Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Tickmill vs IronFX, 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.
Both Tickmill and IronFX are notable players in the online brokerage industry, though they present differences in their regulatory credentials. Founded in 2014, Tickmill holds two Tier-1 licenses and two Tier-2 licenses, earning it a Trust Score rating of 86 out of 99 from ForexBrokers.com. IronFX, founded in 2010, holds three Tier-1 licenses but doesn't possess any Tier-2 licenses and is rated with a Trust Score of 83 out of 99. These scores suggest that both brokers are considered trusted, yet Tickmill holds a slightly higher position in terms of trustworthiness.
Both companies remain private enterprises and do not operate as banks, which could influence their operational dynamics and service offerings. Their regulatory standing, reflected in the number and level of licenses they maintain, plays a crucial role for traders assessing the safety and reliability of each broker. As such, individuals evaluating Tickmill and IronFX should consider these regulatory details alongside other factors like user reviews and trading conditions to make informed decisions.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2014 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of Tickmill and IronFX, Tickmill emerges as a top contender, especially for active traders. Unlike IronFX, which has higher spreads, Tickmill offers compelling options with its Classic and Raw accounts. The Raw account, which succeeded the Pro account, features a newly revised commission structure of $3 per side or $6 per standard lot. Despite this recent increase, Tickmill continues to excel with extremely low average spreads. For example, the typical spread for EUR/USD is just 0.11 pips; however, when combined with the revised commission, the all-in cost becomes 0.71 pips. Conversely, the commission-free Classic account offers significantly higher spreads at 1.76 pips as of August 2023. Tickmill's five-star rating and rank of #4 out of 63 brokers highlight its commendable position in the market.
IronFX, on the other hand, has opportunities to enhance its pricing competitiveness. The Standard variable spread account shows a typical spread of 1.8 pips, which can fluctuate depending on the account type. Its zero fixed-spread account stands out with a starting spread of zero, but traders incur a substantial $18 per lot commission. Overnight, spreads can expand to 3 pips, making IronFX less appealing to traders who are budget-conscious. While it garners a respectable four-star rating, IronFX's overall rank of #47 indicates there's room for improvement in its commissions and fees structure.
Both brokers have made distinct choices in terms of their fee structures. Tickmill's Raw account is particularly accessible with just a $100 minimum deposit, making it a cost-effective option for traders, despite the recent uptick in per-trade commissions. While IronFX offers a diverse range of account types, its pricing remains less competitive due to higher commissions and widened overnight spreads. Traders looking to maximize their trading profitability may find Tickmill's low spreads and streamlined costs more attractive. Overall, Tickmill's strategic approach to commissions and fees places it well ahead of IronFX in the current trading landscape.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $50 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.70 | 1.2 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.70 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Tickmill vs IronFX: Both brokers let you trade forex (via CFDs/spot) and offer copy trading. Tickmill lists a wider overall catalog with 637 tradeable symbols, while IronFX has 340. If your focus is currency pairs specifically, IronFX provides more with 83 forex pairs compared to Tickmill’s 63. Neither broker offers exchange-traded stocks on U.S. or international exchanges, so you can’t buy shares like Apple or Vodafone directly.
For crypto, both brokers support derivatives but not actual, delivered cryptocurrencies. On range of investments, both earn 3.5 out of 5 stars. According to ForexBrokers.com, Tickmill ranks #43 out of 63 brokers, while IronFX ranks #52. Choose Tickmill if you want a larger overall selection of instruments; pick IronFX if having more forex pairs matters most.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 637 | 340 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 63 | 83 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
Comparing Tickmill vs IronFX for trading platforms and tools, both brokers make it easy to get started with a free demo account for paper trading. Each supports Windows desktop and web-based platforms, and both let you place trades directly from charts. Neither broker offers its own in-house platform, but each supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and copy trading.
The biggest platform difference is MetaTrader 5 (MT5): Tickmill offers MT5, while IronFX does not. If you want MT5’s newer features or plan to run both MT4 and MT5 side by side, Tickmill is the better fit. According to ForexBrokers.com, Tickmill earns 4 out of 5 stars for Platforms and Tools and ranks #30 of 63 brokers, while IronFX scores 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #62. If you only need MT4 and basic copy trading on desktop and web, both brokers will cover the essentials.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | No | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 91 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Tickmill and IronFX both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts and lets you create real-time watchlists, though watchlists do not sync with your web account. For charting, both provide 30 technical studies, trendline drawing, and auto-saving of drawings. Details about switching between multiple time frames weren’t specified for either broker’s app.
In independent reviews, Tickmill’s mobile app holds a higher standing: 4 stars and ranked 30th out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps at ForexBrokers.com. IronFX comes in at 3.5 stars and ranks 63rd out of 63. If you want similar core features, both apps deliver, but Tickmill edges ahead in overall ratings and category placement.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Tickmill and IronFX both deliver daily market commentary and stream forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, and each provides an economic calendar. Neither broker includes Autochartist. IronFX features Trading Central analytics, while Tickmill offers a sentiment tool showing long/short positioning across instruments. Tickmill also provides Acuity Trading tools (e.g., Signal Centre). TipRanks isn’t offered at Tickmill, and IronFX’s use of TipRanks or Acuity Trading isn’t specified.
Both brokers earn 4 stars for Research from ForexBrokers.com, though Tickmill ranks higher (#21 of 63) than IronFX (#29 of 63). Consider IronFX if you want Trading Central’s analysis, and choose Tickmill if you value sentiment data and Acuity-driven signals alongside daily commentary and premium news feeds.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners choosing between Tickmill and IronFX, both brokers provide at least 10 beginner-focused trading videos on forex and CFDs. Tickmill runs monthly educational webinars, giving newcomers live sessions to ask questions, while IronFX does not currently host monthly webinars. Tickmill also offers 10+ advanced videos for when you’re ready to go deeper; IronFX does not provide an equally large advanced video catalog.
Both brokers earn 4 out of 5 stars for education, but Tickmill ranks higher overall (#15 of 63) than IronFX (#44 of 63) according to ForexBrokers.com. It’s not confirmed whether either broker maintains a searchable archive of past webinars, provides an investor dictionary with 50+ terms, or meets a specific 10-piece minimum for general forex/CFD education beyond the video counts noted above.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| 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 Tickmill is better than IronFX. Tickmill finished with an overall rank of #22, while IronFX finished with an overall rank of #48.
Tickmill is a run-of-the-mill MetaTrader broker that offers a limited selection of tradeable securities. The broker does offer very competitive commission-based pricing for professionals through its VIP and Pro accounts.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 83 |
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Both Tickmill and IronFX allow investors to trade cryptocurrency derivatives but do not provide options for purchasing actual, delivered cryptocurrencies.
Tickmill vs IronFX funding methods: neither supports ACH or SEPA transfers; both accept Skrill and bank wire transfers; Tickmill additionally supports PayPal while IronFX does not; Visa and 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 | Tickmill | IronFX | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 83 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Tickmill Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Tickmill | IronFX | |
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| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Regulation | Tickmill | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 86 | 83 | |
| Year Founded | 2014 | 2010 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Tickmill | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| 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) | Yes | 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) | Tickmill | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Tickmill | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 637 | 340 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 63 | 83 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | 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 | Tickmill | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.70 | 1.2 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.70 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Tickmill | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $50 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | Tickmill | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | No | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Tickmill | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 91 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Tickmill | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | 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 | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Tickmill | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | ||
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Tickmill | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | Tickmill | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Tickmill Review |
| Overall | Tickmill | IronFX | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 83 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Tickmill Review |
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