Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IC Markets vs Earn, 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.
When comparing the online brokers IC Markets and Earn, regulatory credentials become a key factor for prospective users. IC Markets, established in 2007, holds two Tier-1 licenses, which reflect a high level of trust as per ForexBrokers.com's standards. While not publicly traded or a bank, IC Markets boasts a Trust Score of 84 out of 99, categorizing it as a trusted option for traders looking for a reliable platform.
In contrast, since 1994, Earn has operated in the financial market with one Tier-1 license to its name. Also not listed on any stock exchange or functioning as a bank, Earn has a Trust Score rating of 71 out of 99. This places it in the average risk category according to ForexBrokers.com. While both brokers come with their own merits, IC Markets offers a slightly higher comfort level in terms of regulatory trust and security.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Earn
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2007 | 1994 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 0 |
IC Markets shines in the world of online trading with its competitive commission and fee structure. Recognized as Best in Class in the Commissions & Fees category for 2024, IC Markets boasts small effective spreads and a low deposit requirement for its commission-based accounts. It offers three account types: a commission-free Standard account and two commission-based options, Raw Spread and cTrader Raw Spread. The commissions vary slightly depending on the platform, with the cTrader account charging $3.0 per side for every 100,000 units and the Raw Spread account (using MT4 or MT5) charging $3.5 per side. Such competitive fees have helped IC Markets earn a 5-star rating and rank 5th out of 63 brokers evaluated by ForexBrokers.com.
In comparison, Earn presents a more basic snapshot with limited data available on average spreads. While offering reliable service, Earn doesn't quite match the low costs provided by industry leaders like IC Markets. Earn received a 4-star rating and is positioned at 46th place out of 63 brokers in the Commissions & Fees category. This ranking indicates that while Earn delivers a solid service, there are more cost-efficient options available for active traders seeking lower fees and spreads.
For traders aiming to minimize costs, IC Markets stands out thanks to its competitive pricing and low spread offerings. By providing platform-specific commissions and appealing options for both new and seasoned traders, IC Markets remains a top contender in the forex trading industry. On the other hand, Earn maintains a respectable presence but falls short of the top-tier rankings achieved by cost-focused brokers like IC Markets.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Earn
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $200 | $100 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.62 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.62 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Comparing the range of investments at IC Markets vs Earn, IC Markets clearly offers more choice: 3,583 tradeable symbols versus Earn’s 500. Both brokers support forex trading and each lists 61 currency pairs, so forex coverage is tied. IC Markets stands out by offering exchange-traded securities on select international exchanges (not CFDs), while neither broker lets you buy U.S.-listed shares outright. Both provide copy trading and access to cryptocurrency via CFDs, but neither offers direct, delivered crypto.
For breadth, IC Markets earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #26 out of 63 brokers for Range of Investments, while Earn scores 3.5 stars and ranks #46. If you want the widest selection and the option to trade certain international shares, IC Markets is the stronger pick; if your focus is primarily forex, both brokers cover the same number of pairs.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Earn
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3583 | 500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 61 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| 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.
IC Markets vs Earn: both brokers cover the trading basics traders look for. Each offers a free demo (paper) account, supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), and provides both a Windows desktop download and a web-based platform. Copy trading is available with both brands, and you can place trades directly from charts. Neither IC Markets nor Earn offers a proprietary, in-house platform, so you’ll be using well-known third‑party options.
When it comes to third-party platform quality and tools, the two brokers earn the same 4 out of 5 stars. However, IC Markets ranks higher overall for Trading Platforms and Tools on ForexBrokers.com (#16 of 63) compared with Earn (#52 of 63). If platform ranking matters to you, IC Markets may have the edge; if you simply want MT4/MT5 with web, desktop, copy trading, and chart trading, either broker can fit the bill.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Earn
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | No | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 35 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Comparing IC Markets vs Earn for mobile trading, both brokers provide iPhone and Android apps with price alerts, trendline drawing, and auto-saved chart annotations. The biggest functional difference is in charting: IC Markets includes 30 technical studies, while Earn offers 35. Neither app supports watchlist syncing with your online account, so any watchlist changes need to be updated separately on each platform.
According to ForexBrokers.com, both IC Markets and Earn earn 4 out of 5 stars for Mobile Trading Apps. IC Markets ranks #22 out of 63 brokers, while Earn ranks #28, giving IC Markets a slight edge in the standings. If you want a few more built-in indicators, Earn has the advantage; if rankings matter more, IC Markets comes out ahead. Either way, both apps cover on-the-go alerts and essential charting tools.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Earn
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 35 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
IC Markets and Earn both cover the basics for market research, offering daily market commentary, forex news from top-tier sources (such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones), and a global economic calendar. IC Markets goes further with extra tools: Autochartist, Trading Central, and a sentiment indicator that shows long/short positioning across instruments. Earn does not include these add-ons, making IC Markets the stronger choice if you want built-in scanners, trade ideas, and crowd sentiment, while news-focused traders will be fine with either broker.
IC Markets does not offer TipRanks or Acuity Trading integrations; Earn’s use of TipRanks or Acuity Trading isn’t specified. According to ForexBrokers.com, IC Markets is rated 4 out of 5 stars for Research and ranks #23 out of 63 brokers, while Earn is rated 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #39.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Earn
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | |
| Acuity Trading | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners who want a clear path into forex and CFD trading, IC Markets stands out. It runs monthly client webinars and offers deep video libraries for both newcomers and experienced traders (10+ videos in each group). IC Markets holds a 4/5 Education rating and ranks 16th out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, making it a strong choice if you value regular live sessions and plenty of video tutorials.
Earn’s education is more limited for new traders. It does not host monthly webinars and lacks large catalogs of beginner and advanced videos (fewer than 10 in each). While it earns a 3.5/5 Education rating, it ranks 63rd out of 63 for Education. If you want a wide video selection and ongoing live learning, IC Markets will likely suit you better than Earn.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Earn
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that IC Markets is better than Earn. IC Markets finished with an overall rank of #20, while Earn finished with an overall rank of #50.
IC Markets’ competitive pricing and scalable execution make it an excellent option for algorithmic traders. Though it supports an impressive range of third-party tools and plugins, IC Markets’ research and education offerings are not as impressive as those offered by industry leaders.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Earn
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 84 | 71 |
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Compared side-by-side, online brokers IC Markets and Earn both do not offer buying actual delivered cryptocurrency, but each does provide access to trading cryptocurrency CFDs.
IC Markets vs Earn: For deposits and withdrawals, IC Markets does not support ACH or SEPA but does support PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire transfers (Visa/Mastercard not specified), while Earn also lacks ACH/SEPA and its support for PayPal, Skrill, Visa/Mastercard, and bank wires 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 | IC Markets | Earn | |
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| Trust Score | 84 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IC Markets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IC Markets | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Regulation | IC Markets | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 84 | 71 | |
| Year Founded | 2007 | 1994 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IC Markets | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | No | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | IC Markets | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | IC Markets | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3583 | 500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 61 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | IC Markets | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.62 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.62 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IC Markets | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $200 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | IC Markets | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | No | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | IC Markets | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 35 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IC Markets | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 35 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IC Markets | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | ||
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IC Markets | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | IC Markets | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | IC Markets Review |
| Overall | IC Markets | Earn | |
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| Trust Score | 84 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IC Markets Review |
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