IG Review 2025

Trust

IG Regulators

In our reviews, we examine the regulatory status of each entity operated by a broker. This allows us to compare the different levels of client protection. We rank regulators using a three-tier system, where Tier-1 licensing reflects the highest level of regulation.

Here are my findings on IG’s various entities:

• IG Markets Ltd (Register number 195355) is authorized and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). We rate FCA as a Tier 1 regulator.
• IG Europe GmbH (registration number 148759) is authorized and regulated by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). We rate BaFin as a Tier 1 regulator.
• IG Pty Ltd. is regulated by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC), ACN 074 536 100. We rate ASIC as a Tier 1 regulator.
• IG US LLC is a registered retail foreign exchange dealer (RFED) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and a member of the National Futures Association (NFA ID 0509630). We rate CFTC and NFA as Tier-1 regulators.
• IG Bank S.A. is authorized and regulated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). We rate FINMA as a Tier 1 regulator.
• IG Asia Pte Ltd (Co.Reg.No. 200510021K) is regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). We rate MAS as a Tier 2 regulator.
• IG Limited is authorized and regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) under reference No. F001780. We rate DFSA as a Tier 2 regulator.
• IG Markets South Africa Limited is an authorized over-the-counter derivative provider and is regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA). We rate FSCA as a Tier 2 regulator.
• IG Securities Limited is a member of the Japanese Financial Services Agency (JFSA). We rate JFSA as a Tier 1 regulator.
• IG International Limited is licensed to conduct investment business and digital asset business by the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA). We rate BMA as a Tier 3 regulator.

Understanding the Regulatory Protections of Your Account

Brokers operate multiple entities to serve clients globally, yet regulatory protections vary by jurisdiction. Some regulators enforce strict financial standards, while others are more lenient. Traders should understand the protection offered by the entity where they intend to open an account.

• Segregation of client funds. Keeping client funds in segregated bank accounts from the ones used for the broker’s corporate capital negates the risk of accounting errors. All of IG’s entities ensure this.
• Negative balance protection. This safety mechanism removes the risk of trading losses exceeding the account balance. In other words, the losses you incur from trading are capped at the amount you have put in your trading account. This is especially important in volatile markets. The UK and EU entities provide negative balance protection.
• Compensation scheme. A compensation scheme protects retail traders against the broker’s liabilities in the unlikely event that the company becomes insolvent. Clients of IG Markets Ltd are insured by FSCS for up to £85,000.
• Maximum leverage. Capping the maximum leverage restricts the extent of market exposure to retail traders. The higher the leverage, the higher the potential profits and potential losses. IG’s entity with the highest leverage, 1:200, is the offshore IG International Limited.

Stability and Transparency

In our tests for the Trust category, we also cover factors relating to stability and transparency. Here, we focus on the broker’s operating history, size, and overall transparency.

IG traces its origins to 1974, marking it as one of the oldest and most experienced forex brokers. According to its LinkedIn page, the company is headquartered in London and has 1,001-5,000 employees.

In my research, IG showed high transparency in its regulatory status, listing its regulator in the footer of each page of the ig.com/uk website. The website breaks down fees clearly on the Costs and Charges page. Traders can find the Customer Agreement on the Terms and Agreements page.

Is IG Safe to Trade With?

To summarize, my findings indicate that IG can be regarded as having a high level of trust and stability due to the following qualities:

• Regulated by multiple top-tier regulators
• 50 years of operating history
• Publicly traded company valued at over £3.5 billion
• High level of transparency

Fees

IG Trading Fees

IG Spreads

I tested the spreads at IG during the London open and just after the New York open on 6 January 2025. At these times, the market is typically highly liquid with the tightest spreads.

My hands-on tests showed that IG excels in forex major pairs, where spreads are as low as 0.6 pips. Indices are another area of strength, with better-than-average spreads. Commodities and Bitcoin were closer to average or a little worse. Due to the high commissions, trading CFDs on shares can be rather expensive at IG.

Commissions

In the case of CFDs on shares, IG doesn’t widen the spread, and clients deal at the real market price. Instead, IG takes commissions when traders open and close positions. In each instance, a minimum charge applies.

My assessment is that commissions on CFDs on shares are relatively high. For example, if you were to buy just one share of NVDA, you would have to pay $15 in commissions per side ($30 round trip) due to the minimum charge.

IG Swap Fees

The table below shows the Swap Long (the cost/credit of holding a buy position overnight) and the Swap Short (the cost/credit of maintaining a sell position overnight) for one full-sized contract.

A full-sized contract is 100,000 units of the base currency (the first currency quoted in the pair). I recorded the data on 7 January 2025.

The values listed below are for one full contract (100,000 units) of the base currency.

My tests showed that swap fees at IG are average for the industry.

IG Non-Trading Fees

IG does not charge any fees for deposits, withdrawals, or account inactivity.

Are IG Fees Competitive?

I rate the fees at IG as competitive overall for the following reasons:

• Spreads as low as 0.6 pips in popular forex pairs
• No account-related fees
• No inactivity fee or deposit/withdrawal fees
• Average swap fees

Platform and Tools

IG Online Trading Platform

The award-winning IG Online Trading Platform is intuitive, highly customizable, and packs an impressive range of features, including watchlists, a news feed, alerts, one-click trading, trading from the chart, trading signals, and client sentiment data.

The IG Platform is web-based and accessible via your browser without any downloads. The interface is clean and simple, making it easy for new traders to get up and running.

Watchlists are an essential part of a trader’s toolkit, enabling you to group markets of your choice together in a single easy-to-find place. With watchlists there’s no need to waste time searching for your favorite markets – you can stay on top of prices with just a glance.

The ability to customize and save workspaces was a great help to me in executing my strategies. I created unique workspaces for each asset class, such as forex, metals, and energies. By flipping through these via the tabs at the top left of the platform, I was able to scan the charts of multiple markets in a short time to find trading opportunities.

The IG Online Platform has a built-in news feed from Thomson Reuters, which publishes a steady stream of stories throughout the day. The feed includes updates on major economic releases and central bank policy. The News and Analysis section also covers technical analysis, key support and resistance levels, and trade ideas.

IG provides client sentiment data drawing from its user base of over 300,000 clients. Sentiment data shows the percentage of traders that are long or short in a currency pair. This gives you powerful insight into the psychology of a market. Traders can interpret the data in a variety of ways. Most commonly, it is understood that when an extreme percentage of traders are either long or short an instrument, a trend reversal may be coming.

Charting within the IG Online Platform is robust, with a better-than-average range of indicators, drawing tools, time frames, and chart types. Traders can make use of the following range of charting features:

• 33 Indicators
• 17 Time frames
• 19 Drawing Tools
• 5 Chart Types

The IG Online Platform provides flexibility with a strong range of available order types:

• Market order
• Limit order
• Stop loss
• Trailing stop
• Guaranteed stop loss (UK only)

Time-in-force conditions can be applied to pending orders. You can specify the duration for which your open order remains active by marking it as ‘Good Till Canceled’ (GTC) or setting it to expire on a future date of your choice.

The IG Online Platform has a sophisticated range of alerts to help optimize your trading performance. You can set up alerts to inform you about price movements, news events, and even emerging technical patterns.

• Price level alerts are triggered when your market hits the price you set.
• Price change alerts trigger when a market moves your chosen amount. These can be set in pips or percentage terms.
• Technical indicator alerts tell you when a market meets your technical conditions. For example, you can receive an alert when RSI crosses the 70 level into overbought conditions.
• Economic calendar alerts remind you of key economic releases.

The platform also provides trading signals from third-party Autochartist and PIA First, showing a bullish or bearish bias for various instruments in a short-term and intraday time frame.

Trade Analytics Tool

The IG Trade Analytics Tool, accessible via the My IG client portal, provides valuable insights into your trading strengths and weaknesses. The tool shows a transparent summary of the total returns from your closed positions, including all fees and adjustments. Key metrics like return rate, win rate, and profit/loss ratio enable you to analyze your trading history. When reviewing your performance, the platform allows you the flexibility of setting custom time periods. In my view, this is an excellent tool for tracking your progress and fine-tuning your approach.

IG Online Trading Platform: My Key Takeaways

While trading on the IG Online Platform, I appreciated the ability to customize it to my preferences and create multiple workspaces. This makes it easy to stay on top of what is going on in various markets and lots of timeframes. Charting is robust, and the range of order types provides traders with advanced flexibility.

The interface strikes a perfect balance between being clean and uncluttered while still offering advanced features. Its impressive suite of tools includes Autochartist, client sentiment analysis, the Thomson Reuters news feed, and built-in trade analytics. The only drawback I found was a lack of micro-lot trading – this feature would be a great improvement, especially for beginners looking to manage risk with smaller trade sizes.

IG Trading App

The IG mobile app is available for Android and iOS. It incorporates the key features of the web platform, like watchlists, advanced order types, alerts, trading from the chart, client sentiment, Autochartist signals, screeners, and the Thomson Reuters news feed.

As with the web platform, you can easily switch between demo and live trading accounts. Two-factor authentication is available for an added layer of security. You can also deposit and withdraw funds via the mobile app.

Advanced charting is available within the app, sufficient to do in-depth technical analysis of the markets while on the move. Traders can work with:

• 33 indicators
• 5 Chart types
• 19 drawing tools
• 17 time frames

The IG mobile app doesn’t skimp on order types either—traders can use standard and advanced order types:

• Market
• Limit
• Stop loss
• Trailing stop

Time in force conditions, like Good-Till-Canceled (GTC), can be applied to pending orders.

IG Trading App: My Key Takeaways

I found the IG Trading App intuitive and beginner-friendly while offering a powerful range of features. You can monitor your market positions, place trades, and stay updated with the latest market news and analysis. This well-designed app can accommodate most trading functions while you are on the move. I rate it as well above average for the industry.

MetaTrader 4 Desktop

IG offers MetaTrader 4 for desktops, which includes advanced functions such as automated trading.

MetaTrader 4 is available in 39 languages, from Arabic to Vietnamese. The platform provides popular features, including the following:

• Alerts: This feature updates traders when an instrument reaches a specific price level.
• Watchlists: Traders can create a list of their favorite instruments and follow live quotes in a market watch panel.
• One-Click Trading: This feature allows traders to execute orders with a single click and no secondary confirmation. This feature enables traders to operate faster and is especially useful for short-term traders.
• Trading from the Chart: MT4 also allows users the convenience of trading directly from the chart.

MetaTrader also delivers when it comes to the range of available order types. The platform offers these order types:

• Market Order: Traders use market orders to buy or sell an instrument at the best current price.
• Limit Order: Traders use limit orders to buy or sell an instrument at a specified price or better.
• Stop Loss Order: Traders use stop-loss orders to buy or sell an instrument when its price reaches a specified level.
• Trailing Stop Order: Traders use trailing stop-loss orders as a stop-loss order at a defined percentage or dollar amount away from an instrument’s current market price. This order type allows traders to secure profits when they are in a winning trade while not having to exit the position.

MT4 charting features are robust and include:

• 30 Technical Indicators: These include classic trend indicators, volume indicators, and oscillators.
• 23 Analytical Objects: These include lines, channels, Gann, and Fibonacci tools.
• 9 Time Frames: Traders can choose from nine time frames, from one minute to one month.
• 3 Chart Types: Traders can use Bar Charts, Japanese Candlestick Charts, and Line Charts.

MetaTrader is also popular due to its automated trading features, allowing users to develop, test, and apply Expert Advisors (EAs). EAs are programs that monitor and trade markets using algorithms. While being the most feature-rich and popular trading platform, MetaTrader 4 does not have a slick interface and requires some time and effort to learn.

MetaTrader 4 Mobile App

IG offers the MetaTrader 4 app for mobile trading, which is available for Android and iOS. The app offers popular features such as alerts, 1-click trading, and trading from the chart.

The MT4 app also provides standard order types, including pending and stop orders. However, trailing stop-loss orders are only available from the desktop.

To change the language of the MT4 app, you must change the language for your entire phone.

As with the desktop and web platforms, the interface is not highly intuitive, but the MT4 app offers an above-average range of features.

MetaTrader 4: My Key Takeaways

As one of the most popular trading platforms in the world and the only one offered by many forex brokers, I have spent a lot of time testing MT4. The look and feel of the platform are a bit dated, and I feel there is room for improvement in design and usability.

Still, MT4 is a highly versatile platform that outperforms many competitors, offering advanced charting, a comprehensive range of order types, and popular features such as one-click trading, trading directly from charts, and customizable alerts. Its desktop platform stands out with advanced capabilities, including the ability to run and backtest automated strategies, making it a powerful tool for skilled traders. However, its steep learning curve means it is better suited for experienced traders rather than beginners.

One drawback is that MT4 does not offer the full range of tradable instruments.

TradingView

IG recently joined TradingView’s Broker Integration Platform, enabling its clients to trade directly from the TradingView platform (either via the TradingView.com website or the desktop app).

Key features include cutting-edge, highly customizable charts with over 100 popular indicators and 50 drawing tools and a community of millions of like-minded traders and investors.

The platform also features powerful tools like screeners for both shares and forex pairs, heatmaps, cloud-based trading alerts, and news feeds with stories from Reuters and Dow Jones.

ProRealTime

Live account holders at IG also have access to ProRealTime – a third-party platform geared towards experienced chart traders, order book traders and scalpers. It features various advanced features:

• Robust charts with 100+ technical indicators, tools, and price comparisons.
• Scalping order book with an interface designed for speed.
• Advanced order types, including triple orders, OCO orders, and trailing stops.
• Automated trading, backtesting, and optimization.
• Market playback tool.
• Access to over 17,000 tradable instruments.
• Advanced options trading functionality.

The platform was designed to make algo trading as accessible as possible, via ProBuilder, its easy-to-use coding language. Algorithms built in ProRealTime can fully automate your trading and can execute your trades according to different criteria like historical price action and readings from technical indicators.

As a retail IG client, you get ProRealTime charts for free for your first month, while professional clients get free access for three months. After that, ProRealTime continues to be free as long as you make four trades in the same month. If not, you will be charged a £30 monthly fee.

L2 Dealer

L2 Dealer is IG’s direct market access (DMA) platform, suitable for advanced and professional traders. L2 Dealer enables clients to trade share or forex CFDs or deal shares outright, directly through the order books of international exchanges. Advantages of the L2 Dealer platform include:

• DMA and OTC access to over 17,000 tradeable markets globally.
• Wide range of native, synthetic, and algorithmic order types.
• Integrated market alerts, news feeds, and market commentary.
• Volume metrics to assess an underlying market’s liquidity.

IG Order Execution Model

IG acts as principal and not as agent and is the sole venue for the execution of trades. This means that IG acts as a market maker. Clients trade with IG and not within the underlying market.

Tradable Instruments

My assessment indicated that IG is particularly strong in areas of forex, commodities, shares, and indices. The range of cryptocurrencies is closer to the industry average.

What are CFDs?

A Contract for Difference (CFD) is an agreement specifying that the buyer must pay the seller the difference between an asset’s current value and its value at the time the contract was initiated. Like futures and other derivative financial instruments, CFDs allow traders to speculate on price movements without owning the underlying asset.

What Can You Trade with IG?

To better illustrate the range of instruments available at IG, the following tables show samples from various asset classes:

IG Instruments: My Key Takeaways

I was very impressed by the range of tradable instruments at IG. In addition to an above-average range of currency pairs, indices, commodities, bonds, and shares, I noted the availability of CFDs on futures and options, which are less commonly available.

Customer Support

IG Customer Support Test

I tested IG customer service over two weeks with dozens of queries, ranging from platforms to fees and account-related issues. I noted that IG support staff were usually well-informed and courteous.

Live chat and WhatsApp support were impressively quick, often responding within seconds, while emails were typically addressed the same day or within one business day.

Phone support was equally efficient, with rapid responses, and I appreciated not having to navigate automated questions before reaching an operator. Support via the phone was especially helpful in guiding me through the setup of the L2 Dealer Platform.

Deposit and Withdrawal

In the tables below, I break down the fees and processing times for each deposit and withdrawal method.

IG Deposit Methods

Bank wire processing times at IG are fast compared with other CFD brokers. Free deposits are standard for the industry.

IG Withdrawal Methods

Processing times for withdrawals are also fast compared with other CFD brokers. Often brokers charge for withdrawals via bank wire, so IG beats the industry average in this area.

Account Types and Terms

IG Account Opening Process

IG account application

To open a CFD account with the UK entity of IG, prospective clients must provide the following information:

• Contact and Personal Details: Name, email address, country of residence, date of birth, phone number, physical address, nationality, national insurance number.
• Employment Details: Employment status, industry, and occupation.
• Financial Details: Gross annual income, savings, and investments.
• Level of Trading Experience: Volume of trades in shares and bonds, exchange-traded derivatives, and OTC derivatives in the last 3 years.

IG Account Types and Their Benefits

Demo Account

IG offers demo accounts for the IG Web Platform and MetaTrader 4. Demo accounts are especially important for beginners as they allow them to practice their strategies and get comfortable with the trading platform without risking real money.

The demo account features live quotes and simulates live market conditions in assets like forex and CFDs on commodities, indices, and stocks. Once users are up to speed on a demo, they can easily switch to a live account.

Professional Account

Experienced traders can open an IG professional account, which allows for access to greater leverage and trading in CFDs on cryptocurrencies. To qualify for a professional account, traders must meet at least two of the following criteria:

• To trade leveraged derivatives in significant sizes over the last four quarters.
• To have a financial instrument portfolio exceeding €500k.
• To work in the financial sector in a professional position requiring knowledge of derivatives trading for at least a year.

Islamic Account

The UK entity of IG does not offer a swap-free Islamic account. However, the Dubai-based entity does offer this account type, which adheres to the principles of Islamic law.

What is CFD Leverage?

One of the reasons that traders are attracted to the forex and CFD markets is the high degree of available leverage. Leverage is the use of borrowed funds to increase the size of your trading positions beyond what would be possible using only the cash in your account.

The maximum leverage allowed by UK FCA for retail clients is 1:30. This means that with an account of $1,000, you can control up to $30,000 worth of positions in the market. Leverage is often described as a ‘double-edged sword’ as it can hurt you as much as it helps you. Traders must remember that it can amplify both their profits and their losses.

Available leverage differs according to the asset class, with the most available for CFDs on forex and the least for CFDs on crypto. The figures below are for IG’s FCA-regulated UK entity (IG Markets Ltd).

IG Restricted Countries

IG takes clients from the majority of countries globally. However, clients are not accepted from FATF blacklist countries North Korea, Iran and Myanmar.

Research

The News and Trade Ideas section features themed articles like previews of the coming week, which help orient traders on what to expect from the highest-impact news releases. In-depth coverage of major currencies like the euro and the US dollar covers important technical price levels and market-moving economic data.

The market analysis section on the IG website includes high-quality and detailed market forecasts, recaps, and coverage of major fundamental data and technical levels to watch.

Stock Screener

The TipRanks stock screener lets you find shares suited to your trading strategy. You can filter by sector, price target upside, dividend yield, and more to find investments matching your preferred criteria.

Live Market Commentary

‘Trade Live with IG’ is a daily show designed to kickstart your trading day with valuable insights and market analysis. Each session includes:

• Real-time analysis of overnight news, company results, and analyst updates.
• Live Q&A and community interaction for an engaging trading experience.
• Key topics coverage, including stock analysis, market trends, trading strategies, and financial news.

You can participate by commenting during the stream or emailing your questions to ask@ig.com.

‘Trade Live with IG’ seamlessly blends expert analysis with entertainment, offering fresh takes on technical analysis and macroeconomic developments to keep you informed and inspired.

Email Updates

IG offers two email newsletters. ‘The Morning Call’ updates you with top stories in the markets, the biggest risers and fallers, broker ratings, and the economic releases for the day and which markets they impact. While ‘The Trade of the Week’ walks you through a highlighted trade and the market analysis and data driving the opportunity. The second newsletter can also be viewed within the IG Online Platform.

IG Research: My Key Takeaways

IG offers a powerful mix of in-house and third-party research. I like that the materials not only contain news and analysis but also feature specific trade ideas. The in-house research and Autochartist signals are accessible to beginners. Experienced traders can benefit from the pro-grade analysis within the Thomson Reuters feed. I rate IG as an industry leader in the area of research.

Education

The IG Academy features 19 courses by different trader levels. Beginner-level courses tackle topics like orders, execution, and leverage. Intermediate-level courses introduce key themes like technical and fundamental analysis. Meanwhile, experienced traders can benefit from advanced level courses containing content like trading options with CFDs.

The broker also conducts regular webinars. During live sessions, trading experts share their knowledge and insights across a wide range of topics. An archive of previous webinars is available on the IG website, covering practical themes like platform tutorials.

IG also offers a wide range of educational articles and videos covering topics like economic indicators, central banks, trading strategies, and risk management. This content is insightful and reflects the depth of IG’s experience.

The Bottom Line

With 50 years of experience, IG has grown into a brokerage powerhouse serving over 346,000 clients worldwide. Scores ranged from better-than-average to exceptional in most categories of our review, reflecting a very well-rounded broker.

Licensed by multiple top-tier regulators, a publicly traded company, and highly transparent, IG excels in trust and stability. Spreads in CFDs on forex majors and indices are highly competitive, but most other instruments are closer to the industry average.

The range of platforms is excellent and can cater to all levels of traders – from beginners and casual traders to seasoned professionals. I especially liked the innovative tools like client sentiment and the in-depth trade analyzer.

Education and research materials are superb, with interactive courses and live video analysis from industry experts. Another bonus is that since my last review, customer support hours have been expanded to nearly 24/7.

IG could improve by offering more competitive commissions on CFDs on shares, improving the spreads in commodities, adding micro-lot trading to the IG Online Platform, and expanding the range of tradable instruments on MT4.

Overall, IG provides a service that is very hard to beat. If you are looking for a broker who can both nurture trader development and meet the needs of experienced professionals, I highly recommend IG.

FAQ