Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IG vs ACY Securities, 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 comparing online brokerages, IG and ACY Securities stand out in terms of trust and regulatory credentials. Founded in 1974, IG is a well-established player, publicly traded, and even operates as a bank. It boasts 8 Tier-1 licenses, which are highly regarded in the financial industry for their trustworthiness. This strong regulatory framework is reflected in IG's impressive Trust Score of 99 out of 99 by ForexBrokers.com, representing the epitome of reliability and safety for investors.
On the other hand, ACY Securities was established in 2011 and is a newer entrant. It is not publicly traded and doesn't operate as a bank, which may influence its regulatory stature. ACY holds just 1 Tier-1 license, paired with no Tier-2 licenses, leading to a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 75. This score indicates an average risk level, potentially appealing to investors seeking different opportunities. While both brokers offer pathways for online trading, their regulatory standings set distinct profiles for potential clients to consider.
| Feature |
IG
|
ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2011 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of online brokers IG and ACY Securities, each presents unique advantages catering to different trading needs. IG, rated 5 stars and ranked 8th out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, stands out with its Forex Direct accounts offering active trader pricing. Although it's not a discount broker, IG's ability to execute large orders at competitive spreads, averaging 0.62 pips in July 2023, makes it an attractive option for high-volume traders. Its CFD account spreads average 0.98 pips globally, while more savings can be found through the firm’s DMA account, with commissions as low as $10 per million on high trading volumes.
On the other hand, ACY Securities, rated 4.5 stars and ranked 21st, appeals to a diverse range of traders by providing low-deposit options and competitive spreads in its ProZero account. The Standard account, with average spreads of 1.2 pips, is commission-free, whereas the ProZero account offers average spreads of 0.25 pips. These accounts require higher minimum deposits, yet they offer significant savings with commissions varying from $5 to $6 per round turn, dropping to $3 for Australian residents, resulting in an effective spread of 0.55 pips.
Overall, IG might be the preferred choice for traders seeking a broad range of execution methods and scalable accounts, with structured discounts for high-volume trading. In contrast, ACY Securities serves those favoring lower entry requirements and competitive pricing through its tiered active trader program, particularly advantageous for Australians. Each broker caters adeptly to different trading strategies and preferences, making them both strong contenders in their respective offerings.
| Feature |
IG
|
ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $50 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | 1.2 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 0.85 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| 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.
When evaluating IG and ACY Securities, IG stands out with an extraordinary range of investment options, boasting 19,537 tradeable symbols compared to ACY Securities’ 2,200. For forex trading enthusiasts, IG offers 97 forex pairs, while ACY Securities provides 66 pairs. Additionally, IG enables clients to invest directly in U.S. exchange-traded securities such as Apple shares, as well as securities on international exchanges like Vodafone. In contrast, ACY Securities focuses primarily on CFD offerings, as it does not provide access to direct exchange-traded securities.
For cryptocurrency enthusiasts, IG offers both delivered cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency derivatives, whereas ACY Securities only provides access to crypto derivatives. Notably, IG does not offer copy trading, which is a feature available with ACY Securities. With a 5-star rating for its range of investments, IG is ranked fourth by ForexBrokers.com, whereas ACY Securities holds a 4-star rating and is ranked 30th. These distinctions solidify IG as a leader in offering diverse investment opportunities when compared to ACY Securities.
| Feature |
IG
|
ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 2200 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 66 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| 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 IG and ACY Securities in terms of their trading platforms and tools, both brokers provide a free virtual demo account, allowing traders to practice without any financial risk. Each broker has developed its own proprietary platform, complementing these with popular platforms such as MetaTrader 4 (MT4). However, only ACY Securities extends support to MetaTrader 5 (MT5). Both brokers offer Windows-based desktop platforms along with the convenience of web-based trading. While ACY Securities shines with its copy trading feature, IG does not provide this option. Neither broker supports DupliTrade or ZuluTrade for enhanced social trading experiences.
IG and ACY Securities allow seamless trading directly from stock charts, with IG offering 20 drawing tools compared to ACY Securities’ 15. Watch list customization varies as well, with ACY providing more flexibility with seven columns compared to IG's five. Rated highly for their offerings, IG earns a five-star rating for trading platforms and tools, reflecting its strong placement as #2 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. In contrast, ACY Securities receives a four-star rating and ranks #41, showcasing room for improvement in enhancing its trading toolset. Overall, IG tends to lead in user satisfaction and platform features, while ACY offers a diverse yet slightly less rated trading experience.
| Feature |
IG
|
ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
For traders seeking robust mobile trading solutions, both IG and ACY Securities provide apps for iPhone and Android devices. These platforms offer key features like stock and forex price alerts, trendlines on charts, multiple time frame views, and real-time quote watchlists. However, IG's mobile app excels with 33 technical studies, compared to ACY Securities' 30. Notably, IG also supports watchlist symbol syncing between the mobile app and an online account, a feature ACY Securities lacks. This difference in capability makes IG's app experience more seamless for users who frequently switch between platforms.
When it comes to user ratings and expert rankings, IG sets the bar high, boasting a stellar 5-star rating for its mobile app, and is ranked first among 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. In comparison, ACY Securities holds a respectable 4-star rating but lands at the 40th position in the same ranking. This highlights IG's superior mobile trading experience, favored by a broader range of users for its comprehensive features and ease of use in managing trades on the go.
| Feature |
IG
|
ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 ACY Securities, both brokers provide daily market commentary and feature an economic calendar for tracking global news events. However, IG clearly stands out by sourcing forex news from top-tier providers like Bloomberg and Reuters, a feature not available with ACY Securities.
IG further distinguishes itself with a variety of research tools, including those from Autochartist and TipRanks, along with a sentiment-based trading tool. In contrast, ACY Securities lacks these specialized research resources. As a result of these comprehensive offerings, IG earns a perfect 5-star rating for research and ranks second among 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. ACY Securities, on the other hand, is rated 3.5 stars, placing it at #45 in the same category.
| Feature |
IG
|
ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
IG and ACY Securities both offer beginners a range of educational resources related to forex and CFDs. Each platform provides more than ten educational resources, such as articles, videos, and webinars, ensuring that newcomers can learn the basics of trading. Both brokers regularly host educational webinars, at least once a month, and maintain a searchable archive of past sessions. For beginners, both IG and ACY Securities offer at least ten videos specifically tailored to those new to trading, helping them understand the essentials.
However, when it comes to advanced education resources, IG stands out by offering over ten videos catering to more experienced traders, a feature ACY Securities lacks. Additionally, IG provides an investor dictionary with over 50 investing terms, while ACY Securities does not. These differences contribute to IG receiving a 5-star rating for education from ForexBrokers.com, placing it at the top among 63 brokers. In contrast, ACY Securities holds a 3.5-star rating and ranks as the 43rd broker. This distinction underscores IG's commitment to providing a more comprehensive educational experience for traders.
| Feature |
IG
|
ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
| 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 ACY Securities. IG finished with an overall rank of #1, while ACY Securities finished with an overall rank of #41.
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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ACY Securities
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 75 |
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IG provides investors with the option to buy both actual delivered cryptocurrency and cryptocurrency derivatives, while ACY Securities only offers the ability to purchase cryptocurrency derivatives.
Both IG and ACY Securities support ACH and SEPA transfers, Visa or Mastercard, as well as bank wire options for depositing or withdrawing funds; however, while IG accommodates PayPal and does not support Skrill, ACY Securities reverses these options by offering Skrill but not PayPal.
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 | ACY Securities | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 75 | |
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| Review | IG Review | ACY Securities Review |
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| Regulation | IG | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 75 | |
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2011 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IG | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | No | |
| 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 | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 2200 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 66 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | 1.2 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 0.85 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | No |
| Funding | IG | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $50 | |
| 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 | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | IG | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 5 | 7 | |
| 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 | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
| Research | IG | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IG | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | IG | ACY Securities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ACY Securities Review |
| Overall | IG | ACY Securities | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 75 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | ACY Securities Review |
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