Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IC Markets vs easyMarkets, 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.
IC Markets and easyMarkets are both seasoned players in the online trading industry, with IC Markets established in 2007 and easyMarkets founded in 2001. Neither of these brokers is publicly traded on a stock exchange nor operates as a bank. When comparing their regulatory credentials, each broker holds two Tier-1 licenses, highlighting their strong standing in the eyes of strict regulators. However, easyMarkets edges ahead slightly with one additional Tier-2 license, adding an extra layer of trust for their clients.
Both IC Markets and easyMarkets have earned identical Trust Score ratings of 84 out of 99 from ForexBrokers.com. This score places them in the "trusted" category, suggesting a reliable experience for traders. Regardless of which platform you choose, you can anticipate a level of security and trustworthiness grounded in solid regulatory oversight, making them prudent choices for anyone looking to dive into online trading.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2007 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 2 |
When it comes to commissions and fees, IC Markets stands out as one of the best low-cost forex brokers. With a flexible range of account choices, including the commission-free Standard account and the commission-based Raw Spread and cTrader Raw Spread accounts, traders can select the structure that suits their needs. Notably, IC Markets offers a more cost-effective pricing on its cTrader platform, with a commission rate of $3.0 per side for every 100,000 units, resulting in a competitive all-in cost. Additionally, IC Markets provides trader discounts for those exceeding 100 standard lots each month, enhancing its appeal to active traders. Consequently, IC Markets holds an impressive 5-star rating for commissions and fees and ranks 5th out of 62 brokers, earning Best in Class honors in the Commissions & Fees category.
In contrast, easyMarkets presents a straightforward commission structure with fixed spreads starting at 0.8 pips on their native platform and TradingView. However, using MT4 increases costs to 1.7 pips for the Standard account, while the VIP account offers a reduced spread of 0.7 pips. Their MT5 platform features a variable spread beginning at 0.7 pips. Though easyMarkets’ approach maintains transparency, it may not compete in terms of cost-efficiency with IC Markets for those prioritizing minimized trading costs. easyMarkets holds a 3.5-star rating and ranks 51st out of 62 brokers for its commissions and fees, reflecting its position in the market.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $200 | $25 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.62 | 0.8 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.62 | 0.8 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| 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 IC Markets and easyMarkets in terms of investment options, IC Markets stands out with an impressive offering of 3,583 tradeable symbols, significantly surpassing easyMarkets, which offers 230. Both platforms provide access to forex trading through CFDs or spot contracts, with IC Markets offering 61 tradeable forex pairs and easyMarkets offering 63. Although neither platform allows clients to buy exchange-traded securities on U.S. exchanges like Apple, IC Markets does enable the purchase of international exchange-traded securities, providing additional variety not available on easyMarkets.
Both platforms support copy trading and offer cryptocurrency derivatives, though not actual cryptocurrencies. When it comes to ratings, IC Markets has a higher score of 4.5 stars for its range of investments compared to easyMarkets' 3.5 stars. Furthermore, as per ForexBrokers.com, IC Markets ranks #25 out of 62 brokers for its variety of investment options, while easyMarkets ranks at #54, highlighting IC Markets as the stronger choice for investors seeking a broader range of trading opportunities.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3583 | 230 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 63 |
| 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). | 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 IC Markets and easyMarkets on trading platforms and tools, both brokers accommodate traders with free virtual demo accounts for simulated trading. However, easyMarkets stands out with its proprietary platform, while IC Markets leverages well-known platforms like MetaTrader 4 and 5, which are also supported by easyMarkets. Both platforms offer Windows-based desktop downloads and web-based trading options. Additionally, both provide copy trading capabilities, though IC Markets supports ZuluTrade whereas easyMarkets does not engage with this specific tool.
The range of technical tools also varies between the two. easyMarkets offers 30 drawing tools for charting compared to IC Markets' 15 drawing tools. In terms of customizing watch lists, easyMarkets provides more extensive options with 8 fields, against IC Markets’ 7 fields. While both brokers enable trading directly from a stock chart, they receive similar ratings of 4 stars for their trading platforms and tools. According to ForexBrokers.com, IC Markets ranks higher at #17 compared to easyMarkets at #35 out of 62 reviewed brokers, indicating a slight edge in platform effectiveness.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 15 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 8 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both IC Markets and easyMarkets offer mobile trading apps compatible with iPhones and Android devices, providing accessibility on the go for traders. One of the standout features of IC Markets is its capability to send stock and forex price alerts, a feature not found in easyMarkets. While easyMarkets excels by offering syncing of watchlist symbols between the mobile app and a client’s online account, IC Markets does not provide this synchronization. In terms of charting capabilities, easyMarkets leads by offering 81 technical studies compared to IC Markets' 30, although both apps allow users to draw trendlines and view various time frames on charts.
When it comes to saving drawings on charts, IC Markets helps users keep their analyses with automatic saving, a feature that easyMarkets lacks. Both platforms support creating watchlists with real-time quotes. Despite the differences in features, both apps have earned a respectable 4 out of 5 stars for their mobile trading experiences. According to ForexBrokers.com, IC Markets is ranked at #22 out of 62 brokers in the Mobile Trading Apps category, slightly ahead of easyMarkets, which stands at #29. These rankings and features highlight the unique strengths each platform offers, allowing traders to choose the one that best suits their needs.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | No |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 81 |
| 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.
When comparing IC Markets and easyMarkets for online trading research, both brokers offer valuable resources such as daily market commentary and access to high-quality forex news from reputable sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. Investors can find technical analysis tools from Trading Central and sentiment-based trading tools with both platforms. However, IC Markets stands out by also providing access to Autochartist, a respected provider of technical analysis tools, which easyMarkets does not include in their offerings.
Additionally, both IC Markets and easyMarkets feature practical economic calendars to help traders keep track of important global events. Despite easyMarkets providing a solid range of research tools, IC Markets holds a slightly higher edge with a research rating of 4 stars compared to easyMarkets’ 3.5 stars. On a broader spectrum, IC Markets ranks 22nd out of 62 brokers, while easyMarkets ranks 43rd in the Research category, indicating a more comprehensive research experience with IC Markets.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes |
| 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 entering the world of forex and CFD trading, both IC Markets and easyMarkets stand out with ample offerings. IC Markets provides a comprehensive suite of over 10 diverse educational materials such as articles, videos, and archived webinars, focusing primarily on forex and CFDs. Likewise, easyMarkets also meets this benchmark, delivering a wealth of similar resources to support newbie traders. Both platforms conduct monthly educational webinars and maintain a searchable archive, ensuring that novice traders have ongoing learning opportunities at their fingertips.
Delving deeper, IC Markets offers more than 10 beginner-specific videos, catering to those just starting out, and extends its educational support with advanced content for seasoned traders. easyMarkets matches this with its collection of educational videos tailored for both new and experienced traders. Both brokers provide an extensive investor dictionary with at least 50 trading terms clearly defined. However, in terms of education ratings, IC Markets edges ahead with a 4-star rating and ranks 16th out of 62 brokers, whereas easyMarkets follows closely with a 3.5-star rating and ranks 39th in the education category. Thus, while both brokers offer extensive educational tools, IC Markets slightly surpasses easyMarkets in terms of educational depth and recognition.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 IC Markets is better than easyMarkets. IC Markets finished with an overall rank of #20, while easyMarkets finished with an overall rank of #42.
IC Markets’ competitive pricing and scalable execution make it an excellent option for algorithmic traders. Though it supports an impressive range of third-party tools and plugins, IC Markets’ research and education offerings are not as impressive as those offered by industry leaders.
| Feature |
IC Markets
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 84 | 84 |
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Both IC Markets and easyMarkets do not provide the option to purchase actual (delivered) cryptocurrency but do offer the ability to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
When comparing online brokers, IC Markets supports PayPal, Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires for fund transactions but lacks ACH or SEPA transfer options, while easyMarkets facilitates ACH or SEPA transfers, along with Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires, but does not support 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 | IC Markets | easyMarkets | |
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| Trust Score | 84 | 84 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IC Markets Review | easyMarkets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IC Markets | easyMarkets | |
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| Regulation | IC Markets | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 84 | 84 | |
| Year Founded | 2007 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 3 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IC Markets | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | 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 | 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) | IC Markets | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | 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) | No | No |
| Investments | IC Markets | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3583 | 230 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 61 | 63 | |
| 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). | 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 | IC Markets | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.62 | 0.8 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.62 | 0.8 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IC Markets | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $200 | $25 | |
| 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 | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | IC Markets | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | IC Markets | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 8 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 15 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IC Markets | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 81 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IC Markets | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IC Markets | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | IC Markets | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | IC Markets Review | easyMarkets Review |
| Overall | IC Markets | easyMarkets | |
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| Trust Score | 84 | 84 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IC Markets Review | easyMarkets Review |
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