Written by ForexBrokers.com
Is IG better than XM Group? In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 62 of the best forex brokers, IG is considered Highly Trusted, with an overall Trust Score of 99 out of 99. XM Group is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 88 out of 99. Learn more about Trust Score.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | IG | XM Group | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 88 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | XM Group Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IG | XM Group | |
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| Regulation | IG | XM Group | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 88 | |
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2009 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IG | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC 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 | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | IG | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | IG | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 1394 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 55 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | 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 | IG | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | 1.6 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 0.8 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IG | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $5 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | IG | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | IG | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 5 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 20 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IG | XM Group | |
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| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IG | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IG | XM Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | IG | XM Group | |
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| 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 | |
| Review | IG Review | XM Group Review |
| Overall | IG | XM Group | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 88 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | XM Group Review |
We’ve made it easy to compare the best forex brokers, side-by-side. Our editorial team has collected thousands of data points, written hundreds of thousands of words of research, and tested over 60 brokers to help you find the best forex brokers in the industry. Our research is unbiased and independent; learn more about how we test. That same research and data powers our broker comparisons. Let's compare IG vs XM Group.
IG is a publicly traded company, operates a regulated bank, and is authorised by eight Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), two Tier-2 regulators (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulators (Average Risk), and one Tier-4 regulator (High Risk). IG is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), Japanese Financial Services Authority (JFSA), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Financial Markets Authority (FMA), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and regulated in the European Union via the MiFID passporting system.
XM Group is not publicly-traded and does not operate a bank. XM Group is authorised by four Tier-1 regulators (highly trusted), one Tier-2 regulator (trusted), zero Tier-3 regulators (average risk), and one Tier-4 regulator (high risk). XM Group is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) via its parent company's other brand Trading.com, and regulated in the European Union via the MiFID passporting system.
IG offers the ultimate comprehensive trading package, featuring excellent trading and research tools, industry-leading education, and an extensive range of tradeable markets.
XM Group is a MetaTrader-only broker that offers a strong selection of high-quality educational content and market research.
To open a trading account with IG, you'll need to make an initial minimum deposit of £250.00.
XM Group requires a minimum deposit of $5 before you can open an account and start trading.
It's important to make sure that your forex broker accepts the funding options and deposit methods that work best for you. IG offers Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) and PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) for banking, whereas XM Group provides Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw), Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) and Neteller (Deposit/Withdraw).
Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spread data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough, data-driven testing of each broker's commissions and fees, we found that IG offers better pricing overall for traders.
Methodology: When testing each broker's commissions, fees, and pricing, we analyze multiple trade scenarios and award points based on the expansiveness (or inexpensiveness) of the broker's spreads. We then run multiple scenarios for different investor types, incorporating any miscellaneous fees, to determine an "all-in" cost per trade. Learn more about how we test.
At ForexBrokers.com, we track over 110 international regulatory agencies and sort them by tiers (Tier-1, Tier-2, Tier-3, Tier-4, and Tier-5) to help you choose well-regulated, highly trusted forex brokers. Learn more about our proprietary Trust Score rating system. Based on our research on the regulatory status of over 60 brokers, we've found that IG holds 8 global Tier-1 licenses, while XM Group holds 4. IG holds 2 global Tier-2 licenses, while XM Group holds 1.
After evaluating each broker based on their number of held licenses, years in business, and a range of other data-driven variables, we've determined that IG (99) earned a higher Trust Score than XM Group (88).
To compare the trading platforms of both IG and XM Group, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, IG offers a better experience. With research, IG offers superior market research. Finally, we found IG to provide better mobile trading apps.
Here’s what trading platforms are available at IG:
Here’s what trading platforms are available at XM Group:
The MetaTrader trading platform suite is wildly popular among forex and CFD traders across the globe. Both IG and XM Group offer MetaTrader 4 (MT4). Forex traders also appreciate the ability to engage in social copy trading. While XM Group offers copy trading, IG does not.
IG provides traders 97 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to XM Group's 55 available pairs. If you are interested in trading a full range of securities, IG offers traders access to 19537 tradeable symbols, while XM Group offers access to 1394 tradeable symbols; so IG offers 18143 more tradeable symbols than XM Group.
We found in our testing that IG offers a more diverse selection of investment options than XM Group, allowing you to trade Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs), U.S. Stocks (CFD), Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD), Cryptocurrency (Derivative) and Spread Betting. Neither have Cryptocurrency (Physical).
Overall winner: IG
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