Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Tickmill vs Markets.com, 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.
When comparing online brokers Tickmill and Markets.com, it's clear that both have carved out their niches from different periods, with Tickmill launching in 2014 and Markets.com debuting in 1999. Neither broker is listed on a stock exchange nor operates as a bank, yet they are well-regulated entities with numerous licenses. Tickmill holds 2 highly trusted Tier-1 licenses and has an overall trust score of 86 according to ForexBrokers.com, placing it in the trusted category.
Markets.com, on the other hand, holds an impressive 3 Tier-1 licenses, which contributes to its standout trust score of 93, categorizing it as highly trusted. It also maintains a Tier-2 license, adding another layer to its credibility. While both brokers provide secure and regulated environments, Markets.com edges out Tickmill in terms of regulatory trustworthiness, making it a favored choice for those prioritizing stronger regulatory oversight.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2014 | 1999 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
Comparing commissions and fees, Tickmill offers clearer, often lower costs than Markets.com. Tickmill has two accounts: Classic is commission-free but carries wider average spreads (about 1.76 pips as of August 2023). Its Raw account charges a $3 per side commission per 100,000 units ($6 round turn per standard lot) and listed a typical 0.11‑pip EUR/USD spread in October 2023; after the updated commission, the estimated all-in cost comes to about 0.71 pips under normal market conditions. The Raw account’s $100 minimum keeps entry simple for active and cost-focused traders.
Markets.com does not provide average spread data, which makes it harder to estimate true trading costs or to compare its pricing with Tickmill’s all-in figures. By contrast, Tickmill’s published spreads and per-trade commission make it easier to gauge what you’ll pay.
Bottom line: Tickmill earns 5 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers in this category. Markets.com earns 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #51 out of 63. If minimizing trading costs is a priority, Tickmill’s transparency and low all-in pricing give it the edge.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $100 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.70 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.70 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | 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 the range of investments, Markets.com offers far more choice overall, with 2,179 tradeable symbols versus Tickmill’s 637. Tickmill, however, lists slightly more forex pairs (63 vs 57). Both brokers support forex trading via CFDs or spot (depending on the product) and offer copy trading features.
Neither broker provides direct access to exchange-traded shares on U.S. or international stock exchanges. For crypto, both restrict access to derivatives and do not allow buying actual coins. Reflecting this lineup, Markets.com earns 4 stars and ranks #30 out of 63 for Range of Investments, while Tickmill holds 3.5 stars and ranks #43.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 637 | 2179 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 63 | 57 |
| 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.
Tickmill and Markets.com both make it easy to start with a free demo account and offer Windows desktop and web-based trading. Each supports copy trading plus MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). The standout difference is that Markets.com also provides a proprietary platform for an alternative experience, while Tickmill sticks to third-party platforms. Neither broker integrates DupliTrade or ZuluTrade.
For tools, Tickmill includes nine drawing tools and lets you place trades directly from charts, whereas Markets.com offers four drawing tools and does not support trading from charts. Watchlists are flexible at both brokers, with seven columns on Tickmill and six on Markets.com. Both earn 4 out of 5 stars for trading platforms and tools, and ForexBrokers.com ranks Markets.com slightly higher (#27) than Tickmill (#30) in this category.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | No | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 91 | 89 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 9 | 4 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 6 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Tickmill and Markets.com both offer iPhone and Android mobile trading apps with real-time watchlists and price alerts. Each earns a 4-star rating for mobile trading apps. According to ForexBrokers.com, Tickmill ranks #30 out of 63 brokers, while Markets.com ranks #34. A key difference is watchlist syncing: Markets.com syncs your symbols between mobile and your online account, but Tickmill does not—useful if you switch between devices.
For charting, Tickmill includes 30 technical studies, supports multiple time frames (intraday, daily, weekly), lets you draw trendlines, and auto-saves your drawings. Markets.com lets you draw trendlines but doesn’t support multiple time frames in its app and doesn’t auto-save drawings. As for indicators, Markets.com provides the default set when you use MT4, while the native Markets.com app doesn’t include built-in studies. In short, Tickmill suits traders who want stronger charting on mobile, while Markets.com appeals if synced watchlists across platforms matter most.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | (default on MT4, none on Markets app) |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When evaluating online brokers for market research capabilities, both Tickmill and Markets.com show strong offerings. Each provides daily market commentary and forex news from leading sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. However, neither incorporates technical analysis tools from Autochartist or Trading Central. For those interested in sentiment-based trading tools, both platforms offer this feature, helping traders see long or short position ratios across various instruments.
A notable distinction between the two is their collaboration with Acuity Trading; Tickmill provides tools from this company, such as Signal Centre, while Markets.com does not. Both brokers offer economic calendars to keep traders updated on global news events. Despite having identical star ratings of 4 out of 5 for research, Markets.com ranks slightly higher at 17th place compared to Tickmill at 21st, according to ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to educational resources for beginners, Tickmill and Markets.com offer varied experiences. For those new to forex and CFDs, Tickmill stands out by providing over 10 educational pieces including articles and videos, whereas Markets.com does not meet this benchmark. Both brokers do, however, offer monthly online educational webinars to help clients grow their trading knowledge. In addition, Tickmill provides a searchable archive of these webinars for post-session review, a feature that Markets.com does not offer.
Both Tickmill and Markets.com feature educational videos targeting beginners, as well as more advanced traders, ensuring a wide range of learning opportunities. One area where Tickmill excels is having an investor dictionary with definitions of over 50 investing terms, a resource Markets.com lacks. Both brokers receive a 4-star rating for education, but in rankings by ForexBrokers.com, Tickmill holds the 15th position, markedly higher than Markets.com's 34th place, indicating a stronger educational offering overall.
| Feature |
Tickmill
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | 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 Markets.com. Tickmill finished with an overall rank of #22, while Markets.com finished with an overall rank of #23.
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
|
Markets.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 93 |
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Both Tickmill and Markets.com allow traders to invest in cryptocurrency derivatives, but neither platform offers the option to purchase actual physical cryptocurrencies.
When comparing online brokers, Tickmill and Markets.com both accept Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, and bank wires for deposits and withdrawals, but while Tickmill supports PayPal transactions, Markets.com does not; neither broker 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 | Tickmill | Markets.com | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Tickmill Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Tickmill | Markets.com | |
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| Regulation | Tickmill | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 86 | 93 | |
| Year Founded | 2014 | 1999 | |
| 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 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Tickmill | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | |
| 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 | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Tickmill | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 637 | 2179 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 63 | 57 | |
| 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 | Tickmill | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.70 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.70 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Tickmill | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $100 | |
| 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 | Tickmill | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | No | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Tickmill | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | No | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 6 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 91 | 89 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 9 | 4 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Tickmill | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | (default on MT4, none on Markets app) | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Research | Tickmill | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Tickmill | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | Tickmill | Markets.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | ||
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | Tickmill Review |
| Overall | Tickmill | Markets.com | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Tickmill Review |
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