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CMC Markets vs IG Markets: Comparison and Analysis

Written by Filippo Ucchino Fact-Checked by Luca Puddu Publication Date Last Updated
Our verdict · CFD trading

IG Markets is better than CMC Markets for CFD trading in India by a small margin, because it supports automated trading (expert advisors, VPS hosting and API access), offers a guaranteed stop loss, and lists more tradable symbols (17,000 against 12,000). IG Markets also adds options to the CFDs, runs ProRealTime next to the platforms both brokers share, holds more account base currencies (six against two), and moves money faster, crediting deposits on the same day and paying out withdrawals in 1 day against 2 days. CMC Markets, on the other hand, has a lower EUR/USD cost (7.00 USD per lot against 8.60 USD) and faster execution (9 ms against 14 ms), and it is the only one of the two to offer copy and social trading. IG Markets holds licences from BaFin, the BMA, the FCA and the JFSA, and CMC Markets from BaFin, ASIC, the CSRC, the FCA, the FMA (New Zealand), CIRO and the MAS. Both brokers ask for no minimum deposit, cover CFDs on commodities, crypto, forex, indices and stocks, allow scalping and hedging, open corporate and professional accounts, and provide a demo account that does not expire.

CMC 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 CMC Markets accepts clients from the country this site is for.
84CFDOverall 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

78% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Best overall

IG 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 IG 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.
Open Account

69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Best for

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

IG Markets is better than CMC Markets for professional traders, crypto traders and options traders. High-volume traders, scalpers and swing traders can choose either IG Markets or CMC Markets.

Best for
Overall score CMC Markets 84 -3 IG Markets 87 Best
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 CMC Markets and the ones that supervise IG Markets.
2 / 12

CMC Markets and IG Markets are both regulated by top-tier authorities, CMC Markets by BaFin, ASIC (Australia) and the FCA (United Kingdom) and IG Markets by BaFin, the FCA (United Kingdom) and the JFSA (Japan).

Regulation
Section score CMC Markets 100 IG Markets 100
Tier-1 regulators
ESMA (European Union) i BaFin (Germany)
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 CMC Markets and IG Markets have in place to protect your money in India.
3 / 12

CMC Markets and IG Markets both offer segregated client funds and two-factor authentication. CMC Markets also offers an investor compensation scheme and additional money insurance. IG Markets is also a licensed bank.

Safety
Section score CMC Markets 95 Best IG Markets 78 -17
Company info
Is it publicly traded i
Is it a bank i
Year founded i 1989 1974
Parent company i CMC Markets plc IG Group Holdings plc
CEO i Peter Cruddas Breon Corcoran
Money safety
Segregated client funds i
Two-factor authentication i
Investor compensation scheme i
Additional money insurance i
Partner bank i Commonwealth Bank|Westpac|HSBC
Brand power
Number of customers worldwide i 1,000,000 820,000
Annual revenue i USD 324,700,000 USD 987,300,000
Monthly website search traffic i 10.5M monthly visits 97.1K monthly visits

Costs

What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with CMC Markets and with IG Markets in India, both on each trade and on holding the account.
4 / 12

CMC Markets is better than IG Markets for costs, since CMC Markets is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 7 USD per lot (against IG Markets' 8.6 USD), has tighter gold CFD spreads, at 0.2 points (against IG Markets' 0.3 points), and charges lower Bitcoin CFD fees, at 15 USD (against IG Markets' 45 USD). Neither CMC Markets nor IG Markets charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.

Costs
Section score CMC Markets 73 Best IG Markets 67 -6
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 5 Free
EUR/USD average standard spread i
0.7 pips
0.86 pips
EUR/USD average raw spread i
EUR/USD average fixed spread i
EUR/USD total cost per lot i USD 7 USD 8.6
S&P 500 fees (CFD) i 0.5 points 0.4 points
Gold fees (CFD) i 0.2 points 0.3 points
Bitcoin fees (CFD) i USD 15 USD 45
US stocks fees (CFD) i USD 0.02 USD 0.02
Fees on stocks
Stock fee type i Commission
US stocks fees (real) i
ETF fees (real) i
Management costs i
Connection costs i
Fees on futures
Futures fees per contract i USD 2
Platform fees i
Fees on options
Options fees per contract i Free USD 2
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 CMC Markets and with IG Markets in India, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.
5 / 12

IG Markets is better than CMC Markets for available markets, given that IG Markets gives access to 17,000 tradable symbols (against CMC Markets' 12,000), and offers options on commodities, forex, indices and stocks, which CMC Markets does not. Both CMC Markets and IG Markets offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, forex, indices and stocks.

Available markets
Section score CMC Markets 75 -25 IG Markets 100 Best
Total tradable symbols i 12,000 17,000
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
Options i Commodities, Forex, Indices, Stocks
Assets you can own i

Platform

What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that CMC Markets and IG Markets make available to their clients in India.
6 / 12

CMC Markets is better than IG Markets for platforms, given that CMC Markets offers social trading and copy trading, which IG Markets does not. CMC Markets and IG Markets both offer a proprietary platform and MetaTrader 5.

Platform
Section score CMC Markets 97 Best IG Markets 91 -6
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 CMC Markets and IG Markets in India, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.
7 / 12

IG Markets is better than CMC Markets for mobile trading, since IG Markets offers mobile trading signals, mobile charting tools and mobile drawing tools, which CMC Markets does not. Both CMC Markets and IG Markets offer a proprietary mobile app and the MetaTrader 5 app.

Mobile
Section score CMC Markets 73 -20 IG Markets 93 Best
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 CMC Markets and IG Markets allow on their platforms in India.
8 / 12

IG Markets is better than CMC Markets for trading features, since IG Markets offers negative balance protection, guaranteed stop losses and tier-1 liquidity providers, which CMC Markets does not. CMC Markets and IG Markets both offer trailing stops.

Trading features
Section score CMC Markets 59 -30 IG Markets 89 Best
Trade execution
Broker type i Agency Agency
Average execution time i 9 ms 14 ms
Slippage occurrence i 11%
Requotes occurrence i 0.08%
Tier-1 liquidity providers i
PFOF i
Leverage
Major FX pairs leverage i 30:1 200:1
Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i 20:1 133:1
Major indices leverage i 10:1 200:1
Minor indices leverage i 10:1 200:1
Gold leverage i 20:1 200:1
Commodities leverage i 10:1 67:1
Equities leverage i 3:1 20:1
Cryptocurrency leverage i 2:1 10:1
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 0
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 CMC Markets and at IG Markets in India, and of who each one is meant for.
9 / 12

CMC Markets and IG Markets are equally good for account types, as both offer a demo account and a professional traders account.

Account types
Section score CMC Markets 48 IG Markets 48
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 CMC Markets and with IG Markets in India.
10 / 12

IG Markets is better than CMC Markets for account opening, given that IG Markets offers 6 account base currencies (against CMC Markets' 2), credits deposits faster, within the same day (against CMC Markets' 2 days), and pays out withdrawals faster, within 1 day (against CMC Markets' 2 days). Neither CMC Markets nor IG Markets requires a minimum deposit.

Account opening
Section score CMC Markets 65 -5 IG Markets 70 Best
Minimum deposit i USD 0 USD 0
Minimum withdrawal i USD 0 USD 150
Wire transfers i
Credit cards i
Debit cards i
eWallets i
Local payment methods i
Account base currencies i EUR, USD AUD, EUR, GBP, HKD, SGD, USD
Deposit waiting time i up to 2 business days Instant
Withdrawal waiting time i up to 2 business days up to 1 business days
Bonus program i

Customer care

What we compare A comparison of the customer support of CMC Markets and IG Markets in India, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.
11 / 12

IG Markets is better than CMC Markets for customer care, since IG Markets offers customer support in 12 languages (against CMC Markets' 9), and has a website in 12 languages (against CMC Markets' 9). CMC Markets and IG Markets both offer a dedicated account manager and phone support.

Customer care
Section score CMC Markets 73 -14 IG Markets 87 Best
Number of languages supported i 9 12
Website languages i German, English, French, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish, Swedish, Chinese Arabic, Danish, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish
Website available in English i
Customer support languages i German, English, French, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish, Swedish, Chinese Arabic, Danish, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish
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 CMC Markets and IG Markets provide to their clients in India.
12 / 12

CMC Markets and IG Markets are equally good for learning, as both offer education for advanced traders and webinars.

Learning
Section score CMC Markets 100 IG Markets 100
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
CMC Markets
Open Account 78% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
IG Markets
Open Account 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Our verdict

CMC Markets vs IG Markets: which one should you choose?

CMC Markets

CFD Choose CMC Markets, regulated by the FCA and ASIC, if you want an online CFD broker with copy and social trading, low trading costs and fast execution.

Open Account 78% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
IG Markets

CFD Choose IG Markets, regulated by the FCA and the JFSA, if you want a CFD and forex broker with a wide choice of markets, a guaranteed stop loss and room for automated strategies.

Open Account 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

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