Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IronFX 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.
Founded in 2010, IronFX stands out in the online brokerage landscape with three Tier-1 licenses, marking it as a trusted option for traders. With a Trust Score of 83 out of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, IronFX earns a 'trusted' rating. Despite not being publicly traded or a bank, its regulatory framework reassures users by aligning with high standards, enhancing its credibility in the financial market.
Conversely, Alpari, established in 1998, operates with no Tier-1 or Tier-2 licenses. This lack of top-tier regulatory endorsements is reflected in its Trust Score of 68, categorizing it as high risk according to ForexBrokers.com ratings. Like IronFX, Alpari is neither publicly traded nor a bank, but its lower regulatory alignment could be a point of concern for potential investors comparing their options in the field of online brokerage platforms.
| Feature |
IronFX
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2010 | 1998 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 0 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
IronFX and Alpari each earn 4 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees, but Alpari ranks slightly better at 42nd out of 63 brokers, while IronFX sits at 47th out of 63, according to ForexBrokers.com. That means both are mid-pack for pricing, with Alpari edging IronFX by rank despite the same star rating.
IronFX discloses more detail on pricing. Its Standard variable spread account lists a typical spread of 1.8 pips (no date range provided, and spreads vary by account). The Zero fixed-spread account can show spreads from 0 pips but charges a $18 per-lot commission, and spreads widen to 3 pips overnight. Overall, IronFX spreads appear higher than the industry average, which can lift trading costs depending on your strategy and trading hours.
For Alpari, average spread data isn’t available, so you’ll need to check live or account-specific information to gauge costs. Even without published averages, Alpari still holds a 4-star commissions-and-fees rating and a stronger category ranking (#42/63) than IronFX (#47/63), suggesting pricing that is competitive but not the lowest.
| Feature |
IronFX
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $20 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
IronFX offers a wider range of investments than Alpari, with 340 tradeable symbols and 83 forex pairs compared with Alpari’s 105 symbols and 46 pairs. Both brokers support forex trading via CFDs or spot, offer copy trading, and provide access to crypto derivatives; neither allows you to buy actual cryptocurrency.
Stock access is where they differ: neither broker offers real U.S.-listed shares, but Alpari does provide some international exchange-traded shares, while IronFX does not. Overall, IronFX earns a higher score for range of investments (3.5 stars, ranked 52nd of 63) than Alpari (3 stars, ranked 64th of 63).
| Feature |
IronFX
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 340 | 105 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 83 | 46 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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.
IronFX and Alpari both make it easy to get started with a free demo (paper) account and provide web-based and Windows desktop trading platforms. IronFX does not have a proprietary, in-house platform and focuses on MetaTrader 4 (MT4). Alpari offers more choice with its own proprietary platform in addition to MT4, which can appeal to traders who want an alternative interface and workflow.
Feature-wise, both brokers support copy trading and let you place trades directly from charts. Platform availability differs, though: Alpari supports MetaTrader 5 (MT5) as well as MT4, while IronFX offers MT4 only. For Trading Platforms and Tools, IronFX is rated 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks 62nd out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, whereas Alpari earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks 56th, reflecting a slight edge for Alpari in this category.
| Feature |
IronFX
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | No | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
IronFX and Alpari both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, with price alerts, 30 built-in technical studies for charting, and the ability to draw trendlines. Neither broker syncs watchlists between mobile and the web platform. One key difference: IronFX auto-saves chart drawings, while Alpari does not. Details about multiple time frame views and creating watchlists with real-time quotes were not specified for either app.
For ratings, IronFX scores 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #63 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps on ForexBrokers.com, while Alpari earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #57. If auto-saving chart annotations matters to you, IronFX has the edge; if you want the higher overall app rating, Alpari may be the better pick.
| Feature |
IronFX
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, IronFX has an edge over Alpari for most traders. IronFX provides daily market commentary and includes research from Trading Central, giving you clear trade ideas and chart insights. Both brokers offer forex news from major sources like Bloomberg or Reuters and feature an economic calendar to track key events. Alpari stands out with Autochartist for pattern recognition and alerts, while IronFX does not offer Autochartist. Neither broker provides a sentiment tool that shows the ratio of long and short positions.
Ratings back up the difference: IronFX earns 4 stars for Research and ranks 29th out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Alpari holds 3 stars and ranks 58th. If you value daily commentary and Trading Central analysis, IronFX is the stronger pick; if you prefer Autochartist’s scanning tools, Alpari could fit your style. Both will keep you informed with timely forex news and an easy-to-use economic calendar.
| Feature |
IronFX
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | No | No |
| TipRanks | ||
| Acuity Trading | ||
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
IronFX and Alpari both provide beginner-friendly video lessons, with each offering at least 10 videos that cover core trading topics—useful if you’re new to forex and CFDs and prefer learning by watching. Neither broker runs monthly educational webinars, and both fall short on advanced video depth (fewer than 10 videos for experienced traders). Details weren’t provided about whether either broker has a broad library of forex/CFD education pieces that meets the 10-piece threshold, a searchable archive of recorded webinars, or an investing dictionary with 50+ terms.
For overall education quality, IronFX earns 4 stars and ranks #44 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Alpari receives 3 stars and ranks #48. In short, both are suitable for beginners who want video-based learning, but IronFX holds a slight edge in educational ratings.
| Feature |
IronFX
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | No | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that IronFX is better than Alpari. IronFX finished with an overall rank of #48, while Alpari finished with an overall rank of #58.
IronFX has come a long way to rebuild its brand, acquiring multiple regulatory licenses to improve its Trust Score, and creating balanced educational material. That said, pricing is an area where IronFX has room to further improve as spreads appeared higher than the industry average.
| Feature |
IronFX
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Alpari
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 83 | 68 |
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Both IronFX and Alpari do not offer the ability to purchase actual cryptocurrencies, but they do provide options for trading cryptocurrency derivatives.
IronFX vs Alpari: both brokers do not support ACH/SEPA or PayPal, both offer Skrill and bank wire transfers for deposits and withdrawals, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified.
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 | IronFX | Alpari | |
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| Trust Score | 83 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
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| Broker Screenshots | IronFX | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
| Regulation | IronFX | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 83 | 68 | |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 1998 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 0 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IronFX | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | IronFX | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | IronFX | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 340 | 105 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 83 | 46 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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 | IronFX | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IronFX | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $20 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | IronFX | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | No | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | IronFX | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IronFX | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IronFX | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | |||
| Client sentiment data | No | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IronFX | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | No | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | IronFX | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review |
| Overall | IronFX | Alpari | |
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| Trust Score | 83 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review |
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