IC Markets versus ActivTrades

ActivTrades offers clients its cutting-edge proprietary trading platform, ActivTrader. It also upgrades MT4/MT5 with seven plugins, creating a competitive environment. Beginner traders can schedule one-on-one training sessions and supplement their education via interactive webinars and videos. Its superb technology infrastructure makes ActivTrades an ideal choice for demanding, algorithmic traders.

Traders at IC Markets, the leader among algorithmic traders based on daily trading volume, get the 20-plugin Advanced Trading Tools MT4 upgrade, creating one of the most competitive MT4 environments industry-wide. MT5 and cTrader are also available, fully supporting algorithmic and copy trading. IC Markets also features third-party services by Myfxbook AutoTrade and ZuluTrade.

We have conducted an in-depth review of ActivTrades and IC Markets to determine which presents the better overall choice and which traders will benefit the most at either broker.

• Features and Platforms
• Available Markets
• Typical Spreads and Fees
• Security and Trust
• IC Markets versus ActivTrades - Verdict

Headquarters	United Kingdom	Australia
Regulators	CNMV, CONSOB, FCA, SCB	ASIC, CySEC, FSA
Tier 1 Regulator(s)?
Owned by Public Company?
Year Established	2001	2010
Execution Type(s)	Market Maker	ECN/STP
Minimum Deposit	$0	$200
Negative Balance Protection		N/A
Trading Platform(s)	Other, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Proprietary platform, Trading View+	MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader
Average Trading Cost EUR/USD	$10.00	0.0 pips ($0.00)
Average Trading Cost GBP/USD	$14.00	0.0 pips ($0.00)
Average Trading Cost WTI Crude Oil	$0.06	$0.03
Average Trading Cost Gold	$42.00	$0.05
Retail Loss Rate	83.00%	N/A
Minimum Raw Spreads	Not applicable	N/A
Minimum Standard Spreads	0.5 pips	N/A
Minimum Commission for Forex	Commission-free	N/A
Islamic Account
Signals
US Persons Accepted?
Managed Accounts
	Get Started	Get Started

Features and Platforms

MT4
MT5
cTrader
Proprietary Platform
Automated Trading
DOM?
Guaranteed Stop Loss
Scalping
Hedging
One-Click Trading
OCO Orders
Interest on Margin
	Get Started	Get Started

Noteworthy:

ActivTrades offers API trading for advanced algorithmic trading solutions and maintains a dedicated institutional division. IC Markets supports demanding algorithmic traders via three third-party VPS hostings.

Available Markets

Currency Pairs	N/A
Cryptocurrencies	N/A
Commodities
Crude Oil
Gold
Metals
Equity Indices
Stocks (non-CFDs)	N/A
Bonds	N/A
ETFs
Options		N/A
Futures
Synthetics
	Get Started	Get Started

Both brokers maintain a balanced asset selection, where ActivTrades lists 1,000+ assets versus 2,000+ at IC Markets, where the depth of the equity selection remains the primary difference. Forex traders get a selection of 48 currency pairs and nine cryptocurrency CFDs at ActivTrades, trailing the 61 and 23 at IC Markets, which presents more overall quantity.

Typical Spreads and Fees

Average Trading Cost EUR/USD	$10.00	0.0 pips ($0.00)
Average Trading Cost GBP/USD	$14.00	0.0 pips ($0.00)
Average Trading Cost WTI Crude Oil	$0.06	$0.03
Average Trading Cost Gold	$42.00	$0.05
Average Trading Cost Bitcoin	$101.00	$12.47
Minimum Raw Spreads	Not applicable	N/A
Minimum Standard Spreads	0.5 pips	N/A
Minimum Commission for Forex	Commission-free	N/A
	Get Started	Get Started

Minimum Forex trading costs at ActivTrades are lower than IC Markets, but average fees are higher, even with the volume-based rebate program at ActivTrades. Unleveraged equity trading at ActivTrades is commission-free. Otherwise, industry-average costs apply, where IC Markets maintains an edge.

Security and Trust

Country of the Regulator	Brazil, The Bahamas, Italy, Mauritius, Portugal, United Kingdom	Australia, The Bahamas, Cyprus, Seychelles
Name of the Regulator	CNMV, CONSOB, FCA, SCB	ASIC, CySEC, FSA
Regulatory License Number	434413, 199667 B, 43.050.917/0001-03, 433, 198	335692, SD018, SIA-F214, 362/18
Regulatory Tier	4, 1, 1, 1, 4, 2	1, 4, 4, 1
	Get Started	Get Started

ActivTrades and IC Markets both offer negative balance protection, segregate client deposits from corporate funds, comply with numerous regulators and maintain spotless track records. ActivTrades additionally offers all clients $1,000,000 in third-party liability insurance protection. From a trust and security perspective, both rank equally, while ActivTrades maintains better overall protection than IC Markets.

IC Markets vs ActivTrades – Verdict

ActivTrades

Pros	Cons
Upgraded MT4/MT5 trading platforms and a cutting-edge proprietary alternative	No choice of account types
Excellent order execution due to superior technology infrastructure
Outstanding educational resources for beginners
Interest payments on free margin and volume-based cash rebate program

IC Markets

Pros	Cons
Excellent choice of trading platforms consisting of MT4/MT5, and cTrader	Minimum deposit slightly higher but within a reasonable range
Market-leading MT4 upgrade package, MAM/PAMM accounts, and VPS hosting
Social trading support via Myfxbook, MetaTrader Signals, and ZuluTrade
Leverage of up to 1:500, deep liquidity, and superb trade execution

An excellent trading infrastructure, superior order execution, and a balanced asset selection exist at ActivTrades and IC Markets. Both upgrade their MT4/MT5 platforms. While IC Markets remains the market leader for algorithmic traders with low trading costs, ActivTrades remains a better overall choice for beginners due to its excellent educational resources, including one-on-one sessions.

You might also be interested in reviewing the below broker comparisons:

• ActivTrades vs Admirals
• ActivTrades vs XTB
• ActivTrades vs eToro
• IC Markets vs Eightcap
• IC Markets vs Tickmill
• IC Markets vs BlackBull

Read full ActivTrades Review

Read full IC Markets Review