Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IG vs Admirals, 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.
Founded in 1974, IG has established itself as a leader in the online brokerage industry. It is publicly traded and operates as a bank, offering a strong sense of security and reliability. With a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99 out of 99, IG is highly trusted among investors. The company holds eight Tier-1 licenses, ensuring top-tier regulatory compliance. Additionally, IG holds two Tier-2 licenses, further reinforcing its trusted standing in the financial market.
Admirals commenced operations in 2001 and, unlike IG, is not publicly traded nor operates as a bank. However, it maintains a commendable reputation with a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 93, indicating high trust levels. Admirals holds four Tier-1 licenses, demonstrating strong regulatory oversight, and enhances its trust credentials with three Tier-2 licenses. While not matching IG's extensive licensing, Admirals still presents itself as a reliable choice for investors who favor a well-regulated environment.
| Feature |
IG
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
IG and Admirals are both popular online brokers that offer a range of investment options, but their commission and fee structures vary significantly. IG stands out for its active trader pricing options, especially with its Forex Direct accounts. In July 2023, IG's spreads on the main Forex Direct account averaged 0.62 pips, with a total cost of 0.82 pips after including trade commissions. CFD accounts had typical spreads of 0.69 pips during active trading hours. Volume traders can benefit from IG's active-trader rebate program, which offers up to a 20% spread rebate, making the all-in cost as low as 0.60 pips. IG also provides a DMA account for advanced traders, requiring a £1,000 minimum deposit and offering tiered pricing discounts based on trading volume.
In comparison, Admirals provides competitive pricing with spreads starting at 0.8 pips on its Trade account and similar pricing for the Zero account type. Admirals is rated 4.5 stars for its commission and fees, while IG earns a perfect 5-star rating, reflecting its broad range of pricing options and tailored rebates. The higher rating for IG is further supported by its ranking as the 8th best broker for commissions and fees out of 62 brokers reviewed by ForexBrokers.com. Admirals, on the other hand, holds the 17th position in the same category, demonstrating its competitive yet slightly less expansive offerings in comparison to IG.
| Feature |
IG
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $100 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | 0.8 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 0.8 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
IG and Admirals both stand out in the world of online trading with a comprehensive array of investment options. IG offers an impressive 19,537 tradeable symbols, including 97 forex pairs. This makes it an excellent choice for those seeking a wide range of trading opportunities. Admirals, with 8,702 tradeable symbols and 82 forex pairs, provides a solid alternative for investors. Both platforms allow clients to trade forex as a CFD or spot contract, and they offer exchange-traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges. However, neither platform supports the purchase of actual cryptocurrencies, though they both provide options for investing in cryptocurrency derivatives.
One of the distinctions between the two brokers is their approach to additional trading features. While IG does not support copy trading, Admirals includes this feature, adding another layer of strategy for investors keen on mimicry. In terms of ratings, IG earns a top rating of 5 stars for its range of investments and ranks 4th out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. Admirals, with a 4.5-star rating, is placed 19th in the same category. Overall, both platforms provide diverse investment possibilities, yet IG slightly edges out Admirals in breadth and the industry ranking for its investment range.
| Feature |
IG
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 8702 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 82 |
| 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
When comparing IG and Admirals for trading platforms and tools, both brokers offer robust options to cater to a variety of traders' needs. IG and Admirals provide users with the chance to practice through free virtual demo accounts, making it ideal for newcomers to get comfortable with trading. Each broker also boasts proprietary platforms alongside the popular MetaTrader 4 availability, although Admirals edges ahead by also offering MetaTrader 5 access. Both companies have options for trading via a Windows-based desktop platform and a web-based browser platform, but IG does not support copy trading, unlike Admirals, which further enhances its appeal for those interested in this feature.
In terms of charting facilities, IG provides 20 drawing tools for its sophisticated charting, while Admirals offers a higher number with 106 drawing tools, allowing deep technical analysis capabilities. Both platforms enable traders to execute trades directly from stock charts, offering seamless integration of research and action. For watch lists, IG displays five columns, whereas Admirals provides seven, allowing more detailed customization. Despite these offerings, IG shines with a five-star rating for its trading platforms and tools, compared to Admirals’ commendable four stars. When ranked by ForexBrokers.com among 62 brokers in this category, IG impressively holds the #2 spot, while Admirals maintains a respectable #20 ranking.
| Feature |
IG
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| 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 |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 20 | 106 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 5 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When choosing an online broker for mobile trading, both IG and Admirals offer strong options with iPhone and Android apps, as well as the ability to send stock or forex price alerts. IG provides seamless watchlist syncing between its mobile app and the client's online account, a feature not available with Admirals. For chart analysis, IG excels with 33 technical studies, while Admirals offers 30. Both apps allow users to draw trendlines, view multiple time frames on charts, and auto-save chart drawings. Additionally, creating a watchlist with real-time quotes is possible with both IG and Admirals.
IG's mobile trading app stands out with a perfect 5-star rating and is ranked number one out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. Admirals, while reputable, holds a 4-star rating and is ranked 28th in the same category. This ranking highlights IG's superior performance and user satisfaction, making it a top choice for traders seeking the best mobile trading experience.
| Feature |
IG
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 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 IG and Admirals for market research offerings, both platforms stand out as reliable sources for insightful data. IG and Admirals provide daily market commentary, ensuring traders stay updated with the latest market movements. Both brokers also deliver forex news from prestigious sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, enhancing the quality of information accessible to their users. When it comes to additional tools, IG offers resources from Autochartist, including its technical analysis and fundamental research tools, while Admirals leans on Trading Central for its range of analytical resources. Moreover, both brokers present sentiment-based trading tools, helping traders understand market positions across various currency pairs.
IG further strengthens its research capabilities with market insights from TipRanks and Acuity Trading tools like Signal Centre. Admirals also provides these essential resources, yet IG manages to edge ahead in overall assessment. Both brokers equip traders with an economic calendar to keep track of global economic events. However, in terms of research ratings, IG scores a perfect 5 stars and ranks second among 62 brokers as per ForexBrokers.com, whereas Admirals earns a commendable 4-star rating and ranks 15th. This subtle distinction highlights IG’s superior edge in delivering comprehensive market research tools to its users.
| Feature |
IG
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | Yes |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational resources available for beginners between online brokers IG and Admirals, both platforms excel in offering a wide range of materials to help new traders navigate the world of forex and CFDs. IG provides more than 10 educational pieces, encompassing articles, videos, and webinars focused on forex and CFDs. Admirals matches this offering with its own comprehensive educational suite. Both brokers conduct regular webinars for clients, available at least once a month, and each maintains a searchable archive of these sessions. Furthermore, beginners have access to over 10 educational videos specifically designed to introduce them to trading topics on both platforms.
In addition to resources tailored for beginners, IG and Admirals also cater to more seasoned traders through advanced educational videos. Each broker offers at least 10 videos intended to enhance the knowledge of experienced traders. Both platforms include an investor dictionary providing definitions for over 50 investing terms, which can be invaluable for new traders learning the jargon. While IG boasts a perfect 5-star rating for education and is ranked #1 in the Education category by ForexBrokers.com, Admirals stands strong with a 4-star rating and holds the #12 position out of 62 brokers. Overall, IG slightly edges out Admirals in terms of educational resources, according to these ratings.
| Feature |
IG
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that IG is better than Admirals. IG finished with an overall rank of #1, while Admirals finished with an overall rank of #18.
IG offers the ultimate comprehensive trading package, featuring excellent trading and research tools, industry-leading education, and an extensive range of tradeable markets.
| Feature |
IG
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 |
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Both IG and Admirals do not offer the option to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency, but they both provide the ability to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
Both IG and Admirals provide ACH and SEPA transfers, PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wire options for depositing and withdrawing funds, but only Admirals offers Skrill for these transactions.
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 | IG | Admirals | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | Admirals Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IG | Admirals | |
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| Regulation | IG | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2001 | |
| 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 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IG | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| 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 | Yes | |
| 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 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | Yes |
| Investments | IG | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 8702 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 82 | |
| 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 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | 0.8 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 0.8 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IG | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | IG | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 106 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IG | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 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 | IG | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IG | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | IG | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Admirals Review |
| Overall | IG | Admirals | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | Admirals Review |
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