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Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD brokers: leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto. Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as stock brokers: real shares and ETFs you own outright.

IC Markets

CFDCFD This broker offers CFD trading: leveraged contracts that follow the price of an asset without owning it. Switch the comparison to CFD to rate it on that. Available in your country IC Markets accepts clients from the country this site is for.
87CFDOverall score InvestinGoal score from 0 to 100, calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas (regulation, safety, costs, platforms and more). CFD and stock trading are scored separately: the number follows the side selected above. not offeredStocksOverall score InvestinGoal score from 0 to 100, calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas (regulation, safety, costs, platforms and more). CFD and stock trading are scored separately: the number follows the side selected above.
Open Account

72.52% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Best overall

Interactive Brokers

CFDCFD This broker offers CFD trading: leveraged contracts that follow the price of an asset without owning it. Switch the comparison to CFD to rate it on that. StocksStocks This broker lets you buy real assets that you own outright. Switch the comparison to Stocks to rate it on that. Available in your country Interactive Brokers accepts clients from the country this site is for.
85CFDOverall score InvestinGoal score from 0 to 100, calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas (regulation, safety, costs, platforms and more). CFD and stock trading are scored separately: the number follows the side selected above. 81StocksOverall score InvestinGoal score from 0 to 100, calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas (regulation, safety, costs, platforms and more). CFD and stock trading are scored separately: the number follows the side selected above.
Open Account

57.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Best for

What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders IC Markets and Interactive Brokers are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in Nigeria.
1 / 12

IC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers for crypto traders. Interactive Brokers, on the other hand, is better for day traders, long-term investors and futures traders. Professional traders, high-volume traders and scalpers can choose either IC Markets or Interactive Brokers.

Best for
Overall score IC Markets 87 not offered Interactive Brokers 85 -2 81
Day trading i
Long-term investing i
Professional traders i
High-volume traders i
Scalpers i
Swing traders i
News traders i
Algo traders i
Stock traders i
Crypto traders i
Futures traders i
Options traders i

Regulation

What we compare A comparison between the financial authorities that supervise IC Markets and the ones that supervise Interactive Brokers.
2 / 12

IC Markets and Interactive Brokers are both regulated by top-tier authorities, IC Markets by CySEC and ASIC (Australia) and Interactive Brokers by CBI Ireland, ASIC (Australia) and the SEC (United States).

Regulation
Section score IC Markets 100 not offered Interactive Brokers 100 100
Tier-1 regulators
ESMA (European Union) i CBI (Ireland)
FCA (United Kingdom) i
ASIC (Australia) i
CFTC (United States) i
NFA (United States) i
SEC (United States) i
CIRO (Canada) i
MAS (Singapore) i
SFC (Hong Kong) i
JFSA (Japan) i
FINMA (Switzerland) i
Tier-2 regulators
FMA (New Zealand) i
CBR (Russia) i
FSCA (South Africa) i
DFSA (Dubai) i
CSRC (China) i
ISA (Israel) i
LFSA (Malaysia) i
JSC (Jordan) i
CMA (Kenya) i
Tier-3 regulators
FSA (Seychelles) i
MMA (Maldives) i
SCB (Bahamas) i
FSC (Mauritius) i
VFSC (Vanuatu) i
FSC (Belize) i
CIMA (Cayman Islands) i
SV FSA (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) i
FSRC (St. Kitts & Nevis) i
BMA (Bermuda) i
BVI FSC (British Virgin Islands) i
EDR (External Dispute Resolution) i

Safety

What we compare A comparison of the tools and services that IC Markets and Interactive Brokers have in place to protect your money in Nigeria.
3 / 12

Both IC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer segregated client funds and two-factor authentication. Interactive Brokers also offers an investor compensation scheme and additional money insurance.

Safety
Section score IC Markets 65 -30 not offered Interactive Brokers 95 Best 95
Company info
Is it publicly traded i
Is it a bank i
Year founded i 2007 1978
Parent company i International Capital Markets Pty Ltd IBG LLC
CEO i Andrew Budzinski Milan Galik
Money safety
Segregated client funds i
Two-factor authentication i
Investor compensation scheme i
Additional money insurance i
Partner bank i N/A
Brand power
Number of customers worldwide i 3,337,000
Annual revenue i USD 6,205,000,000
Monthly website search traffic i 2.2M monthly visits

Costs

What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with IC Markets and with Interactive Brokers in Nigeria, both on each trade and on holding the account.
4 / 12

Interactive Brokers is better than IC Markets for CFD costs, because Interactive Brokers is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 3.33 USD per lot (against IC Markets' 7.55 USD), charges lower Bitcoin CFD fees, at 0.0012 USD (against IC Markets' 12.01 USD), and charges lower US stock CFD fees, at 0.01 USD (against IC Markets' 0.02 USD). Neither IC Markets nor Interactive Brokers charges inactivity fees or account maintenance fees.

Interactive Brokers and IC Markets cannot be compared for real stock costs, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while IC Markets is a CFD broker.

Costs
Section score IC Markets 79 -6 not offered Interactive Brokers 85 Best 43
Broker fees
Deposit fees i
Withdrawal fees i
Overnight fees i
Inactivity fees i
Currency conversion fees i
Discounts on volume i
Real time market data fee i
Dividend withholding i
Account opening fees i
Account maintenance fee i
Portfolio management fee i
Fees on CFDs
Forex commission per lot i USD 7 USD 4.65
EUR/USD average standard spread i
0.8 pips
0.1 pips
EUR/USD average raw spread i
0.01 pips
0.1 pips
EUR/USD average fixed spread i
EUR/USD total cost per lot i USD 7.55 USD 3.325
S&P 500 fees (CFD) i 0.492 points
Gold fees (CFD) i 0.09 points
Bitcoin fees (CFD) i USD 12.01 USD 0.0012
US stocks fees (CFD) i USD 0.02 USD 0.005
Fees on stocks
Stock fee type i Commission, Percentage
US stocks fees (real) i
ETF fees (real) i
Management costs i
Connection costs i
Fees on futures
Futures fees per contract i Free USD 0.85
Platform fees i
Fees on options
Options fees per contract i USD 0.65
Event fees i
Fees on savings plans
IRA opening fee i
IRA maintenance fee i
401k opening fee i
401k maintenance fee i

Available markets

What we compare A comparison of the markets and products you can trade with IC Markets and with Interactive Brokers in Nigeria, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.
5 / 12

Interactive Brokers is better than IC Markets for CFD markets, because Interactive Brokers gives access to 15,000 tradable symbols (against IC Markets' 180), lets you own bonds, crypto, ETFs, funds, forex and stocks outright, which IC Markets does not, and offers futures on bonds, commodities, crypto, forex and indices, which IC Markets does not. Both IC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, forex, indices and stocks.

There is no like-for-like comparison for real stock markets, as IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Available markets
Section score IC Markets 75 -25 not offered Interactive Brokers 100 Best 100
Total tradable symbols i 180 15,000
Currency pairs i
Indices i
Commodities i
Stocks i
ETF i
Cryptocurrencies i
Bonds i
Interest rates i
Portfolios i
CFDs i Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices, Stocks Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices, Stocks
Futures i Bonds, Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices
Options i Bonds, Commodities, Crypto, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks
Assets you can own i Bonds, Crypto, ETF, Funds, Forex, Stocks

Platform

What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that IC Markets and Interactive Brokers make available to their clients in Nigeria.
6 / 12

IC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers for platforms, because IC Markets offers cTrader, MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both IC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer TradingView and one-click trading.

Only Interactive Brokers can be assessed for platforms, since IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Platform
Section score IC Markets 89 Best not offered Interactive Brokers 80 -9 80
Proprietary platform i
MetaTrader 4 i
MetaTrader 5 i
cTrader i
Social trading platform i
Copy trading platform i
ZuluTrade i
TradingView i
Duplitrade i
Mirror Trader i
NinjaTrader i
AutoChartist i
Real time pricing i
5 digit pricing i
One-click trading i

Mobile

What we compare A comparison of the mobile apps of IC Markets and Interactive Brokers in Nigeria, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.
7 / 12

IC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers for mobile trading, as IC Markets offers the cTrader app, the MetaTrader 5 app and the MetaTrader 4 app, which Interactive Brokers does not. IC Markets and Interactive Brokers both offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.

Interactive Brokers and IC Markets cannot be compared for mobile trading, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while IC Markets is a CFD broker.

Mobile
Section score IC Markets 93 Best not offered Interactive Brokers 80 -13 80
Proprietary app i
Social trading app i
Copy trading app i
MetaTrader 4 app i
MetaTrader 5 app i
cTrader app i
Mobile trading signals i
Mobile alerts i
Mobile charting tools i
Mobile drawing tools i
Mobile watchlist i
Smartwatch app i

Trading features

What we compare A comparison of the trading tools and strategies that IC Markets and Interactive Brokers allow on their platforms in Nigeria.
8 / 12

IC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers for CFD trading features, as IC Markets offers VPS hosting, which Interactive Brokers does not. IC Markets and Interactive Brokers both offer trailing stops and tier-1 liquidity providers.

Interactive Brokers and IC Markets cannot be set side by side for real stock trading features, as IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike Interactive Brokers.

Trading features
Section score IC Markets 83 Best not offered Interactive Brokers 71 -12 73
Trade execution
Broker type i NDD NDD
Average execution time i 40 ms
Slippage occurrence i
Requotes occurrence i
Tier-1 liquidity providers i
PFOF i
Leverage
Major FX pairs leverage i 5000:1 30:1
Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i 5000:1 20:1
Major indices leverage i 200:1 20:1
Minor indices leverage i 200:1 10:1
Gold leverage i 2000:1 20:1
Commodities leverage i 1000:1 10:1
Equities leverage i 20:1 3:1
Cryptocurrency leverage i 500:1 2:1
Risk management
Stop losses i
Take profits i
Limit orders i
Trailing stop i
Margin call i
OCO orders i
Guaranteed stop loss i
Negative balance protection i
Minimum trade size (FX) i 0.01 lots 0.01 lots
Minimum trade size (stocks) i USD 0 USD 1
Fractional stocks i
Trading compliance
Scalping strategies allowed i
Hedging strategies allowed i
Automated trading strategy allowed i
EAs use allowed i
HFT strategy allowed i
VPS use allowed i
API use allowed i
Price scraping allowed i
FIFO rule applies i

Account types

What we compare A comparison of the kinds of account you can open at IC Markets and at Interactive Brokers in Nigeria, and of who each one is meant for.
9 / 12

IC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers for CFD account types, since IC Markets offers a corporate account, a managed account and an ECN account, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both IC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer a demo account and a professional traders account.

There is no like-for-like comparison for real stock account types, as IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Account types
Section score IC Markets 92 Best not offered Interactive Brokers 54 -38 53
Demo account i
Unlimited demo account i
Standard account i
Micro account i
Cent account i
Nano account i
Raw spread account i
ECN account i
Swap-free account i
Islamic account i
Professional traders account i
Fixed spread account i
Spread betting account i
Copy trading account i
Corporate account i
Managed account i
Stock investing account i
Margin investing account i
Savings account i
Retirement account i

Account opening

What we compare A comparison of what it takes to open and fund an account with IC Markets and with Interactive Brokers in Nigeria.
10 / 12

IC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers for account opening, as IC Markets supports e-wallets, which Interactive Brokers does not, credits deposits faster, within the same day (against Interactive Brokers' 1 day), and offers debit cards, which Interactive Brokers does not. Neither IC Markets nor Interactive Brokers requires a minimum deposit.

Only Interactive Brokers can be assessed for account opening, since IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.

Account opening
Section score IC Markets 95 Best not offered Interactive Brokers 65 -30 65
Minimum deposit i USD 0 USD 0
Minimum withdrawal i USD 0 USD 0
Wire transfers i
Credit cards i
Debit cards i
eWallets i PayPal, Neteller, Skrill
Local payment methods i
Account base currencies i AUD, CAD, CHF, EUR, GBP, HKD, JPY, NZD, SGD, USD AUD, CAD, CHF, CNY, CZK, EUR, GBP, HKD, HUF, JPY, MXN, NOK, NZD, RUB, SEK, SGD, USD
Deposit waiting time i Instant up to 1 business days
Withdrawal waiting time i up to 1 business days up to 1 business days
Bonus program i

Customer care

What we compare A comparison of the customer support of IC Markets and Interactive Brokers in Nigeria, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.
11 / 12

IC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers for customer care, as IC Markets offers customer support in 17 languages (against Interactive Brokers' 8), has a website in 17 languages (against Interactive Brokers' 8), and offers a dedicated account manager, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both IC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer phone support and live chat.

Interactive Brokers and IC Markets cannot be compared for customer care, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while IC Markets is a CFD broker.

Customer care
Section score IC Markets 87 Best not offered Interactive Brokers 58 -29 58
Number of languages supported i 17 8
Website languages i Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, German, English, French, Croatian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese
Website available in English i
Customer support languages i Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, German, English, French, Croatian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese
Customer support in English i
Call back request i
Email support i
Phone support i
Live chat i
Priority customer support i
Dedicated account manager i
Cash sweep i
Stock lending i
Distributes proceeds i
Tax withholding agent i
Tax assistance i

Learning

What we compare A comparison of the educational material that IC Markets and Interactive Brokers provide to their clients in Nigeria.
12 / 12

IC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers for learning, because IC Markets offers daily market commentary, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both IC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer education for advanced traders and webinars.

Interactive Brokers and IC Markets cannot be set side by side for learning, as IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike Interactive Brokers.

Learning
Section score IC Markets 100 Best not offered Interactive Brokers 92 -8 92
Education
Education center i
Education for beginners i
Education for advanced traders i
Webinars i
Tutorials i
Glossary i
Research
Economic calendar i
Traders' sentiment i
Daily market commentary i
Daily trading ideas i
News via social media i
Professional reports i
Watchlist i
IC Markets
Open Account 72.52% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Interactive Brokers
Open Account 57.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Our verdict

IC Markets vs Interactive Brokers: which one should you choose?

IC Markets

CFD Choose IC Markets, regulated by CySEC and ASIC, if you want a CFD and forex broker running MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and cTrader, with copy and social trading.

Open Account 72.52% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Interactive Brokers

CFD Choose Interactive Brokers, regulated by the SEC and the FCA, if you want an online CFD broker with low trading costs and a wide choice of markets.

Stocks Choose Interactive Brokers if you want a stockbroker with a wide choice of markets and reliable order execution.

Open Account 57.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Other popular comparisons

Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include IC Markets or Interactive Brokers, each scored with the same data and method as this page.

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