Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IG vs Eightcap, 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.
IG vs Eightcap: IG was founded in 1974 and is publicly traded and a bank, while Eightcap, founded in 2009, is privately held and not a bank. Both serve global traders, but their corporate setups differ, which can matter for transparency and oversight.
On regulation, IG holds 8 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses, whereas Eightcap holds 3 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-2. ForexBrokers.com rates IG at 99/99 (highly trusted; 90–99), and Eightcap at 87/99 (trusted; 80–89). For context, 70–79 is average risk, 60–69 high risk, and under 59 should not be trusted. Based on these ratings and licenses, IG has the stronger regulatory profile.
| Feature |
IG
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2009 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
When comparing IG vs Eightcap for commissions and fees, both brokers offer competitive pricing, but IG stands out more for active traders and larger orders. IG is rated 5 stars and ranked #7 out of 36 for Commissions and Fees by ForexBrokers.com. Its Forex Direct DMA account uses commission-based pricing with average EUR/USD spreads of about 0.62 pips, which works out to an estimated all-in cost of around 0.82 pips after commission. IG also offers CFD pricing that is fairly close to the industry average, plus volume-based rebates for high-trade professionals that can lower costs even further.
Eightcap is also competitively priced, especially on its Raw account, but it is a bit less favorable overall than IG in this category. Eightcap is rated 4.5 stars and ranked #20 out of 36. Its Raw account shows very tight average spreads of 0.06 pips, but once the $3.50 per-side commission is added, the all-in cost comes to about 0.76 pips, which is slightly below the industry average but not quite as strong as the lowest-cost brokers.
In simple terms, IG is the better pick if you want more ways to reduce trading costs, especially as your volume grows, while Eightcap still offers reasonable pricing for everyday forex trading. If commissions and fees are your main concern, IG has the edge overall thanks to its stronger rating, higher ranking, and better options for active traders.
| Feature |
IG
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £1 | $100 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.91 | 1.0 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 0.76 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
IG offers a much wider range of investments than Eightcap, making it the stronger choice for traders who want more market access. IG supports forex trading as a CFD or spot contract and lists 19,537 tradeable symbols, including 97 forex pairs. It also lets clients trade exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, and buy actual cryptocurrency as well as crypto CFDs. By comparison, Eightcap also offers forex CFDs or spot contracts and crypto CFDs, but it has just 803 tradeable symbols and 55 forex pairs, with no access to exchange-traded shares or delivered crypto.
For range of investments, IG is rated 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 36 brokers, while Eightcap is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #29. In simple terms, IG gives investors far more choice across forex, shares, and crypto, while Eightcap has a narrower selection focused mainly on forex and crypto CFDs.
| Feature |
IG
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 803 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 55 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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.
IG and Eightcap both give traders a good range of platform choices, including free demo accounts, desktop downloads for Windows, web-based trading, and access to MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Both brokers also let you trade directly from charts, which can make it easier to place orders while you are watching price moves. Neither broker offers copy trading, so if you want to follow other traders automatically, you will need to look elsewhere.
The biggest difference is that IG also has its own in-house trading platform, while Eightcap does not. That extra choice helps explain IG’s stronger ratings for trading platforms and tools: IG earned 5 out of 5 stars and ranked #1 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Eightcap scored 4 out of 5 stars and ranked #31. For traders who want a wider platform lineup and a top-rated overall experience, IG has the edge, while Eightcap still covers the main essentials well.
| Feature |
IG
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 100 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
IG and Eightcap both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with price alerts and watchlist syncing between the app and your online account. Each app also lets you draw trendlines on charts, and both automatically save those drawings, which makes it easier to pick up where you left off. For everyday use, both brokers cover the basics well and give traders the tools they need to stay on top of the market while on the move.
Where IG stands out is in its overall mobile app experience. IG is rated 5 stars for Mobile Trading Apps and is ranked #1 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while Eightcap is rated 4 stars and ranked #31. Eightcap does offer more chart studies in its app, with 100 technical indicators compared with IG’s 33, so chart-focused traders may prefer it for that reason. Still, IG comes across as the stronger choice overall for mobile trading, while Eightcap offers a good app with a few extra charting options.
| Feature |
IG
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 100 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, IG has the edge over Eightcap. Both brokers offer daily market commentary, a sentiment tool, Acuity Trading research, and an economic calendar, so traders get a solid base of daily updates and market timing ideas either way. But IG goes further with forex news from major outlets like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, plus Autochartist and TipRanks, which can give traders more depth when looking for trade ideas and market signals. IG is also rated 5 stars for Research and ranks #2 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com.
Eightcap still covers the basics well, with daily commentary, sentiment data, Acuity Trading tools, and an economic calendar, but it lacks the extra research sources and tools that help IG stand out. It does not offer top-tier forex news, Autochartist, or TipRanks, and it is rated 3.5 stars for Research, ranking #33 out of 36 brokers. For traders who want more market insight and a wider set of research tools, IG is the stronger choice overall.
| Feature |
IG
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to learning support for beginners, IG stands out as the stronger choice compared with Eightcap. IG offers forex and CFDs education, regular online educational client webinars, at least 10 beginner trading videos, and at least 10 advanced videos for more experienced traders. This wide range of learning tools helps new traders build a solid starting point and gives them room to keep learning as they gain confidence. IG is also rated 5 out of 5 stars for Education and ranks #7 out of 36 brokers in the ForexBrokers.com Education category.
Eightcap also provides some useful learning content, including at least 10 beginner trading videos, but it does not offer monthly educational webinars and does not match IG’s range of advanced video lessons. Its education rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars, and it ranks #31 out of 36 brokers for Education. For beginners who want more guided support and a broader mix of forex and CFD learning materials, IG offers the better educational experience.
| Feature |
IG
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that IG is better than Eightcap. IG finished with an overall rank of #1, while Eightcap finished with an overall rank of #30.
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
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Eightcap
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 87 |
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IG vs Eightcap: IG supports buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies as well as trading cryptocurrency CFDs, whereas Eightcap offers only cryptocurrency CFDs and does not support purchasing delivered crypto.
IG vs Eightcap: both brokers support bank wire transfers and PayPal for deposits and withdrawals, IG also offers ACH/SEPA but not Skrill, while Eightcap supports Skrill but not ACH/SEPA; Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either.
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 | Eightcap | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 87 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | Eightcap Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IG | Eightcap | |
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| Regulation | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 87 | |
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2009 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| 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 | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 803 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 55 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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 | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.91 | 1.0 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 0.76 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £1 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 100 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 100 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | IG Review | Eightcap Review |
| Overall | IG | Eightcap | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 87 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | Eightcap Review |
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