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 stronger pick for commissions and fees overall, thanks to its low-cost MetaTrader and cTrader pricing and its commission-based Raw ECN account. On the Raw ECN side, average spreads were about 0.1 pips, or roughly 0.8 pips all-in after commission, while the Standard account is more expensive, with EUR/USD spreads averaging about 1.1 pips. FP Markets also earned a 4.5-star rating and ranked #11 out of 36 brokers for Commissions and Fees, which highlights its strong value for cost-conscious traders.
IFC Markets is decent, but its pricing is less competitive than FP Markets for most traders. Its average EUR/USD spread is 1.44 pips, above the industry average, though its ECN account improves the picture with effective spreads around 1.1 pips after commission. A few pluses are the lack of inactivity fees and the availability of active trader discounts. IFC Markets holds a 4-star rating and ranked #34 out of 36 brokers for Commissions and Fees.
In short, FP Markets is the better choice if low trading costs are a top priority, while IFC Markets may appeal to traders who value fee-free inactivity policies and discount options more than ultra-tight spreads.
| Feature |
FP Markets
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $1 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.3 | 1.44 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | 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.
When it comes to range of investments, FP Markets offers a wider selection than IFC Markets. FP Markets lists 10,000 tradeable symbols and 71 forex pairs, compared with 630 symbols and 49 forex pairs at IFC Markets. Both brokers support forex trading, copy trading, and cryptocurrency CFDs, but neither lets clients buy actual cryptocurrency or U.S.-listed shares as exchange-traded securities. FP Markets also does not offer international exchange-traded shares, while IFC Markets does.
Overall, FP Markets comes out ahead for investors looking for more market choice and variety. It is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars for range of investments and ranks #17 out of 36 brokers in this category, while IFC Markets is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #33. For traders who want a broader list of instruments, FP Markets is the stronger pick, while IFC Markets may appeal to those who are mainly interested in its smaller selection and access to international stocks.
| 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 give traders a wide range of platform choices, making either broker a solid fit for beginners and more active traders. Each one offers a free demo account for practice, its own in-house platform, desktop software for Windows, a web-based platform, copy trading, and support for both MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Both brokers also let users place trades directly from a chart, which can make order entry quicker and more convenient.
When it comes to trading platforms and tools, the two brokers are evenly matched in many everyday features, and both are rated 4 out of 5 stars. Still, FP Markets has a stronger standing in ForexBrokers.com’s category ranking, coming in at #22 out of 36 brokers, while IFC Markets is ranked #32. If platform variety and tool access are your main focus, FP Markets and IFC Markets both cover the basics well, but FP Markets has the edge in overall category placement.
| 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 make it easy to trade on the go with iPhone and Android apps, plus stock or forex price alerts and tools for charting. Each app lets you draw trendlines and automatically saves your drawings, so it is simple to keep track of your analysis across sessions. Both brokers also earn 4 out of 5 stars for mobile trading apps, showing a similar level of overall quality for everyday mobile use.
The main difference is in app features and syncing. IFC Markets offers watchlist symbol syncing, so changes made in the mobile app and online account stay matched, while FP Markets does not. IFC Markets also gives users 30 technical studies in its mobile charting tools, which may appeal to traders who want more built-in indicators, while FP Markets relies on the default MetaTrader setup. In ForexBrokers.com’s mobile apps ranking, FP Markets places higher at #20 out of 36 brokers, compared with IFC Markets at #37.
| 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 give traders useful market research features, including daily market commentary, a sentiment tool showing long and short positions, and an economic calendar with upcoming global events. This means each broker gives clients a basic way to stay on top of market moves and key news releases.
Where FP Markets stands out is in its wider news and analysis coverage. It offers forex news from leading sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, plus research tools from Autochartist and Trading Central. IFC Markets does not provide those extras, which helps explain why FP Markets scores higher for research at 4 stars and ranks #22 out of 36 brokers, compared with IFC Markets at 3.5 stars and #33.
| 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.
For beginners looking for trading help, FP Markets has the edge over IFC Markets. FP Markets offers forex and CFDs education, runs online educational webinars at least once a month, and provides at least 10 beginner videos plus 10 advanced videos. IFC Markets also offers forex and CFDs education and has at least 10 beginner and 10 advanced videos, but it does not host monthly educational webinars. This makes FP Markets a better fit for learners who want more ways to study and keep up with market basics.
The ratings and rankings point in the same direction. FP Markets is rated 4 out of 5 for education and ranks #21 out of 36 brokers, while IFC Markets is rated 3.5 out of 5 and ranks #26. In simple terms, both brokers give beginners useful learning material, but FP Markets offers a wider mix of education tools and is viewed more favorably overall.
| 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 #36.
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
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 90 | 73 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Trading Fees |
|
|
| Trading Platforms |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
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.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 90 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FP Markets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
| 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 CMA 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) - Spread-only account | 1.3 | 1.44 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 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 | $0 | $1 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | 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 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | FP Markets Review |
| Overall | FP Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 90 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FP Markets Review |
IG
FOREX.com
CMC Markets
XTB
eToro
Capital.com
AvaTrade
XM
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill
HFM Markets