Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FP Markets vs IFC 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.
Comparing the online brokers FP Markets (founded 2005) and IFC Markets (founded 2006): neither is publicly traded or a bank. In terms of regulation, FP Markets holds 2 Tier-1 licenses (considered highly trusted by ForexBrokers.com) plus 1 Tier-2 license (trusted), while IFC Markets holds 1 Tier-1 license and no Tier-2 licenses.
Safety scores echo this difference. FP Markets earns a 90/99 Trust Score from ForexBrokers.com (highly trusted), whereas IFC Markets scores 73/99 (average risk). For context, ForexBrokers.com rates 90–99 as highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and 59 or less not trusted.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2005 | 2006 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 5 |
FP Markets is the cheaper pick for many forex traders, especially on its commission-based ECN (Raw) accounts, while IFC Markets tends to cost more unless you use its ECN plan. In ForexBrokers.com’s Commissions and Fees ratings, FP Markets earns 4.5 stars and ranks #11 of 63 brokers; IFC Markets earns 4 stars and ranks #32 of 63. FP Markets also received Best in Class honors for Commissions and Fees in 2024.
With FP Markets on MetaTrader or cTrader, the Raw ECN account averaged 0.1 pips (about 0.8 pips all-in after the $6 per round-turn commission per standard lot). Its Standard account is spread-only and pricier, averaging about 1.1 pips on EUR/USD. FP Markets also offers Iress share-CFD accounts with direct market access and full depth of book, though the ViewPoint tiers can add platform and data fees unless you qualify for Premier or generate at least AUD 150 in monthly commissions; the lower-cost Iress Investor plan waives monthly fees but provides leaner tools.
At IFC Markets, the typical EUR/USD spread is about 1.44 pips on the standard setup, which is higher than the industry average of 1.08. The newer ECN account narrows costs to roughly 1.1 pips effective after a 0.005% commission on both sides of the trade. There are no inactivity fees, and active trader discounts can trim costs, but overall pricing still trails FP Markets’ best rates.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 AUD | $1 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 1.44 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
FP Markets offers a wider range of investments than IFC Markets, with about 10,000 tradeable symbols versus 630. It also lists 71 forex pairs compared with IFC Markets’ 49. Both brokers support forex trading as CFDs and spot, provide crypto CFDs, and include copy trading; neither lets you buy actual cryptocurrency. For exchange-traded securities, neither broker supports buying U.S.-listed shares, but IFC Markets does offer access to some international exchanges, while FP Markets does not.
For Range of Investments, FP Markets is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks 16th out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while IFC Markets is rated 3.5 stars and ranks 31st. In short, FP Markets fits traders who want a larger catalog of markets, whereas IFC Markets may appeal if you need direct access to select non-U.S. exchange-listed shares.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 10000 | 630 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 71 | 49 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes |
| 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
FP Markets and IFC Markets both check the key boxes for platform choice and ease of access. Each offers a free demo (paper) account, a proprietary in-house platform, a Windows desktop download, and a web-based platform. Fans of MetaTrader get full coverage with MT4 and MT5 at both brokers, along with copy trading options. Charting is well supported at each, including the ability to place trades directly from charts, plus a range of technical indicators and configurable watch lists.
When it comes to third-party evaluations, both brokers earned 4 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools from ForexBrokers.com. FP Markets holds a slight edge in the category ranking, placing #22 of 63 brokers, while IFC Markets sits at #29. If you want a minor tilt toward industry rankings, FP Markets has the nod; otherwise, feature-wise these two are closely matched, so your choice may come down to platform feel and your personal workflow.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
FP Markets and IFC Markets both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, with price alerts to help you track forex and CFDs on the go. Their charting tools cover the basics you need, including drawing trendlines and auto-saving your annotations. Both apps earned 4 out of 5 stars for mobile trading performance, making them solid choices for everyday use.
Key differences come down to watchlists and indicators. FP Markets relies on MetaTrader’s default indicator set (MT4/MT5), while IFC Markets lists 30 technical studies in its app. Only IFC Markets syncs watchlists between the app and your online account, which is handy if you switch devices often. In ForexBrokers.com’s rankings, FP Markets places higher at #20 out of 63 brokers, versus IFC Markets at #34. Choose FP Markets if you prefer a higher-ranked MetaTrader experience; pick IFC Markets if synced watchlists and a defined set of 30 studies matter more to you.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | MetaTrader (Default) | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
FP Markets and IFC Markets both cover the basics for market research, offering daily market commentary, an economic calendar, and a sentiment tool that shows long vs. short positioning. The key difference is news and third-party insight: FP Markets streams forex headlines from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, while IFC Markets does not.
FP Markets also adds popular technical research from Autochartist and Trading Central, which IFC Markets lacks. Neither broker provides TipRanks or Acuity Trading tools. In our ratings, FP Markets scores 4 stars and ranks #22 out of 63 brokers for Research, while IFC Markets earns 3.5 stars and ranks #30. Choose FP Markets if you want deeper third-party analytics and premium news; pick IFC Markets if you just need core tools like commentary, sentiment, and a calendar.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Both FP Markets and IFC Markets give beginners a clear path to learn forex and CFD trading, offering education libraries with well over 10 pieces of content. Each broker provides at least 10 beginner videos and at least 10 advanced videos, so you can start with basics and grow into more complex topics. The key difference is live training: FP Markets hosts online educational webinars at least once a month, while IFC Markets does not, which can matter if you prefer real-time instruction and Q&A.
In independent evaluations, FP Markets earns 4 stars for Education and ranks #22 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while IFC Markets scores 3.5 stars and ranks #25. For beginners who value ongoing webinars plus a strong video lineup, FP Markets has a slight edge. If you’re comfortable learning from on-demand videos alone, IFC Markets still offers a sizable library to build your skills.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
IFC 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 FP Markets is better than IFC Markets. FP Markets finished with an overall rank of #19, while IFC Markets finished with an overall rank of #33.
FP Markets shines as a low-cost broker for trading forex and CFDs – as long as you use the MetaTrader platform. The Iress platform suite offers well over 10,000 tradeable symbols, but it’s mostly a share trading platform – and is generally a much pricier option.
| Feature |
FP Markets
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IFC Markets
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|---|---|---|
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| Trust Score | 90 | 73 |
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In the FP Markets vs IFC Markets comparison for cryptocurrency trading, neither broker supports purchasing actual delivered cryptocurrencies, but both provide access to trade cryptocurrency CFDs.
FP Markets vs IFC Markets: for deposits and withdrawals, both lack ACH or SEPA but support bank wires; FP Markets additionally supports PayPal and Skrill while IFC Markets does not, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either broker.
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 | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 90 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FP Markets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
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| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Regulation | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 90 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 2005 | 2006 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 5 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | ||
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | ||
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | ||
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | ||
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | No | ||
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | ||
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | ||
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | No | ||
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | ||
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 10000 | 630 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 71 | 49 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes | |
| 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). |
| Cost | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 1.44 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.9 | 1.1 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 AUD | $1 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | MetaTrader (Default) | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | FP Markets Review |
| Overall | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 90 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FP Markets Review |
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