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Interactive Brokers vs IC Markets 2025

ForexBrokers.com

Written by ForexBrokers.com

February 05, 2025

In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs IC Markets, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.

Interactive Brokers
5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0
  • Trust Score: 99
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 8500
IC Markets
4.5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $200
  • Trust Score: 84
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 3583

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.

Regulation

Interactive Brokers and IC Markets are notable online brokers that offer a variety of trading services, but they differ significantly in their regulatory standings and trust scores as rated by ForexBrokers.com. Interactive Brokers, established in 1977, holds a stellar reputation with a perfect Trust Score of 99. It boasts an impressive nine Tier-1 licenses, which are considered highly trusted. Additionally, Interactive Brokers is publicly traded, adding an extra layer of transparency and accountability, although it is not itself a bank.

In contrast, IC Markets, founded in 2007, is not publicly traded and maintains a Trust Score of 84, which is considered trusted. This broker has secured two Tier-1 licenses, ensuring a reasonable degree of trust but fewer high-level regulatory endorsements compared to Interactive Brokers. IC Markets does not have any Tier-2 licenses, which adds depth to the comparison, showing variations in their regulatory commitments. Both brokers, however, do not operate as banks.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
IC Markets logoIC Markets
Year Founded info 1977 2007
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes No
Bank info No No
Tier-1 Licenses info 9 2
Tier-2 Licenses info 2 0
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 3

Fees

When comparing Interactive Brokers to IC Markets based on commissions and fees, both stand out with a five-star rating. Interactive Brokers, ranked #2 by ForexBrokers.com, offers competitive pricing for forex trades. However, their average spreads aren't publicly available, making direct comparisons challenging. The average spread for EUR/USD during Q3 2024 was about 0.59 pips, inclusive of commission. Forex commissions per side typically start at 0.2 basis points of the U.S. dollar trade value, with a $2 minimum per order. For active traders, these costs can reduce significantly, with the possibility of dropping to just $1 per order depending on monthly trade volume. Interactive Brokers aggregates prices from top interbank dealers and charges between $16 to $40 per million round turn.

IC Markets, ranked #5 in the same category, competes fiercely with other low-cost forex brokers, offering varied account types. Their Standard account is commission-free, with spreads averaging 0.62 pips. The commission-based Raw Spread account and the cTrader Raw Spread account charge $3.5 and $3.0 per side for every 100,000 units, respectively. Their effective spread for the EUR/USD is remarkably low at 0.02 pips before commissions, making the all-in cost around 0.62 pips on cTrader accounts. IC Markets is recognized for offering discounts to highly active traders who trade over 100 standard lots monthly.

While both brokers provide competitive forex trading options, each has distinct advantages depending on an investor's trading volume and platform preference. Interactive Brokers is a robust choice for those trading in large volumes due to its tiered discount structure, while IC Markets appeals to traders seeking low spreads and flexible account options.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
IC Markets logoIC Markets
Minimum Deposit info $0 $200
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard info 0.59 info 0.62 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.65 info 0.62 info
Non-wire bank transfer info Yes No
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Featured Offers


Range of investments

Comparing the range of markets, Interactive Brokers offers 8,500 tradeable symbols versus 3,583 at IC Markets. Forex coverage is broader at Interactive Brokers with 90 currency pairs, compared with 61 at IC Markets, and both brokers support forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts.

For exchange-traded securities, Interactive Brokers lets you buy U.S. shares (such as Apple on NASDAQ) and international stocks, while IC Markets offers international exchange-traded shares but not U.S. listings. Interactive Brokers also supports both actual cryptocurrency purchases and crypto derivatives, whereas IC Markets offers only crypto derivatives. Copy trading is available at IC Markets but not at Interactive Brokers. Reflecting its wider reach, Interactive Brokers holds a 5-star Range of Investments rating and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com; IC Markets earns 4.5 stars and ranks #26.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
IC Markets logoIC Markets
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 8500 3583
Forex Pairs (Total) info 90 61
U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) info Yes No
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) info Yes Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading info No Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info Yes No
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) info 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.

Trading platforms and tools

Interactive Brokers vs IC Markets: both brokers offer a free paper trading (demo) account, web and Windows desktop platforms, and the ability to place orders directly from charts. The big difference is platform choice. Interactive Brokers provides an in-house platform, while IC Markets does not. IC Markets shines if you want MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5 and access to copy trading, whereas Interactive Brokers does not support MT4/MT5 and does not offer copy trading.

For Trading Platforms and Tools, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while IC Markets earns 4 stars and ranks #16. In short, pick Interactive Brokers if you prefer a powerful proprietary platform with a free demo; choose IC Markets if you want MetaTrader and built-in copy trading options.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
IC Markets logoIC Markets
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes No
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes Yes
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading info No Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 155 30
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.

Forex trading apps

Interactive Brokers and IC Markets both deliver full-featured mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts and lets you build watchlists with real-time quotes. Charting is where they differ most: Interactive Brokers offers 97 technical studies compared with 30 at IC Markets. Both apps let you draw trendlines, but only IC Markets auto-saves your drawings. Watchlist syncing is another key split—Interactive Brokers syncs symbols between the mobile app and your online account, while IC Markets does not.

Independent ratings echo these contrasts. For Mobile Trading Apps, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars and ranks it #4 out of 63 brokers, while IC Markets earns 4 stars and ranks #22. Choose Interactive Brokers if you want deeper charting and seamless watchlist syncing across devices; pick IC Markets if auto-saved chart drawings and straightforward tools fit your style.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
IC Markets logoIC Markets
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info Yes No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 97 30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info No Yes
Mobile Watchlist info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

When evaluating market research offerings, Interactive Brokers and IC Markets both provide daily market commentary and supply forex news from esteemed sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters. Both brokers also offer tools from Trading Central, including technical analytics, and feature sentiment-based trading tools that reveal trading positions across currency pairs. While IC Markets provides technical analysis tools from Autochartist, Interactive Brokers shines by offering market research insights from TipRanks and research tools from Acuity Trading, like Signal Centre.

Both platforms include comprehensive economic calendars forecasting global events; however, Interactive Brokers edges ahead with a perfect research rating of five stars compared to IC Markets' four stars. Interactive Brokers is highly rated in the industry with a third-place ranking for research among 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, whereas IC Markets stands at 23rd. This positions Interactive Brokers as the preferred option for those requiring extensive market research capabilities.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
IC Markets logoIC Markets
Daily Market Commentary info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Yes
Autochartist info No Yes
Trading Central (Recognia) info Yes Yes
Client sentiment data info Yes Yes
TipRanks info Yes No
Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) info Yes No
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

For beginner education, Interactive Brokers stands out with a 5-star Education rating and a #3 ranking out of 63 brokers, while IC Markets earns 4 stars and ranks #16. Both brokers host online client webinars at least monthly and offer plentiful video lessons, including 10+ beginner videos plus 10+ advanced videos—useful if you want to start with the basics and grow into more complex trading topics.

Details are not specified on whether either broker provides a searchable archive of past webinars, an investor dictionary with 50+ terms, or a dedicated set of 10+ forex or CFD-specific lessons. Based on the ratings alone, Interactive Brokers has the edge for overall education quality, but beginners looking for frequent webinars and clear video content will find suitable resources at both Interactive Brokers and IC Markets.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
IC Markets logoIC Markets
Webinars info Yes Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.

Winner

After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Interactive Brokers is better than IC Markets. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while IC Markets finished with an overall rank of #20.

Interactive Brokers is a highly trusted multi-asset broker with an extensive offering of tradeable global markets. It delivers competitive fees and high-quality research and education, as well as a modern, institutional-grade trading platform suite.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
IC Markets logoIC Markets
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 84
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or IC Markets?

Interactive Brokers allows the purchase of actual cryptocurrency and cryptocurrency derivatives, while IC Markets offers access only to cryptocurrency derivatives, not actual cryptocurrency.

What funding options does each broker offer?

Interactive Brokers vs IC Markets: for deposits and withdrawals, Interactive Brokers supports ACH/SEPA and bank wire transfers but not PayPal or Skrill, while IC Markets supports PayPal, Skrill, and bank wires but does not offer ACH/SEPA.

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announcementPlease 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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Overall Rating Interactive Brokers IC Markets
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 84
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review IC Markets Review
Broker Screenshots Interactive Brokers IC Markets
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info
IBKR mobile watchlist. IBKR Desktop platform charts. Interactive Brokers research Traders Insight daily analysis article detail Interactive Brokers IBKR Podcast video.
IC Markets cTrader mobile app charting IC Markets EU cTrader desktop trading platform layout IC Markets webinar IC Your Trade YouTube video series. IC Markets Educational content blog articles.
Regulation Interactive Brokers IC Markets
Trust Score info 99 84
Year Founded info 1977 2007
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes No
Bank info No No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info Yes info
Tier-1 Licenses info 9 2
Tier-2 Licenses info 2 0
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 3
Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) Interactive Brokers IC Markets
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info Yes Yes
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info Yes No
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info Yes No
Japan (SFC Authorised) info Yes No
Singapore (MAS Authorised) info Yes No
Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) info Yes
United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) info Yes No
USA (CFTC Authorized) info Yes No
New Zealand (FMA Authorised) info No No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info Yes info
Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) Interactive Brokers IC Markets
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info
Israel (ISA Authorised) info No No
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info No No
UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) info Yes No
India (SEBI Authorised) info Yes No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info
Investments Interactive Brokers IC Markets
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 8500 3583
Forex Pairs (Total) info 90 61
U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) info Yes No
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) info Yes Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading info No Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info Yes No
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) info 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 Interactive Brokers IC Markets
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard info 0.59 info 0.62 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.65 info 0.62 info
Inactivity Fee info No No
Order execution: Agency info Yes Yes
Order execution: Market Maker info No Yes
Funding Interactive Brokers IC Markets
Minimum Deposit info $0 $200
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes
Non-wire bank transfer info Yes No
Trading Platforms Interactive Brokers IC Markets
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes No
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes Yes
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading info No Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No Yes
cTrader info No Yes
Trading Tools Interactive Brokers IC Markets
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 155 30
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes
Charts can be saved info Yes Yes
Mobile Trading Interactive Brokers IC Markets
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlist info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info Yes No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 97 30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info No Yes
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Research Interactive Brokers IC Markets
Daily Market Commentary info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Yes
Autochartist info No Yes
Trading Central (Recognia) info Yes Yes
TipRanks info Yes No
Client sentiment data info Yes Yes
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Education Interactive Brokers IC Markets
Webinars info Yes Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Major Forex Pairs Interactive Brokers IC Markets
GBP/USD [DELETED] info
USD/JPY info Yes Yes
EUR/USD info Yes Yes
USD/CHF info Yes Yes
USD/CAD info Yes Yes
NZD/USD info Yes Yes
AUD/USD [DELETED] info
Review Interactive Brokers Review IC Markets Review
Overall Interactive Brokers IC Markets
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 84
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review IC Markets Review
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