Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IG vs ActivTrades, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
When it comes to the Trust Score ratings from ForexBrokers.com, IG and ActivTrades differ in their levels of assurance. IG, founded in 1974, boasts a Trust Score of 99 out of 99, making it highly trusted. It stands out as a publicly traded company and operates as a bank, offering a solid reputation in the financial market. Moreover, IG holds 8 Tier-1 licenses, indicating its high level of trustworthiness, along with 2 Tier-2 licenses, reinforcing its credibility.
By comparison, ActivTrades, which began operations in 2001, holds a Trust Score of 81, placing it in the trusted category. Although it is not publicly traded and does not operate as a bank, the broker manages to maintain an authoritative presence in the market. ActivTrades is backed by 2 Tier-1 licenses, reflecting a commendable level of trust, and 1 Tier-2 license, further substantiating its reliability.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of IG and ActivTrades, IG stands out with its range of accounts and competitive pricing options, particularly for active traders. Although considered a premium service rather than a discount broker, IG offers significant savings for volume traders through their Forex Direct accounts, where the average spread on the EUR/USD was 0.62 pips in July 2023, with a per-trade commission of 0.2 pips. For those engaging in high-volume trades, the commission can go as low as $10 per million, translating to an effective spread of 0.82 pips. Additionally, high-volume traders may qualify for the active-trader rebate program, offering spread discounts of up to 20%. IG earns a commendable 5-star rating and holds the 8th position out of 63 brokers for commissions and fees according to ForexBrokers.com.
ActivTrades, meanwhile, provides a more straightforward offering with its primary Individual Account, alongside Professional and Islamic Account options. While the broker's spreads are slightly better than the industry average, they are not as competitive as the top low-cost forex brokers. Notably, there is no specific account designed for high-volume trading, and active trader pricing isn't offered, making it less appealing for traders looking for significant discounts. The average spread for the EUR/USD in May 2024 was 0.98 pips, showing some stability but less competitiveness compared to IG. ActivTrades earns a 4-star rating and ranks 28th out of 63 brokers in the Commissions and Fees category on ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $0 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | 0.98 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
IG and ActivTrades both allow clients to trade forex as CFDs or spot contracts. However, IG stands out with an impressive offering of 19,537 tradeable symbols compared to ActivTrades' 1,267. For forex enthusiasts, IG provides access to 97 forex pairs, almost doubling ActivTrades' offering of 49 pairs. If you're interested in trading exchange-traded securities on U.S. markets, IG enables you to buy stocks like Apple, while ActivTrades does not offer this service. Both brokers support trading on international exchanges, so you can purchase shares of companies like Vodafone from the London Stock Exchange with either platform. When it comes to cryptocurrency, IG offers the option to buy both actual cryptocurrencies and derivatives, whereas ActivTrades only provides cryptocurrency derivatives.
For those interested in copy trading, ActivTrades accommodates this feature, unlike IG. According to ForexBrokers.com, IG shines with a perfect 5-star rating and ranks 4th out of 63 brokers for its range of investments. Meanwhile, ActivTrades received a respectable 4-star rating, but ranks lower at 31st in the same category. In summary, IG delivers a more extensive array of investment options, making it an appealing choice for investors seeking variety and depth in their trading portfolio.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 1267 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 49 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
When comparing the trading platforms and tools offered by IG and ActivTrades, both brokers provide comprehensive solutions that cater to different trader needs. IG and ActivTrades each offer in-house developed platforms along with web-based and Windows-based desktop versions, giving users the flexibility to trade how they prefer. Both brokers support the popular MetaTrader 4, though only ActivTrades extends this support to MetaTrader 5. While neither offers services like DupliTrade or ZuluTrade, ActivTrades does have an edge with copy trading capabilities, which may appeal to those looking to mirror experienced traders.
For charting tools, IG stands out with more drawing tools, offering 20 compared to ActivTrades' 15. Both brokers allow straightforward trading directly from stock charts, supporting an efficient trading process. Watchlist customization is more detailed with ActivTrades, providing 11 columns for fields versus IG's five. Even though both brokers offer a free virtual demo account for practice, IG receives a higher rating of five stars for its trading platforms and tools, ranking as the second-best among 63 brokers, compared to ActivTrades’ four-star rating and 30th place ranking. This highlights IG’s slight edge in terms of overall platform functionality and user satisfaction.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 20 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 5 | 11 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When comparing the mobile trading apps of IG and ActivTrades, both offer apps compatible with iPhone and Android devices. They also provide essential features like stock and forex price alerts, the ability to create watchlists with real-time quotes, and tools to draw trendlines on charts. Both apps allow users to view different time frames such as daily, weekly, and intraday on their charts. However, IG takes a slight edge with its offering of 33 technical studies compared to the 30 available through ActivTrades. Furthermore, IG has the advantage of watchlist symbol syncing between its mobile app and online account, a feature that ActivTrades lacks. Additionally, both apps ensure your chart drawings are automatically saved for review later.
In terms of user ratings and industry rankings, IG shines brighter with a perfect 5-star rating for mobile trading apps, ranking #1 among 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. In comparison, ActivTrades holds a respectable 4-star rating, positioning them at #19 in the same category. This demonstrates IG's commitment to delivering an exceptional mobile trading experience, offering users more integration and slightly more advanced features while maintaining high customer satisfaction. Meanwhile, ActivTrades stands strong with dependable performance and plenty of features for traders who seek comprehensive mobile trading solutions.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing the market research offerings of IG and ActivTrades, both platforms provide useful daily market commentary and access to forex news from leading sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones. However, IG distinguishes itself by offering tools from Autochartist, which ActivTrades does not, giving users enhanced technical analysis capabilities. Both brokers provide sentiment-based trading tools, allowing traders to view the ratio of long or short positions across currency pairs and other instruments. IG further extends its advantage by providing market research through TipRanks and tools from Acuity Trading, such as Signal Centre, which are not available with ActivTrades.
Both IG and ActivTrades offer an economic calendar featuring current and upcoming global news events. However, IG's comprehensive range of tools and insights contribute to its higher research rating of 5 stars, compared to ActivTrades' 4 stars. This is further affirmed by their rankings on ForexBrokers.com, where IG holds the impressive position of 2nd out of 63 brokers in the research category, while ActivTrades ranks 30th. Overall, IG provides a more robust suite of market research resources, catering better to the needs of traders seeking in-depth analysis and insights.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational resources of IG and ActivTrades, both online brokers excel at catering to those new to trading with comprehensive educational offerings. IG provides a wide variety of materials specifically for beginners, including more than 10 educational pieces focused on forex and CFDs, such as articles and videos. Beginners can also benefit from IG's regular webinars and a searchable archive of past sessions, which makes it easy to learn at your own pace. Additionally, IG offers a series of beginner and advanced videos that cover intricate trading topics. A standout feature of IG's educational package is its extensive investor dictionary, which clarifies over 50 investing terms, helping demystify complex jargon for newcomers.
Similarly, ActivTrades also meets the needs of beginners by offering more than 10 different educational resources on forex and CFDs and provides monthly webinars along with an archive for revisiting past sessions. Like IG, ActivTrades offers a robust lineup of beginner and advanced videos to cover a wide range of trading topics suitable for traders of all experience levels. However, ActivTrades lacks an extensive investor dictionary, which might leave beginners without a convenient reference point for financial terminology. IG's comprehensive educational offerings have earned it a 5-star rating for Education from ForexBrokers.com, placing it at the top of 63 brokers in their rankings. In contrast, ActivTrades receives a solid 4-star rating and is ranked 38th in the same category.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that IG is better than ActivTrades. IG finished with an overall rank of #1, while ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #33.
IG offers the ultimate comprehensive trading package, featuring excellent trading and research tools, industry-leading education, and an extensive range of tradeable markets.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 81 |
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IG allows investors to purchase both actual cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency derivatives, while ActivTrades provides the option only to trade cryptocurrency derivatives, not the actual cryptocurrencies themselves.
IG provides a versatile range of payment options, including ACH or SEPA transfers, PayPal, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires, while ActivTrades offers Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires but does not support ACH or SEPA transfers or PayPal for account fund transactions.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | IG | ActivTrades | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IG | ActivTrades | |
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| Regulation | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 81 | |
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 1267 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 49 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | 0.98 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 5 | 11 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 20 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | IG Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Overall | IG | ActivTrades | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | ActivTrades Review |
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