How do IG and markets.com stack up against each other?

The Radar Chart below highlights how the brokers stack up against each other across various metrics. The highest score a broker can receive in each area is 5.

At FxScouts, we help traders find the broker that suits their trading needs. In many cases, the best way to achieve this is to compare brokers side-by-side.

To compare IG and markets.com, we used the same factors we use when reviewing brokers: The trust and regulation of the broker, the trading platform, the costs and trading conditions, and the level of education and market analysis available at the broker.

Does IG or markets.com have a better trust and regulation rating?

Trust and regulation are some of the most important factors to consider when choosing a Forex broker. Trust in the Forex trading business is almost entirely founded upon regulation. We spend many hours evaluating the safety of each broker by delving into their fine print and confirming each one of their regulatory licences on the online registers. The more top-tier authorities a broker is regulated by, the higher its trust rating.

In our comparison, we found that IG holds six Tier 1 and four Tier 2 licences, and markets.com holds three Tier 1 and no Tier 2 licences.

 

Is IG financially regulated?

Yes IG was founded in 1974 and is regulated by ASIC, BaFin, CFTC, DFSA, FCA, FMA, FSA-Japan, FSCA, Fi, MAS and FINMA.

 

Is markets.com financially regulated?

Yes markets.com was founded in 2008 and is regulated by ASIC, B.V.I FSC, CySEC, FCA and FSCA.

 

Based on these findings, 0 earned a higher trust rating than 0.

Does IG or markets.com have lower costs?

Another important aspect we consider when comparing brokers is the cost of trading. When evaluating trading costs, we always consider the minimum deposit required to open an account and the ongoing trading costs, including the spreads and commissions. When calculating trading costs, we measure the cost to trade one lot of EUR/USD using the broker’s account with the lowest minimum deposit. The cost includes both the spread and any commission charged. 

Not all brokers publish their trading costs, so we often open accounts and trade on their platforms to verify the spreads and commissions. Based on our reviews, we found that IG has overall lower trading costs than markets.com. 

 

Does IG or markets.com offer a better choice of trading platforms?

Traders want Forex brokers to offer them a choice of trading platforms, so we give brokers who offer multiple platforms higher ratings. Trading platforms we consider include MetaTrader4, MetaTrader5, cTrader and proprietary mobile and web-based platforms. 

In this case, 0 offers support for and 0 offers support for . 

Do the brokers offer copy trading?

In this case both IG and markets.com offer copy trading.

 

Which broker offers a better choice of trading instruments?

A variety of CFD instruments – and a large range of CFDs for each instrument category allow traders more opportunities for profitable trading. The best brokers will have thousands of CFDs to trade, covering all these instrument categories. We found that IG offers a greater range and depth of instruments to trade than markets.com. IG offers 80 Forex pairs to trade and markets.com offers 56 Forex pairs to trade.

And what about Cryptocurrencies?

In this case, markets.com offers 25 cryptocurrencies while IG offers 10 cryptocurrencies. So if you want to trade cryptocurrencies, we advise trading with markets.com.

Which broker offers better deposit and withdrawal processes?

Although brokers may have reasonable trading fees, many traders are caught out by the high non-trading fees charged by some brokers, including deposits and withdrawals. Traders want to be able to deposit and withdraw funds quickly and cheaply. Most brokers have multiple funding methods with zero fees for making deposits, but some brokers make it more expensive and take longer to process withdrawals. 

We rate brokers more highly that process withdrawals within 24 hours by multiple withdrawal methods and without charging processing fees. We found that neither IG nor markets.com charges a withdrawal fee. Overall, IG has better deposit and withdrawal processes than markets.com. 

Which broker offers better educational support?

We often find that brokers offer very little in the way of educational materials, forcing traders to use other third-party sites or self-educate elsewhere. Beginner traders need well-structured, well-presented materials in multiple formats to get a good start at trading. More experienced traders also benefit from webinars led by experts in the field and advanced trading strategy sections with new trading ideas. 

IG and markets.com both have very good educational support. Both IG and markets.com offer educational support for more experienced traders.

 

Which broker offers better market analysis materials?

To successfully predict the price movements of an instrument, traders will need access to frequent market research and analysis. We find that research and market analysis are always better when they are produced in-house and updated frequently. Third-party resources don’t show the same expertise in trading ideas, so we place a strong emphasis on frequent in-house updates. Some brokers also often offer interactive webinars where traders can learn from experts in the field. 

We found that 0 offers better research analysis than 0 and that both IG and markets.com offer frequent webinars.

 

Our overall Verdict on IG

One of the most popular brokers in India and the largest CFD broker in the world by revenue, IG Markets has two low-cost trading accounts - one of which provides direct market access. With possibly the widest range of CFDs in the world, IG Markets offers trading on over 17,000 instruments, including Forex, indices, share CFDs, commodities, cryptocurrencies, digital 100s, options, ETFs, bonds, and interest rates.  

On both accounts – the OTC Account and the DMA Account - IG Market’s trading costs are low compared to other similar brokers, with no minimum deposit requirements and tight spreads, averaging 0.85 pips on the EUR/USD.  IG Markets offers trading on its own award-winning platform, as well as MT4 and L2 Dealer - a DMA specific platform for experienced traders. In addition to a wide range of trading tools, IG Markets also provides a world-class selection of educational and market analysis materials to get new traders started. 

Overall, both beginner and experienced Forex traders won’t find a much better broker than IG Markets, and it is one of our highest-rated brokers for good reason. Combined with regulation from the FCA and ASIC, a long history of satisfied clients, and vast industry recognition, IG Markets is hard to beat.

Our overall Verdict on markets.com

Markets.com offers traders fast, low-cost trading on a broad range of financial instruments, including over 1500 stock CFDs, Forex, commodities, cryptocurrencies, indices, ETFs, and bonds. 

Although Markets.com offers only one live account, it offers more account benefits with higher minimum deposits. Spreads are extremely competitive, starting at 0.6 pips (EUR/USD), with no commissions and a minimum deposit requirement of only 100 USD on its Basic Account tier, making it accessible to beginner traders. 

Full support is offered for MT4, MT5, and Markets.com's award-winning in-house platform. An advanced multi-asset trading platform, the Markets.com platform is packed full of features, including excellent trading tools, expert analysis, and in-depth charting. 

Markets.com also provides a high level of customer service compared to other brokers, and its educational materials provide an excellent resource for beginners starting their trading careers.

Which broker has the highest overall rating?

IG has an overall rating of 4.69 and markets.com has an overall rating of 4.68. For more detail please read our reviews of IG and markets.com.