Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IG vs easyMarkets, 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 easyMarkets, IG stands out as a highly trusted choice in the trading industry. Founded in 1974, IG is both publicly traded and operates as a bank, adding to its credibility and financial stability. It boasts an impressive ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99 out of 99, indicating it is highly trusted. IG is further reinforced by possessing 8 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses, symbolizing its strong compliance with top regulatory standards worldwide.
In contrast, easyMarkets, established in 2001, is privately owned and does not function as a bank. It holds a respectable ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 84 out of 99, placing it in the trusted category. easyMarkets is regulated with 2 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-2 licenses, reflecting a secure but more limited regulatory presence compared to IG. Overall, IG’s long-standing market presence and extensive regulatory endorsements make it a top choice for traders seeking a trusted online broker. Meanwhile, easyMarkets remains a solid option, particularly for those who prioritize simpler regulatory coverage.
| Feature |
IG
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
IG delivers a wider range of pricing models than easyMarkets, which can translate into lower costs for active or high-volume traders. IG earns 5/5 stars and ranks #8 of 63 for commissions and fees (ForexBrokers.com), while easyMarkets scores 3.5/5 stars and ranks #53 of 63. IG isn’t a discount broker, but it offers market-maker pricing on CFD accounts alongside Forex Direct (DMA) access for traders who want raw spreads plus commission. easyMarkets favors simplicity with fixed spreads on its own platform and TradingView, while costs vary more on MT4 and MT5.
On IG’s CFD account, typical EUR/USD spreads averaged 0.69 pips during the main session in July 2023 (0.98 pips across all sessions; low-liquidity hours averaged 1.03 pips). IG US averaged 1.18 pips for EUR/USD during that month. For the DMA-based Forex Direct account, average EUR/USD spreads were 0.62 pips in July 2023; after adding the base commission ($60 per million, or about 0.2 pips), the all-in cost is about 0.82 pips, dropping further for very high volumes (as low as $10 per million per side). Pros who meet volume thresholds can also earn 10%–20% spread rebates on the CFD account.
easyMarkets keeps pricing straightforward: fixed EUR/USD spreads are 0.8 pips on easyMarkets’ platform and TradingView. On MT4, the Standard account is 1.7 pips, while the VIP account tightens to 0.7 pips. MT5 uses variable spreads starting from 0.7 pips. In short, IG tends to be more cost-effective for active or institutional-size trading thanks to DMA pricing and rebates, whereas easyMarkets appeals to traders who prefer fixed, predictable spreads—though MT4 costs can be higher.
| Feature |
IG
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $25 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.98 | 0.8 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 0.8 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Comparing IG vs easyMarkets for range of investments, IG offers far more markets. IG lists 19,537 tradeable symbols and 97 forex pairs, while easyMarkets provides 230 symbols and 63 forex pairs. Both brokers let you trade forex as CFDs or spot. IG also lets clients buy exchange‑traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges (think Apple or Vodafone), which easyMarkets does not support. For crypto, both offer cryptocurrency CFDs, but only IG also lets you buy actual coins.
Feature-wise, easyMarkets includes copy trading, while IG does not. For breadth, IG earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Range of Investments, compared with easyMarkets at 3.5 stars and #55. In short, choose IG if you want the widest market access, real crypto, and the ability to buy shares; pick easyMarkets if copy trading and a simpler lineup suit you better.
| Feature |
IG
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 230 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 63 |
| 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 easyMarkets both check key boxes for traders: each offers a free demo account for paper trading, a proprietary platform, a Windows desktop download, and a web-based trading platform. You can place trades directly from charts with either broker, and both support MetaTrader 4 (MT4). The main platform differences are that easyMarkets also supports MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and offers copy trading, while IG does not provide MT5 or copy trading.
For Trading Platforms and Tools, IG earns 5 stars and ranks #2 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while easyMarkets scores 4 stars and ranks #36. If you want one of the highest-rated platform experiences, IG stands out; if MT5 access or copy trading is important to you, easyMarkets could be the better fit.
| Feature |
IG
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
IG and easyMarkets both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, with watchlists that sync between the app and your online account. Both apps let you draw trendlines on charts. IG stands out for stock or forex price alerts, which easyMarkets does not support. For charting tools, IG includes 33 technical studies (indicators), while easyMarkets offers 81. IG also auto-saves your chart drawings, whereas easyMarkets does not.
Ratings reflect these differences: IG earns 5 stars and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps on ForexBrokers.com. easyMarkets earns 4 stars and ranks #32. Choose IG if price alerts and saved chart drawings matter most, or easyMarkets if you want a wider set of built-in indicators. Both are solid choices for iPhone and Android with watchlist syncing.
| Feature |
IG
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 81 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
IG and easyMarkets both cover the basics of market research with daily commentary, an economic calendar, and forex news from top-tier sources. The differences show up in third-party tools: IG includes Autochartist, TipRanks, and Acuity Trading, while easyMarkets leans on Trading Central. Both brokers provide sentiment tools that display the ratio of long and short positions across instruments.
For overall research quality, IG takes the lead with a 5-star rating and a #2 rank out of 63 brokers, whereas easyMarkets earns 3.5 stars and ranks #44. Choose IG if you want a wider mix of research providers in one place; pick easyMarkets if Trading Central’s analytics are your priority and you’re satisfied with essential news and commentary.
| Feature |
IG
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | No | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Comparing IG vs easyMarkets for beginner education, IG stands out. IG earns 5/5 stars and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers for Education on ForexBrokers.com, while easyMarkets holds 3.5/5 stars and ranks #39. Both brokers help newcomers learn with monthly client webinars and large libraries of videos that cover beginner and advanced trading topics, useful for getting started with forex and CFD trading.
If you want the most highly rated learning experience, IG is the stronger pick. It offers at least 10 beginner videos and at least 10 advanced videos, alongside regular webinars. easyMarkets also provides at least 10 beginner and at least 10 advanced videos and runs monthly webinars, giving new traders steady, accessible ways to build skills—even if its overall education rating is lower than IG’s.
| Feature |
IG
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 easyMarkets. IG finished with an overall rank of #1, while easyMarkets finished with an overall rank of #42.
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
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 84 |
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In crypto trading, online broker IG offers both actual delivered cryptocurrency and cryptocurrency CFDs, while easyMarkets provides only cryptocurrency CFDs and does not offer purchases of actual delivered crypto.
IG vs easyMarkets comparison: both brokers support ACH/SEPA transfers and bank wire deposits/withdrawals, IG offers PayPal but not Skrill while easyMarkets offers Skrill but not PayPal, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either.
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 | easyMarkets | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 84 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | easyMarkets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IG | easyMarkets | |
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| Regulation | IG | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 84 | |
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IG | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | IG | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 230 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 63 | |
| 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 | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.98 | 0.8 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 0.8 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IG | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $25 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | IG | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IG | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 81 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IG | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IG | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | IG | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | easyMarkets Review |
| Overall | IG | easyMarkets | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 84 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | easyMarkets Review |
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