Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IFC Markets vs Axi, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
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IFC Markets and Axi are both online brokers that were founded in the mid-2000s, with IFC Markets establishing itself in 2006 and Axi in 2007. Neither broker is publicly traded or operates as a bank. When considering trust, IFC Markets holds a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score rating of 73, which places it in the "average risk" category. Axi, on the other hand, is rated at 82, making it a more trusted option according to the same scale.
In terms of regulatory licenses, IFC Markets holds one Tier-2 license, which indicates a level of trust, but lacks the highly trusted Tier-1 licenses. Conversely, Axi owns two Tier-1 licenses, reflecting a higher degree of regulatory trust. Both brokers hold one Tier-2 license each, reinforcing their commitment to regulatory compliance, but Axi's additional Tier-1 licenses give it an edge in terms of perceived trustworthiness.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Axi
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2006 | 2007 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
IFC Markets and Axi both hold a strong reputation when it comes to their commissions and fees, each rated at four out of five stars. This star rating indicates that they both offer good value in this area, though specifics like average spread data are not disclosed. Consumers may find comfort in knowing that both brokers are competitively positioned in comparison to other financial services, ensuring that typical trading costs are kept reasonable.
When considering the rankings provided by ForexBrokers.com, IFC Markets is positioned at #39 out of 62 brokers for the Commissions and Fees category. Axi follows closely, ranked at #44. These rankings suggest that IFC Markets is slightly more favorable in terms of the commission and fee structure compared to Axi. However, both brokers remain in the upper half of the list, underscoring their commitment to offering cost-effective trading solutions.
Whether you opt for IFC Markets or Axi, each promises a credible fee structure with respectable star ratings. Despite the absence of specific average spread data, the available information portrays both brokers as viable options for traders seeking reasonable fees in their trading endeavors. The small ranking difference between the two does point to IFC Markets having a slight edge. However, both remain strong contenders in the field of online brokerage services.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Axi
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1 | $0 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.44 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing IFC Markets and Axi for their investment offerings, both platforms provide a range of options suitable for various trading preferences. IFC Markets shines by offering a larger selection of 630 tradeable symbols compared to Axi's 175, despite both platforms equally facilitating forex trading through CFDs or spot contracts. While Axi offers marginally more forex pairs, providing 65 compared to IFC Markets' 49, IFC Markets broadens its appeal by allowing access to international exchange-traded securities, which Axi does not provide. Both brokers refrain from offering U.S. exchange-traded shares and refrain from offering the purchase of actual cryptocurrencies, although they both support cryptocurrency derivatives.
In terms of additional trading features, both IFC Markets and Axi support copy trading, catering to those interested in mimicking the trades of successful investors. Although both are rated equally in terms of their range of investment options with a score of 3.5 stars, their standings vary in industry rankings. IFC Markets is positioned as the 43rd broker for Investment Range by ForexBrokers.com, surpassing Axi which holds the 56th spot in the same category. This distinction highlights IFC Markets' slightly broader investment portfolio, making it a suitable choice for traders seeking diverse international market opportunities.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Axi
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 630 | 175 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 65 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
When evaluating IFC Markets and Axi, both brokers provide essential features for traders, such as simulated trading options with free virtual demo accounts and web-based trading platforms. However, IFC Markets distinguishes itself by offering a proprietary platform, while Axi utilizes the popular MetaTrader 4 (MT4) platform without a custom-built option. Both brokers support Windows-based desktop trading and allow trading directly from stock charts, with equal capabilities of 15 drawing tools for detailed technical analysis. IFC Markets, however, provides MetaTrader 5 (MT5), which Axi lacks. Additionally, Axi offers ZuluTrade for social trading, adding an extra layer of functionality for traders interested in copy trading strategies available from both brokers.
Charting customization is similar for both with seven watchlist columns, offering traders detailed views of the market. However, when diving into the user experience and overall capabilities of trading platforms and tools, IFC Markets slightly edges out with a 4-star rating compared to Axi's 3.5 stars. This difference is reflected in IFC Markets' higher ranking at #36 out of 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, whereas Axi stands at #62, indicating a broader set of tools and perhaps a more comprehensive trading experience with IFC Markets.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Axi
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | Yes |
| 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 IFC Markets and Axi provide apps for iPhone and Android users, ensuring accessibility across popular platforms. Both brokers also offer stock or forex price alerts, allowing traders to stay informed on the go. Charting capabilities are robust in both apps, with each offering 30 technical studies and the ability to draw trendlines on charts. Moreover, both apps support viewing different time frames such as daily or intraday, which can aid in detailed analysis.
However, there are notable differences between the two. IFC Markets provides a seamless experience with its ability to sync watchlist symbols across devices, whereas Axi lacks this feature. Additionally, IFC Markets automatically saves chart annotations, a utility that Axi does not offer. Despite these differences, both brokers allow traders to create watchlists with real-time quotes. In terms of user ratings, IFC Markets has a slight edge with a 4-star rating compared to Axi’s 3.5 stars, reflecting a generally more favorable user experience. According to ForexBrokers.com, IFC Markets ranks higher in the mobile trading apps category at #52 out of 62 brokers, while Axi is placed at #59.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Axi
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | 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 | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
IFC Markets and Axi each provide unique offerings for market research, catering to the varied needs of traders. IFC Markets stands out with its daily market commentary and sentiment-based trading tool, which shows the ratio of long or short positions across different instruments. Additionally, IFC Markets offers an economic calendar that highlights current and upcoming global economic events. However, the platform does not deliver forex news from premier sources like Bloomberg, nor does it provide technical analysis tools from Autochartist or Trading Central. Despite these omissions, IFC Markets holds a research rating of 3.5 stars, ranking it at number 40 out of 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com.
In contrast, Axi excels by offering forex news from renowned sources such as Bloomberg and provides technical analysis tools from Autochartist, enhancing its appeal to traders who value timely insights from trusted sources. Like IFC Markets, Axi also features a sentiment-based trading tool and an economic calendar to track global financial events. However, Axi does not provide daily market commentary and lacks support from Trading Central, Acuity Trading, or TipRanks. As a result, Axi is rated with three stars for research and is ranked 55th out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Axi
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational resources available for beginners at IFC Markets and Axi, both brokers offer a variety of learning materials to help new traders get started with forex and CFDs. IFC Markets provides more than 10 educational pieces, including articles and videos, targeting beginner traders. They also have a solid selection of over 10 beginner videos focusing on trading topics designed for novices. Additionally, they offer advanced educational content with over 10 videos aimed at more experienced traders, which Axi lacks. Both platforms provide an investor dictionary containing definitions for over 50 investing terms, aiding those still getting acquainted with trading language.
In terms of interactive learning opportunities, Axi holds an edge with its regular educational webinars available once a month, offering beginners a chance to learn in real time, though neither broker offers a searchable archive of these webinars. Based on user experience ratings, IFC Markets received a slightly higher score of 3.5 stars out of five for its educational offerings, while Axi scored 3 stars. Despite these ratings, Axi ranks slightly higher at #27 compared to IFC Markets at #30 in ForexBrokers.com's education category, reflecting a close competition between the two for beginner-focused educational resources.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Axi
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | No | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| 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 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that IFC Markets is better than Axi. IFC Markets finished with an overall rank of #45, while Axi finished with an overall rank of #49.
IFC Markets is a well-established broker that has been in operation for 17 years. Forex traders at IFC Markets gain access to multiple trading platforms, a growing range of tradeable markets, and a balanced offering of research and educational content. However, IFC Markets’ Trust Score suffers due to the broker’s limited range of regulatory licenses.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Axi
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 73 | 82 |
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Neither IFC Markets nor Axi offers the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both platforms provide options to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
While both IFC Markets and Axi offer Visa, Mastercard, and bank wire options for depositing and withdrawing funds, Axi differentiates itself by also providing Skrill as a payment method, whereas neither platform supports ACH or SEPA transfers or PayPal.
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 | IFC Markets | Axi | |
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| Trust Score | 73 | 82 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
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| Broker Screenshots | IFC Markets | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Regulation | IFC Markets | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 73 | 82 | |
| Year Founded | 2006 | 2007 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 0 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IFC Markets | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | IFC Markets | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | IFC Markets | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 630 | 175 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 65 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | 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). |
| Cost | IFC Markets | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.44 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IFC Markets | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | IFC Markets | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | Yes |
| Trading Tools | IFC Markets | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | IFC Markets | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Research | IFC Markets | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IFC Markets | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | IFC Markets | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Overall | IFC Markets | Axi | |
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| Trust Score | 73 | 82 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review |
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