Purple Trading vs IG Index

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

Purple Trading vs IG Index Comparison Table 2024
Purple Trading IG Index
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3.5
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4.4
Purple Trading is ranked #97 among CFD brokers. IG Index is ranked #19 among CFD brokers.
Purple Trading has closed or no longer accepts UK clients.
Purple Trading is a legitimate forex and CFD broker with ECN and STP execution for a range of markets on two top commercial trading platforms. The broker is heavily regulated with authorization from the CySEC. Purple Trading also offers a good selection of account types to suit different traders, including beginners, pros and passive investors.
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.
71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.
Pros
  • Trustworthy and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC)
  • Access to MetaTrader 4 plus cTrader - both industry-leading platforms
  • Good range of deposit and withdrawal methods including bank cards
  • Currency indices with broader exposure to the forex market
  • Loyalty programme for active traders with fee discounts
  • Bespoke indicators to support forex trading on MT4
  • Excellent education for beginners including ebooks
  • Free demo account
  • 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
Cons
  • No MetaTrader 5 compatibility
  • Average customer support channels and wait times
  • 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
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
No Yes
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Cryptos, Futures, Commodities CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Futures, Options, Crypto, Spread Betting
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0 $0
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots 0.01 Lots
Regulator
CySEC FCA, ASIC, NFA, CFTC, DFSA, BaFin, MAS, FSCA
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.

iOS App Rating
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4.6
Android App Rating
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4
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
2.5%
MetaTrader 4
Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5
No No
cTrader
Yes No
AlgoTrader
No No
OmniTrader
No No
TradingView
No No
Autochartist
No Yes
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
No Yes
STP Account
Yes No
ECN Account
Yes No
DMA Account
Yes Yes
MAM Account
Yes No
PAMM Account
Yes No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
No No
Robo Advisor
No Yes
Negative Balance Protection
Yes Yes
Market Maker
No Yes
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
No Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, build your own on ProRealTime
Copy Trading
Yes No
Copy Trading Platform
Purple Trading enlists strategy providers to share their trading strategies with aspiring investors. The broker also CapitalGuard technology to cap excessive losses.
Social Trading
Yes No
Trade Signals
Yes
VPS Hosting
No Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
No Yes
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No Yes
Inactivity Fee
Yes $12
Islamic Account
No No
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • PLN
  • CZK
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • JPY
  • ZAR
  • SEK
  • DKK
  • CHF
  • HKD
  • SGD
Commodities
  • Silver
  • Oil
  • Orange Juice
  • Palladium
  • Gold
  • Platinum
  • Gold
  • Copper
  • Oil
  • Palladium
  • Silver
  • Sugar
  • Coffee
  • Wheat
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Orange Juice
  • Nickel
  • Steel
  • Iron
  • Precious Metals
  • Aluminium
  • Lithium
  • Cannabis
CFD
Purple Trading supports CFD trading through MetaTrader 4 and cTrader on stocks, commodities, futures, forex and indices. You can go long or short with up to 1:30 leverage, free deposits and competitive pricing. 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.
Leverage
1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro) 1:30 (Retail), 1:222 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
1 (ECN) 1.0
GBPUSD Spread<
0.00004 (ECN) 0.9
Oil Spread
0.03 (ECN) 2.8
Stocks Spread
Variable 0.02
Forex
Purple Trading clients are in a great position to speculate on foreign exchange markets with over 60 major, minor and exotic currency pairs. Forex indices are also available offering a holistic view of popular currencies like the USD. 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.
Assets
59 80+
GBPUSD Spread
0.00004 (ECN) 0.9
EURUSD Spread
0.00004 (ECN) 0.8
EURGBP Spread
0.00005 (ECN) 0.9
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • JPY
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • CHF
  • USD
Cryptocurrency
IG's modest selection of 11 crypto CFDs trails top crypto brokers like Vantage which offers 40+ tokens. That said, it stands out with its crypto index, which tracks the value of the top 10 digital currencies by market cap and provides a holistic way to speculate on the value of the crypto market.
Spread
Variable
Coins
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • LTC
  • BCH
  • BTC
  • BCH
  • LTC
  • ETH
  • ADA
  • DOT
  • DOGE
  • LINK
  • UNI
  • XLM
Crypto Lending
No No
Crypto Mining
No No
Crypto Staking
No No
Auto Market Maker
No No
Purple Trading IG Index
71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.
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