Broker review
IG review: trading platforms, spread betting and companies
IG lists 13 companies in our data, from IG Markets Ltd and IG Index Ltd in the UK to tastyfx in the US. It offers 7 platforms and quotes EUR/USD from 0.6 pips on UK spread bets and CFDs, with no commission and no raw-spread account.
Low Spread Brokers does not give personal investment advice.
Verdict at a glance
IG
8.0/10
Entities 13
- Tier 1FCA195355
- Tier 1FCA114059
- Tier 1FCA944492
- Tier 1BaFin148759
- Tier 1ASICAFSL 515106
- Tier 2FMANot published
- Tier 1FINMANot published
- Tier 1MASNot published
- Tier 1DFSAF001780
- Tier 1JFSANot published
- Tier 2FSCANot published
- OffshoreBMANot published
- Tier 1CFTC/NFANFA ID 0509630
- Minimum deposit
- £1
- EUR/USD spread from
- 0.6 pips (UK spread bet/CFD, 19 Oct 2026)
- Max retail leverage
- 1:30 (major FX, retail; margin 3.33% on EUR/USD, GBP/USD) (FCA) · 1:30 (major FX spread bets, retail; margin 3.33%) (FCA)
- Platforms
- MT4, MT5, TradingView, proprietary, API, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer
- Founded
- 1974
70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (IG Markets Ltd / IG Index Ltd (UK)).
IG’s preliminary rating is 8.0/10: regulation 9.0/10, platforms 8.5/10, costs 7.6/10 and accounts 6.5/10. The accounts score is its lowest, because IG lists Standard, spread betting and Professional accounts only. All figures come from IG’s pages, checked 19 Oct 2026; we have not opened a live account. Read first: how we rankhow we make moneyeditorial policy
Quick answer
Is IG a good trading platform?
IG offers 7 platforms, the most of any broker in our data, ProRealTime and L2 Dealer among them, and three FCA companies for UK clients. Its EUR/USD price starts at 0.6 pips with the cost in the spread; 70% of retail accounts with its UK companies lose money, as IG publishes it.
- UK spread bets go through IG Index Ltd (FCA 114059); CFDs through IG Markets Ltd (FCA 195355).
- Tier 1 regulators across the group: FCA, BaFin, ASIC, FINMA, MAS, DFSA, JFSA and CFTC/NFA.
- Card deposits start from £1 per transaction in the UK; bank transfers have no minimum.
- Clients outside the listed countries may be served by IG International Limited in Bermuda, an offshore company.
IG pros and cons
Pros
- 7 platforms: MT4, MT5, TradingView, its own, an API, ProRealTime and L2 Dealer
- Spread betting and CFDs through separate FCA companies, with FSCS cover up to £85,000 as IG states it
- EUR/USD from 0.6 pips with no commission on UK accounts
- Bank transfers have no minimum deposit
Cons
- No raw-spread or swap-free account in our data
- 3 funding methods in our data: debit card, credit card and bank transfer
- Licence numbers not published for several non-UK companies, such as those in Singapore and Dubai
Entities and regulation
IG lists 13 companies in our data. The one that opens your account sets your leverage cap, negative balance protection and compensation scheme. Licence numbers are as the broker publishes them; check each on its regulator’s register.
| Entity | Regulator | Licence | Max. retail leverage | Negative balance protection | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IG Markets Ltd | Tier 1 FCA | 195355Checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026 | 1:30 (major FX, retail; margin 3.33% on EUR/USD, GBP/USD) | Yes | FSCS up to £85,000 (firm insolvency) |
| IG Index Ltd | Tier 1 FCA | 114059Checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026 | 1:30 (major FX spread bets, retail; margin 3.33%) | Yes | FSCS up to £85,000 (firm insolvency) |
| IG Trading and Investments Ltd | Tier 1 FCA | 944492Checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026 | Not published | Not published | FSCS up to £85,000 (firm insolvency) |
| IG Europe GmbH | Tier 1 BaFin | 148759Checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026 | Not published | Yes | EdW: 90% of claim up to €20,000 |
| IG Australia Pty Ltd | Tier 1 ASIC | AFSL 515106Checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026 | Not published | Yes | Not published |
| IG Markets Ltd (New Zealand) | Tier 2 FMA | Not publishedAs published by the broker | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| IG Bank SA | Tier 1 FINMA | Not publishedAs published by the broker | Not published | Not published | esisuisse up to CHF 100,000 |
| IG Asia Pte Ltd | Tier 1 MAS | Not publishedCompany checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026; the register does not list the number | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| IG Limited | Tier 1 DFSA | F001780Checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| IG Securities Ltd | Tier 1 JFSA | Not publishedAs published by the broker | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| IG Markets South Africa Ltd | Tier 2 FSCA | Not publishedAs published by the broker | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| IG International Limited | Offshore BMA | Not publishedAs published by the broker | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| tastyfx LLC | Tier 1 CFTC/NFA | NFA ID 0509630As published by the broker | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Which entity will I get?
Pick your region to see which company our data says would hold your account.
IG Markets Ltd · FCA · 195355 · Max retail leverage 1:30 (major FX, retail; margin 3.33% on EUR/USD, GBP/USD)
IG Europe GmbH · BaFin · 148759 · Max retail leverage Not published
IG Australia Pty Ltd · ASIC · AFSL 515106 · Max retail leverage Not published
IG Asia Pte Ltd · MAS · Not published · Max retail leverage Not published
tastyfx LLC · CFTC/NFA · NFA ID 0509630 · Max retail leverage Not published
IG International Limited · BMA · Not published · Max retail leverage Not published
Warnings and clones
Search each IG licence number on the regulator’s own register and compare the website address listed there with the one you are on. Clone firms copy real names and licence numbers.
Client money
Tier 1 regulators require client money to be held apart from the firm’s own money. An offshore company may not offer the same protection, and its compensation, if any, is the broker’s own arrangement.
Costs and fees
Spreads as IG publishes them, each with its account, check date and source page. Some rows are minimums (“from”) and some are averages, as the source labels them.
Spreads by pair and account
| Pair | Account | Published spread | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | UK spread bet/CFD | 0.6 pips from | 19 Oct 2026 | https://www.ig.com/uk/forex/markets-forex |
Commission
0 GBP per lot per side (UK spread bet/CFD forex (cost is in the spread))
Swaps
Overnight funding rates are not in our data for IG; check the funding charge shown on the deal ticket before holding a position overnight.
Non-trading fees
- Deposit fee
- Not in our data
- Withdrawal fee
- Not in our data
- Inactivity fee
- Not in our data
Account types
Account types listed for IG in our data (checked 19 Oct 2026); terms can differ by company. Minimum deposit: £1
- StandardCosts built into the spread, no separate commission.
- DemoVirtual money with live prices.
- Spread bettingUK spread bets: a stake per point instead of CFD contracts.
- ProfessionalFor clients who opt up: higher leverage, fewer retail protections.
Professional status
Opting up to professional status with IG removes retail protections such as leverage caps and negative balance protection.
Demo account
IG offers a demo account (checked 20 Oct 2026 on IG’s site). Virtual balance: £10,000 in virtual funds, pre-set by IG. How long it lasts: not published for the web-platform demo; the MT4 demo expires after 60 consecutive days of inactivity. Platforms: IG’s web platform and MT4. Demo results do not include slippage or the cost of a real loss. The IG demo account page on this site has the full terms.
Trading platforms
7 platforms in our data, more than any other broker we cover (checked 19 Oct 2026).
- MT4MetaTrader 4: expert advisors and a wide indicator library.
- MT5MetaTrader 5: more order types and timeframes than MT4.
- TradingViewPlace trades from TradingView charts.
- proprietaryThe broker’s own web and mobile platform.
- APIProgrammatic access for automated trading.
- ProRealTimeCharting and automated trading through ProRealTime.
- L2 DealerDirect market access for share CFDs.
Markets
- Forex
- CFDs, plus spread bets for UK clients
- Other markets
- Not recorded in our data; check the product list of the company that holds your account
Deposits and withdrawals
Funding methods listed on IG’s pages. Availability depends on your country and the company that holds your account.
- Debit card
- Credit card
- Bank transfer
List copied from the broker’s pages, checked 19 Oct 2026.
Before your first withdrawal
- Methods in our data
- 3
- Withdrawal fees and times
- Not in our data yet
- Where to check
- The deposits and withdrawals page of your company’s website
Score breakdown
Four criteria scored 0–10 from published data. Research and support show “not measured” until we open live accounts; the marker on each bar is the average of this page’s comparison set.
8.0/10
- CostsWeight 25%7.6Set average 7.8
- PlatformsWeight 15%8.5Set average 8.1
- RegulationWeight 25%9.0Set average 8.8
- AccountsWeight 15%6.5Set average 7.8
- ResearchWeight 10%Not measuredNot measuredSet average 0.0
- SupportWeight 10%Not measuredNot measuredSet average 0.0
Published data log
Every dated entry behind the figures on this review, copied from IG’s own pages. Licence rows show the leverage the broker publishes for that company.
| Checked | Entry | Published value |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2026 | EUR/USD spread, UK spread bet/CFD | 0.6 pips from |
| 19 Oct 2026 | Retail loss rate, IG Markets Ltd / IG Index Ltd (UK) | 70% |
| 19 Oct 2026 | Retail loss rate, IG Europe GmbH | 74% |
| Not published | Licence 195355, FCA: max. retail leverage | 1:30 (major FX, retail; margin 3.33% on EUR/USD, GBP/USD) |
| Not published | Licence 114059, FCA: max. retail leverage | 1:30 (major FX spread bets, retail; margin 3.33%) |
| Not published | Licence 944492, FCA: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence 148759, BaFin: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence AFSL 515106, ASIC: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence Not published, FMA: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence Not published, FINMA: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence Not published, MAS: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence F001780, DFSA: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence Not published, JFSA: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence Not published, FSCA: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence Not published, BMA: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence NFA ID 0509630, CFTC/NFA: max. retail leverage | Not published |
Our verdict on IG
8.0/10
IG suits UK traders who want spread betting or CFDs from FCA companies and a choice of 7 platforms. Its accounts score of 6.5/10 reflects what is missing: no raw-spread account, no swap-free account and three funding methods.
Choose it if
- you want spread betting from an FCA company
- you use ProRealTime, MT4, MT5 or TradingView
Look elsewhere if
- you want raw spreads with a commission
- you need a swap-free account
- you fund by e-wallet
70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (IG Markets Ltd / IG Index Ltd (UK)).
What changed
- 19 Oct 2026 Companies, EUR/USD spread, minimum deposit and UK and German loss rates collected from IG’s pages.
Alternatives to IG
Pepperstone, Vantage, ThinkMarkets and CMC Markets: other brokers with spread betting through an FCA company, in the order of this page’s rule.
- 1
Pepperstone
8.6/10- Minimum deposit
- £10
- EUR/USD spread from
- 0.0 pips
- Regulated by
- FCA, CySEC, BaFin, ASIC, DFSA, CMA (UAE), CMA Kenya, SCB
Read reviewVisit brokerUnpaid link73.6% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (Pepperstone Limited (UK)).
- 2
Vantage
8.0/10- Minimum deposit
- $50
- EUR/USD spread from
- 0.0 pips
- Regulated by
- FCA, ASIC, FSCA, CIMA, VFSC, FSC Mauritius
Read reviewVisit brokerUnpaid link72.65% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (Vantage Global Prime LLP).
- 3
ThinkMarkets
7.6/10- Minimum deposit
- $10
- EUR/USD spread from
- Not measured
- Regulated by
- FCA, CySEC, ASIC, ASIC, DFSA, FSCA, FSA Seychelles, CIMA, FMA, Unregulated
Visit brokerUnpaid link75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (TF Global Markets (UK) Limited).
- 4
CMC Markets
7.9/10- Minimum deposit
- £0
- EUR/USD spread from
- 0.0 pips
- Regulated by
- FCA, FCA, BaFin, ASIC, FMA, MAS, CIRO, DFSA
Visit brokerUnpaid link69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (CMC Markets UK plc).
Risk warning:
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Most retail investor accounts lose money. Consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford the high risk of losing your money.
Low Spread Brokers does not give personal investment advice.
FAQ
IG review: questions
Answers use IG’s published terms collected on 19 Oct 2026. Terms change: check the broker’s own page before you trade.
Ask a questionWe cannot give personal investment advice.
1Is IG a good trading platform?
IG offers 7 platforms in our data: its own web and mobile platform, MT4, MT5, TradingView, an API, ProRealTime and L2 Dealer. That gives it a platforms score of 8.5/10 on our preliminary rubric; execution is not assessed yet.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
2Is IG good for spread betting?
UK spread bets are offered by IG Index Ltd, FCA licence 114059 as IG publishes it. IG lists a 1:30 cap on major currency pairs for retail clients, negative balance protection and FSCS cover up to £85,000 if the firm fails.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
3Is IG safe?
Its UK companies are FCA-authorised and its EU company is supervised by BaFin; check each licence number on the register. Firm protection does not cover trading losses: 70% of retail accounts with IG’s UK companies and 74% with IG Europe GmbH lose money, as IG publishes it.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
4What is the difference between IG Index and IG Markets?
IG Index Ltd (FCA 114059) handles UK spread betting and IG Markets Ltd (FCA 195355) handles CFDs. A third UK company, IG Trading and Investments Ltd, is also FCA-authorised.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
5Does IG have a demo account?
IG offers a demo account (checked 20 Oct 2026 on IG’s site). Virtual balance: £10,000 in virtual funds, pre-set by IG. How long it lasts: not published for the web-platform demo; the MT4 demo expires after 60 consecutive days of inactivity. Platforms: IG’s web platform and MT4. Demo results do not include slippage or the cost of a real loss. The IG demo account page on this site has the full terms and sources.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
6What are IG’s fees on forex?
On UK spread bets and CFDs the cost is in the spread, from 0.6 pips on EUR/USD (checked 19 Oct 2026), with no commission. Overnight funding and other charges are on the IG fees page on this site.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
7Does IG accept US clients?
US residents are served by tastyfx LLC, a separate brand registered with the CFTC and NFA, not by IG’s UK or EU companies.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
Sources
Pages of IG behind the figures on this review. Their text prevails over ours.
- IG: spreads page (UK spread bet/CFD)Checked on 19 Oct 2026
- IG: commission and feesChecked on 19 Oct 2026
- IG: minimum depositChecked on 19 Oct 2026
- IG: retail loss rate, IG Markets Ltd / IG Index Ltd (UK)Checked on 19 Oct 2026
- IG: retail loss rate, IG Europe GmbHChecked on 19 Oct 2026
- IG: regulation, IG Markets LtdChecked on 19 Oct 2026
Check the company before you open a IG account
If you are in the UK, search FRN 114059 (spread bets) or 195355 (CFDs) on the FCA Register, then compare IG with the alternatives above.
CFDs are complex and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly.