Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IC Markets vs Markets.com, 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 IC Markets and Markets.com, a few key differences in their regulatory credentials stand out. IC Markets, founded in 2007, operates with 2 Tier-1 licenses, which signifies high trust according to ForexBrokers.com. Markets.com, on the other hand, was established in 1999 and boasts 3 Tier-1 licenses. Although neither broker is publicly traded nor operates as a bank, these licenses highlight their commitment to security and regulation. IC Markets holds an 84 Trust Score, indicating a trusted status, while Markets.com has earned a higher Trust Score of 93, reflecting its slightly stronger regulatory foothold.
Consider these factors if you value trust and regulatory oversight in your brokerage choice. Although both brokers are well-regulated, Markets.com’s additional Tier-1 and Tier-2 licenses might appeal to those prioritizing security. Keep in mind that both firms provide safe environments for trading, but the distinction in their Trust Scores and number of licenses is noteworthy for investors requiring highly trusted platforms.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2007 | 1999 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
When assessing commissions and fees for online trading brokers, IC Markets stands out with top-notch ratings, offering some of the most competitive costs in the industry. With a 5-star rating and a #5 ranking out of 63 brokers for commissions and fees, IC Markets offers low effective spreads, especially in its Raw Spread accounts. These accounts have a commission-based structure, with the cTrader account providing a slight advantage at $6.00 per round turn compared to $7.00 for the MetaTrader accounts. Their commission-free Standard account is also attractive, featuring spreads starting at about 0.62 pips, making it cost-effective for traders.
On the other hand, Markets.com provides a more modest offering with a star rating of 3.5 and a ranking of #50 among 63 brokers. Unfortunately, specific average spread data isn't disclosed, which may lead to some uncertainty regarding the exact costs involved. Despite this, Markets.com remains a viable option, especially for traders who value other platform features or who may prioritize ease of use over cost.
In summary, IC Markets provides an edge with its competitive fee structure, transparent costs, and multiple account types to suit different trading styles. While Markets.com may not match the fee transparency and competitive pricing of IC Markets, it may still appeal to traders for other reasons beyond commissions and fees.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $200 | $100 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.62 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.62 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
IC Markets and Markets.com both provide a variety of investment options for traders, including forex trading through CFDs or spot contracts. IC Markets stands out with an impressive 3,583 tradeable symbols, which surpasses Markets.com's offering of 2,179 symbols. When it comes to forex pairs, IC Markets again edges ahead with 61 pairs compared to Markets.com's 57, giving traders more opportunities for diversification. However, neither broker provides access to exchange-traded securities on U.S. exchanges, though IC Markets does allow trading on some international exchanges like the London Stock Exchange. Both platforms support copy trading, but neither offers the ability to buy actual, delivered cryptocurrency, limiting themselves to cryptocurrency derivatives.
In terms of ratings, IC Markets scores 4.5 stars for its range of investments, slightly higher than Markets.com, which earns 4 stars. Furthermore, IC Markets is ranked #25 by ForexBrokers.com for its range of investments, whereas Markets.com holds the #29 spot. For traders seeking a broader selection of tradeable symbols and international exchange options, IC Markets presents a more expansive offering. Meanwhile, Markets.com still provides a solid range of investment opportunities suitable for various trading strategies. Whether prioritizing diverse market access or straightforward investment tools, both brokers cater to a wide audience of online traders.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3583 | 2179 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 57 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | 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.
When comparing IC Markets to Markets.com, both online brokers provide simulated trading through a free virtual demo account, which is perfect for beginners to practice without financial risk. However, while Markets.com develops its own trading platform in-house, IC Markets does not offer a proprietary platform but supports popular third-party platforms such as MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), which are also supported by Markets.com. Both brokers offer Windows-based desktop software and web-based platforms, ensuring that traders can access their accounts from various devices.
Both IC Markets and Markets.com offer copy trading, but only IC Markets supports ZuluTrade, a well-known third-party platform for social trading. When it comes to charting tools, IC Markets provides a broader range with 15 drawing tools compared to Markets.com's 4, and IC Markets allows trading directly from a stock chart, a feature not available on Markets.com. In terms of watch list customization, IC Markets offers one more column for fields than Markets.com. Each broker is rated 4 stars for trading platforms and tools. Still, IC Markets holds a higher ranking in this category, coming in at #16 out of 63 brokers, while Markets.com ranks at #27 according to ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | No | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 89 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 4 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 6 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
IC Markets and Markets.com both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android devices, providing tools for modern traders who are on the go. Users of both platforms can receive stock or forex price alerts directly to their mobile devices. However, IC Markets offers more technical studies for charting, with 30 options available, whereas Markets.com's app, depending on the platform version, doesn't include any by default if using the Markets app. Traders who prefer drawing and saving trendlines on charts will find features on both apps, but only IC Markets allows these drawings to be automatically saved. Additionally, while both platforms enable the creation of watchlists with real-time quotes, only Markets.com ensures these watchlists sync across all devices, providing seamless updates between mobile and web platforms.
In terms of time frame options, IC Markets offers versatility by allowing users to switch between daily, weekly, or intraday views, which Markets.com lacks. Both mobile trading platforms hold a four-star rating, demonstrating solid user satisfaction; however, when ranked by ForexBrokers.com, IC Markets edges slightly ahead at #22 among 63 brokers, while Markets.com sits at #33. These rankings suggest IC Markets offers a slightly superior mobile experience, but both have their unique strengths to appeal to different trading styles and preferences.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | (default on MT4, none on Markets app) |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Both IC Markets and Markets.com offer a range of market research tools that can guide your trading choices, making them suitable options for informed decision-making. If you're interested in daily market commentary, both brokers deliver insights, keeping you updated with the latest forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. However, IC Markets differentiates itself by providing tools from industry leaders such as Autochartist and Trading Central, helping with technical and fundamental analysis, a feature Markets.com does not provide.
Both platforms offer sentiment-based trading tools to help you understand market trends across various instruments. Moreover, each broker provides an economic calendar to keep track of global news. While neither broker partners with TipRanks or Acuity Trading, their offerings still rank competitively with IC Markets earning a research score of 4 out of 5 stars, just like Markets.com. Despite both having an equal star rating, Markets.com holds a slightly better rank in research, being 17th out of 63 brokers, compared to IC Markets’ 23rd place.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational resources of IC Markets and Markets.com, both online brokers have distinct offerings for beginners. IC Markets excels in providing an extensive range of educational materials, boasting over ten pieces dedicated to forex and CFDs, which include articles, videos, and archived webinars. Additionally, they maintain a robust schedule of monthly webinars and offer a convenient searchable archive of past sessions. Beginners can benefit from more than ten introductory videos tailored to aid their trading journey. An extensive investor dictionary with over 50 definitions is also available, providing further support to novice investors.
On the other hand, Markets.com offers monthly webinars catering to their client base, similar to IC Markets. They also provide more than ten beginner-oriented educational videos and an equal number of advanced trading videos designed for experienced traders. However, they fall short in offering ten distinct educational pieces regarding forex or CFDs and lack a searchable archive for past webinars. Furthermore, Markets.com does not feature an investor dictionary with a considerable range of terms. Ultimately, while both brokers have a solid rating of four stars for education, IC Markets holds a superior position in the rankings, standing at #16 compared to Markets.com's #34 in the Education category, based on ForexBrokers.com rankings.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that IC Markets is better than Markets.com. IC Markets finished with an overall rank of #20, while Markets.com finished with an overall rank of #23.
IC Markets’ competitive pricing and scalable execution make it an excellent option for algorithmic traders. Though it supports an impressive range of third-party tools and plugins, IC Markets’ research and education offerings are not as impressive as those offered by industry leaders.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 84 | 93 |
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Both IC Markets and Markets.com do not offer the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they do provide options to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
IC Markets and Markets.com both support Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires for deposits and withdrawals; however, only IC Markets offers PayPal, while neither broker provides ACH or SEPA transfer options.
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 | IC Markets | Markets.com | |
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| Trust Score | 84 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IC Markets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IC Markets | Markets.com | |
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| Regulation | IC Markets | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 84 | 93 | |
| Year Founded | 2007 | 1999 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IC Markets | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | IC Markets | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | IC Markets | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3583 | 2179 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 57 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | 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 | IC Markets | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.62 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.62 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IC Markets | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $200 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | IC Markets | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | No | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | Yes | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | IC Markets | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | No | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 6 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 89 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 4 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IC Markets | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | (default on MT4, none on Markets app) | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Research | IC Markets | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IC Markets | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | IC Markets | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | No | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | IC Markets Review |
| Overall | IC Markets | Markets.com | |
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| Trust Score | 84 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IC Markets Review |
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