Is CMC Markets better than IG? After testing 27 of the best forex brokers over five months, IG is better than CMC Markets. Regulated and trusted across the globe, IG offers traders the ultimate package of excellent trading and research tools, industry-leading education, competitive pricing, and an extensive list of tradeable products. This fantastic all-round experience makes IG the best overall broker in 2021.
IG vs CMC Markets 2021
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Overall Rating
Feature | IG | CMC Markets |
Overall | ||
Commissions & Fees | ||
Offering of Investments | ||
Platforms & Tools | ||
Mobile Trading | ||
Research | ||
Education | ||
Trust Score | 99 | 99 |
IG Review | CMC Markets Review | |
Winner | check_circle | |
75% of retail CFD accounts lose money | 76% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
Regulation
Feature | IG | CMC Markets |
Trust Score | 99 | 99 |
Year Founded |
1974 | 1989 |
Publicly Traded (Listed) |
Yes | Yes |
Bank |
Yes | No |
Tier-1 Licenses |
6 | 4 |
Tier-2 Licenses |
3 | 2 |
Tier-3 Licenses |
1 | 0 |
Authorised in the European Union |
Yes | Yes |
Tier-1 Licenses (High Trust)
Feature | IG | CMC Markets |
ASIC Authorised (Australia) |
Yes | Yes |
IIROC Authorised (Canada) |
No | Yes |
SFC Authorised (Hong Kong) |
No | No |
FSA Authorised (Japan) |
Yes | No |
MAS Authorised (Singapore) |
Yes | Yes |
FINMA Authorised (Switzerland) |
Yes | No |
FCA Authorised (UK) |
Yes | Yes |
CFTC Registered (USA) |
Yes | No |
Investments
Feature | IG | CMC Markets |
Forex: Spot Trading |
Yes | Yes |
Social Trading / Copy-Trading |
Yes | Yes |
Currency Pairs (Total Forex pairs) |
104 | 158 |
CFDs - Total Offered |
19537 | 9852 |
Cryptocurrency traded as actual |
No | No |
Cryptocurrency traded as CFD |
Yes | Yes |
Cost
Feature | IG | CMC Markets |
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard |
0.745 (August 2020) | 0.74 (August 2020) |
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active |
0.365 (May 2020) | 0.64 (August 2020) |
Active Trader or VIP Discounts |
Yes | Yes |
Funding
Feature | IG | CMC Markets |
Minimum Initial Deposit |
£250.00 | $0.00 |
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) |
Yes | Yes |
Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) |
Yes | Yes |
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) |
Yes | Yes |
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) |
No | No |
Trading Platforms
Feature | IG | CMC Markets |
Proprietary Platform |
Yes | Yes |
Desktop Platform (Windows) |
Yes | Yes |
Web Platform |
Yes | Yes |
Social Trading / Copy-Trading |
Yes | Yes |
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) |
Yes | Yes |
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) |
No | No |
cTrader |
No | No |
DupliTrade |
No | No |
ZuluTrade |
No | No |
Trading Tools
Feature | IG | CMC Markets |
Virtual Trading (Demo) |
Yes | Yes |
Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
Watchlists - Total Fields |
14 | 9 |
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) |
30 | 86 |
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) |
20 | 40 |
Charting - Trade From Chart |
Yes | Yes |
Charting - Drawings Autosave |
No | Yes |
Order Type - Trailing Stop |
Yes | Yes |
Mobile Trading
Feature | IG | CMC Markets |
Android App |
Yes | Yes |
Apple iOS App |
Yes | Yes |
Trading - Forex |
Yes | Yes |
Trading - CFDs |
Yes | Yes |
Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
Watch List |
Yes | Yes |
Watch List Syncing |
Yes | Yes |
Charting - Indicators / Studies |
30 | 29 |
Charting - Draw Trendlines |
Yes | Yes |
Charting - Trendlines Moveable |
Yes | Yes |
Charting - Multiple Time Frames |
Yes | Yes |
Charting - Drawings Autosave |
Yes | Yes |
Forex Calendar |
Yes | Yes |
Research
Feature | IG | CMC Markets |
Daily Market Commentary |
Yes | Yes |
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) |
Yes | Yes |
Weekly Webinars |
Yes | Yes |
AutoChartist |
Yes | No |
Trading Central (Recognia) |
No | Yes |
Delkos Research |
No | No |
Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs |
Yes | Yes |
Economic Calendar |
Yes | Yes |
Education
Feature | IG | CMC Markets |
Has Education - Forex |
Yes | Yes |
Has Education - CFDs |
Yes | Yes |
Client Webinars |
Yes | Yes |
Client Webinars (Archived) |
Yes | Yes |
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos |
Yes | Yes |
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos |
Yes | Yes |
Investor Dictionary (Glossary) |
Yes | Yes |
Major Forex Pairs
Feature | IG | CMC Markets |
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 |
Overall
Feature | IG | CMC Markets |
Overall | ||
Commissions & Fees | ||
Offering of Investments | ||
Platforms & Tools | ||
Mobile Trading | ||
Research | ||
Education | ||
Trust Score | 99 | 99 |
IG Review | CMC Markets Review |
Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2021 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 27 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare CMC Markets vs IG.
Does CMC Markets or IG offer lower pricing?
Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spreads data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough annual assessment, CMC Markets offers better pricing overall for traders.
Is CMC Markets or IG safer for forex and CFDs trading?
At ForexBrokers.com, we track where each forex and CFD broker is regulated across over 20 international regulator databases. Here's our findings. IG holds 6 global Tier-1 licenses, while CMC Markets holds 4. IG holds 3 global Tier-2 licenses, while CMC Markets holds 2. All regulators considered, both CMC Markets and IG have a Trust Score of 99.00.
Which trading platform is better: CMC Markets or IG?
To compare the trading platforms of both CMC Markets and IG, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, CMC Markets offers a better experience. With research, IG offers superior market research. Finally, we found IG to provide better mobile trading apps.
What about MetaTrader and copy trading?
For forex and CFDs traders, copy trading and MetaTrader are both popular platform options. CMC Markets and IG both offer copy trading. Both CMC Markets and IG offer MetaTrader 4 (MT4).
How many forex pairs and CFDs are available to trade?
CMC Markets provides traders 158 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to IG's 104 available pairs. Forex pairs aside, IG offers traders access to 19537 CFDs while CMC Markets has 9852 available CFDs, a difference of 9,685.
Overall winner: IG
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Trading CFDs, FX, and cryptocurrencies involve a high degree of risk. All providers have a percentage of retail investor accounts that lose money when trading CFDs with their company. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money and whether you understand how CFDs, FX, and cryptocurrencies work. All data was obtained from a published website as of 12/14/2020 and is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. The ForexBrokers.com staff is constantly working with its online broker representatives to obtain the latest data. If you believe any data listed above is inaccurate, please contact us using the link at the bottom of this page.
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IG - 76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.