TradingView
Yes
Autochartist
Yes
eSignal
No
Trading Central
No
STP Account
Yes
ECN Account
Yes
DMA Account
Yes
MAM Account
Yes
PAMM Account
Yes
LAMM Account
No
Demat Account
No
AI / Machine Learning
No
Robo Advisor
No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes
Market Maker
No
P2P Trading
No
Spot Trading
Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
Yes
Copy Trading Platform
Pepperstone offers the replication of skilled traders' strategies via MetaTrader Signals, DupliTrade, and its new proprietary copy trading app, in collaboration with Pelican Trading. This service, available in select regions, grants access to numerous experienced traders and customized risk settings. However, it does not support cTrader Copy, which might discourage traders who prefer Spotware's platform.
Social Trading
No
Trade Signals
Yes (Via Chartist Software)
VPS Hosting
Yes
Tournaments
No
Demo Competitions
No
Ethical Investing
No
Custodial Account
No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No
Inactivity Fee
$0
Islamic Account
Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • JPY
  • CHF
  • HKD
  • SGD
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Oil
  • Corn
  • Palladium
  • Precious Metals
  • Platinum
  • Copper
  • Gasoline
  • Cocoa
  • Coffee
  • Cotton
  • Livestock
  • Sugar
  • Wheat
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Orange Juice
  • Aluminium
  • Nickel
  • Zinc
CFD
In our recent assessment, Pepperstone remains a top-tier CFD broker, renowned for its speed and reliability. With execution times averaging 30ms and a remarkable 99.90% fill rate, traders benefit from a smooth experience free from requotes and dealing desk disruptions. Additionally, it offers extensive opportunities with access to more than 1,300 assets.
Leverage
1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
1.0
GBPUSD Spread<
0.4
Oil Spread
2.5
Stocks Spread
0.02
Forex
Pepperstone provides forex spreads on the EUR/USD averaging just 0.12 pips with their Razor account. This is highly competitive. Their extensive portfolio includes over 100 currency pairs, which exceeds what most rivals offer. Furthermore, Pepperstone stands out by offering three unique currency indices: USDX, EURX, and JPYX, which are rare on other platforms. They have been recognised with our 'Best Forex Broker' award twice.
Assets
100+
GBPUSD Spread
0.4
EURUSD Spread
0.1
EURGBP Spread
0.4
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • EUR
  • JPY
Cryptocurrency
Pepperstone remains a highly reputable crypto broker. Despite an average range of digital currencies, traders can access popular options like Bitcoin and altcoins such as Ripple with leverage up to 1:10. Its crypto indices offer comprehensive insights into digital currency markets, a feature unmatched by many other platforms.
Spread
BTC 30, ETH 0
Coins
  • BCH
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • LTC
  • DASH
  • ADA
  • LINK
  • DOGE
  • EOS
  • DOT
  • XRP
  • XLM
  • XTZ
  • UNI
  • BNB
Crypto Lending
No
Crypto Mining
No
Crypto Staking
No
Auto Market Maker
No
Pepperstone IC Markets
Review
CFDs and FX are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.
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