menuclose
Back to Main Menu
ForexBrokers.com is committed to the highest ethical standards and reviews services independently. Learn How We Make Money

Pepperstone vs IFC Markets 2026

ForexBrokers.com

Written by ForexBrokers.com

February 05, 2025
  Fact Checked

In this head to head comparison of Pepperstone vs IFC Markets, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.

Pepperstone
4.5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0
  • Trust Score: 94
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 1726
IFC Markets
4/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $1
  • Trust Score: 73
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 630

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.

Regulation

Pepperstone (founded 2010) and IFC Markets (founded 2006) are online brokers that are not publicly traded and are not banks. Both offer access to global markets, but their regulatory footprints differ in meaningful ways that matter for everyday traders.

Pepperstone holds 3 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses, while IFC Markets holds 1 Tier-1 license and no Tier-2 licenses. Reflecting this, Pepperstone’s ForexBrokers.com Trust Score is 94/99—classified as highly trusted (90–99). IFC Markets scores 73/99, which falls into the average risk category (70–79). These ratings help indicate how strictly each broker is overseen and the level of protection clients can expect.

Feature Pepperstone logoPepperstone
IFC Markets logoIFC Markets
Year Founded info 2010 2006
Publicly Traded (Listed) info No No
Bank info No No
Tier-1 Licenses info 3 1
Tier-2 Licenses info 2 0
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 2 5

Fees

Pepperstone comes out ahead on commissions and fees, especially for active forex traders. Its Razor account uses commission-based pricing and, on EUR/USD, showed an average spread of 0.10 pips in July 2024. After adding the commission equivalent of 0.70 pips, the all-in cost was 0.80 pips, which is close to the industry average. Pepperstone’s Standard account is commission-free, but its average EUR/USD spread of 1.1 pips makes it the pricier choice. Pepperstone is rated 5 stars and ranked #6 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees.

IFC Markets is a bit less competitive on pricing overall, with an average EUR/USD spread of 1.44 pips, which is above the industry average of 1.08. Its newer ECN account offers better value for more active traders, with effective spreads around 1.1 pips after the 0.005% commission on both sides of a trade. IFC Markets also stands out for having no inactivity fees and offering active trader discounts, which can help lower costs for some clients. IFC Markets is rated 4 stars and ranked #32 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees.

Overall, Pepperstone has the stronger edge on fees, mainly because its Razor account can be cheaper for frequent traders and its active trader rebates can further reduce costs. IFC Markets can still be a reasonable option, especially if you value no inactivity fee and can take advantage of its ECN pricing or discounts, but Pepperstone is the better pick for lower trading costs in most cases.

Feature Pepperstone logoPepperstone
IFC Markets logoIFC Markets
Minimum Deposit info $0 $1
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info 1.1 info 1.44 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.8 info 1.1 info
Non-wire bank transfer info Yes No
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No No
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Featured Offers


Range of investments

Pepperstone offers a wider range of investments than IFC Markets, making it the stronger choice for traders who want more market options. Pepperstone lists 1,726 tradeable symbols and 65 forex pairs, compared with IFC Markets’ 630 symbols and 49 forex pairs. Both brokers support forex trading, copy trading, and crypto CFDs, but neither lets clients buy actual cryptocurrency or U.S.-listed shares as delivered assets.

The main difference is that IFC Markets does offer exchange-traded securities on international exchanges, while Pepperstone does not. Even so, Pepperstone earns a higher Range of Investments rating, with 4 stars and a #23 ranking out of 36 brokers from ForexBrokers.com, versus IFC Markets’ 3.5 stars and #31 ranking. For traders focused on variety, Pepperstone has the edge overall.

Feature Pepperstone logoPepperstone
IFC Markets logoIFC Markets
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 1726 630
Forex Pairs (Total) info 65 49
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info No No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info No Yes
Copy Trading info Yes Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info No No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info 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.

Trading platforms and tools

Pepperstone and IFC Markets are closely matched when it comes to trading platforms and tools, since both brokers offer a free demo account, a proprietary platform, web-based trading, Windows desktop downloads, copy trading, MetaTrader 4, and MetaTrader 5. Each also lets traders place orders directly from a chart, which can make trading faster and easier for users who like to act from within their analysis screen.

For platform quality, both brokers are rated 4 out of 5 stars by ForexBrokers.com, but Pepperstone holds the stronger ranking in this category, coming in at #21 out of 36 brokers compared with IFC Markets at #29. Overall, the two brokers offer a very similar set of tools, but Pepperstone has the edge in the independent ranking.

Feature Pepperstone logoPepperstone
IFC Markets logoIFC Markets
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes Yes
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info Yes Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 15 30
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.

Forex trading apps

Pepperstone and IFC Markets both give mobile traders a very similar app experience. Each broker offers iPhone and Android apps, plus price alerts, watchlist syncing between the app and online account, 30 technical studies for charting, trendline drawing, and auto-saving chart drawings. Both mobile apps are also rated 4 out of 5 stars for Mobile Trading Apps, so on features alone, they are closely matched.

The main difference is in ForexBrokers.com’s ranking, where Pepperstone places higher at #19 out of 36 brokers, compared with IFC Markets at #34. For everyday mobile trading, though, both brokers cover the key basics well, making either one a practical choice for traders who want to track markets, manage watchlists, and analyze charts from a phone or tablet.

Feature Pepperstone logoPepperstone
IFC Markets logoIFC Markets
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 30 30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

Pepperstone and IFC Markets both give traders daily market commentary, a sentiment tool that shows long and short positioning, and an economic calendar with current and upcoming global events. Each broker also covers the basics well for staying on top of the markets. Pepperstone goes further by offering forex news from major sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, plus Autochartist tools for technical and fundamental research. IFC Markets does not offer those news or Autochartist features, and neither broker provides Trading Central, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading research tools.

For market research overall, Pepperstone has the edge. It is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranked #13 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while IFC Markets is rated 3.5 stars and ranked #30. If you want broader research coverage and more third-party market news, Pepperstone is the stronger choice; if you only need the core tools, IFC Markets still covers the essentials.

Feature Pepperstone logoPepperstone
IFC Markets logoIFC Markets
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes No
Autochartist info Yes No
Trading Central info No No
Client sentiment data info Yes Yes
TipRanks info No No
Acuity Trading info No No
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

Pepperstone is the stronger choice for beginners who want more help learning forex and CFD trading. It offers a large range of education focused on these markets, including regular online webinars, at least 10 beginner videos, and at least 10 advanced videos for traders who want to go further. That support is reflected in its 4.5-star Education rating and its #15 ranking out of 36 brokers on ForexBrokers.com.

IFC Markets also offers beginner and advanced trading videos, but it falls behind Pepperstone in overall learning support. It does not provide monthly educational webinars, and its Education rating is 3.5 stars with a #25 ranking out of 36. For new traders looking for more frequent live learning and a wider range of forex and CFD education, Pepperstone stands out as the better option.

Feature Pepperstone logoPepperstone
IFC Markets logoIFC Markets
Webinars info Yes No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.

Winner

After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Pepperstone is better than IFC Markets. Pepperstone finished with an overall rank of #17, while IFC Markets finished with an overall rank of #33.

Pepperstone offers a growing range of tradeable markets, good-quality research, and support for multiple social copy trading platforms.

Feature Pepperstone logoPepperstone
IFC Markets logoIFC Markets
Overall Rating info 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trust Score info 94 73
Range of Investments 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Pepperstone or IFC Markets?

Pepperstone vs IFC Markets: neither broker lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both support trading cryptocurrency CFDs instead.

What funding options does each broker offer?

Pepperstone vs IFC Markets: Pepperstone supports ACH/SEPA transfers, PayPal, and bank wire deposits and withdrawals, while IFC Markets supports bank wires but not ACH/SEPA or PayPal; neither broker offers Skrill, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either.

More Comparisons

Pepperstone vs Questrade Pepperstone vs Tickmill Pepperstone vs Exness Pepperstone vs AvaTrade Pepperstone vs OANDA Pepperstone vs Charles Schwab IFC Markets vs eToro IFC Markets vs AvaTrade IFC Markets vs CMC Markets IFC Markets vs Tickmill IFC Markets vs FP Markets IFC Markets vs BlackBull Markets

Show all



announcementPlease 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.

Select Brokers

↓×
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxActivTrades
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxAvaTrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxBlackBull Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCapital.com
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCharles Schwab
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCity Index
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCMC Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxEightcap
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxeToro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxExness
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFOREX.com
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFP Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFXCM
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFxPro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxHFM
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxHYCM (Henyep Capital Markets)
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIC Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIFC Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIG
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxInteractive Brokers
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIUX
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxOANDA
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxOcta
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxPepperstone
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxPlus500
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxQuestrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSaxo
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSpreadex
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSwissquote
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTickmill
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTrading 212
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxVantage
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxXM Group
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxXTB

Compare

0 of 5
× Pepperstone
× IFC Markets
Sponsored

+ Add Broker

Close Menu ×

navigate_before navigate_next
Overall Rating Pepperstone IFC Markets
Overall Rating info 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Range of Investments 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Education 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trust Score info 94 73
Winner check_circle
Review Pepperstone Review
Broker Screenshots Pepperstone IFC Markets
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info
Pepperstone cTrader mobile watchlist Pepperstone TradingView platform web. Pepperstone research The Daily Fix analysis articles. Pepperstone educational learning center.
Regulation Pepperstone IFC Markets
Trust Score info 94 73
Year Founded info 2010 2006
Publicly Traded (Listed) info No No
Bank info No No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info
Tier-1 Licenses info 3 1
Tier-2 Licenses info 2 0
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 2 5
Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) Pepperstone IFC Markets
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info Yes
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info No
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info No
Japan (FSA Authorised) info No
Singapore (MAS Authorised) info No
Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) info
United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) info Yes
USA (CFTC Authorized) info No
New Zealand (FMA Authorised) info No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info
Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) Pepperstone IFC Markets
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info Yes
Israel (ISA Authorised) info No
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info No Yes
UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) info Yes
India (SEBI Authorised) info No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info
Investments Pepperstone IFC Markets
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 1726 630
Forex Pairs (Total) info 65 49
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info No No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info No Yes
Copy Trading info Yes Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info No No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info 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 Pepperstone IFC Markets
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info 1.1 info 1.44 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.8 info 1.1 info
Inactivity Fee info No No
Order execution: Agency info Yes Yes
Order execution: Market Maker info Yes Yes
Funding Pepperstone IFC Markets
Minimum Deposit info $0 $1
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No No
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes
Non-wire bank transfer info Yes No
Trading Platforms Pepperstone IFC Markets
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes Yes
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info Yes Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info Yes Yes
cTrader info Yes No
Trading Tools Pepperstone IFC Markets
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 15 30
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes
Charts can be saved info Yes Yes
Mobile Trading Pepperstone IFC Markets
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] info
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 30 30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info Yes Yes
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Research Pepperstone IFC Markets
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes No
Autochartist info Yes No
Trading Central info No No
TipRanks info No No
Client sentiment data info Yes Yes
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Education Pepperstone IFC Markets
Webinars info Yes No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Major Forex Pairs Pepperstone IFC Markets
GBP/USD [DELETED] info
USD/JPY [DELETED] info
EUR/USD info Yes Yes
USD/CHF [DELETED] info
USD/CAD [DELETED] info
NZD/USD [DELETED] info
AUD/USD [DELETED] info
Review Pepperstone Review
Overall Pepperstone IFC Markets
Overall Rating info 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Range of Investments 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Education 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trust Score info 94 73
Winner check_circle
Review Pepperstone Review
arrow_upward

close
navigate_before navigate_next