Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs IC Markets, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
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Interactive Brokers (founded 1977) and IC Markets (founded 2007) are both not banks. Interactive Brokers is publicly traded, while IC Markets is not. On ForexBrokers.com’s 0–99 Trust Score, 90–99 means highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and 59 or less not trusted. Interactive Brokers scores 99/99 (highly trusted); IC Markets scores 83/99 (trusted).
Regulation is the big divider. Interactive Brokers holds 8 Tier-1 licenses (from top-tier regulators) and 2 Tier-2 licenses (trusted regulators). IC Markets holds 2 Tier-1 licenses and no Tier-2 licenses. Put simply, Interactive Brokers offers deeper regulatory coverage and is a listed company, while IC Markets delivers a trusted profile without being publicly traded.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2007 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
Interactive Brokers and IC Markets are both strong choices for traders looking to keep commissions and fees low, but they do it in slightly different ways. Interactive Brokers charges commission-based forex pricing rather than marking up spreads, with EUR/USD costs that can work out to about 0.59 pips all-in after commission. Its pricing is especially attractive for larger or more active traders, though the minimum $2 per side can make very small trades less cost-effective. Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars and ranked #2 out of 36 brokers for Commissions and Fees.
IC Markets also stands out for low trading costs, especially on its Raw Spread and cTrader Raw Spread accounts. The broker offers a commission-free Standard account, plus commission-based options with very tight spreads and low commissions. On EUR/USD, the all-in cost can be around 0.62 pips on cTrader and about 0.72 pips on MetaTrader Raw Spread, which keeps it highly competitive for forex traders. IC Markets is rated 5 stars and ranked #5 out of 36 brokers for Commissions and Fees.
In simple terms, Interactive Brokers may appeal more to cost-focused traders who want low commission pricing and strong execution for bigger orders, while IC Markets offers a flexible mix of spread-only and commission-based accounts that can suit both casual and active forex traders. Both brokers deliver low fees overall, but Interactive Brokers ranks a bit higher in this category.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $200 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 0.62 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 0.62 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When it comes to the range of investments, Interactive Brokers offers more choice overall than IC Markets. Interactive Brokers lists 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, compared with IC Markets’ 3,583 symbols and 61 forex pairs. Both brokers offer forex trading as either a CFD or spot contract, and both give clients access to exchange-traded securities on international markets. However, only Interactive Brokers lets clients buy U.S.-listed shares such as Apple directly, and it also offers delivered cryptocurrency purchases, while IC Markets does not.
IC Markets does stand out for copy trading, which Interactive Brokers does not provide, and it offers cryptocurrency CFDs, which are not available at Interactive Brokers. Still, for investors looking for the widest selection of markets and assets, Interactive Brokers has the edge. It earns 5 stars for Range of Investments and is ranked #1 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while IC Markets is rated 4.5 stars and ranked #22.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 3583 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 61 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | No | 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.
Interactive Brokers and IC Markets both give traders a strong mix of platform choices, including free paper trading accounts, Windows desktop software, web-based trading, and the ability to trade directly from a chart. The biggest difference is that Interactive Brokers also offers its own in-house platform, while IC Markets does not. On the other hand, IC Markets stands out for traders who want copy trading and support for MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, which Interactive Brokers does not provide.
In terms of overall platform quality, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools and is ranked #2 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. IC Markets is rated 4 out of 5 stars and ranked #17 out of 36. For most traders, this means Interactive Brokers may be the better pick for platform depth and design, while IC Markets may be a better fit for those who prefer MetaTrader or copy trading options.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Interactive Brokers and IC Markets both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with stock or forex price alerts and the ability to draw trendlines on charts. That said, Interactive Brokers has a clear edge for mobile trading tools. Its app includes watchlist symbol syncing, so changes made on mobile and online stay aligned, while IC Markets does not offer this feature. Interactive Brokers also provides 155 technical studies in its mobile charting, compared with 30 at IC Markets.
In overall mobile app quality, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars and ranked #4 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while IC Markets is rated 4 stars and ranked #22. One area where IC Markets stands out is that it auto saves chart drawings in the app, whereas Interactive Brokers does not. For traders who want more charting options and tighter syncing between devices, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice for mobile trading apps.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Interactive Brokers and IC Markets both give traders useful market research, including daily commentary, news from major sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, Trading Central tools, a sentiment gauge, and an economic calendar. That means either broker can help you follow market moves and stay aware of key events, with both offering a similar base level of research for everyday trading decisions.
The main difference is in the extras. Interactive Brokers adds more third-party research, including TipRanks and Acuity Trading, while IC Markets includes Autochartist instead. These differences help explain why Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars for research and ranked #3 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while IC Markets is rated 4 stars and ranked #21.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners looking to learn the basics, Interactive Brokers and IC Markets both offer a strong range of educational content. Each broker provides forex and CFDs education with at least 10 learning pieces, monthly online webinars, and plenty of beginner and advanced videos. That means new traders can find lessons on core trading topics, along with more detailed material as their skills grow.
Even so, Interactive Brokers stands out more in this area. It earns a 5-star Education rating and ranks #1 out of 36 brokers for education at ForexBrokers.com, while IC Markets holds a 4-star rating and ranks #16. For beginners who want the widest and highest-rated learning support, Interactive Brokers has the edge, though IC Markets still offers a helpful selection of educational resources.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IC Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Interactive Brokers is better than IC Markets. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while IC Markets finished with an overall rank of #21.
Interactive Brokers is a highly trusted multi-asset broker with an extensive offering of tradeable global markets. It delivers competitive fees and high-quality research and education, as well as a modern, institutional-grade trading platform suite.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
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IC Markets
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| Trust Score | 99 | 83 |
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In this comparison of online brokers, Interactive Brokers allows the direct purchase of actual cryptocurrencies (not CFDs) but does not offer crypto CFDs, while IC Markets offers cryptocurrency CFDs but does not support buying the underlying coins.
Interactive Brokers vs IC Markets: for deposits and withdrawals, Interactive Brokers supports ACH/SEPA and bank wire transfers but not PayPal or Skrill, while IC Markets supports PayPal, Skrill, and bank wires but does not offer ACH/SEPA.
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 | Interactive Brokers | IC Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 83 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | IC Markets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | IC Markets | |
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| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 83 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2007 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 3583 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 61 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | No | 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 | Interactive Brokers | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 0.62 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 0.62 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $200 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | Yes |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | IC Markets Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | IC Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 83 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | IC Markets Review |
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