Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of CMC Markets vs IFC Markets, 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.
CMC Markets, established in 1989, stands as a well-regarded entity in the world of online brokerage. It is publicly traded and holds the highest Trust Score of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com, reflecting its position as a highly trusted platform. Though not functioning as a bank, CMC Markets has secured five Tier-1 licenses, indicating a strong regulatory standing. Additionally, it possesses one Tier-2 license, further enhancing its reputation as a trusted broker in the financial market.
In contrast, IFC Markets, founded in 2006, does not share the same level of exposure as it is not publicly traded. It has earned a Trust Score of 73 from ForexBrokers.com, marking it as an average risk option concerning trust and security. While IFC Markets also operates without a banking license, it has yet to obtain any Tier-1 licenses, though it possesses one Tier-2 license. This positioning suggests it is a viable but less secure choice for those engaging in online trading activities.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2006 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 0 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
CMC Markets stands out in the competitive world of online trading by offering remarkable commissions and fees, earning it the top spot in ForexBrokers.com’s 2025 Annual Awards. CMC Markets was awarded a prestigious 5-star rating for its pricing excellence. The broker provides low spread offerings across all customer tiers, with average spreads of 0.61 pips for the popular EUR/USD currency pair as of August 2023. CMC Markets has also innovated with its Price Plus Scheme, rewarding high-volume traders with discounts up to 20% on spreads when reaching certain trading milestones.
The introduction of the FX Active pricing model further enhances CMC Market's appeal, charging a commission of $2.50 per side alongside minimal spreads of zero pips, available in select global regions. This makes CMC Markets' trading costs highly attractive, particularly for active and professional traders. With spreads historically aligned closely to advertised values, CMC Markets maintains its reputation as a leader in this space, securing the #1 rank among 62 brokers for commissions and fees.
In contrast, IFC Markets holds a 4-star rating and is ranked #39 among 62 brokers in the same category. Although details about average spreads are not provided, IFC Markets remains a viable option for some traders. However, for those prioritizing low and transparent trading costs, CMC Markets’ offerings are more compelling due to their competitive pricing and customer-focused programs.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $1 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.61 | 1.44 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.51 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing CMC Markets and IFC Markets on their investment offerings, CMC Markets stands out with an impressive catalog. It provides access to 11,925 tradeable symbols, including 156 forex pairs, allowing traders to explore a wide variety of global markets. CMC Markets also supports trading in exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, which means investors can purchase shares like Apple and Vodafone directly. Additionally, CMC Markets offers cryptocurrencies in derivative form and supports copy trading, catering to a diverse spectrum of trading strategies and needs. With such a comprehensive selection, CMC Markets has earned a 5-star rating for its range of investments and ranks 9th out of 62 brokers for this category according to ForexBrokers.com.
In comparison, IFC Markets offers a more limited investment range, featuring 630 tradeable symbols and 49 forex pairs. While it does provide trading on international exchange-traded securities like Vodafone, it doesn't offer direct access to U.S. exchange-traded securities such as Apple shares. Similar to CMC, IFC Markets provides cryptocurrency derivatives and supports copy trading, allowing traders to diversify and automate their portfolios. Despite its offerings, IFC Markets is rated 3.5 stars for its range of investments and is placed 43rd in the ForexBrokers.com ranking. This comparison highlights CMC Markets as the more versatile choice for traders seeking an extensive array of investment options.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 11925 | 630 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 156 | 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.
When comparing the trading platforms and tools of CMC Markets and IFC Markets, both brokers offer comprehensive features catering to traders of all levels. They each provide simulated trading through free virtual demo accounts and have developed their proprietary platforms. Both brokers also support widely-used platforms like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, along with offering Windows-based desktop and web-based trading platforms. Additionally, they both provide copy trading capabilities, although neither supports DupliTrade or ZuluTrade. While each offers similar main features, they differ in charting tools where CMC Markets provides 40 drawing tools compared to IFC Markets' 15.
CMC Markets is rated 5 stars for its trading platforms and tools, whereas IFC Markets holds a 4-star rating. This distinction is mirrored in their ranking, with CMC Markets securing the 4th position and IFC Markets the 36th out of 62 brokers, according to ForexBrokers.com. CMC Markets offers more customizable options with 11 columns for watchlists, compared to IFC Markets' 7. Both brokers allow traders to execute trades directly from stock charts, making them suitable choices depending on the specific needs of traders. CMC Markets might attract those seeking a platform with more extensive tools and higher ratings, while IFC Markets provides a solid alternative with essential features.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
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) | 79 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 40 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When it comes to mobile trading, both CMC Markets and IFC Markets offer apps for iPhone and Android users, enhancing accessibility for traders on the go. Both platforms provide essential features such as stock or forex price alerts, watchlist symbol syncing with online accounts, and the ability to create watchlists with real-time quotes. Whether you prefer viewing stock or forex charts in different time frames or drawing trendlines, both apps deliver these standard functionalities. Additionally, your chart drawings are safely auto-saved in both platforms' mobile apps.
However, a closer look reveals some notable differences. CMC Markets shines with a rating of 5 stars for its mobile trading app, proudly securing the 5th position out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. This might reflect its user-centric features and overall app performance. On the other hand, IFC Markets, though highly functional and offering 30 technical studies compared to CMC's 29, has a slightly lower user rating of 4 stars and ranks 52nd in the same category. For those seeking a highly rated and top-ranked mobile trading experience, CMC Markets leads the way in this comparison.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 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.
For traders who seek comprehensive market insights, CMC Markets and IFC Markets provide distinct offerings to consider. Both brokers deliver daily market commentary and access to an economic calendar for staying updated on global news events. However, CMC Markets stands out by providing forex news sourced from top-tier companies like Bloomberg and Reuters, unlike IFC Markets. Additionally, CMC Markets enhances their research tools with the inclusion of Autochartist for technical and fundamental analysis, a feature that IFC Markets does not offer.
In terms of sentiment-based trading tools, both CMC Markets and IFC Markets offer solutions that display the ratio of long or short positions across various instruments, helping traders gauge market sentiment effectively. Despite certain shared features, CMC Markets achieves higher recognition in the research category, boasting a 5-star rating and a ranking of 6th out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. IFC Markets, while providing essential research tools, is rated at 3.5 stars and ranks 40th. This highlights CMC Markets as a more comprehensive choice for those prioritizing in-depth market research capabilities.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| 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 it comes to educational resources for beginners, CMC Markets and IFC Markets both provide a solid foundation with over 10 educational pieces focused on forex and CFDs. However, CMC Markets edges ahead with additional offerings, including an easily searchable archive of recorded client webinars, something that IFC Markets does not offer. Both brokers provide a range of beginner-focused videos, ensuring newcomers have access to essential trading knowledge. Additionally, each broker includes an investor dictionary with definitions of over 50 investing terms, making it easier for users to understand complex jargon.
Despite some similarities, CMC Markets outshines IFC Markets in terms of overall educational offerings. It is rated 5 stars for education and ranks #10 out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. In contrast, IFC Markets receives 3.5 stars and a rank of #30. Although neither broker offers live monthly webinars, the comprehensive educational support from CMC Markets is recognized for its quality and reach, proving to be a valuable resource for those beginning their trading journey.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | No | 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 CMC Markets is better than IFC Markets. CMC Markets finished with an overall rank of #4, while IFC Markets finished with an overall rank of #44.
CMC Markets is well-trusted across the globe, and delivers a terrific trading experience thanks to its excellent pricing and selection of over 12,000 tradeable instruments.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
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IFC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 73 |
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Both CMC Markets and IFC Markets do not offer the ability to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency, but they both provide options to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
When comparing online brokers CMC Markets and IFC Markets, CMC Markets provides a wider range of funding options including ACH or SEPA transfers, PayPal, Visa or Mastercard, as well as bank wires, while IFC Markets supports Visa or Mastercard and bank wires but does not offer ACH, SEPA, PayPal, or Skrill for depositing or withdrawing funds.
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 | CMC Markets | IFC Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | CMC Markets | IFC Markets | |
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| Regulation | CMC Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2006 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 0 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | CMC Markets | 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) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | CMC Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | CMC Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 11925 | 630 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 156 | 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 | CMC Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.61 | 1.44 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.51 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | CMC Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $1 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | CMC Markets | 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 | CMC Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 79 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 40 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | CMC Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 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 | CMC Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | CMC Markets | IFC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | 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 | CMC Markets | 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 | CMC Markets Review |
| Overall | CMC Markets | IFC Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review |
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