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.
Comparing regulation and safety, Vantage (founded 2009) holds two Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license, and earns a 91/99 Trust Score from ForexBrokers.com—placing it in the “highly trusted” range (90–99). IFC Markets (founded 2006) holds one Tier-1 license and no Tier-2 licenses, with a 73/99 Trust Score—classified as “average risk” (70–79). Neither broker is publicly traded or a bank.
For traders who prioritize stricter oversight, Vantage’s higher Trust Score and broader licensing mix signal stronger regulatory standing. IFC Markets offers a simpler regulatory profile, but with a lower score that indicates more risk compared to Vantage.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2009 | 2006 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 5 |
When comparing commissions and fees, Vantage comes out ahead of IFC Markets for most traders. Vantage offers three account types: the spread-only Standard STP account, plus the commission-based RAW ECN and PRO ECN accounts. Its pricing is generally around the industry average, with the Standard account showing typical EUR/USD spreads of 1.30 pips, while the RAW account averaged 0.15 pips plus a $3 commission per side. Vantage’s PRO account is its lowest-cost option, charging just $2 per side, though it has higher account requirements. Vantage also earns a strong 4.5-star rating and ranks #12 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees.
IFC Markets is a bit less competitive on price overall. Its average EUR/USD spread is 1.44 pips, which is above the industry average of 1.08. That said, active traders may find better value on IFC Markets’ ECN account, where the effective spread is about 1.1 pips after commissions are included. The broker also stands out for having no inactivity fee and offering active trader discounts. IFC Markets is rated 4 stars and is ranked #33 out of 36 brokers in the commissions and fees category.
In short, Vantage is the better pick for traders looking for lower overall trading costs and more account-based pricing choices, especially if they can qualify for the PRO ECN account. IFC Markets can still work well for active traders, but its standard pricing is less attractive than Vantage’s, and its ranking reflects that gap.
| 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.
When comparing Vantage and IFC Markets on range of investments, both brokers cover the basics well for active traders. Each offers forex trading as a CFD or spot contract, copy trading, and cryptocurrency CFDs, but neither lets clients buy actual cryptocurrency or exchange-traded U.S. shares. Vantage stands out with a larger overall selection, offering 1,000 tradable symbols and 61 forex pairs, compared with IFC Markets’ 630 symbols and 49 forex pairs.
IFC Markets has one advantage in that it offers exchange-traded securities on international exchanges, such as shares listed outside the U.S., while Vantage does not. Even so, both brokers are rated 3.5 out of 5 stars for Range of Investments, with IFC Markets ranked #32 out of 36 brokers and Vantage ranked #33 out of 36 by ForexBrokers.com. For traders who want a wider menu of markets, Vantage has the edge overall, while IFC Markets may appeal to those interested in international listed shares.
| 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.
Vantage and IFC Markets both give traders a wide mix of platform choices and tools. Each broker offers a free demo account for practice, its own proprietary platform, Windows desktop software, a web-based platform, copy trading, and support for both MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Both also let you trade directly from a chart, which can make order entry faster and easier for active traders.
Where they differ is in overall platform standing. Vantage is rated 4 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools and ranks #20 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while IFC Markets also earns 4 out of 5 stars but ranks lower at #30. Based on this category alone, both brokers cover the basics well, but Vantage has the edge in the rankings for platform and tool quality.
| 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 give mobile traders the basics needed to trade on the go. Each broker offers iPhone and Android apps, price alerts, 30 technical studies for charting, trendline drawing, and auto-saving of chart drawings. Both mobile apps are also rated 4 out of 5 stars for mobile trading apps, so in daily use, they offer a similar core experience for most traders.
The main difference is watchlist syncing. IFC Markets lets watchlists sync between the mobile app and the client’s online account, while Vantage does not. That can matter if you like updating your watchlists on one device and seeing those changes everywhere. Even so, Vantage ranks higher overall for mobile trading apps at #24 out of 36 brokers, compared with IFC Markets at #35 out of 36, which suggests Vantage is viewed more favorably in this category despite the syncing gap.
| 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.
When it comes to market research, Vantage has the edge over IFC Markets. Both brokers provide daily market commentary, a sentiment tool, and an economic calendar to help traders follow price moves and key news events. However, Vantage goes further by adding forex news from major sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, plus research tools from Autochartist and Trading Central, which IFC Markets does not offer.
This extra range of research features helps explain why Vantage scores higher for research, with 4 out of 5 stars and a ForexBrokers.com ranking of #20 out of 36 brokers. IFC Markets, while still offering useful basic research tools, is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #31 out of 36, making Vantage the stronger choice for traders who want more market analysis support.
| 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.
For beginners looking for trading education, Vantage has the edge over IFC Markets. Vantage offers forex and CFDs learning material, at least one educational webinar each month, and a large set of beginner and advanced videos, making it easier for new traders to build skills step by step. It also earns a higher Education rating from ForexBrokers.com, with 4 out of 5 stars and a #23 ranking out of 36 brokers. IFC Markets also provides enough forex or CFDs education to meet the minimum standard, plus more than 10 beginner and advanced videos, but it does not offer monthly educational webinars.
Overall, both brokers give beginners a useful starting point, but Vantage offers more ways to learn and stay engaged through live webinars and a wider education setup. IFC Markets still gives traders access to video lessons, yet its Education score is lower at 3.5 out of 5 stars and its ranking is #25 out of 36, which suggests a slightly smaller learning library compared with Vantage.
| 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 #34.
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 | 91 | 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 | 91 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Vantage Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Regulation | Vantage | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 91 | 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 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 5 |
| 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 CMA 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 | 91 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Vantage Review |
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