Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Vantage 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.
Vantage and IronFX are both well-established online brokers, with Vantage founded in 2009 and IronFX following in 2010. Neither of these brokers is publicly traded or operates as a bank. In terms of trust and regulation, Vantage holds two Tier-1 licenses, which are considered highly trusted, and an additional Tier-2 license, making it a reliable choice with a Trust Score rating of 90 out of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com.
In comparison, IronFX holds three Tier-1 licenses but has no Tier-2 licenses. It achieves a Trust Score rating of 83 out of 99, placing it in the trusted category. Both brokers offer reassurance through their regulatory measures, but Vantage edges out in trust score rating, reflecting a slightly higher level of confidence for clients seeking security in their online trading platform.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2009 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
When it comes to commissions and fees, both Vantage and IronFX offer distinct features that cater to various trading needs, yet each has its pros and cons. Vantage provides three account options: the spread-only Standard STP account, the commission-based RAW ECN account, and the PRO ECN account. While Vantage offers competitive pricing, particularly on its PRO ECN account with a per-side commission of $2, it still doesn’t measure up to pricing frontrunners like Saxo, IG, and CMC Markets. Vantage's Standard account typically displays spreads of 1.30 pips on the EUR/USD, whereas their RAW account offers an average spread of 0.15 pips with an additional $6 per round turn in commission, totaling a notable 0.75 pips.
On the other hand, IronFX appears to have higher than average costs, starting with a 1.8 pips spread on the Standard variable account. Their zero fixed-spread account begins at zero but carries a hefty $18 per lot commission, with spreads broadening to 3 pips overnight. Vantage also offers an active trader program on the Standard account, with rebates from $2 to $8 per standard lot based on your balance and monthly volume, which is more favorable for those who can handle its higher spreads. The PRO ECN account holds additional criteria, such as a minimum funding requirement of $10,000 with its Cayman Islands entity or wholesale client status via its Australian entity.
In terms of ratings and rankings, Vantage outshines IronFX with a 4.5-star rating for commissions and fees compared to IronFX's 4 stars. According to ForexBrokers.com, Vantage ranks #19 out of 63 brokers in the Commissions and Fees category, whereas IronFX lags behind at #46. This comparison highlights that while Vantage generally offers better value in terms of trading costs, IronFX might still attract those who find its account offerings suitable to their trading style and financial capacity.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $50 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.30 | 1.2 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.75 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing Vantage and IronFX for their range of investments, both platforms provide traders with access to forex trading through CFDs or spot contracts. Vantage offers a wide selection of 1,000 tradeable symbols, while IronFX has a smaller portfolio with 340 symbols available. IronFX compensates for this with a greater variety of forex pairs, offering 83 compared to Vantage's 61. However, neither brokerage provides the option to buy actual exchange-traded securities, such as shares of Apple on U.S. exchanges or Vodafone on international exchanges.
Both Vantage and IronFX support copy trading, allowing traders to mimic the strategies of successful investors. While neither platform allows for the purchase of actual cryptocurrencies, they both provide the option to trade cryptocurrency derivatives. In terms of investment range, both brokers receive a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and are similarly ranked by ForexBrokers.com, with Vantage at 50th and IronFX closely following at 51st, among 63 brokers evaluated. This similarity in rating and ranking illustrates their comparable offerings in terms of investment options available to traders.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1000 | 340 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 83 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
Both Vantage and IronFX offer simulated trading with free virtual demo accounts, making it easy for beginners to practice trading without the risk. Vantage sets itself apart by providing its own proprietary trading platform, while IronFX relies on third-party platforms. Both brokers offer Windows-based desktop platforms and web-based options, catering to traders' diverse preferences for how they access the market. With the availability of the popular MetaTrader 4, both brokers ensure that traders have access to a widely recognized platform. However, Vantage also offers MetaTrader 5, which is not available with IronFX, giving traders who opt for Vantage a slight edge in platform variety.
When it comes to additional tools, Vantage stands out by offering DupliTrade, a feature that IronFX does not provide. Both brokers support copy trading, and neither offers ZuluTrade. In terms of charting capabilities, both brokers are on par with 15 drawing tools, and they enable direct trading from stock charts—a handy feature for more dynamic trading. Watchlist customization is identical for both, offering seven fields to organize and track preferred stocks. Vantage’s trading platforms and tools are rated slightly higher at 4 stars out of 5, compared to IronFX’s 3.5-star rating. According to ForexBrokers.com, Vantage ranks at #21, significantly ahead of IronFX, which is positioned at #61 out of 63 brokers in the Trading Platforms and Tools category.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | 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 |
| DupliTrade | Yes | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When it comes to mobile trading apps, both Vantage and IronFX offer comprehensive options with similar features for iPhone and Android users. Users can set stock or forex price alerts and enjoy charting capabilities with 30 technical studies available on both platforms. Additionally, both apps allow the creation of watchlists with real-time quotes and drawing trendlines, while catering to viewing different time frames. However, neither Vantage nor IronFX supports syncing watchlists across devices, meaning changes made won't automatically update between the mobile app and web platforms.
Despite the similarities in features, user ratings and rankings reveal some differences. Vantage's mobile app holds a higher user rating of 4 stars out of 5, compared to IronFX's 3.5 stars. Reflecting this difference in user satisfaction, Vantage ranks 28th out of 63 brokers for mobile trading apps according to ForexBrokers.com, significantly ahead of IronFX, which ranks 62nd. While both apps cater to essential trading needs, Vantage seems to offer a more favorable user experience overall.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, both Vantage and IronFX provide valuable insights with their daily market commentaries and forex news from leading sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters. Vantage stands out by offering additional technical analysis tools from Autochartist, which can be especially beneficial for traders keen on detailed market assessments. While both brokers provide tools from Trading Central for technical analytics, Vantage also offers a sentiment-based trading tool that reveals the ratio of long or short positions across various instruments, a feature not present in IronFX.
Despite their similarities in some areas, the extra resources available with Vantage could give traders more comprehensive market insights. Both brokers feature economic calendars, helping traders stay informed on significant global events. However, neither Vantage nor IronFX incorporates research tools from TipRanks or Acuity Trading into their services. Overall, Vantage is rated slightly higher in terms of research capabilities, ranked 21st out of 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com, while IronFX comes in at 28th. Both hold a commendable 4-star rating for research quality, indicating a strong offering from each.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational offerings for beginners at Vantage and IronFX, both platforms provide a substantial library of over ten resources focused on forex and CFDs. Vantage takes it a step further by offering live educational webinars once a month, whereas IronFX does not offer this feature. Both brokers provide access to searchable archives of previously recorded webinars, ensuring that beginners have valuable material at their fingertips whenever they need it.
For video content, both Vantage and IronFX deliver more than ten beginners' videos on trading topics. However, only Vantage supplies over ten advanced videos tailored for experienced traders, giving it a slight edge for those progressing in their trading journey. Additionally, Vantage and IronFX both offer an investor dictionary with definitions for a wide range of investing terms, making crucial concepts accessible to all traders. Despite the similar four-star rating for education, Vantage is ranked higher at 24th out of 63 brokers, compared to IronFX, which sits at 44th, indicating a more favorable reputation in the educational domain.
| Feature |
Vantage
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | 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 IronFX. Vantage finished with an overall rank of #26, while IronFX finished with an overall rank of #48.
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
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 90 | 83 |
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Both Vantage and IronFX do not offer the ability to buy actual, delivered cryptocurrency, but they both provide options to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
When comparing online brokers Vantage and IronFX, both offer Visa/Mastercard and bank wire transfers for deposits and withdrawals, but while Vantage provides additional options such as PayPal and Skrill, IronFX supports only Skrill and lacks PayPal as an option; neither offers ACH or SEPA transfers.
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 | IronFX | |
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| Trust Score | 90 | 83 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Vantage Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Vantage | IronFX | |
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| Regulation | Vantage | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 90 | 83 | |
| Year Founded | 2009 | 2010 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Vantage | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | 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) | No | No | |
| 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). | No | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Vantage | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | Vantage | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1000 | 340 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 83 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | 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 | Vantage | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.30 | 1.2 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.75 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Vantage | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | $50 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | Vantage | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | 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 | |
| DupliTrade | Yes | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Vantage | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Vantage | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Vantage | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Vantage | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Vantage | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Vantage Review |
| Overall | Vantage | IronFX | |
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| Trust Score | 90 | 83 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Vantage Review |
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