Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IG vs Spreadex, 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.
Founded in 1974, IG stands out as a highly trusted name in the world of online brokers. With a maximum Trust Score of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, IG offers strong reassurance for its customers. The firm is publicly traded, reflecting a level of transparency and reliability conducive to investor confidence. Additionally, as a bank, IG carries a higher level of financial backing and regulation. This reputation is supported by its impressive regulatory credentials, holding 8 highly trusted Tier-1 licenses and 2 trusted Tier-2 licenses.
On the other hand, Spreadex, which started operations in 1999, presents a different profile. It maintains a Trust Score of 71, placing it in the average risk category according to ForexBrokers.com. Unlike IG, Spreadex is not publicly traded and does not have the additional financial security status of a bank. Regulatory-wise, Spreadex holds just 1 highly trusted Tier-1 license and lacks any Tier-2 licenses, possibly providing a narrower scope of regulatory assurance compared to IG. This makes Spreadex a more modest alternative in terms of global trust and financial backing.
| Feature |
IG
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1974 | 1999 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of online brokers IG and Spreadex, IG stands out with its sophisticated pricing models for different trading levels. IG is particularly attractive to active traders, offering a Forex Direct account that averages spreads of 0.62 on the EUR/USD pair with an all-in cost of 0.82 pips. Additionally, IG's active trader rebate program provides substantial cashbacks for high-volume traders, with rebates reaching 20% when trading over £300 million per month. The DMA account is a more advanced option for frequent traders, promising even lower fees and spreads. With these offerings, IG earns a top rating of 5 stars and ranks #8 out of 62 brokers in this category according to ForexBrokers.com.
In contrast, Spreadex offers a more straightforward fee structure with average spreads of 0.81 pips for the EUR/USD pair and a minimum spread of 0.6 pips for a good portion of the time. While Spreadex’s fees are competitive, IG provides a more nuanced fee system with better perks for those who meet trading volume requirements. Spreadex is rated with 4 stars and ranks #27 out of 62 brokers for commissions and fees, indicating solid but less comprehensive cost benefits compared to IG.
Choosing between IG and Spreadex depends on your trading volume and specific needs. IG is better suited for active traders who can benefit from its robust discount programs and tiered pricing, while Spreadex offers simplicity and reasonably competitive spreads. Both brokers have their strengths, but IG distinguishes itself with a more dynamic fee structure that's hard to match.
| Feature |
IG
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $0 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | 0.81 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing IG and Spreadex for their range of investments, both online brokers provide forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts. IG stands out with an impressive 19,537 tradeable symbols and 97 forex pairs, offering a wide selection for seasoned traders. Spreadex, while offering fewer options with 10,000 tradeable symbols and 52 forex pairs, still provides a comprehensive trading experience. However, one key difference lies in their offerings in exchange-traded securities. IG allows clients to invest directly in securities on U.S. and international exchanges, such as Apple and Vodafone shares, whereas Spreadex does not offer this option.
Both brokers are not geared towards copy trading and do not offer actual cryptocurrency purchases, although they do provide cryptocurrency derivatives for trading. Despite the variations in their offerings, both IG and Spreadex receive a top rating of five stars for their range of investments. IG holds a higher position, ranked #4 by ForexBrokers.com among 62 brokers in this category, whereas Spreadex comes in at #13, reflecting IG’s broader array of investment choices.
| Feature |
IG
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 10000 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 52 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No |
| 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.
IG and Spreadex both offer several appealing features for traders, including the availability of free virtual demo accounts for simulated trading. Both brokers have developed their own in-house trading platforms, ensuring a tailored experience for users. While IG stands out with its array of platform options, including a Windows-based desktop download and the popular MetaTrader 4, Spreadex focuses on web-based trading and does not support MetaTrader 4. However, neither platform offers copy trading or support for MetaTrader 5, DupliTrade, or ZuluTrade.
When it comes to trading tools, IG provides a more comprehensive set with 20 drawing tools compared to Spreadex’s 11. While both brokers allow trading directly from a stock chart, the watchlist functionality differs, with IG offering 5 customizable fields and Spreadex offering 8. Rated five stars by users for trading platforms and tools, IG ranks impressively at #2 among 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, showcasing its exceptional platform prowess. In comparison, Spreadex, with a four-star rating, places at #46 in the category, indicating room for growth despite offering some competitive features.
| Feature |
IG
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 58 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 20 | 11 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 5 | 8 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When it comes to mobile trading apps, both IG and Spreadex provide services for iPhone and Android users, ensuring easy access to the markets on-the-go. Both platforms let users set stock or forex price alerts and offer the ability to draw trendlines and view multiple time frames on charts. However, one of the standout features for IG is its watchlist symbol syncing, allowing seamless integration and updates between the mobile app and an online account—a feature that Spreadex does not offer. Furthermore, IG provides a comprehensive range of 33 technical studies for in-depth chart analysis, a feature that is not specified for Spreadex.
IG's mobile app has additional advantages such as auto-saving drawings on charts and allowing users to create watchlists with real-time quotes, enhancing the user experience. With these features, IG's app has earned a 5-star rating in mobile trading, placing it at the top of ForexBrokers.com's list out of 62 brokers. In contrast, Spreadex's mobile app receives a respectable 4-star rating but is ranked significantly lower at #46. These distinctions highlight IG's superior offering in mobile trading functionality and user satisfaction.
| Feature |
IG
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | N/A |
| 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 the market research offerings of IG and Spreadex, both brokers provide daily market commentary and deliver forex news from esteemed sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. They also utilize Autochartist tools for technical and fundamental analysis. Additionally, each provides a sentiment-based trading tool, and ensures access to an updated economic calendar for tracking important global events. However, the similarity ends there, as IG extends its market research with resources from TipRanks and offers tools from Acuity Trading, which are not available with Spreadex.
IG's comprehensive approach to research tools earns it a 5-star rating, topping the list at number two out of 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com. In contrast, Spreadex garners a 4-star score, placing it at number 31. This distinction highlights IG's edge in providing more expansive market research solutions compared to Spreadex, making it a preferred choice for traders who value in-depth market insights.
| Feature |
IG
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational resources for beginners offered by online brokers IG and Spreadex, it's clear that both provide a variety of learning materials for those new to forex and CFDs. IG stands out with its comprehensive offerings, including more than 10 educational pieces focused on these subjects, alongside a rich selection of over 10 beginner videos. Furthermore, IG engages its users with monthly educational webinars and offers access to a searchable archive of past sessions. In contrast, Spreadex also provides over 10 beginner-focused videos and educational content, but falls short by not hosting regular monthly webinars or offering a recorded sessions archive. Nevertheless, both platforms cater to beginners by providing an investor dictionary with at least 50 investing terms.
For more experienced traders, IG further elevates its educational offerings with over 10 advanced videos on trading topics, a benefit that Spreadex does not match. This comprehensive educational coverage is reflected in IG's top ratings, receiving 5 stars for education and securing the #1 spot out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. Spreadex, while still a formidable option with good resources, garners 4 stars and is ranked #45 by the same site. This positions IG as a more robust choice for beginners seeking extensive educational support in their trading journey.
| Feature |
IG
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| 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 IG is better than Spreadex. IG finished with an overall rank of #1, while Spreadex finished with an overall rank of #39.
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
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 71 |
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Both IG and Spreadex do not offer the ability to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency, but they do provide options for trading cryptocurrency derivatives.
When comparing online brokers IG and Spreadex in terms of deposit and withdrawal options, IG provides more versatility by offering ACH or SEPA transfers, PayPal, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires, while Spreadex supports Visa or Mastercard and bank wires, but lacks ACH, SEPA, and PayPal as options.
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 | Spreadex | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | Spreadex Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IG | Spreadex | |
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| Regulation | IG | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 71 | |
| Year Founded | 1974 | 1999 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IG | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | IG | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | IG | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 10000 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 52 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No | |
| 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 | IG | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.98 | 0.81 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IG | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | IG | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | IG | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 5 | 8 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 58 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 20 | 11 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IG | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 33 | N/A | |
| 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 | IG | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IG | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | IG | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | IG Review | Spreadex Review |
| Overall | IG | Spreadex | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | Spreadex Review |
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