Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IC Markets vs Octa, 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.
IC Markets vs. Octa: IC Markets was founded in 2007, while Octa launched in 2011. Neither broker is publicly traded or operates as a bank, so their safety profile relies on regulation and independent ratings.
Regulation and trust: IC Markets holds 2 Tier-1 licenses (considered highly trusted by ForexBrokers.com) and 0 Tier-2 licenses; Octa holds 1 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-2 license (Tier-2 is considered trusted). On ForexBrokers.com’s 99-point Trust Score, IC Markets scores 83 (trusted) and Octa scores 73 (average risk). If regulation and ratings are priorities, IC Markets edges ahead with more top-tier licenses and a higher trust score.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2007 | 2011 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
IC Markets comes out ahead of Octa on commissions and fees, especially for traders who want very low trading costs. IC Markets offers three main account types: a commission-free Standard account and two commission-based Raw Spread accounts, one for MT4/MT5 and one for cTrader. Its pricing is competitive across both spread-only and commission-based setups, with low all-in costs on major pairs like EUR/USD. IC Markets is rated 5 stars and ranks #5 out of 36 brokers for Commissions and Fees.
Octa has improved its pricing and now sits closer to the cheaper MetaTrader brokers, but it still trails IC Markets. Fees depend on the account type and the entity you trade under, with lower listed EUR/USD spreads in the EU than with its foreign entities. Octa also advertises no overnight carry costs and no slippage on most executed orders, though some limits may be less appealing for active traders. Octa is rated 4 stars and ranks #26 out of 36 brokers for Commissions and Fees.
In short, IC Markets is the better choice for lower overall trading costs and more transparent low-fee pricing, while Octa is a solid lower-cost option but not as strong overall in this category.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $200 | $25 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.62 | 0.9 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.62 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
IC Markets offers a wider range of investments than Octa, making it the stronger choice for traders who want more market choice. Both brokers support forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts, offer copy trading, and let clients trade cryptocurrency CFDs rather than buy actual crypto. Neither broker provides U.S.-listed exchange traded securities, but both do offer access to exchange traded securities on international exchanges. Where IC Markets stands out is in selection: it lists 3,583 tradeable symbols and 61 forex pairs, compared with Octa’s 300 symbols and 35 forex pairs.
That broader lineup is reflected in independent ratings too. IC Markets is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks #22 out of 36 brokers in the ForexBrokers.com category, while Octa is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #33. For investors who want more instruments to choose from, IC Markets has the edge, while Octa may suit traders who are comfortable with a smaller selection.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3583 | 300 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 35 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | 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). | 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.
IC Markets and Octa both give traders a solid mix of platform choices and tools. Each broker offers a free demo account, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, web-based and Windows desktop platforms, copy trading, and the ability to place trades directly from charts. That makes either one a workable option for beginners who want to practice first, as well as active traders who prefer familiar MetaTrader tools.
The key difference is that Octa also offers its own in-house platform, while IC Markets does not. In independent ratings for Trading Platforms and Tools, both brokers score 4 out of 5 stars, but IC Markets places higher overall, ranking #17 out of 36 brokers compared with Octa’s #30. For traders who want a broader platform lineup with a slightly stronger third-party rating, IC Markets has the edge, while Octa may appeal to those interested in a proprietary platform alongside the standard choices.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | No | 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.
IC Markets and Octa both give traders the basics they need in a mobile app, with iPhone and Android support, price alerts, 30 technical studies, trendline drawing, and automatic saving of chart drawings. Neither broker offers watchlist syncing between the mobile app and the online account, so any changes to watchlists will not carry over from one place to the other. In short, their mobile app features are very similar for everyday trading and chart use.
Where they differ is in overall industry ranking. Both IC Markets and Octa are rated 4 out of 5 stars for Mobile Trading Apps, but IC Markets holds the better position in ForexBrokers.com’s ranking, coming in at #22 out of 36 brokers compared with Octa at #29. If you want a slightly higher-ranked mobile experience, IC Markets has the edge, while Octa still offers a comparable set of core app features.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
IC Markets and Octa both give traders daily market commentary, forex news from major sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, and an economic calendar to track upcoming global events. Each broker also includes Autochartist tools, and both earn a 4-star rating for research, showing a solid range of market data and trading insights for everyday use.
The main difference is that IC Markets offers a few more research features. It includes Trading Central tools and a sentiment tool that shows how many traders are long or short on different markets, while Octa does not. In ForexBrokers.com’s research category, IC Markets is ranked #21 out of 36 brokers, ahead of Octa at #24, which gives IC Markets a slight edge overall for market research.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners looking for trading lessons, both IC Markets and Octa offer a solid amount of learning material. Each broker provides forex and CFD education with at least 10 pieces of content, monthly client webinars, and plenty of beginner and advanced videos. They are also tied on Education ratings, with both earning 4 out of 5 stars, which suggests that each platform gives new traders a useful starting point for learning the basics and building skills over time.
Where the two differ is in their overall ranking for Education. IC Markets places #16 out of 36 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Octa comes in lower at #32. That means IC Markets has the edge for educational quality and usefulness, even though both brokers cover the essentials well for beginners. If learning resources are a top priority, IC Markets appears to offer the stronger education experience overall.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| 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 IC Markets is better than Octa. IC Markets finished with an overall rank of #21, while Octa finished with an overall rank of #34.
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
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 83 | 73 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Trading Fees |
|
|
| Trading Platforms |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
IC Markets vs Octa: neither online broker lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both support trading cryptocurrency CFDs.
IC Markets vs Octa deposits and withdrawals: neither supports ACH or SEPA; both support Skrill and bank wire transfers; IC Markets supports PayPal while Octa does not; 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 | IC Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 83 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IC Markets Review | Octa Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IC Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Regulation | IC Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 83 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 2007 | 2011 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IC Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| 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 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | IC Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3583 | 300 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 35 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | 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). | 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 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.62 | 0.9 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.62 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IC Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $200 | $25 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | IC Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | No | 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 | IC Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | IC Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IC Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IC Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | IC Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | IC Markets Review | Octa Review |
| Overall | IC Markets | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 83 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IC Markets Review | Octa Review |
IG
FOREX.com
CMC Markets
XTB
eToro
AvaTrade
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill