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 |
Comparing commissions and fees, IG generally comes out cheaper for active forex traders, while ActivTrades is competitive but lacks volume-based discounts. IG is rated 5/5 stars and ranks #8 out of 63 brokers for Commissions & Fees, whereas ActivTrades is rated 4/5 stars and ranks #29 out of 63.
IG offers both spread-only CFD pricing and a commission-based DMA option (Forex Direct) with the L2 Dealer platform. Typical CFD spreads on EUR/USD were about 0.69 pips during main trading hours in July 2023, averaging 0.98 pips across the full day (IG US averaged 1.18 pips). Its Forex Direct account averaged 0.62 pips in July 2023; after commission, the all-in cost was around 0.82 pips at lower tiers, and can fall with higher volumes thanks to tiered commissions (from $60 per million down to $10 per million per side for very large traders). IG also offers spread rebates on CFD accounts for eligible professionals: 10% off above £50 million in monthly forex volume and up to 20% off above £300 million, which can push effective costs close to 0.60 pips. As with most brokers, spreads can widen during quieter hours.
ActivTrades uses one main account (plus Professional and Islamic options) with no separate pricing for high-volume traders and no active-trader discounts. Fees depend on the asset and platform, and spreads can vary during the session and around rollover. For reference, ActivTrades reported an average EUR/USD spread of 0.98 pips in May 2024—slightly better than industry averages but not among the very lowest-cost offerings.
| 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.
In the IG vs ActivTrades comparison for range of investments, IG offers a much larger lineup. IG lists 19,537 tradeable symbols and 97 forex pairs, while ActivTrades has 1,267 symbols and 49 pairs. Both brokers let you trade forex as CFDs or in the spot market, and both offer cryptocurrency derivatives. IG also lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency and is the only one of the two that provides exchange-traded U.S. shares like Apple (not CFDs); both offer exchange-traded international shares. If copy trading matters to you, ActivTrades includes it, while IG does not.
For range of investments, ForexBrokers.com rates IG at 5 stars (ranked 4th of 63) and ActivTrades at 4 stars (ranked 32nd of 63). In short, choose IG if you want the widest selection plus access to U.S. shares and real crypto; choose ActivTrades if you value copy trading and are comfortable with a smaller selection.
| 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.
IG vs ActivTrades: both brokers offer free paper-trading demo accounts, their own proprietary platforms, Windows desktop downloads, and web-based platforms. You can place trades directly from charts with either broker. Both support MetaTrader 4 (MT4); only ActivTrades also supports MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and offers copy trading. Neither broker connects to DupliTrade or ZuluTrade. For charting, IG lists 20 drawing tools versus 15 at ActivTrades, while the exact count of technical indicators isn’t specified for either. Watchlists differ too: IG offers 5 columns, while ActivTrades provides 11.
For Trading Platforms and Tools, IG is rated 5 stars and ranks #2 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades is rated 4 stars and ranks #32. Pick IG if you want a top-rated, in-house platform experience and more drawing tools; choose ActivTrades if you need MT5, built-in copy trading, and more watchlist fields. Both let you practice with a free demo and trade on the web or a Windows desktop platform.
| 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.
IG and ActivTrades both keep traders informed with daily market commentary, an economic calendar covering global events, and a sentiment tool that shows the share of long vs. short positions. Each also streams forex news from leading outlets such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, helping you track headlines that can move prices.
Where they differ is in extra research features. IG adds Autochartist pattern scanning, TipRanks analyst insights, and Acuity Trading tools like Signal Centre, while ActivTrades does not include these add-ons. Neither broker offers Trading Central. This gap shows in the scores: IG earns 5 stars for Research and ranks #2 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades holds 4 stars and ranks #31. If you want more third-party tools and ideas in one place, IG is the stronger pick; if you only need the essentials, ActivTrades covers the basics.
| 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
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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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | ||
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | ||
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | ||
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | ||
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | ||
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | ||
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| 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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