Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IFC Markets vs RoboForex, 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.
When evaluating the regulatory aspects of online brokers, IFC Markets and RoboForex have some notable differences. Founded in 2006, IFC Markets is not publicly traded and is not a bank, holding a Trust Score of 73, which places it in the average risk category according to ForexBrokers.com. It holds one Tier-2 license, indicating a standard level of trust. On the other hand, RoboForex, established in 2009, also isn't publicly traded or a bank, but it holds one Tier-1 license, suggesting a high level of trust, matching its identical Trust Score rating of 73.
Both brokers share the same Trust Score, putting them at average risk, but their licensing status sets them apart. RoboForex holds a Tier-1 license, which is generally seen as indicating more trustworthiness than IFC Markets’ Tier-2 license. Therefore, while both have similar trust ratings, RoboForex's regulatory credentials might offer additional peace of mind for traders prioritizing regulatory oversight.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
RoboForex
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2006 | 2009 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of IFC Markets and RoboForex, IFC Markets stands out with a solid performance. Although there is no specific data on average spreads for IFC Markets, they are rated 4 out of 5 stars for their commissions and fees. This ranking places IFC Markets at number 39 out of 62 brokers in the category, indicating a competitive edge in pricing within the industry.
In contrast, RoboForex, rated at 3.5 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees, faces challenges with its relatively high average spreads. For instance, on the Procent and Pro accounts, the spreads can reach 1.3 pips for EUR/USD, which may deter cost-conscious traders. Ranked 54 out of 62 brokers, RoboForex seems to lag behind many of its peers in terms of its fee structure.
Overall, for traders prioritizing cost-efficiency, IFC Markets appears to offer a more attractive option compared to RoboForex, considering its higher star rating and better ranking in commissions and fees. However, individual trading needs and strategies should always be considered when choosing a broker.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
RoboForex
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1 | $100 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.44 | 1.3 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
IFC Markets and RoboForex both offer access to forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts. However, they differ significantly in the range of tradeable symbols available. IFC Markets provides 630 tradeable symbols, including 49 forex pairs, whereas RoboForex offers a much larger selection with 8,400 tradeable symbols, although with only 28 forex pairs. Neither broker allows clients to purchase exchange-traded securities on U.S. exchanges, but IFC Markets grants access to international exchanges like the London Stock Exchange for stocks such as Vodafone, a feature not available through RoboForex.
Both platforms support copy trading and provide options to trade cryptocurrency derivatives rather than actual cryptocurrencies. RoboForex is rated higher at 4.5 stars for its range of investments, and ranks 20th out of 62 brokers in this category, indicating a broader investment offering. In contrast, IFC Markets is rated 3.5 stars and ranks 43rd, reflecting a more limited selection. RoboForex's advantage in the number of tradeable symbols is a key consideration for investors seeking a wide investment array.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
RoboForex
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 630 | 8400 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 28 |
| 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
When it comes to online trading platforms and tools, both IFC Markets and RoboForex offer a range of features tailored to meet the needs of traders. Both brokers provide free virtual demo accounts, allowing users to practice trading without financial risk. IFC Markets stands out by offering a proprietary platform developed in-house, while RoboForex does not have its own custom-built platform. However, both brokers provide access to popular trading platforms like MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), ensuring that traders have industry-standard tools at their fingertips. Additionally, each broker supports Windows-based desktop platforms and web-based trading for flexibility.
Traders interested in charting will find both IFC Markets and RoboForex to be equally equipped, offering 15 drawing tools to enhance technical analysis. Both brokers allow trading directly from stock charts and support the creation of watchlists with seven customizable columns. For those interested in social trading, both companies offer copy trading capabilities. In terms of industry recognition, IFC Markets is ranked #36 out of 62 brokers for their trading platforms and tools by ForexBrokers.com, while RoboForex sits slightly lower at #43. Despite this, both brokers share a solid four-star rating in this category, highlighting their competitiveness in providing essential trading tools.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
RoboForex
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No |
| 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) | 30 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When comparing the mobile trading apps of IFC Markets and RoboForex, both brokers offer apps compatible with iPhone and Android devices. Users can enjoy price alerts for stocks and forex on both platforms, ensuring they stay informed about market changes. Additionally, each app provides a robust set of 30 technical studies for chart analysis, allowing traders to make informed decisions. Traders can also draw trendlines on their charts and view multiple timeframes, such as daily or intraday, with both IFC Markets and RoboForex apps providing options to save these custom drawings.
However, a key difference lies in the syncing of watchlist symbols. IFC Markets supports the seamless syncing of watchlists between its mobile app and online account, while RoboForex lacks this feature. Despite both platforms offering watchlists with real-time quotes and receiving a solid rating of 4 stars for their mobile apps, RoboForex edges out slightly in industry rankings, placing at #43 compared to IFC Markets at #52, according to ForexBrokers.com. This subtle difference might sway traders who prioritize watchlist syncing and ranking within the industry.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
RoboForex
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 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.
Both IFC Markets and RoboForex cater to traders by offering daily market commentary, which can help keep you updated on the latest market trends. RoboForex, however, has a slight edge concerning news updates, as it provides forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, ensuring you get comprehensive and timely information. While neither broker offers tools from Autochartist, RoboForex stands out by providing Trading Central's technical analytics, which can aid in better decision-making for trades, whereas IFC Markets does not offer this feature. Furthermore, IFC Markets provides a sentiment-based trading tool, allowing traders insight into the market's current stance, a feature that RoboForex lacks.
In terms of additional research tools, RoboForex includes resources from Acuity Trading, enhancing its market analysis offerings, a feature not available with IFC Markets. Both brokers present economic calendars that track global news events, aiding in the preparation for market shifts. Despite differences in individual offerings, both IFC Markets and RoboForex are rated 3.5 stars for research, according to ForexBrokers.com. However, when ranked in the Research category among 62 brokers, RoboForex slightly outperforms IFC Markets, coming in at 37th compared to IFC Markets' 40th position.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
RoboForex
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to providing educational resources for beginners, IFC Markets stands out compared to RoboForex. IFC Markets offers an array of over 10 educational materials, including articles and videos focused on forex and CFDs, making it a solid choice for those new to trading. Additionally, IFC Markets provides a variety of over 10 videos specifically designed for beginners, making complex trading concepts more accessible. Their extensive investor dictionary, with over 50 investing terms, further aids beginners in getting acquainted with essential terminology.
In contrast, RoboForex falls short in terms of educational offerings for beginners. It does not meet the threshold of 10 educational pieces on forex or CFDs, nor does it provide educational videos targeted at introducing newcomers to trading. Both brokers do not offer monthly webinars or archives of recorded webinars, leaving a gap in interactive learning opportunities. Despite the differences, both IFC Markets and RoboForex are rated 3.5 stars for education by ForexBrokers.com. However, IFC Markets holds a higher rank, positioned at #30 compared to RoboForex's #56 out of 62 brokers, reflecting its stronger commitment to beginner education.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
RoboForex
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that IFC Markets is better than RoboForex. IFC Markets finished with an overall rank of #44, while RoboForex finished with an overall rank of #46.
IFC Markets is a well-established broker that has been in operation for 17 years. Forex traders at IFC Markets gain access to multiple trading platforms, a growing range of tradeable markets, and a balanced offering of research and educational content. However, IFC Markets’ Trust Score suffers due to the broker’s limited range of regulatory licenses.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
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RoboForex
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 73 | 73 |
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Both IFC Markets and RoboForex do not provide the option to purchase actual delivered cryptocurrency, but they do offer the ability to buy cryptocurrency derivatives.
When comparing online brokers IFC Markets and RoboForex in terms of deposit and withdrawal options, RoboForex offers a broader range of methods including ACH, SEPA transfers, PayPal, Skrill, in addition to Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires, while IFC Markets supports transactions via Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires only.
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 | IFC Markets | RoboForex | |
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| Trust Score | 73 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | RoboForex Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IFC Markets | RoboForex | |
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| Trading Platforms Gallery (click to expand) | |||
| Mobile Trading Gallery (click to expand) | |||
| Research Gallery (click to expand) | |||
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| Regulation | IFC Markets | RoboForex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 73 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 2006 | 2009 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 0 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IFC Markets | RoboForex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| 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). | No | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | IFC Markets | RoboForex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | IFC Markets | RoboForex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 630 | 8400 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 28 | |
| 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). |
| Cost | IFC Markets | RoboForex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.44 | 1.3 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IFC Markets | RoboForex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | IFC Markets | RoboForex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No | |
| 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 | IFC Markets | RoboForex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IFC Markets | RoboForex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 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 | IFC Markets | RoboForex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IFC Markets | RoboForex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | IFC Markets | RoboForex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | RoboForex Review |
| Overall | IFC Markets | RoboForex | |
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| Trust Score | 73 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | RoboForex Review |
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