Is IC Markets better than Pepperstone? In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 39 brokers, IC Markets is considered average-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 86 out of 99. Pepperstone is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 93 out of 99. Learn more about Trust Score.
| Overall Rating | IC Markets | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ||
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Platform & Tools | ||
| Mobile Trading | ||
| Research | ||
| Education | ||
| Trust Score | 86 | 93 |
| Regulation | IC Markets | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 86 | 93 |
| Year Founded | 2007 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Authorised in European Union | No | Yes |
| Tier-1 Licenses (High Trust) | IC Markets | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| ASIC Authorised (Australia) | Yes | Yes |
| IIROC Authorised (Canada) | No | No |
| SFC Authorised (Hong Kong) | No | No |
| CBI Authorised (Ireland) | No | No |
| FSA Authorised (Japan) | No | No |
| MAS Authorised (Singapore) | No | No |
| FINMA Authorised (Switzerland) | No | No |
| FCA Authorised (U.K.) | No | Yes |
| CFTC Registered (USA) | No | No |
| FMA Authorised (New Zealand) | No | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Average Trust) | IC Markets | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| CBRC Authorised (China) | No | No |
| CySEC Authorised (Cyprus) | Yes | Yes |
| NSE Authorised (India) | No | No |
| ISA Authorised (Israel) | No | No |
| CBR Authorised (Russia) | No | No |
| FSCA Authorised (South Africa) | No | No |
| SEC Authorised (Thailand) | No | No |
| DFSA / Central Bank Authorised (UAE) | No | Yes |
| Tier-3 Licenses (Low Trust) | IC Markets | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| SCB Authorised (Bahamas) | Yes | Yes |
| IFSC Authorised (Belize) | No | No |
| CIMA Authorised (Cayman Islands) | No | No |
| BMA Authorised (Bermuda) | No | No |
| FSC Authorised (British Virgin Islands) | No | No |
| FSC Authorised (Mauritius) | No | No |
| VFSC Authorised (Vanuatu) | No | No |
| Investments | IC Markets | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Trading - Forex or CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3583 | 1200 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 62 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Cost | IC Markets | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.62 (August 2021) | 0.77 (November 2021) |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.62 (August 2021) | 0.87 (November 2021) |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | No |
| Funding | IC Markets | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Initial Deposit | $200 | $200 |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | IC Markets | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | No | No |
| 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 | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | Yes |
| ZuluTrade | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | IC Markets | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 15 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IC Markets | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | No | Yes |
| Forex Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IC Markets | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IC Markets | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| Has Education - Forex or CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | No | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | No | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | IC Markets | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes |
Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2022 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 39 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare IC Markets vs Pepperstone.
Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spreads data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough annual assessment, IC Markets offers better pricing overall for traders.
At ForexBrokers.com, we track where each forex and CFD broker is regulated across over 23 international regulator databases. Here's our findings.
To compare the trading platforms of both IC Markets and Pepperstone, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, IC Markets offers a better experience. With research, Pepperstone offers superior market research. Finally, we found IC Markets to provide better mobile trading apps.
For forex and CFDs traders, copy trading and MetaTrader are both popular platform options. Both IC Markets and Pepperstone offer MetaTrader 4 (MT4).IC Markets and Pepperstone both offer copy trading.
Forex pairs aside, IC Markets offers traders access to 3583 CFDs while Pepperstone has 1200 available CFDs, a difference of 2383.
IC Markets is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. IC Markets is authorised by one tier-1 regulator (high trust), one tier-2 regulator (average trust), and one tier-3 regulator (low trust). IC Markets is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC).
Pepperstone is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. Pepperstone is authorised by two tier-1 regulators (high trust), two tier-2 regulators (average trust), and one tier-3 regulators (low trust). Pepperstone is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Pepperstone is authorised by the following tier-2 regulators: Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC).
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.
Pepperstone offers a growing range of tradeable markets, good-quality research, and support for multiple social copy trading platforms.
Overall winner: IC Markets
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