Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Admirals vs IFC Markets, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
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Admirals and IFC Markets are both online brokerages serving traders worldwide. Admirals, established in 2001, stands out with a high Trust Score of 93 as rated by ForexBrokers.com, indicating it is highly trusted. Admirals holds four Tier-1 licenses, which are the most trusted regulatory certifications, and three Tier-2 licenses. Even though Admirals is not publicly traded or a bank, its regulatory standing provides an added layer of trust and security for its users.
In comparison, IFC Markets has been operating since 2006 but holds a lower Trust Score of 73, placing it in the average risk category according to ForexBrokers.com. IFC Markets holds no Tier-1 licenses and has only one Tier-2 license, which makes it less regulated compared to Admirals. Like Admirals, IFC Markets is neither publicly traded nor a bank. This regulatory difference might be a notable factor for traders when deciding between the two brokerages.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2006 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 0 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of online brokers Admirals and IFC Markets, Admirals stands out for its competitive pricing. It offers typical spreads of 0.8 on its Trade account, with similar pricing available on the Zero account type. This attractive pricing structure contributes to Admirals' strong reputation among traders.
In contrast, IFC Markets does not provide clear average spread data, which can make it challenging for potential clients to assess its pricing transparency. While it still has a lot to offer, this lack of information might deter traders who prioritize clear and upfront cost expectations.
Admirals boasts a commendable rating of 4.5 stars for its commissions and fees and ranks 17th out of 62 brokers in this category according to ForexBrokers.com. On the other hand, IFC Markets earns a 4-star rating and is positioned at 39th out of 62 brokers. Admirals' higher rating and ranking indicate a more competitive edge in pricing compared to IFC Markets.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $1 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.8 | 1.44 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When it comes to the breadth of investment options, Admirals offers a more extensive selection compared to IFC Markets. Admirals provides access to 8,702 tradeable symbols, significantly outpacing IFC Markets, which offers 630. For forex enthusiasts, Admirals stands out with 82 tradeable forex pairs, whereas IFC Markets offers 49. Both platforms facilitate forex trading through CFDs or spot contracts, and they provide the ability to engage in copy trading. In addition to forex and CFDs, Admirals allows clients to invest in exchange-traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges, such as shares of Apple and Vodafone. On the other hand, IFC Markets only offers exchange-traded securities on international exchanges. Neither broker supports the purchase of actual cryptocurrencies, but they do provide cryptocurrency derivatives.
Admirals and IFC Markets both offer ways to diversify investment strategies, but Admirals earns higher marks for its range of offerings. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars for investment diversity by ForexBrokers.com, Admirals is ranked #19 out of 62 brokers for its investment range. In contrast, IFC Markets holds a rating of 3.5 stars and ranks #43. This distinction underscores Admirals' broad-spectrum of trading possibilities, making it a preferable choice for investors seeking a comprehensive investment platform.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8702 | 630 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 82 | 49 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
Admirals and IFC Markets both offer a versatile array of trading platforms and tools suitable for a wide spectrum of traders. Each broker provides simulated trading through free virtual demo accounts, which is ideal for beginners looking to practice without financial risk. Both Admirals and IFC Markets have developed their own in-house platforms and offer popular options like MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) on both Windows-based desktop and web-based applications. For traders interested in following expert strategies, both platforms support copy trading, though neither provides integration with DupliTrade or ZuluTrade.
While Admirals and IFC Markets share similarities in trading features, they do show some differences in charting tools. Admirals offers an impressive 106 drawing tools compared to IFC Markets' 15, providing more options for detailed chart analysis. Both brokers allow users to trade directly from stock charts and support watch lists with seven customizable columns, offering an efficient way to monitor the markets. Admirals is slightly higher ranked in Trading Platforms and Tools by ForexBrokers.com, placing at #20 out of 62 brokers, while IFC Markets ranks at #36. However, both receive a strong four-star rating for their platform offerings.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | 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) | 30 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 106 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Admirals and IFC Markets both provide mobile trading apps that cater to traders on the go, supporting both iPhone and Android devices. Each app offers stock and forex price alerts, as well as the capacity to create watchlists with real-time quotes, ensuring you stay updated with market movements. Additionally, both platforms allow users to apply 30 technical studies to their charts and draw trendlines, providing essential technical analysis tools to mobile users. Moreover, the apps can seamlessly switch between different time frames like daily, weekly, or intraday views, and auto-save any chart drawings, allowing for a customizable trading experience.
While both Admirals and IFC Markets share similar features in mobile trading, there are some key differences. Admirals does not support watchlist symbol syncing between the mobile app and online account, whereas IFC Markets offers this convenience, allowing for seamless integration and ease of monitoring your investments across platforms. Despite these differences, they both receive a four-star rating for their mobile trading apps. Admirals ranks higher at #28, compared to IFC Markets' #52, in ForexBrokers.com's competitive assessment of 62 brokers.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes |
| 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 comparing Admirals and IFC Markets in terms of market research offerings, Admirals stands out with several key benefits. Both platforms provide daily market commentary to keep traders informed of the latest trends. However, Admirals takes it a step further by delivering forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, ensuring users receive timely and reliable information. Admirals also supports traders with tools from Trading Central, offering advanced technical analytics, and provides insights from TipRanks, enhancing the depth of market research available. Furthermore, Admirals includes resources from Acuity Trading such as Signal Centre, empowering traders with comprehensive analysis. Both brokers offer sentiment-based trading tools and maintain economic calendars, essential for tracking global market events. Admirals' rich set of features earns it a higher research rating of 4 stars versus IFC Markets’ 3.5 stars.
In terms of rankings, Admirals places #15 in the Research category according to ForexBrokers.com out of 62 evaluated brokers, significantly ahead of IFC Markets, which ranks at #40. This demonstrates Admirals' commitment to providing a more robust package of research tools and market insights for its users. With its extensive selection of high-quality research resources, Admirals offers traders an advantage in making well-informed decisions, setting it apart as a more appealing option for those prioritizing market research in their trading activities.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Both Admirals and IFC Markets provide a wealth of educational materials for those new to forex and CFD trading. Admirals offers an impressive array of resources, including more than 10 educational articles, videos, and archived webinars. These resources serve as a solid foundation for beginners looking to understand the basics of trading. IFC Markets similarly delivers over 10 beginner-focused educational pieces, ensuring that new traders have access to a variety of learning materials. Both platforms cater to beginners with at least 10 videos specifically designed to cover introductory trading topics. Admirals extends its offering by providing monthly online educational webinars and a searchable archive of past sessions, features that IFC Markets lacks. Admirals also boasts a comprehensive investor dictionary featuring over 50 trading terms, matching the resources offered by IFC Markets.
In addition to beginner resources, Admirals and IFC Markets each offer more than 10 advanced trading videos for experienced traders. Admirals' extensive educational offerings are reflected in its higher education rating of 4 stars and a ranking of 12th out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. In contrast, IFC Markets has a slightly lower education rating of 3.5 stars and is ranked 30th. These rankings highlight Admirals as a more favored choice for those prioritizing educational support in their trading journey, providing a more comprehensive and accessible learning experience compared to IFC Markets.
| Feature |
Admirals
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Admirals is better than IFC Markets. Admirals finished with an overall rank of #18, while IFC Markets finished with an overall rank of #44.
Traders choose Admirals for its excellent investor education and advanced MetaTrader features – such as the Supreme add-ons – alongside an extensive range of shares, forex and CFD markets, and premium research content.
| Feature |
Admirals
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IFC Markets
|
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| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 73 |
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Both Admirals and IFC Markets do not offer the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they do provide options for purchasing cryptocurrency derivatives.
When comparing the online brokers Admirals and IFC Markets, Admirals provides more deposit and withdrawal options including ACH or SEPA transfers, PayPal, and Skrill in addition to the shared options of Visa or Mastercard and bank wires, whereas IFC Markets lacks ACH, SEPA, PayPal, and Skrill availability.
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 | Admirals | IFC Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 73 | |
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| Review | Admirals Review |
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| Regulation | Admirals | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 93 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2006 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 0 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Admirals | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | 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 | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Admirals | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | Yes | No |
| Investments | Admirals | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8702 | 630 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 82 | 49 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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). |
| Cost | Admirals | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.8 | 1.44 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Admirals | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $1 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Admirals | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | 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 | Admirals | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | 106 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Admirals | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | Admirals | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Admirals | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Admirals | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Admirals Review |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Admirals Review |
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