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Plus500 vs IG

Plus500 or IG – which is better for UK traders 2026? Compare Plus500 and IG in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.

Plus500 vs IG Comparison Table 2026
Plus500	IG

4.1	4.8
Plus500 is ranked #10 among CFD brokers.	IG is ranked #1 among CFD brokers.
Review	Review
Founded in 2008 and based in Israel, Plus500 is a leading brokerage with over 25 million registered traders across more than 50 countries. It focuses on CFD trading, offering a user-friendly proprietary platform and mobile app. The company provides competitive spreads and does not impose commissions or charges for deposits or withdrawals. Plus500 stands out as a highly trusted broker, licensed by respected authorities such as the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC.	Established in 1974, IG is a unit of IG Group Holdings Plc, listed on the LSE as IGG. It provides access to over 17,000 markets through intuitive platforms and apps. For half a century, IG has remained an industry leader, excelling in all vital aspects for traders.
80% of retail CFD accounts lose money.	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
Plus500 offers a dedicated WebTrader platform tailored specifically for CFD trading. It features a user-friendly and streamlined interface. In 2025, Plus500 expanded its range of share CFDs to include emerging sectors such as quantum computing and AI. This update opened up trading opportunities in stocks like IonQ, Rigetti, Duolingo, and Carvana. The broker provides low-commission trading across varied markets, reducing extra fees and attracting seasoned traders. Plus500 has expanded its range of short-term trading instruments by adding VIX options, which feature increased volatility. Additionally, it has extended trading hours for seven stock CFDs. The customer support team consistently delivers reliable support around the clock through email, live chat, and WhatsApp. AI Bites provides active traders with real-time, AI-driven market summaries, technical analysis, and social sentiment integrated with charts, assisting with short-term trading decisions.	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
Plus500's omission of MetaTrader and cTrader charting tools may deter seasoned traders seeking familiar platforms. Educational resources are not as extensive as leading brokers such as eToro, which affects beginners' ability to learn quickly. The lack of social trading features prevents users from copying trades made by seasoned traders. Compared to competitors like IG, Plus500 offers limited research and analysis tools. Algorithmic trading and scalping are not available, potentially deterring certain traders.	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 Overall Broker 2021 - DayTrading.com Best Overall Broker 2020 - DayTrading.com Best Overall Broker 2019 - DayTrading.com
FCA Regulated
Yes	Yes
Instruments
CFDs on Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Options	CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Futures, Options, Crypto, Spread Betting
Demo Account
Yes	Yes
Minimum Deposit
$100	$0
Payment Methods
Apple Pay Credit Card Debit Card Mastercard PayNow PayPal Skrill Trustly Visa Wire Transfer	Credit Card Debit Card Mastercard PayNow PayPal Visa Wire Transfer
Minimum Trade
Variable	0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, CySEC, EFSA, ASIC, FMA, FSCA, MAS, ISA, FSA, DFSA, SCA, JFSA, SCB, CIRO, BAPPEBTI, OJK, BI	CFTC, NFA, FCA, BaFin, ASIC, FINMA, MAS, JFSA, FMA, DFSA, BMA
Mobile Apps
iOS, Android & Windows	iOS & Android
Trading App
Plus500 have tailored their mobile apps to align with the WebTrader online platform. The app is secure, dependable, and ranks highly. Stop loss, limits, free alerts, and a comprehensive range of markets and instruments are provided. Access the download page here.	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
4.1	4.6
Android App Rating
4.3	4
Margin Trading
Yes	Yes
Margin Rate
2.5%	1.0% – 1.5% for Forex, 3.0% – 3.4% for Shares, Indices, and Commodities
MetaTrader 4
No	Yes
MetaTrader 5
No	No
cTrader
No	No
AlgoTrader
No	No
OmniTrader
No	No
TradingView
No	Yes
Autochartist
No	Yes
eSignal
No	No
Trading Central
No	Yes
STP Account
No	No
ECN Account
No	No
DMA Account
No	Yes
MAM Account
No	No
PAMM Account
No	No
LAMM Account
No	No
Demat Account
No	No
AI / Machine Learning
Yes	Yes
Robo Advisor
No	Yes
Negative Balance Protection
Yes	Yes
Market Maker
Yes	Yes
P2P Trading
No	No
Spot Trading
No	Yes
Auto Trading
No	Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, build your own on ProRealTime
Copy Trading
No	No
Social Trading
No	No
Trade Signals
	Yes
VPS Hosting
No	Yes
Tournaments
No	No
Demo Competitions
No	No
Ethical Investing
Yes	Yes
Custodial Account
No	No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
Yes	Yes
Inactivity Fee
$10	$12
Islamic Account
Yes	No
Account Currencies
USD EUR GBP AUD ZAR CZK	USD EUR GBP CAD AUD JPY ZAR SEK DKK CHF HKD SGD
Commodities
Copper Cotton Coffee Livestock Sugar Gasoline Cocoa Platinum Soybeans Oil Gold Silver Corn Aluminium Palladium Wheat Cattle Lean Hogs	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
Plus500 offers commission-free CFDs across various markets, including currencies, stocks, indices, and commodities. Traders can take long or short positions on popular assets, enjoying flexible leverage with no hidden charges.	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
Yes	1:30 (Retail), 1:222 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
Dynamic	1.0
GBPUSD Spread<
Dynamic	0.9
Oil Spread
Dynamic	2.8
Stocks Spread
Dynamic	0.02
Forex
Plus500 offers CFD trading in forex, with tight spreads across over 60 currency pairs. Testing showed spreads as low as 0.6 pips on the EUR/USD, lower than many competitors.	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
60+	80+
GBPUSD Spread
Dynamic	0.9
EURUSD Spread
Dynamic	0.8
EURGBP Spread
Dynamic	0.9
Currency Indices
	USD
Cryptocurrency
	IG provides an expanding range of over 100 crypto CFDs and digital assets for trading and storage. Distinguished by its crypto index, it monitors the top 10 digital currencies by market cap, offering a comprehensive market speculation approach. In the UK, its crypto options were enhanced by obtaining an FCA digital asset license, allowing regulated trading and investment in popular crypto coins. Additionally, IG has broadened its spot crypto services to Australia, France, and Singapore.
Spread
Variable	Variable
Coins
BCH BTC ETH LTC XRP IOTA NEO EOS XMR	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	No
Crypto Mining
No	No
Crypto Staking
No	No
Auto Market Maker
No	No

Plus500	IG
Review	Review
80% of retail CFD accounts lose money.	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.
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