Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IG vs Questrade, 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 IG and Questrade on trust and regulation: IG was founded in 1974, is publicly traded, and is a bank. It earns a 99/99 Trust Score from ForexBrokers.com, placing it in the highly trusted 90–99 range. Questrade, founded in 2000, is not publicly traded and is not a bank, with an 85/99 Trust Score that sits in the trusted 80–89 range. For context, ForexBrokers.com classifies 70–79 as average risk, 60–69 as high risk, and below 59 as not trusted.
Regulatory coverage further separates the two: IG holds 8 Tier-1 licenses (considered highly trusted) and 2 Tier-2 licenses (trusted), while Questrade holds 1 Tier-1 license and no Tier-2 licenses. This broader top-tier oversight helps explain IG’s higher score, while Questrade still rates as trusted.
| Feature |
IG
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2000 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
IG is built for traders who care about pricing precision. Its CFD account is spread-only, with typical EUR/USD spreads around 0.69 pips during the main session (0.98 pips across all sessions; 1.18 pips at IG US in July 2023). High-volume traders can qualify for EU professional rebates of 10% to 20% off the spread. For even tighter pricing, IG’s DMA (Forex Direct) account averages 0.62 pips on EUR/USD plus a tiered commission (from $60 per million down to $10 per million per side for the highest volumes), yielding an effective all-in cost near 0.82 pips using July 2023 data. IG is rated 5/5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #7 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com.
Questrade Global is a spread-only broker, so your costs are built into the price. While it advertises spreads as low as 0.8 pips in normal markets, observed averages on major pairs tend to be closer to 2.1–2.5 pips, making a typical standard-lot trade roughly $20 all-in. For CFDs, Questrade adds a $9.95 USD fee each time you open and close a position (per unit) on top of the spread, plus overnight financing, which can make frequent trading costly. Questrade is rated 3.5/5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #33 out of 63 brokers.
Bottom line: IG generally offers lower all-in forex costs—especially for active, high-volume traders who can use DMA pricing or qualify for rebates—while Questrade’s simpler, spread-only model often results in wider spreads and higher round-trip costs, particularly for CFDs with per-trade fees.
| Feature |
IG
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £1 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.91 | 0.8 or higher |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
IG vs Questrade: For sheer market variety, IG offers far more to pick from, with 19,537 tradeable symbols compared with Questrade’s 675. Both let you trade forex as CFDs or spot, but Questrade lists more currency pairs (110) than IG (97). A key difference is stock access: IG lets clients buy exchange-traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges (think Apple on NASDAQ or Vodafone in London), while Questrade does not offer exchange-traded shares based on this comparison.
In crypto, IG provides both actual cryptocurrency purchases and crypto CFDs; Questrade offers neither. Neither broker supports copy trading. Both earn 5/5 stars for Range of Investments from ForexBrokers.com, but IG ranks higher overall at #4 out of 63 brokers, while Questrade comes in at #12—signaling that both are strong choices, with IG delivering broader market access.
| Feature |
IG
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 675 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 110 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | No |
| 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.
IG vs Questrade for trading platforms and tools: Both brokers offer a free paper trading demo, their own proprietary platforms, a Windows desktop download, and a web-based platform. Each lets you place orders directly from a chart, and neither supports copy trading. A key difference is third-party compatibility: IG offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), while Questrade does not.
Ratings reflect this gap. ForexBrokers.com gives IG 5 stars and ranks it #1 out of 63 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools, while Questrade earns 4 stars and ranks #28. Choose IG if you want MetaTrader along with in-house platforms across web and Windows. Choose Questrade if you’re fine with a broker-built platform and don’t need MT4 or MT5, while still getting demo access and chart trading.
| Feature |
IG
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 64 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Comparing IG vs Questrade for mobile trading: both offer iPhone and Android apps with stock and forex price alerts, watchlist syncing between mobile and web, and drawing tools like trendlines that auto-save on charts. For charting depth, IG’s mobile app includes 33 technical studies, while Questrade’s app offers 64.
Independent ratings favor IG for overall mobile experience: ForexBrokers.com gives IG 5 stars and ranks it #1 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps, while Questrade earns 3.5 stars and ranks #28. If you want more built-in indicators, Questrade has the longer list; if third-party rankings and app ratings matter most, IG leads.
| Feature |
IG
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 64 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
IG vs Questrade: market research comparison. IG delivers daily market commentary and forex news from top-tier outlets like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones. It also includes Autochartist tools, a sentiment gauge showing long/short positioning, TipRanks insights, Acuity Trading tools (e.g., Signal Centre), and a full economic calendar. Questrade provides Autochartist, Trading Central research (e.g., Technical Analytics), and TipRanks, but does not include daily commentary, top-tier forex news, a sentiment tool, Acuity Trading tools, or an economic calendar.
These differences show up in independent ratings: for Research, IG is rated 5 stars and ranks #2 of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Questrade is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #34. If you want integrated news, sentiment, and calendar data alongside screening tools, IG stands out. If Trading Central is a must-have and you’re fine getting news elsewhere, Questrade can fit the bill.
| Feature |
IG
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central | No | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | Yes | Yes |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
IG vs. Questrade for beginners: IG clearly offers more structured learning. IG runs online client webinars at least monthly and provides 10+ beginner trading videos, plus 10+ advanced videos for when you’re ready to go deeper. Questrade does not meet those thresholds and does not host monthly education webinars. Based on ForexBrokers.com, IG earns 5 stars for Education and ranks 7th out of 63 brokers, while Questrade scores 3.5 stars and ranks 28th.
Details on whether either broker has 10 or more dedicated forex/CFD education pieces are not specified here. Still, for new traders who want consistent webinars and a sizable video library to build skills step by step, IG stands out. Questrade may suit learners who don’t need frequent webinars or large sets of beginner videos, but its education depth for newcomers appears lighter by comparison.
| Feature |
IG
|
Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that IG is better than Questrade. IG finished with an overall rank of #1, while Questrade finished with an overall rank of #29.
IG offers the ultimate comprehensive trading package, featuring excellent trading and research tools, industry-leading education, and an extensive range of tradeable markets.
| Feature |
IG
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Questrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 85 |
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IG vs Questrade: IG allows investors to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency and trade cryptocurrency CFDs, whereas Questrade does not offer real crypto purchases or crypto CFDs.
IG vs Questrade: IG offers ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wire deposit and withdrawal options, while Questrade supports bank wires only—no ACH/SEPA or PayPal—and neither broker supports Skrill.
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 | IG | Questrade | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | Questrade Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IG | Questrade | |
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| Regulation | IG | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 85 | |
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2000 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IG | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | IG | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | IG | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 675 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 110 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | IG | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.91 | 0.8 or higher | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | No |
| Funding | IG | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £1 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | IG | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | IG | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 64 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IG | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 64 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IG | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | Yes | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Education | IG | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | IG | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | IG Review | Questrade Review |
| Overall | IG | Questrade | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | Questrade Review |
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