Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IG vs BDSwiss, 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 1974, IG stands out as a seasoned player in the online brokerage landscape. With the distinction of being both a bank and a publicly traded company, IG demonstrates a high level of transparency and credibility. The firm boasts an impressive ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99, reflecting its strong regulatory standing. This is backed by eight Tier-1 licenses and two Tier-2 licenses, underscoring its reputation as a highly trusted entity in financial markets.
In contrast, BDSwiss, established in 2012, operates without the backing of a publicly traded status or a banking license. It holds one Tier-1 license, indicating a reasonable level of regulation yet falls short with no Tier-2 licenses. With a Trust Score of 73, BDSwiss is viewed as having an average risk profile, signaling that while it operates legally, it may not offer the same level of assurance as IG to traders seeking robust regulatory oversight and reliability.
| Feature |
IG
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2012 |
| 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 | 2 |
If low trading costs are a priority, IG generally undercuts BDSwiss—especially for high-volume and DMA traders. IG earns 5/5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #8 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, compared with BDSwiss at 4/5 stars and #31 out of 63. Both offer multiple account types, but IG’s pricing structure gives active traders more ways to bring down their all-in costs.
IG’s standard CFD account saw typical EUR/USD spreads of 0.69 pips during the main trading session in July 2023, and 0.98 pips across all hours globally (IG US averaged 1.18 pips). Eligible professionals can get 10%–20% spread rebates, which can push costs toward about 0.60 pips in best-case scenarios. IG’s DMA Forex Direct account (minimum £1,000) posted an average spread of 0.62 pips in July 2023; after commission, the all-in cost can be around 0.82 pips. Commissions are tiered, starting at $60 per million and dropping to $10 per million per side for very high volumes.
BDSwiss charges 1.5 pips on EUR/USD for its Classic account, 1.2 pips for VIP, and an estimated 1.3 pips all-in on its Raw account (0.3 pips plus a $5-per-side commission). While execution quality is good, these spreads are generally higher than IG’s most competitive tiers—helping explain BDSwiss’ lower category ranking of #31 out of 63 and its 4/5-star commissions and fees rating.
| Feature |
IG
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $10-$5000 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.98 | 1.6 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 1.3 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Between IG and BDSwiss, IG offers a far wider selection for most traders. IG lists about 19,537 tradeable symbols versus 1,081 at BDSwiss, and supports 97 forex pairs compared with BDSwiss’s 53. Both brokers let you trade forex as CFDs and spot. If you want to buy actual exchange-traded shares (not CFDs), IG gives access to both U.S. stocks like Apple and international listings such as Vodafone, while BDSwiss does not offer real shares on either U.S. or international exchanges.
Crypto access also differs: both brokers provide cryptocurrency CFDs, but only IG lets you buy actual crypto. For social features, BDSwiss offers copy trading, whereas IG does not. Reflecting this broader lineup, IG is rated 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks 4th out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com; BDSwiss earns 4 stars and ranks 35th.
| Feature |
IG
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 1081 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 53 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | 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.
IG and BDSwiss both check key boxes for platform access: each offers a free demo account, an in-house platform, a Windows desktop download, a web platform, and the ability to place trades directly from charts. Both also support MetaTrader 4 (MT4). If you want MetaTrader 5 (MT5) or copy trading, BDSwiss has those, while IG does not. Each broker includes charting with a range of indicators and watchlists you can tailor to your preferences.
For overall platform quality, IG earns 5 stars and ranks #2 out of 63 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools on ForexBrokers.com, while BDSwiss scores 4 stars and ranks #24. In short, IG is the higher-rated pick for platform experience, whereas BDSwiss stands out if MT5 and copy trading are must-haves.
| Feature |
IG
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
IG and BDSwiss both offer full-featured mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts, drawing trendlines on stock and forex charts, and automatically saving your chart annotations. For charting tools, IG includes 33 technical studies compared with 30 at BDSwiss. A key difference is watchlist syncing: IG syncs watchlists between the mobile app and the web platform, while BDSwiss does not.
In third-party testing by ForexBrokers.com, IG’s mobile app earned 5 stars and ranked #1 out of 63 brokers, whereas BDSwiss received 4 stars and ranked #24. If you want more indicators and seamless watchlists across devices, IG has the edge. If you only need the basics—alerts, drawing tools, and dependable chart autosave—both apps will cover you, but IG stands out for power users and frequent mobile traders.
| Feature |
IG
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research offerings, IG and BDSwiss both provide valuable resources to assist traders in making informed investment decisions. IG stands out with its daily market commentary, forex news from industry-leading sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, and a suite of tools from companies like Autochartist and Acuity Trading. Additionally, IG offers a sentiment-based trading tool that provides insights into market positions, as well as comprehensive market research from TipRanks. BDSwiss, on the other hand, also offers daily market commentary and partners with both Autochartist and Trading Central for advanced technical analysis, though it falls short on top-tier forex news and lacks sentiment tools.
Both brokers include access to economic calendars to keep traders informed about global events, yet IG outshines BDSwiss with its all-round superior research resources. This is reflected in their ratings and rankings, with IG receiving a stellar 5-star rating for research compared to BDSwiss's respectable 4 stars. According to ForexBrokers.com, IG is a front-runner, ranked 2nd out of 63 brokers for its research capabilities, while BDSwiss is positioned at 24th. These distinctions highlight the depth and variety of IG’s research tools and its unwavering commitment to arming traders with relevant market insights.
| Feature |
IG
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central | No | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
IG vs BDSwiss: For beginner trading education, both brokers make it easy to get started. Each hosts online client webinars at least once a month and offers a sizable library of beginner-friendly videos—at least 10 from each—so you can learn core concepts step by step. As you progress, both also provide at least 10 advanced videos, giving you room to grow into topics that go beyond the basics, including areas related to forex and CFD trading.
Where the two differ is in overall quality and recognition. IG earns 5 stars for Education and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while BDSwiss earns 4 stars and ranks #22. If you want the top-rated learning experience with depth from day one, IG is the stronger pick. If you’re focused on practical webinars and a solid set of beginner and advanced videos, BDSwiss remains a competitive option.
| Feature |
IG
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | 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 BDSwiss. IG finished with an overall rank of #1, while BDSwiss finished with an overall rank of #36.
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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BDSwiss
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| Trust Score | 99 | 73 |
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IG vs BDSwiss: IG lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency and trade cryptocurrency CFDs, while BDSwiss only offers cryptocurrency CFDs and does not support purchasing real crypto.
Comparing IG vs BDSwiss for deposits and withdrawals: IG offers ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wires but not Skrill, while BDSwiss offers ACH/SEPA with availability of PayPal, Skrill, Visa/Mastercard, and bank wires 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 | IG | BDSwiss | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | BDSwiss Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IG | BDSwiss | |
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| Regulation | IG | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2012 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IG | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| 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 | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | IG | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | IG | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 1081 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 53 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | 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 | IG | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.98 | 1.6 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 1.3 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | No |
| Funding | IG | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $10-$5000 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | ||
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | IG | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | IG | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IG | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IG | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IG | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | IG | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | IG Review | BDSwiss Review |
| Overall | IG | BDSwiss | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | BDSwiss Review |
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