Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Vantage vs IFC Markets, 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.
Vantage and IFC Markets are established online brokers, with Vantage founded in 2009 and IFC Markets in 2006. Both companies operate privately and are not affiliated with any banks. When it comes to regulatory credentials that inspire trust, there's a notable difference between the two. Vantage holds two Tier-1 licenses, which are typically seen as highly reliable, and one Tier-2 license. In contrast, IFC Markets has no Tier-1 licenses but does hold one Tier-2 license.
ForexBrokers.com rates brokers based on their trust score, which reflects the security of their regulatory frameworks. Vantage achieves a strong trust score of 90 out of 99, placing it in the highly trusted category. Meanwhile, IFC Markets has a trust score of 73, which falls into the average risk bracket. This comparison highlights how Vantage offers a more assured trading environment based on regulatory oversight, making it a preferred choice for clients prioritizing trust and safety.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2009 | 2006 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
Comparing commissions and fees, Vantage generally offers lower all-in trading costs than IFC Markets, especially on its ECN-style accounts. Vantage holds a 4.5/5 star rating for commissions and fees and ranks #12 out of 63 brokers, while IFC Markets earns 4/5 stars and ranks #32 out of 63. Both serve active traders, but their cost structures and eligibility requirements differ.
Vantage pricing varies by account type. The Standard STP account lists typical EUR/USD spreads of 1.30 pips (March 2023). The RAW ECN account averages 0.15 pips plus a $3 commission per side ($6 round turn), for about 0.75 pips all-in. The PRO ECN account cuts commission to $2 per side ($4 round turn), making it Vantage’s best-priced option, though availability depends on the entity and requirements (e.g., wholesale status in Australia or a $10,000 minimum with the Cayman Islands entity). Vantage also offers an active trader program with rebates of $2–$8 per standard lot, but it applies only to the higher-spread Standard account. Overall, Vantage’s pricing is around the industry average, though not as sharp as top pricing leaders like Saxo, IG, or CMC Markets.
IFC Markets’ average EUR/USD spread is 1.44 pips—higher than the industry average of 1.08—though its ECN account improves effective costs to about 1.1 pips after the 0.005% commission on both sides. IFC Markets does not charge inactivity fees and offers active trader discounts, which can help reduce costs for frequent traders. In a head-to-head, Vantage’s RAW and especially PRO ECN accounts can deliver lower EUR/USD costs if you qualify, while IFC Markets appeals with simpler access, no inactivity fees, and discounts for higher volumes.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $1 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.32 | 1.44 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.72 | 1.1 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Comparing the range of investments, both Vantage and IFC Markets support forex trading as CFDs and spot contracts. Vantage lists about 1,000 tradeable symbols and 61 forex pairs, while IFC Markets offers around 630 symbols and 49 pairs. Both brokers provide cryptocurrency CFDs but do not allow buying actual (delivered) crypto.
For direct share dealing (non-CFD), neither broker offers U.S.-listed stocks. IFC Markets does provide some exchange-traded shares on international exchanges, whereas Vantage does not. Copy trading is available at both. Each earns 3.5 out of 5 stars for Range of Investments; in ForexBrokers.com’s category ranking out of 63 brokers, IFC Markets is #31 and Vantage is #32. Consider Vantage if you want more total instruments and forex pairs, and IFC Markets if access to international exchange-traded shares is important to you.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1000 | 630 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 49 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
Comparing Vantage vs IFC Markets for trading platforms and tools, both brokers cover the essentials. Each offers a free demo account for paper trading, an in-house proprietary platform, and access to MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). You can trade on a Windows desktop app or via a browser-based web platform with either broker. Both also support copy trading and let you place orders directly from charts, which can help streamline your workflow.
For quality, both are rated 4 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools. In ForexBrokers.com’s category rankings, Vantage places higher at #20 out of 63 brokers, while IFC Markets comes in at #29. In short, both offer a wide platform lineup with popular features, with Vantage holding a slight edge in this specific ranking.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | 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.
Vantage and IFC Markets both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports stock and forex price alerts, 30 built-in technical studies, and useful charting tools like trendline drawing with automatic saving of your annotations. That means you can set alerts, analyze trends, and pick up where you left off on your phone.
The key difference is watchlists: IFC Markets syncs watchlists between the mobile app and your online account, while Vantage does not. Both apps earned 4 out of 5 stars for mobile trading. However, in ForexBrokers.com’s Mobile Trading Apps rankings out of 63 brokers, Vantage placed #24 and IFC Markets placed #34. Choose Vantage if overall ranking matters more to you; pick IFC Markets if synced watchlists are important.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Both Vantage and IFC Markets deliver daily market commentary, an economic calendar, and a sentiment tool that shows the ratio of long vs. short positions. The key differences show up in third‑party research: Vantage streams forex news from top‑tier sources like Bloomberg/Reuters/Dow Jones, while IFC Markets does not. Vantage also includes popular technical analysis tools from Autochartist and Trading Central; IFC Markets lacks both. Neither broker offers TipRanks or Acuity Trading tools.
For research depth, Vantage stands out with a 4-star rating and a #20 ranking out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, compared with IFC Markets’ 3.5 stars and #30 ranking. If you want integrated premium news and well-known analytics add‑ons, Vantage is the stronger pick; if you mainly need core features like commentary, a calendar, and sentiment data, IFC Markets covers the essentials.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Vantage and IFC Markets both cater to beginners with sizable video libraries: each offers at least 10 beginner-friendly lessons that explain forex and CFD basics, plus 10+ advanced videos for when you’re ready to go deeper. The key difference is live learning—Vantage hosts client webinars at least once a month, giving you a chance to ask questions and learn about current market themes, while IFC Markets does not offer ongoing educational webinars.
For overall education, ForexBrokers.com rates Vantage 4 stars (ranked 23rd of 63 brokers) and IFC Markets 3.5 stars (ranked 25th of 63). If webinars and a slightly higher rating matter to you, Vantage edges ahead. If you mainly want on-demand videos covering trading basics and more advanced strategies, both brokers are solid choices for getting started.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| 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 Vantage is better than IFC Markets. Vantage finished with an overall rank of #24, while IFC Markets finished with an overall rank of #33.
Vantage rounds out its MetaTrader platform suite offering with support for multiple social trading platforms, content powered by Trading Central and a proprietary mobile app. However, Vantage trails industry leaders in key areas such as research and education.
| Feature |
Vantage
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IFC Markets
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|---|---|---|
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| Trust Score | 90 | 73 |
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Vantage vs IFC Markets: neither online broker offers the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both allow trading cryptocurrency CFDs (not the underlying asset).
Comparing online brokers Vantage and IFC Markets for deposit and withdrawal methods: neither supports ACH or SEPA transfers; Vantage accepts PayPal and Skrill while IFC Markets does not; both support 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 | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 90 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Vantage Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
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| Regulation | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 90 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 2009 | 2006 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | ||
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | ||
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | ||
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | ||
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | ||
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | ||
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | No | ||
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | ||
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1000 | 630 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 49 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | 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). |
| Cost | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.32 | 1.44 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.72 | 1.1 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $1 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | 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 | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | Yes | |
| 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 | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Vantage Review |
| Overall | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 90 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Vantage Review |
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