Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IC Markets vs Tickmill, 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.
Founded in 2007, IC Markets and Tickmill, which started in 2014, are prominent online brokers that consistently ensure client safety through solid regulatory credentials. Neither broker is publicly traded or operates as a bank. When comparing their adherence to financial standards, both hold two Tier-1 licenses, reflecting a category considered highly trusted and secure. However, Tickmill gains an edge with an additional two Tier-2 licenses, which mark it as more comprehensively regulated in trusted levels compared to IC Markets, which holds none.
Both brokers are assessed by ForexBrokers.com with Trust Scores within the trusted range: IC Markets earns a score of 84, while Tickmill is rated slightly higher at 86. This indicates that both brokers maintain a good level of safety for traders, with Tickmill showing marginally higher reliability within its regulatory framework. While both brokers present strong regulatory backgrounds, Tickmill's additional Tier-2 licenses contribute to its slightly superior trust rating.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2007 | 2014 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
When evaluating forex brokers, both IC Markets and Tickmill are standout choices for traders prioritizing low commissions and fees. IC Markets is praised for its competitive trading costs, rivaling top-tier low-cost brokers. It offers three account types: the commission-free Standard account and the commission-based Raw Spread and cTrader Raw Spread accounts. Notably, IC Markets has varied spreads based on the platform and account type, with cTrader offering a slightly lower commission at $3 per side for every 100,000 units. With average spreads on EUR/USD starting at 0.02 pips, the all-in cost is quite attractive at 0.62 pips for cTrader accounts. This efficiency has helped IC Markets earn a 5-star rating, ranking 5th out of 63 brokers in the Commissions & Fees category.
Tickmill also holds its own with a solid 5-star rating and an impressive 4th place ranking among 63 brokers. It provides two main accounts: the commission-free Classic and the newly structured Raw account. The Raw account, previously named Pro, now features a commission of $3 per side, totaling $6 per round turn, while still maintaining low spreads. Traders benefit from a typical spread of 0.11 pips on EUR/USD, though the all-in cost is now 0.71 pips. Despite the increased per-trade commission, Tickmill's low minimum deposit of $100 and tight spreads make it particularly appealing for active traders and those employing algo trading strategies.
Both brokers excel in offering low-cost trading, but their account structures cater to different trading styles. IC Markets combines its varied account offerings with tight spreads and competitive commissions, appealing to a broad range of traders. Meanwhile, Tickmill's focus on its Raw account makes it a compelling option for traders seeking low entry costs and versatile execution. With each broker achieving a 5-star rating for commissions and fees, they both serve as excellent options for cost-conscious traders.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $200 | $100 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.62 | 1.70 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.62 | 0.70 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Comparing IC Markets vs Tickmill for range of investments, IC Markets offers a much larger catalog with 3,583 tradeable symbols versus Tickmill’s 637. Tickmill lists slightly more forex pairs (63 vs 61), and both brokers support forex trading via CFDs or spot. Neither broker offers direct access to U.S.-listed shares, but IC Markets does let you buy exchange-traded shares on some international markets, which Tickmill does not. Both provide copy trading, do not offer actual cryptocurrency, and do offer crypto CFDs.
For breadth of markets, ForexBrokers.com rates IC Markets 4.5 stars (ranked 26th of 63 brokers) and Tickmill 3.5 stars (ranked 43rd of 63). In short, IC Markets suits traders who want the widest overall selection and access to international exchange-traded shares, while Tickmill appeals if you value having a slightly larger list of forex pairs.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3583 | 637 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 63 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| 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.
Comparing IC Markets vs Tickmill for trading platforms and tools, both brokers line up closely. Each offers a free demo (paper) account, Windows desktop and web-based platforms, and copy trading. Neither has its own in-house platform; instead, both support MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). You can place trades directly from charts with either broker, and the range of indicators and charting features will depend on MT4/MT5 and any add-ons you use.
In independent testing by ForexBrokers.com, both IC Markets and Tickmill earned 4 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools. That said, IC Markets ranks higher in the category at #16 out of 63 brokers, while Tickmill ranks #30. If you want the same familiar MT4/MT5 experience with a stronger category ranking, IC Markets has the edge; if you’re satisfied with similar platform options and features, Tickmill remains a solid alternative.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | No | No |
| 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 | 91 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
IC Markets and Tickmill both deliver mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, with core features traders expect. Each app supports price alerts, 30 technical studies for charting, trendline drawing, and auto-saving of chart annotations. One notable omission for both brokers is watchlist symbol syncing; changes made on mobile do not sync with the online account.
When it comes to quality scores, both brokers earn 4 out of 5 stars for Mobile Trading Apps. However, IC Markets ranks higher in the ForexBrokers.com category at #22 out of 63 brokers, compared to Tickmill at #30. If you want equal charting tools and alerts on iOS or Android, either app works well; if rankings sway your decision, IC Markets holds a slight edge.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Tickmill both offer traders comprehensive market research tools. They each provide daily market commentary and high-quality forex news from renowned sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, ensuring traders are well-informed with the latest insights. While both brokers have sentiment-based trading tools and display economic calendars for global news events, IC Markets additionally equips traders with advanced technical analysis tools from Autochartist and Trading Central. Tickmill, on the other hand, incorporates unique research tools from Acuity Trading, such as Signal Centre, offering a different angle of market analysis.
Both IC Markets and Tickmill earn a commendable four-star rating for research from industry experts. However, IC Markets ranks slightly lower at #23 out of 63 brokers compared to Tickmill's #21, according to ForexBrokers.com. This ranking reflects their varied strengths and unique offerings in market research, giving traders multiple options based on their personal preferences and trading strategies.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
IC Markets and Tickmill both deliver forex and CFD education that’s easy for beginners to follow. Each broker offers at least 10 beginner-friendly videos that explain core trading topics, plus at least 10 videos for more experienced traders who want to go deeper. You’ll also find ongoing educational webinars from both brokers at least once a month, giving new traders a regular way to learn in real time and ask questions.
In terms of recognition, both IC Markets and Tickmill earn 4 stars for Education from ForexBrokers.com. Tickmill is ranked #15 out of 63 brokers for Education, while IC Markets is close behind at #16. If you want a slight edge in ranking, Tickmill has it; if you value a similar mix of videos and monthly webinars, either broker is a solid pick for beginner forex and CFD education.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Tickmill. IC Markets finished with an overall rank of #20, while Tickmill finished with an overall rank of #22.
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
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Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 84 | 86 |
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IC Markets vs Tickmill: neither broker supports purchasing actual delivered cryptocurrencies, but both offer cryptocurrency CFDs for trading, enabling speculation on crypto price movements without owning the underlying asset.
IC Markets vs Tickmill: for deposits and withdrawals, neither supports ACH or SEPA transfers; both support PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire transfers; 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.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | IC Markets | Tickmill | |
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| Trust Score | 84 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IC Markets Review | Tickmill Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IC Markets | Tickmill | |
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| Regulation | IC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 84 | 86 | |
| Year Founded | 2007 | 2014 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 2 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| 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 | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | IC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3583 | 637 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 63 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.62 | 1.70 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.62 | 0.70 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $200 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | IC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | No | No | |
| 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 | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 91 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | IC Markets | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Tickmill Review |
| Overall | IC Markets | Tickmill | |
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| Trust Score | 84 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IC Markets Review | Tickmill Review |
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