menuclose
Back to Main Menu
ForexBrokers.com is committed to the highest ethical standards and reviews services independently. Learn How We Make Money

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 account 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

Interactive Brokers offers a wider range of investments than IC Markets. IBKR lists about 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, while IC Markets offers around 3,583 symbols and 61 forex pairs. Both support forex trading either as CFDs or as spot. IBKR also lets clients buy real, exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, whereas IC Markets does not offer real U.S.-listed shares but does provide access to certain international exchange-traded securities.

For crypto, IBKR allows you to buy actual cryptocurrencies as well as trade crypto CFDs; IC Markets offers crypto only via CFDs. IC Markets includes copy trading, which IBKR does not. Based on range of investments, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars and ranked #1 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while IC Markets holds 4.5 stars and ranks #26. Choose IBKR if you want the broadest selection and access to U.S. stocks and real crypto; choose IC Markets if copy trading and a strong CFD lineup are higher on your list.

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. Stocks (Shares) info Yes No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info Yes No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) 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 free paper trading demo accounts, plus desktop (Windows) and web platforms. Interactive Brokers provides an in-house platform suite, while IC Markets does not have its own proprietary platform and instead supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). If you want copy trading, IC Markets has it; Interactive Brokers does not. Both brokers let you place trades directly from charts, which makes managing entries and exits more convenient.

For overall platform quality, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools, while IC Markets earns 4 stars and ranks #16. Choose Interactive Brokers if you want a feature-packed, broker-built platform experience. Pick IC Markets if MetaTrader 4/5 and copy trading are must-haves alongside accessible web and desktop trading.

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
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

Both Interactive Brokers and IC Markets offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, complete with price alerts, trendline drawing, and charting tools. Interactive Brokers stands out for analysis with 97 technical studies and watchlist syncing between the app and the online platform. IC Markets includes 30 technical studies and does not sync watchlists, but it does auto-save chart drawings, while Interactive Brokers does not.

When it comes to quality and recognition, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers’ mobile trading apps at 5 stars and ranks them #4 out of 63 brokers, compared with IC Markets at 4 stars and #22. Choose Interactive Brokers if you want deeper chart analysis and synced watchlists; pick IC Markets if automatic saving of chart drawings is a priority.

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

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 (Articles) info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Yes
Autochartist info No Yes
Trading Central info Yes Yes
Client sentiment data info Yes Yes
TipRanks info Yes No
Acuity Trading info Yes No
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

Interactive Brokers vs IC Markets: For beginner traders seeking education, both brokers deliver easy-to-digest learning options. Each hosts ongoing client webinars at least once a month and offers a library with 10+ beginner video lessons that explain core trading concepts. When you’re ready to grow, both also provide 10+ advanced videos. These programs can help you get familiar with forex and CFD topics through step-by-step video lessons and live sessions.

Where they differ is overall quality and depth. Interactive Brokers earns a 5-star Education rating and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, signaling one of the strongest education suites on the market. IC Markets is still a strong choice—rated 4 stars and ranked #16—especially if you want steady webinars and a clear path from beginner to advanced content. If education is your top priority, Interactive Brokers has the edge; if you want accessible beginner materials with regular webinars, IC Markets fits the bill.

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 vs IC Markets: Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency and trade crypto CFDs, whereas IC Markets supports only cryptocurrency CFDs and does not offer direct crypto ownership.

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.

More Comparisons

Interactive Brokers vs Tickmill Interactive Brokers vs Exness Interactive Brokers vs ActivTrades Interactive Brokers vs Octa Interactive Brokers vs Capital.com Interactive Brokers vs Vantage IC Markets vs XM Group IC Markets vs Exness IC Markets vs Pepperstone IC Markets vs Interactive Brokers IC Markets vs eToro IC Markets vs Octa

Show all



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.

Select Brokers

↓×
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxActivTrades
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxAvaTrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxBlackBull Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCapital.com
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCharles Schwab
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCity Index
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCMC Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxEightcap
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxeToro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxExness
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFOREX.com
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFP Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFXCM
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFxPro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxHFM
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxHYCM (Henyep Capital Markets)
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIC Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIFC Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIG
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxInteractive Brokers
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIUX
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxOANDA
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxOcta
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxPepperstone
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxPlus500
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxQuestrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSaxo
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSpreadex
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSwissquote
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTickmill
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTrading 212
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxVantage
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxXM Group
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxXTB

Compare

0 of 5
× Interactive Brokers
× IC Markets
Sponsored

+ Add Broker

Close Menu ×

navigate_before navigate_next
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 (FSA 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. Stocks (Shares) info Yes No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info Yes No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) 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 account 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
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 [DELETED] info
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 (Articles) info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Yes
Autochartist info No Yes
Trading Central 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 [DELETED] info
EUR/USD info Yes Yes
USD/CHF [DELETED] info
USD/CAD [DELETED] info
NZD/USD [DELETED] info
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
arrow_upward

close
navigate_before navigate_next