Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IG vs Alpari, 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.
IG and Alpari are two prominent players in the online brokerage world, each with distinct offerings and levels of trustworthiness. Established in 1974, IG is a time-tested institution, publicly traded, and recognized as a bank. In contrast, Alpari, founded in 1998, is neither publicly traded nor a bank. IG boasts an impressive collection of regulatory credentials with 8 Tier-1 licenses, deemed highly trusted, and 2 Tier-2 licenses, reflecting a strong level of overall trust. Meanwhile, Alpari holds no Tier-1 or Tier-2 licenses, highlighting differences in regulatory oversight.
The Trust Score ratings by ForexBrokers.com further emphasize this gap, as IG holds a near-perfect score of 99, ranking it as a highly trusted broker. Alpari, on the other hand, has a score of 68, which places it in the high-risk category. These factors can play a crucial role for users in selecting a broker as IG offers stronger assurances in terms of safety and reliability compared to Alpari. With IG’s extensive regulatory backing and status as a publicly traded bank, it stands out as a compelling choice for those prioritizing trust and transparency.
| Feature |
IG
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1974 | 1998 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 0 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
When it comes to comparing online brokers IG and Alpari in terms of commissions and fees, IG stands out for its sophisticated execution capabilities and diverse account options. IG is not a discount broker, but it offers attractive pricing for active traders through its Forex Direct accounts. For CFD account holders, typical spreads during the main trading session averaged 0.69 pips in July 2023, slightly better than the industry average. Active traders can benefit from a rebate program, potentially receiving up to a 20% discount on spreads when trading high volumes. IG's DMA account provides even lower costs for traders who meet certain volume thresholds.
Alpari, on the other hand, does not provide detailed average spread data, making direct comparisons challenging. However, it is worth noting that Alpari has a slightly lower star rating for commissions and fees compared to IG, at 4 out of 5 stars.
In terms of rankings, IG holds a prominent position, ranked #8 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com in the Commissions and Fees category. Alpari is further down the list, ranking at #41. Overall, IG offers competitive pricing strategies and benefits for high-volume traders, giving it a distinct advantage over Alpari in this comparison.
| Feature |
IG
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $20 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| 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.
When comparing the investment options of IG and Alpari, it becomes clear that IG offers a significantly broader range. IG presents traders with a vast selection of 19,537 tradeable symbols, dwarfing Alpari's offering of 105 symbols. When it comes to forex trading, IG provides access to 97 currency pairs, whereas Alpari offers just 46. Additionally, IG allows investors to buy exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, enhancing its appeal to those looking to diversify their portfolios across global markets. In contrast, Alpari restricts access to exchange-traded securities to international exchanges only, limiting the investment possibilities for those interested in U.S. equities, such as Apple shares.
IG further distinguishes itself by enabling the purchase of actual cryptocurrencies, not just derivatives, while Alpari limits its crypto offerings to derivatives. However, Alpari does offer a popular feature that IG does not: copy trading, which can attract traders interested in mirroring the strategies of experienced investors. Despite this, IG maintains a superior range of investments, earning a 5-star rating and securing the 4th spot in ForexBrokers.com's ranking among 63 brokers for investment range. In contrast, Alpari's more limited selection results in a 3-star rating and the 63rd position in the same category, making IG the preferred choice for those seeking a diverse investment experience.
| Feature |
IG
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 105 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 46 |
| 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.
Both IG and Alpari offer traders simulated trading experiences with free virtual demo accounts, proprietary trading platforms, and versatile trading options for desktop and web-based experiences. While both brokers provide access to the popular MetaTrader 4 platform, Alpari offers an edge by supporting MetaTrader 5, along with providing users a chance for copy trading—something not available with IG. In contrast, IG is rated more favorably overall, boasting a five-star rating for its trading platforms and tools, while Alpari earns four stars. This distinction is further reflected in their rankings, as IG stands out at the second position out of 63 brokers, whereas Alpari ranks 55th.
When it comes to additional platform features, IG and Alpari both allow trading directly from stock charts. IG offers traders 20 drawing tools, surpassing Alpari's 15, while Alpari provides more columns for creating watch lists, with seven fields compared to IG's five. Despite these differences, neither broker currently supports DupliTrade or ZuluTrade integrations. These rich features and slight variances make both firms viable options for traders, although newcomersi to trading or those seeking a higher ranking for platforms might find IG more appealing.
| Feature |
IG
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| 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.
When comparing mobile trading apps, both IG and Alpari offer solid options for iPhone and Android users. Naturally, traders want more than mere compatibility, and IG takes the lead in several key areas. For instance, the ability to sync watchlists between their mobile app and online accounts sets IG apart, ensuring seamless transitions between different devices. While both platforms provide price alerts and the capability to draw trendlines, IG allows users to enjoy an enhanced charting experience with 33 technical studies compared to Alpari's 30. Moreover, IG's app autosaves chart drawings, a convenience not extended by Alpari.
For those who thrive on efficiency and thoroughness, IG seems to be the preferred choice, given its top spot ranking by ForexBrokers.com and a 5-star rating compared to Alpari's 4 stars and rank as #56. Both offer features like real-time quote watchlists and multi-time frame viewing, yet IG makes significant strides in delivering more user-centric features that cater to modern trading needs. Whether syncing watchlists or enhancing chart tools, IG tailors its app to present a more fluid and comprehensive trading experience.
| Feature |
IG
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, IG clearly stands out with its comprehensive offerings compared to Alpari. IG provides daily market commentary and insightful forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. In addition to traditional market updates, IG enhances its traders' experience with tools from Autochartist and sentiment-based trading indicators that display long or short positions across various instruments. It further supports its users with exclusive insights from TipRanks and tools from Acuity Trading, providing in-depth research essential for informed trading decisions. An easy-to-use economic calendar displaying pivotal global events rounds off IG’s robust research suite, earning it a 5-star rating and placing it second out of 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com.
On the other hand, Alpari offers essential forex news from respected sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters, along with tools from Autochartist, catering to the needs of traders who require basic market insights. Its economic calendar is a valuable feature for monitoring significant global economic events. However, Alpari lacks additional advanced tools such as sentiment-based indicators, insights from TipRanks, and features from Acuity Trading, which are instrumental for in-depth analysis. Consequently, Alpari finds itself with a 3-star rating in research, ranking in the lower tier at 57th place among its peers on ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
IG
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| 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.
When comparing the educational resources available for beginners between IG and Alpari, IG emerges as a more comprehensive choice for those eager to enhance their trading skills. Both brokers meet the minimum requirement of providing at least 10 educational materials, including articles and videos on forex and CFDs. However, IG excels by offering monthly online client webinars and maintaining a searchable archive of past webinars, features unavailable at Alpari. Beginners can also access over 10 educational videos specifically tailored to their needs from both IG and Alpari, but IG goes a step further by providing advanced content for experienced traders, which Alpari lacks.
IG further distinguishes itself by offering an investor dictionary with over 50 investing terms, closely matching Alpari's offering. However, IG’s extensive educational efforts earn it a 5-star education rating and the top rank from ForexBrokers.com, compared to Alpari’s 3-star rating and much lower rank of 48 out of 63 brokers. As a result, IG is a more favorable choice for beginners seeking a rich, varied educational experience to kickstart their trading journey.
| Feature |
IG
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
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 Alpari. IG finished with an overall rank of #1, while Alpari finished with an overall rank of #58.
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
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 68 |
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IG allows users to buy actual cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency derivatives, while Alpari offers only cryptocurrency derivatives, making IG a more versatile option for cryptocurrency trading.
Comparing online brokers IG and Alpari, IG supports ACH or SEPA transfers, PayPal, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires for account deposits and withdrawals, whereas Alpari lacks ACH or SEPA and PayPal options but offers Skrill alongside Visa or Mastercard and bank wire services, highlighting flexibility in transaction methods between the two platforms.
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 | Alpari | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IG | Alpari | |
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| Regulation | IG | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 68 | |
| Year Founded | 1974 | 1998 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 0 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IG | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 105 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 46 | |
| 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 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IG | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $20 | |
| 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 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IG | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IG | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | IG | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Overall | IG | Alpari | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review |
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