Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IG 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 online brokers IG and Earn, one significant factor to consider is their level of regulatory oversight and trust. IG, founded in 1974, is publicly traded and operates as a bank. It holds an impressive eight Tier-1 licenses, indicating a high level of trust, and two Tier-2 licenses, which also reflect reliability. These credentials contribute to IG's perfect Trust Score rating of 99 out of 99, classifying it as a highly trusted broker.
In contrast, Earn, established in 1994, is not publicly traded and does not function as a bank. It holds one Tier-1 license, which points to a basic level of trust, but lacks any Tier-2 licenses. With a Trust Score of 71, Earn is categorized at average risk by ForexBrokers.com. These distinctions highlight the differences in their regulatory standing, offering potential clients a clear insight into the security and reliability each broker provides.
| Feature |
IG
|
Earn
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1974 | 1994 |
| 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 | 0 |
When comparing the commissions and fees between IG and Earn, IG stands out with scalable execution options and specialized accounts such as the Forex Direct account, appealing to active traders with Forex spreads averaging 0.62 pips. IG also provides competitive commission-based pricing via its Direct Market Access (DMA) account, which caters to higher volume traders. With features like active trader rebates and a structured tier system, IG allows users to achieve potentially lower costs and offers benefits, making it a highly regarded option. With a 5-star rating and ranking 8th out of 63 brokers for its commissions and fees, IG has proven to be an excellent choice, particularly for active traders looking for advantageous pricing.
Earn, in contrast, does not provide average spread details, which may make it less appealing to traders who prioritize transparency in trading costs. While it maintains a fairly high reputation with a 4-star rating, its rank of 46th out of 63 brokers in the Commissions and Fees category suggests it might not always offer the most competitive pricing structures. Without detailed spread data, traders may find it challenging to evaluate their potential costs accurately, making it less favorable compared to IG for those looking for detailed and flexible fee structures.
Overall, IG's comprehensive fee structure and high ranking in industry evaluations make it a preferred choice over Earn for traders who prioritize competitive pricing and transparency in trading fees. With lower average spreads and a variety of account options tailored for active users, IG provides significant advantages for traders focused on minimizing costs and maximizing flexibility. On the other hand, while Earn performs adequately, it lacks the detailed spread data and transparency that many active traders find essential when choosing a broker.
| Feature |
IG
|
Earn
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $100 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.98 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
IG outshines Earn for range of investments. IG lists 19,537 tradable symbols versus Earn’s 500, and offers 97 forex pairs compared with Earn’s 61. Both brokers let you trade forex as CFDs or spot, but only IG provides access to exchange-traded shares on U.S. and international markets. In independent testing, IG earned 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranked #4 of 63 brokers, while Earn received 3.5 stars and ranked #46.
On crypto, IG lets you buy actual cryptocurrencies as well as trade crypto via CFDs; Earn limits crypto to CFDs only. For social features, Earn supports copy trading, while IG does not. If you want the widest selection of markets, including U.S. and global stocks plus more forex pairs and crypto options, IG is the stronger pick. If copy trading matters more and a smaller list of markets is acceptable, Earn can fit the bill.
| Feature |
IG
|
Earn
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 61 |
| 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 Earn both check key boxes for everyday traders: free demo (paper) accounts, web-based platforms, Windows desktop software, MetaTrader 4 (MT4), and the ability to place trades directly from charts. The main differences are in platform choice. IG offers its own in-house platform in addition to MT4, while Earn does not have a proprietary platform but adds MetaTrader 5 (MT5). Both brokers support browser trading, so you can log in from almost any computer. Details on the number of built-in technical indicators and watchlist columns were not disclosed.
For Trading Platforms and Tools, IG earns 5 stars and ranks #2 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Earn is rated 4 stars and ranks #52. Another split: Earn supports copy trading, but IG does not. If you want a top-rated in-house platform experience, IG is the better fit; if you prefer MT5 and copy trading, Earn may be the simpler match.
| Feature |
IG
|
Earn
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No |
| 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 | 35 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both the IG and Earn mobile trading apps are available on iPhone and Android and support stock and forex price alerts. A key difference is watchlists: IG syncs your watchlists between the mobile app and your online account, so changes carry over across devices, while Earn does not offer syncing. If you move between desktop and phone often, IG makes that workflow easier.
For charting, Earn includes 35 technical studies versus IG’s 33, and both apps let you draw trendlines and automatically save your drawings. Despite Earn’s slightly larger study list, IG holds a clear edge in overall quality: IG is rated 5 stars and ranked #1 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps by ForexBrokers.com, while Earn is rated 4 stars and ranked #28. In short, IG delivers a higher-rated mobile experience, and Earn offers a comparable toolkit with more studies but fewer conveniences like watchlist syncing.
| Feature |
IG
|
Earn
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 35 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Comparing market research at online brokers IG vs Earn: both deliver daily market commentary, an economic calendar, and forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones. IG goes further with Autochartist pattern-recognition tools and a built-in sentiment gauge that shows the long/short split across instruments. Neither broker offers Trading Central. IG also includes research from TipRanks and tools from Acuity Trading (Signal Centre), while Earn doesn’t list comparable integrations.
These extras help explain the gap in third-party ratings: IG earns 5 stars and ranks #2 of 63 brokers for Research on ForexBrokers.com, while Earn scores 3.5 stars and ranks #39. If you want deeper analysis, trade ideas, and sentiment insights in one place, IG is the stronger choice. If you mainly need daily commentary, headlines, and a calendar, Earn can cover the basics.
| Feature |
IG
|
Earn
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | Yes | |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
IG is the clear winner for beginner forex and CFD education. It hosts online client webinars at least once a month and offers at least ten beginner videos, plus at least ten advanced videos for when you’re ready to go deeper. These learning tools make it easier to grasp trading basics and build confidence. IG’s education earns 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com.
Earn offers fewer learning options for new traders. It does not run monthly educational webinars and does not reach the ten‑video threshold for either beginner or advanced topics. Its education is rated 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #63 out of 63 for Education at ForexBrokers.com. If you want a larger learning library and regular live sessions, IG is likely the better fit than Earn.
| Feature |
IG
|
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 IG is better than Earn. IG finished with an overall rank of #1, while Earn finished with an overall rank of #50.
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
|
Earn
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 71 |
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In an IG vs Earn comparison for crypto, IG supports buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency and trading cryptocurrency CFDs, whereas Earn does not offer delivered crypto purchases but does allow cryptocurrency CFD trading.
Compared with Earn, online broker IG supports ACH/SEPA transfers, PayPal, and bank wires for deposits and withdrawals but not Skrill, while Earn does not support ACH/SEPA and no other Earn funding options were specified in the provided information.
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 | Earn | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IG | Earn | |
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| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Regulation | IG | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 71 | |
| Year Founded | 1974 | 1994 | |
| 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 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IG | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | |
| 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 | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | IG | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 61 | |
| 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 | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.98 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IG | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | ||
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | IG | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No | |
| 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 | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 35 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IG | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 35 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IG | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | ||
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IG | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | IG | Earn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Overall | IG | Earn | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review |
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