IG vs FP markets

Which Broker Has the Best Spreads?

Many brokers publish their average spreads on their websites, which allows us to compare the spreads of different brokers. Below, we compare the spreads of IG and FP Markets along with other brokers, and this is updated each month.

FP Markets vs IG ECN-Pricing Accounts

FP Market’s best account for Forex trading is their RAW account. This account has ECN pricing, which means prices are sourced from liquidity providers with no dealing desk. IG Markets have a similar account that uses Direct Market Access (DMA) trading in place of Straight Through Processing (STP). DMA is similar to STP but is recommended to professional traders, so should not really be considered by retail traders.

The table below compared FP Markets with IG along with other brokers. While IG average spreads are slightly lower on average than FP Markets for EUR/USD, it is worth noting that FP Markets has better average spreads for other currency pairs. Other brokers such as Pepperstone and IC Markets are also excellent choices for low spreads.

ECN pricing spreads compared	EUR/USDAUD/USDEUR/GBPGBP/USDUSD/SGDAUD/JPYEUR/JPYUSD/JPYUSD/CAD	EUR/USDAUD/USDEUR/GBPGBP/USDUSD/SGDAUD/JPYEUR/JPYUSD/JPYUSD/CAD	EUR/USDAUD/USDEUR/GBPGBP/USDUSD/SGDAUD/JPYEUR/JPYUSD/JPYUSD/CAD	EUR/USDAUD/USDEUR/GBPGBP/USDUSD/SGDAUD/JPYEUR/JPYUSD/JPYUSD/CAD	EUR/USDAUD/USDEUR/GBPGBP/USDUSD/SGDAUD/JPYEUR/JPYUSD/JPYUSD/CAD
	0.10	0.20	0.40	0.20	1.30
	0.09	0.17	0.40	0.59	1.38
	0.17	0.30	0.54	0.59	N/A
	0.20	0.20	0.40	0.50	1.50
	0.44	0.42	0.40	0.85	1.30
	0.20	0.40	0.50	0.60	10.00
	0.10	0.50	0.60	0.60	1.30
	n/a	0.50	0.60	0.20	3.10
	0.28	1.09	0.81	0.77	2.20

Data taken from broker website. Accurate as at 01/01/2022

To keep costs true to quotes provided by the liquidity pool, commission costs are applied instead of widening the spread. The following costs apply:

1. FP Markets raw account minimum spread of 0.0 pips and USD 3/ AUD 3.50 commission per side (USD $6, AUD$7 round-turn)
2. IG Markets vary by volume you trade – the more you trade, the lower the commission. Keep in mind, the DMA account is recommended for professional traders, so you need to be trading with exceptionally high volume to get the most value.

Standard Account

The standard account has all-inclusive spreads, this means costs are wider in place of commissions. Beginner traders tend to prefer this type of account because of the simpler commission structure.

IF this is the type of account you prefer, IG clearly presents better value than FP MarketsSpreads with FP Markets starting from 1.0 pips while IG spreads start from 0.6 pips. If you wish to consider other brokers with no commissions accounts, take a look at Markets.com, and Pepperstone whose spreads are similar to IG Markets.

Standard Account Spreads	EUR/USDAUD/USDEUR/GBPGBP/USDUSD/JPYAUD/JPYEUR/JPYUSD/CADUSD/SGD	EUR/USDAUD/USDEUR/GBPGBP/USDUSD/JPYAUD/JPYEUR/JPYUSD/CADUSD/SGD	EUR/USDAUD/USDEUR/GBPGBP/USDUSD/JPYAUD/JPYEUR/JPYUSD/CADUSD/SGD	EUR/USDAUD/USDEUR/GBPGBP/USDUSD/JPYAUD/JPYEUR/JPYUSD/CADUSD/SGD	EUR/USDAUD/USDEUR/GBPGBP/USDUSD/JPYAUD/JPYEUR/JPYUSD/CADUSD/SGD
	0.86	0.74	1.19	1.19	0.83
	0.69	0.77	1.40	1.19	0.86
	0.62	0.77	1.27	0.83	0.74
	0.70	1.30	1.30	2.20	1.40
	0.80	0.90	1.70	1.80	0.80
	1.40	1.30	1.60	2.40	1.50
	1.20	1.40	1.60	1.90	1.20
	1.10	1.20	1.40	1.50	1.20
	1.20	1.30	1.60	1.30	1.20
	1.20	1.20	1.40	1.40	1.20
	1.20	1.20	1.40	1.40	1.40
	1.30	1.50	1.50	1.70	1.70
	1.30	1.70	2.10	1.40	1.50
	1.20	1.40	1.40	1.50	1.20
	1.61	1.87	1.44	1.67	1.62
	1.40	1.20	1.90	1.90	1.60
	1.70	1.80	2.00	2.20	1.60

Data taken from broker website. Accurate as at 01/01/2022

FP Markets vs IG: Spreads Winner

ECN pricing account offers the lowest spreads, so we recommended this type of account to most brokers. IG Markets DMA or Level 2 dealing account has some benefits, however, requires particular skills, so is not the best choice for most traders.

If you are new to trading, then IG can be a good choice, especially if you plan to use the proprietary trading platform which has risk management tools not found on other platforms.

View FP Markets Review >>Visit FP Markets >>

What Leverage Is Available?

In this IG vs FP Markets review, we also compared the leverage trading conditions. Leverage trading is offered with trading CFDs like forex, indices, cryptocurrencies, commodities, shares, etc. The highest leverage available to FP Markets clients is 500:1 compared to the 200:1 leverage ratio obtained with IG Markets, but only for professional traders.

Note* these maximum leverage ratios can be obtained through the brokers’ international branch where there are more relaxed regulatory frameworks. FP Markets international branch is based in St Vincent and the Grenadines where traders can access 500:1 leverage ratios.

Generally, the leverage ratios depend on the forex jurisdiction and what financial instruments you trade.

Forex trading in Europe (CySEC), Australia (ASIC) and the UK (FCA) comprise lower leverage limits of 30:1 for major currency pairs and 20:1 for minor currency pairs with both online brokers.

CFD Leverage

At both FP Markets and IG, retail traders will be able to access the following maximum leverage depending on the CFD instrument traded:

• 1:20 Gold and major Stock Indices;
• 1:10 on Commodities different than Gold and minor Stock Indices;
• 1:10 on Bond CFDs (only at IG);
• 1:5 on Stock CFDs;
• 1:2 on Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

FP Markets vs IG: Leverage Winner

Overall, both online brokers follow the guidelines imposed by Forex regulators. However, if you’re looking to maximise your buying power and be able to access higher leverage ratios, FP Markets is the best pick with up to 500:1 more leverage than what IG offers.

View FP Markets Review >>Visit FP Markets >>

What Forex Trading Platforms Do the Brokers Offer?

Both FP Markets and IG offer their clients the most popular trading platform, MetaTrader 4 (MT4). Additionally, FP Markets clients can choose the MetaTrader 5 multi-asset platform for trading CFDs and Forex, plus the proprietary trading software IRESS dedicated to stock trading. By comparison, IG offers their in-house web trading platform, cutting-edge platform ProRealTime and specialist trading platform L2 Dealer.

MetaTrader vs IG Trading Platform

FP Markets’ primary trading platform offered to their clients is the popular MetaTrader 4 by MetaQuotes Software available across all account types. MetaTrader 4 boasts one-cling trading, +60 pre-installed indicators, customizable charts and automated trading via Expert Advisors (EAs) among others.

Traders can choose from 5 versions of the MetaTrader 4 available for Windows, Mac, WebTrader, iOS and Android.

FP Markets clients can access ECN pricing on MT4 across +60 currency pairs, 63 stocks, 14 indices, cryptocurrencies and commodities.

On the other hand, IG state-of-the-art web-based trading platform doesn’t require any installation and can be accessed directly from your web browser. IG web platform supports the following browsers: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft Edge and Safari (Mac only).

With IG web-based trading platform traders can access elite-level trading tools including:

• Integrated news feed via Reuters, Twitter and IG expert team
• Trading alerts
• 28 indicators and 19 drawings
• Integrated access to ProRealTime
• Buy and sell signals based on chart pattern recognition
• Ability to customise a wide array of features

Mobile Trading

Mobile trading, right from the palm of your hand is possible with both FP Markets and IG. On the one hand, FP Markets offers 3 different mobile apps (proprietary FP Markets Trading App, MT4 App, MT5 App) compatible with iOS and Android devices. FP markets mobile apps are powered with real-time pricing, user-friendly charting tool, funding options, one-click trading, easy scrolls and zooms and so much more.

On the other hand, IG clients only have access to 2 mobile trading Apps (MT4 + IG trading platform) compatible only with Android devices. The only drawback is that iOS users need to use a progressive web app (PWA).

IG trading App offers the full dealing functionality of the web platform including interactive price charts, 28 technical indicators, sentiment data, alerts with push notifications and advanced order types.

Unfortunately, the ProRealTime platform and the L2 Dealer platform don’t have mobile accessibility.

Trading Tools

For trading tools, IG’s MetaTrader 4 comes with 18 add-ons plus Autochartist. By comparison, FP Markets provides a suite of 12 additional trading tools and the Autochartist plugin for MT4. FP Markets MT4 Traders Toolbox includes:

• Market manager and Trade terminal – an advanced client portal
• Alarm Manager – set automate alarms when a pre-defined level is reached or an order is triggered
• Sentiment trader – gauges the market sentiment
• Trader Toolbox Connect – access the economic calendar and the latest news

Additionally, FP Markets offers 5 different forex trading calculators to help traders better assess the risks associated with trading the forex market.

Execution Speed

In addition to having a good platform, traders need to ensure fast and reliable execution of their orders. FP Markets has its servers collocated inside Equinix’s NY4 data centre, which enables them to offer an ultra-fast execution speed of 40ms. The low latency trade execution means you’ll have no re-quotes, minimal slippage, and tight spreads.

By comparison, IG execution technology is also fast and reliable. IG advertises 14ms execution speed and over 7 million orders executed each month. Based on internal data from IG, 89% of their orders incurred zero slippage (see table below).

We used a third-party MT4 script to verify in real-time the execution speed across multiple brokers and found that FP Markets is one of the fastest MetaTrader 4 brokers after Pepperstone.

Social Trading/Copy Trading Solution

Both FP Markets and IG offer copy trading solutions however, only FP Markets integrates social trading features. Social trading is available via FP Markets copy trading, which also allows traders to engage in discussion and share ideas besides copy trading.

FP Markets’ copy trading solution is available for MT4 and MT5. Third-party copy trading solutions are also available, which include MyFxBook Autotrade and MQL5 signals. On the other hand, IG doesn’t offer a social trading platform, but they offer an integrated solution within MT4 (MQL5 signals) for copy trading.

IG also offers third-party trading signals from Autochartist and PIA-First.

FP Markets vs IG: Trading Platforms Winner

All in all, both forex brokers offer traders industry-leading trading platforms and excellent trading tools. IG has an exceptional choice of trading platforms, but they have a steep learning curve and are not compatible with beginner traders. On the other hand, FP Markets clients can enjoy more sophisticated trading tools and social trading features.

View IG Markets Review >>Visit IG Markets >>

What Forex Pairs And Other CFDs Can You Trade?

Forex traders can get 61 currency pairs at FP Markets compared to a slightly large variety of FX pairs (68 currency pairs) at IG Markets. In terms of the range of asset classes, both online brokers allow you to trade, index CFDs, commodity CFDs, metals, share CFDs and a handful of cryptocurrencies.

In addition to the standard financial instruments, FP Markets also offers a currency index that can’t be found with IG Markets. But, IG also provides more sophisticated trading instruments like bonds, ETFs, fixed-risk digital 100s, knock-outs, options and interest rates.

Risk Disclaimer: CFD trading carries a high level of risk, as they are highly speculative trading instruments. Beginner traders need to get proper financial education before they start trading Contracts for Differences (CFD’s).

CFD Trading

Forex pairs aside, IG offers a total of 17,000 financial markets compared to 10,000 CFDs available with FP Markets. Obviously, IG has an extensive list of tradable CFDs, but that’s mainly because it offers more shares, ETFs, options and interest rates.

By comparison, FP Markets offers two options for share dealings:

1. +10,000 Shares CFDs traded on 9 major exchanges through its IRESS platform with DMA,
2. 54 Shares CFDs through its MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 platform.

IG’s main focus tends to be set on stocks and ETFs, which is why they provide over 13,000 CFD shares.

Commodity traders can access 8 instruments at FP Markets compared to 35 instruments at IG. IG also has more metals (5 pairs) and more CFD indices (+100) versus 4 metal pairs and 12 CFD indices found at FP Markets.

Cryptocurrency CFD Trading

Both brokers only provide access to a limited number of cryptocurrencies. FP Markets has 5 cryptos against 8 cryptos at IG. Cryptocurrencies shared between the two forex brokers are Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and Litecoin. Additionally, FP Markets offer Ripple compared to IG’s offering, which includes Stellar, NEO, EOS and a Crypto10 index.

Please note that UK residents that fall under the FCA regulation are not allowed to trade cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

FP Markets vs IG: CFD instruments Winner

Overall, both brokers have an excellent selection of CFD products. As a forex broker, FP Markets and IG offer a similar range of FX pairs, but when it comes to CFD markets, IG tops FP Markets. We recommend FP Markets for forex trading and IG for CFD trading.

View FP Markets Review >>Visit FP Markets >>

Customer Support And Services (Education, Research)

Both forex brokers have been around for a long time to be able to provide excellent customer support service. FP Markets has been around for 16 years, while IG has been around for 47 years. They deliver professional multi-lingual customer support service via traditional communication channels like live chat, email or telephone.

Customer Support Comparison

FP Markets’ customer support service outpaced IG’s client support service. FP Markets offers extended client support service 24/7 including over the weekend support, which is not available with IG’s trading services team. IG’s customer support only runs Monday through Friday, 24 hours a day.

FP Markets staff is also available through more modern messaging services like WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, etc. By comparison, IG doesn’t offer such options. Additionally, at FP Markets, traders can seek help in 12 different languages. We couldn’t find whether IG offers multi-lingual support.

FP Markets’ help centre completes what is an award-winning customer support service. FP Markets received multiple prominent awards from Investment Trend Reports that testify for the quality of their products and services. At the same time, IG can boast industry recognition with their award-wining technology, but they don’t have any awards for their customer support service.

Other Customer Service

In our broker reviews, we also take into consideration what type of educational resources the brokers offer. Both FP Markets and IG offer a plethora of educational content that caters to the needs of both beginner traders and more experienced traders.

Trading Course

IG Academy’s main strength is the engaging course which is available for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. On the other hand, FP Markets’s Forex 101 section helps traders grasp the basic concept of trading, which is complemented by video tutorials and the trading glossary section that helps beginners familiarize themselves with the most complex forex terms.

Webinars

In addition to the trading courses, IG and FP Markets also provide live webinars that you can register for. IG global team has teamed up with the team of experts from DailyFX to provide a better experience.

eBooks

At FP Markets, clients can download multiple free Forex eBooks with reliable trading insights from professional traders. By comparison, we couldn’t find any eBooks on the IG website.

Blogs and News

If you want to find forex news and blogs that are disseminating the latest developments in the market, both online brokers are equally good. FP Markets offers a daily report, technical report, market insights, fundamental analysis, forex news and essential weekly briefing in video format (Currency Point).

On the other side, IG Markets offer forex news and trade idea section and expert analysis of the latest news.

FP Markets vs IG: Customer Support Winner

FP Markets has 4.8 stars on Trustpilot compared to only a 3.6-star rating obtained by IG. At the same time, it’s a lot easier to get on hold of FP Markets customer support. While the IG Academy is on par with FP Markets’ resources, we feel that the Australian-based FX broker content is better structured and easier to follow. You’re free to check them both.

View FP Markets Review >>Visit FP Markets >>

Minimum Deposit, Deposit and Withdrawal Options

To open a forex trading account, traders have to commit a minimum deposit of AUD$100 with FP Markets compared to $300 required by IG Markets. By comparison, FP Markets also offers more funding methods to their clients and more account-based currencies to accommodate the needs of traders worldwide.

Account-Based Currencies

At FP Markets, the multi-currency account supports the following currencies: AUD, USD, EUR, GBP, SGD, HKD, NZD, CHF, CAD and CNY. At the same time, IG Markets allows deposits and withdrawals to be made in USD, GBP, EUR, CHF, Rand and JPY.

Account Funding Options

In terms of deposit methods, both forex brokers share between them the standard methods of transferring money like a credit card, debit cards (Visa and MasterCard) plus bank transfers. It is worth mentioning that at IG, deposits made via credit cards will incur a 1% charge for Visa and a 0.5% fee for MasterCard.

At IG Markets, the available deposit methods and minimum deposits depend on the country of residence. The table below outlines the full list of deposit and withdrawal methods and the withdrawal fees charged by IG.

Additionally, FP Markets clients can fund their accounts using different electronic wallets like PayPal, POLi, BPay, Skrill, Neteller, PayTrust (local bank transfer), Fasapay, OnlinePay, Nganluong.vn (Vietnamese clients) Dragonpay, Perfect Money.

FP Markets also offers cryptocurrency deposit solutions via LetKnowPay. Accepted cryptocurrencies for deposit include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and USDT. With FP Markets, it’s also possible to transfer your funds from one broker to another broker.

Inactivity Fee

Only IG Markets will charge its clients an inactivity fee of $18 if their trading account becomes inactive for 24 months. Unlike most brokers, FP Markets doesn’t charge an inactivity fee. However, if your account becomes dormant and there is no activity for over 3 months, your trading account will be disabled.

FP Markets vs IG: Minimum Deposit Winner

Overall, FP Markets has lower deposit requirements, more funding methods, accepts more currencies than IG Markets. Finally, we found FP Markets that it’s not charging any withdrawal fees, which makes this broker a better choice.

View FP Markets Review >>Visit FP Markets >>

What Regulation and Risk Management Do The Brokers Offer?

It’s safe to trade with both FP Markets and IG Markets. Both online brokers are globally regulated across multiple tier-1 jurisdictions worldwide. FP Markets holds two tier-1 licenses compared to six tier-1 licenses held by IG Markets.

FP Markets and its corporate branches are regulated by the following financial regulators:

• Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in Australia
• Cyprus Securities Exchange Commission (CySEC) in Cyprus, EU and the UK
• Registered company of St. Vincent & the Grenadines for global operations

On the other hand, IG is regulated and trusted worldwide. It’s primarily regulated by the FCA, ASIC, FINMA, JFSA and CFTC. While it misses CySEC regulation, IG is regulated by the BaFin and Deutsche Bundesbank through which EU clients can access IG’s online trading services. The table below outlines the full list of regulatory bodies that oversight IG’s trading operations.

Segregated Bank Accounts

With FP Markets, client money is held in segregated bank accounts tier one global investment banks National Australia Bank or Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

At IG, client funds are also held in “segregated client bank (independent trust) accounts at regulated banks” and are never merged with IG’s own money. Your funds are held “at a range of authorised deposit-taking institutes (ADIs) such as the Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and HSBC.”

Guaranteed Stop Losses (GSLO)

As part of the risk management tools, the guaranteed stop losses can help traders minimise losses from market gapping and especially slippage. Because FP Markets offers ECN pricing and your orders are matched against liquidity providers, they are not able to offer guaranteed stop losses.

On the other hand, since IG is a market maker, they support GSLO. However, there is a GSLO premium charge for placing such orders.

Negative Balance Protection

Another risk management tool that helps traders minimise their losses is negative balance protection*. Both IG and FP Markets offer a negative balance protection policy, but only for the retail trading accounts. Professional trading accounts are not protected by the NBPP.

Note* The negative balance protection policy is a regulatory requirement in the ESMA-regulated region and the UK.

FP Markets vs IG: Regulation Winner

Overall, both brokers are in good standings and comply with the most stringent regulatory frameworks. Regulators like FCA, ASIC and CySEC ensure a fair trading environment for all retail traders. For an in-depth review of IG Markets, click the button below to find out more.

View IG Markets Review >>Visit IG Markets >>