IG versus ActivTrades

ActivTrades provides traders its innovative proprietary trading platform, ActivTrader, featuring market sentiment, hedging, and quality charts. It also upgrades MT4/MT5 with seven plugins, ensuring clients have a competitive core trading environment. ActivTrades maintains a superb technology infrastructure, making it an ideal broker for algorithmic traders. Beginners get interactive webinars and videos and may schedule one-on-one training sessions.

IG is a leading international broker and liquidity provider, writing CFDs based on client demand. It upgrades MT4 with 18 plugins and Autochartists, creating one of the most competitive MT4 trading environments. Traders may also use the proprietary web-based trading platform, ProRealTime, and L2 Dealer.

We have conducted an in-depth review of ActivTrades and IG 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
• IG versus ActivTrades - Verdict

Headquarters	United Kingdom	United Kingdom
Regulators	N/A	FCA
Tier 1 Regulator(s)?
Owned by Public Company?
Year Established	2001	1974
Execution Type(s)	Market Maker	Market Maker
Minimum Deposit	$0	300€
Negative Balance Protection
Trading Platform(s)	Other, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Trading View+	MetaTrader 4, Proprietary platform
Average Trading Cost EUR/USD	$10.00	0.9 pips
Average Trading Cost GBP/USD	$14.00	1.4 pip
Average Trading Cost WTI Crude Oil	$0.06	$0.03
Average Trading Cost Gold	$42.00	$0.30
Retail Loss Rate	83.00%	Undisclosed
Minimum Raw Spreads	Not applicable	Not applicable
Minimum Standard Spreads	0.5 pips	0.8 pips
Minimum Commission for Forex	Commission-free	Commission-free
Islamic Account
Signals
US Persons Accepted?
Managed Accounts
	Get Started	Get Started

Features and Platforms

MT4
MT5
MT4/MT5 Add-Ons	N/A
cTrader
Proprietary Platform
Automated Trading
Social/Copy Trading	N/A
DOM?
Guaranteed Stop Loss
Scalping
Hedging
One-Click Trading
OCO Orders
Interest on Margin
	Get Started	Get Started

Noteworthy:

Advanced algorithmic traders can connect their solutions to the ActivTrades and IG infrastructure via API, and both brokers maintain dedicated institutional divisions.

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
Futures
Synthetics
	Get Started	Get Started

ActivTrades presents clients with a balanced asset selection of 1,000+ instruments, an average Forex selection, but sub-standard cryptocurrency choices. IG maintains 18,000+ assets and an industry-leading Forex selection, including three currency pairs available for weekend trading. IG Markets also provides thematic portfolios, basket trading, and out-of-hours trading, providing a better edge for traders.

Typical Spreads and Fees

Average Trading Cost EUR/USD	$10.00	0.9 pips
Average Trading Cost GBP/USD	$14.00	1.4 pip
Average Trading Cost WTI Crude Oil	$0.06	$0.03
Average Trading Cost Gold	$42.00	$0.30
Average Trading Cost Bitcoin	$101.00	$90
Minimum Raw Spreads	Not applicable	Not applicable
Minimum Standard Spreads	0.5 pips	0.8 pips
Minimum Commission for Forex	Commission-free	Commission-free
Deposit Fee	N/A
Withdrawal Fee	N/A
Inactivity Fee	N/A	$12 per month after 24 months
	Get Started	Get Started

Both brokers offer a highly competitive commission-free Forex cost structure, where ActivTrades has an advantage with lower minimum spreads and costs of $5.00 versus $6.00 at IG Markets. Equity trading commissions remain identical, and a rebate program exists at both brokers, where ActivTrades extends its pricing advantage.

Security and Trust

Country of the Regulator	Brazil, The Bahamas, Luxembourg, Portugal, United Kingdom	Australia, Bermuda, Switzerland, Cyprus, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, United States
Name of the Regulator	N/A	FCA
Regulatory License Number	434413, 199667 B, 433, undisclosed, undisclosed	195355, 378/19, 10148759, confirmed, but no regulaary license number, F001780, 41393, 1489, unconfirmed, 220440, 18923, 0509630, 54814
Regulatory Tier	1, 4, 1, 1, 2	N/A
	Get Started	Get Started

Both brokers offer negative balance protection and segregate client deposits. ActivTrades provides all clients with $1,000,000 in third-party liability insurance protection, while IG Markets is a UK publicly listed company and FTSE250 constituent. Both brokers have a clean regulatory record and offer an equally secure and trustworthy trading environment, as well-established multi-asset brokers.

IG vs ActivTrades – Verdict

ActivTrades

Pros	Cons
Upgraded MT4/MT5 trading platforms and a cutting-edge proprietary alternative	Limited choice of cryptocurrencies
Excellent order execution due to superior technology infrastructure
Outstanding educational resources for beginners
Interest payments on free margin and volume-based cash rebate program

IG

Pros	Cons
Excellent choice of trading platforms and superior asset selection	Limited deposit and withdrawal methods
Competitive trading costs with a volume-based cash rebate program
Outstanding trading environment for algorithmic trading, including API support
Comprehensive educational tools for beginner traders

ActivTrades and IG shine with their upgraded trading platforms, innovative infrastructure, and educational tools for beginners who get one-on-one training at ActivTrades. Both brokers offer API trading for algorithmic traders. While ActivTrades offers lower trading costs, IG bests ActivTrades in all other sectors, trading platform choices and upgrades, asset selection, and trading tools, making it an overall better choice as a broker.

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

• ActivTrades vs Admirals
• ActivTrades vs XTB
• ActivTrades vs eToro
• IG Markets vs Nadex
• IG Markets vs CMC Markets
• IG Markets vs IC Markets

Read full ActivTrades Review

Read full IG Review