Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IG vs CMC Markets, 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 CMC Markets are both well-established online brokers with impressive trust profiles. Founded in 1974, IG is not only publicly traded but also operates as a bank, providing an additional level of security and trust for its clients. With a perfect Trust Score of 99 out of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, IG demonstrates a high level of reliability, backed by 8 Tier-1 and 2 Tier-2 licenses, indicating its strong regulatory standing across various jurisdictions.
Similarly, CMC Markets, founded in 1989, is a publicly traded entity known for its strong regulatory credentials. While CMC Markets does not operate as a bank, it matches IG with a commendable ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99. This broker holds 6 Tier-1 licenses and 1 Tier-2 license, showcasing its commitment to adhering to stringent regulatory standards. Both brokers are aligned in terms of trustworthiness, offering traders secure trading environments bolstered by stringent oversight.
| Feature |
IG
|
CMC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1974 | 1989 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 6 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
IG and CMC Markets are both leading online brokers, with each earning a five-star rating for their commissions and fees. However, there are distinct differences between the two. IG is notable for its active trader pricing available through Forex Direct accounts and its ability to execute large orders efficiently. Although it is not a discount broker, IG offers spreads that are close to the industry average. In July 2023, its main Forex Direct account had spreads averaging 0.62 pips, with an all-in cost of 0.82 pips after including a commission of 0.2 pips per trade. IG also offers rebates for high-volume traders, providing up to a 20% discount on spreads for qualifying traders who engage in rigorous trading volumes.
In contrast, CMC Markets has set itself apart with consistently low spreads across all customer segments and account types, earning it the #1 rank in the Commissions and Fees category. In August 2023, CMC Markets offered typical spreads of 0.61 pips on the EUR/USD, which is below the industry average. Furthermore, CMC’s active trader program, known as the Price Plus Scheme, allows investors to earn Trading Points based on market activities and monthly volumes, offering up to a 20% discount on spreads when a trader reaches Tier 4. Additionally, CMC's FX Active pricing structure ensures highly competitive spreads with commissions, resulting in an all-in cost as low as 0.5 pips for the EUR/USD pair.
When evaluating these brokers, it's crucial to consider the average spreads rather than just minimum spreads, as this reflects the true trading costs. While both brokers provide excellent trading conditions, CMC Markets holds the top spot in the ranking due to its pricing consistency and innovative cost-reduction programs. IG, ranked #8, remains a robust choice for those specifically benefiting from its active trader programs and excellent order execution capabilities.
| Feature |
IG
|
CMC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.91 | 1.3 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 0.65 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
IG and CMC Markets both cover a wide range of investments, including forex trading via CFDs and spot contracts, plus access to exchange-traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges (so you can buy shares like Apple or Vodafone). IG lists more total markets, with 19,537 tradeable symbols versus CMC Markets’ 12,029. If your priority is forex variety, CMC Markets offers more currency pairs (141) than IG (97).
For crypto, IG lets you buy actual coins as well as crypto CFDs, while CMC Markets offers crypto only as CFDs. CMC Markets also supports copy trading, which IG does not. Both brokers earn 5 stars for Range of Investments; in ForexBrokers.com’s category rankings, IG is #4 out of 63 brokers and CMC Markets is #9. In short, pick IG for sheer market count and delivered crypto, or choose CMC Markets for the largest selection of forex pairs and copy trading.
| Feature |
IG
|
CMC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 12029 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 141 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| 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 vs CMC Markets: both brokers shine for trading platforms and tools. Each offers a free demo (paper) account, a proprietary platform built in-house, a Windows desktop platform, and a web-based platform. MetaTrader 4 (MT4) is available at both, and you can place trades directly from charts on either. In independent ratings, both earn 5 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools; among 63 brokers reviewed by ForexBrokers.com, IG ranks #2 while CMC Markets ranks #4.
The key differences come down to extras. CMC Markets supports MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and includes copy trading, while IG does not. If you want MT5 or social/copy trading, CMC Markets has the edge. If you don’t need those, IG’s lineup remains strong with MT4 plus web and desktop options, and both brokers provide plenty of charting features for analysis. In short, both are beginner-friendly thanks to free demos, with CMC adding MT5 and copy trading, and IG holding a slightly higher category rank.
| Feature |
IG
|
CMC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 73 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
IG and CMC Markets both deliver polished mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app offers stock and forex price alerts, watchlists that sync with your online account, and capable charting with trendline tools that auto-save your drawings. Whether you check markets on your phone or switch to desktop, your symbols and settings stay in sync.
If you care about the depth of charting studies, IG provides 33 technical indicators compared with CMC Markets’ 29. Both apps earn a 5-star rating for Mobile Trading Apps, but independent rankings from ForexBrokers.com place IG at #1 out of 63 brokers, while CMC Markets sits at #5. In short, both are excellent choices, with IG edging ahead for indicator variety and overall ranking.
| Feature |
IG
|
CMC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 29 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Both IG and CMC Markets provide daily market commentary and offer forex news from prestigious sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones. They also integrate research tools from Autochartist, ensuring users have access to technical and fundamental analysis resources. However, neither platform offers analytical tools from Trading Central. Both brokers excel in delivering sentiment-based trading tools, making it easier for traders to gauge market sentiment across various currency pairs. Additionally, IG and CMC Markets equip traders with comprehensive economic calendars to track global news events.
In terms of standout features, IG boasts market research with TipRanks and utilizes research tools from Acuity Trading, giving them an edge in broader analytical support. CMC Markets, on the other hand, does not offer these specific tools. Despite these differences, both IG and CMC Markets earn the same top-tier rating of 5 stars for research. However, IG holds a superior ranking, coming in at #2 among 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while CMC Markets follows at #6, emphasizing their both top-tier yet slightly differentiated research capabilities.
| Feature |
IG
|
CMC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners comparing IG vs CMC Markets, both brokers offer plenty of education on forex and CFDs. Each provides at least 10 beginner-focused videos that explain trading basics in simple terms, and both also have 10+ advanced videos for when you’re ready to go deeper. A key difference is live instruction: IG runs client education webinars at least once a month, while CMC Markets does not currently offer monthly educational webinars.
Both IG and CMC Markets earn a 5-star Education rating, but the standings set them apart—IG is ranked #1 out of 63 brokers for Education by ForexBrokers.com, while CMC Markets ranks #10. If ongoing live webinars and a top-ranked learning experience matter to you, IG has the clear edge; if you mainly want a strong library of beginner and advanced videos, either broker will work.
| Feature |
IG
|
CMC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| 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 CMC Markets. IG finished with an overall rank of #1, while CMC Markets finished with an overall rank of #4.
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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CMC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 |
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Comparing online brokers IG and CMC Markets for cryptocurrency, IG supports buying actual (delivered) crypto and trading crypto CFDs, whereas CMC Markets offers crypto CFDs only and does not allow purchasing real cryptocurrency.
IG and CMC Markets both support ACH or SEPA transfers, PayPal, and bank wires, do not support Skrill, and do not specify whether Visa or Mastercard deposits or withdrawals are available.
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 | CMC Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | CMC Markets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IG | CMC Markets | |
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| Regulation | IG | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Year Founded | 1974 | 1989 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 6 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IG | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | IG | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 12029 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 141 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.91 | 1.3 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 0.65 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IG | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | IG | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 73 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IG | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 29 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IG | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IG | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | IG | CMC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | CMC Markets Review |
| Overall | IG | CMC Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | CMC Markets Review |
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