Between 54-87% of retail CFD accounts lose money. Based on 69 brokers who display this data.
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BrokerDNA™
The BROKERDNA™ score tells you, overall, how reputable, suitable, and affordable a broker is compared to other brokers. This score is algorithmically-generated based on 31 factors. Neither our team, nor the brokers featured on our site, are able to change this without changing their service offering. Learn more here. |
IG
9.8
/10
VISIT IG
The BROKERDNA™ score tells you, overall, how reputable, suitable, and affordable a broker is compared to other brokers. This score is algorithmically-generated based on 31 factors. Neither our team, nor the brokers featured on our site, are able to change this without changing their service offering. Learn more here. |
Spread Co
7.9
/10
VISIT SPREAD CO
The BROKERDNA™ score tells you, overall, how reputable, suitable, and affordable a broker is compared to other brokers. This score is algorithmically-generated based on 31 factors. Neither our team, nor the brokers featured on our site, are able to change this without changing their service offering. Learn more here. |
AvaTrade
9.7
/10
VISIT AVATRADE
The BROKERDNA™ score tells you, overall, how reputable, suitable, and affordable a broker is compared to other brokers. This score is algorithmically-generated based on 31 factors. Neither our team, nor the brokers featured on our site, are able to change this without changing their service offering. Learn more here. |
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About |
IG is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and ASIC. IG have provided forex, spread betting, CFD, and stock trading services since 1974. |
Spread Co is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Spread Co have provided Forex trading services since 2005. |
AvaTrade is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland, ASIC (Australia), FSA (Japan), FSB (South Africa) and BVI. AvaTrade have provided Forex trading services since 2006. |
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Why choose them? |
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Headquarters | London, UK | London, UK | Dublin, Ireland | |
TRADING SERVICES OFFERED |
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Spot Forex | ||||
Forex (CFD) | ||||
CFD | ||||
Spread Betting | ||||
Social Trading | ||||
MARKETS & INSTRUMENTS | ||||
Forex (currency pairs) | 90 | 40 | 59 | |
Commodities Offered | 34 | 2 | 16 | |
Stocks Offered | 8000 | 1000 | 99 | |
Bitcoin | ||||
Majors | ||||
Indices | ||||
US Stocks | ||||
Penny stocks | ||||
Energies | ||||
Metals | ||||
Agriculturals | ||||
FTSE | ||||
Dow Jones | ||||
Dax | ||||
Nikkei | ||||
ETFs | ||||
IPO | ||||
See all instruments
75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider |
See all instruments
61.8% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider |
See all instruments
71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. |
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PLATFORM & FEATURES |
See the platforms and features offered by each broker |
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Screenshot |
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MT4 | ||||
MT5 | ||||
MT4 Mac | ||||
WebTrader | ||||
Mirror Trader | ||||
ZuluTrade | ||||
Sirix | ||||
cTrader | ||||
PAMM | ||||
Custom Platforms | ProRealTime & L2 Dealer | Spread Co | AvaTradeAct, AVAOptions | |
APPS |
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iOS |
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Android |
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Windows |
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Available Languages |
English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese |
English and German |
English, Italian, German, French, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, Arabic, Malay, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese and Dutch |
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See platform & features
75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider |
See platform & features
61.8% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider |
See platform & features
71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. |
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ACCOUNT INFORMATION |
From micro accounts to ECN accounts, compare the accounts offered by IG and Spread Co |
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Demo account | ||||
Mini account | ||||
Micro account | ||||
Standard account | ||||
ECN Account | ||||
Islamic account | ||||
Zero spread account | ||||
VIP account | ||||
Fixed spreads | ||||
Variable spreads | ||||
See account options
75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider |
See account options
61.8% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider |
See account options
71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. |
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TRADING CONDITIONS |
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Scalping | ||||
Hedging | ||||
Expert advisors (EAs) | ||||
Virtual private server | ||||
Direct market access | ||||
STP broker | ||||
Market maker | ||||
Min trade | £1 | £1 | 0.01 Lot | |
Max trade | Variable | None | None | |
Min deposit | $250 | $100 | $100 | |
RISK MANAGEMENT |
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Stop losses | ||||
Limit orders | ||||
One-click trading | ||||
Trailing stops | ||||
Price alerts | ||||
Signal trading | ||||
FUNDING METHODS |
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Credit card | ||||
Bank transfer | ||||
Standard account | ||||
Paypal | ||||
Neteller | ||||
Skrill | ||||
Payment processing time | Varies | Varies | Varies | |
Withdrawal processing time | Varies | Varies | Varies | |
See all funding options
75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider |
See all funding options
61.8% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider |
See all funding options
71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. |
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DETAILED INFO |
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Excluded countries | US | US | BE,BR,NZ,US,KE,IN,GH | |
Contact email | Send Email | Send Email | Send Email | |
Phone number | 44 20 7633 5300 | 0800 078 9398 | (44) (0) 8005200423 | |
Live Chat | ||||
Website | http://www.ig.com/ | https://www.spreadco.com/ | http://www.avatrade.com/ | |
Spreads: | ||||
EUR/USD (Average: 0.7 pips) | 0.6 pips + $1.00 | 0.8 pips | 0.9 pips | |
GBP/USD (Average: 1.1 pips) | 0.9 pips + $1.00 | Not offered | 1.6 pips | |
USD/JPY (Average: 1.1 pips) | 0.7 pips + $1.00 | Not offered | 1.1 pips | |
AUD/USD (Average: 0.8 pips) | 0.6 pips + $1.00 | Not offered | 1.1 pips | |
USD/CHF (Average: 2.3 pips) | 1.5 pips + $1.00 | Not offered | 1.6 pips | |
USD/CAD (Average: 2.9 pips) | 1.7 pips + $1.00 | Not offered | 2.0 pips | |
NZD/USD (Average: 3.6 pips) | 2.0 pips + $1.00 | Not offered | 1.8 pips | |
EUR/GBP (Average: 2.4 pips) | 0.9 pips + $1.00 | Not offered | 1.5 pips | |
View all spreads
75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider |
View all spreads
61.8% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider |
View all spreads
71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. |
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FEES |
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Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | No | |
Commission | Yes (0.1%) | No | No | |
Deposit Fee | Varies | Varies | No | |
Withdrawal Fee | No | Varies | No | |
View All Fees
75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider |
View All Fees
61.8% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider |
View All Fees
71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. |
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Featured In | Best Brokers For CommoditiesBest Brokers For StocksBest Brokers For CopperBest DAX BrokersBest Brokers That Accept Credit Cards | Best Spread Betting BrokersBest FTSE100 BrokersBest Dow Jones BrokersBest DAX BrokersBest FCA Regulated Brokers | Best MT4 BrokersBest Bitcoin BrokersBest Ethereum BrokersBest Ripple BrokersBest Litecoin Brokers | |
Last update |
All information collected from http://www.ig.com/. Last updated on 01/12/2019. |
All information collected from https://www.spreadco.com/. Last updated on 01/12/2019. |
All information collected from http://www.avatrade.com/. Last updated on 01/12/2019. |
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Company |
Founded in 1974, IG are one of the largest and most respected brokers in the world. With over 125,000 traders, low margins and spreads, and a range of platforms, they're a popular choice for traders looking for a reputable broker that also offers a good range of markets and trading options. |
Since 2006 Spread CO have been a global leader in spread betting and CFD services with their competitive spreads, low margins and growing trading community. They provide fixed spreads so you know the spread you see is the spread you get. Every Spread Co client is assigned a dedicated relationship manage who will not only help you get get started on their trading platform but also keep you informed with market updates. The benefits of trading with Spread Co include tight, fixed spreads, no finance charges on short index or equity positions, low margins, relationship manger combined with their trusted reliable platform and ultra low commissions. Spread Co is also regulated by the stringent Financial Conduct Authority making them a great option for those looking for a trusted spread betting or CFD service provider. |
Since 2006, Avatrade have attracted over 20,000 traders to their platform. While their spreads are not the most competitive, they do offer traders a range of great features, such as guaranteed stop losses, the ability to hedge / scalp, and low margins. |
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Popular comparisons |
Popular comparisons feat. IG
IG vs CMC Markets |
Popular comparisons feat. Spread Co
ETX Capital vs Spread Co |
Popular comparisons feat. AvaTrade
Avatrade vs LCG |
If you’re a trader looking for a broker that offers the popular MT4 trading platform, IG is likely a better fit. However, if
You can determine a broker’s reliability & trustworthiness by looking at eight factors:
Based on these eight factors, we consider IG to be the more reliable broker. We’ve broken down why below:
IG is regulated by Financial Conduct Authority and ASIC, while Spread Co is regulated by Financial Conduct Authority.
AvaTrade are regulated by Central Bank of Ireland, ASIC, IIROC, FSA, FSB, UAE and BVI
If a broker has been around for a long period of time, they’re likely to be more reliable (in comparison, most scam brokers only exist for several years before they disappear).
This also suggests that a broker has good risk management processes that have prevented them being caught out by major financial events, as was the case with Alpari UK going bust when they were there was a policy reversal of capping the Swiss Franc against the Euro.
IG has been around for 45 years, while Spread Co have been around for 14 years. Our third alternative broker, AvaTrade, have been around for 13 years.
You wouldn’t want your broker paying their staff out of the same bank account account that you’re depositing your trading funds into, would you?
Fortunately, all regulated brokers must use segregated bank accounts to hold client money. This is one of the reasons why we only feature regulated brokers here on BrokerNotes.
All three brokers above will hold your money in a separate bank account.
Most tier-1 banks like Barclays and HSBC have been around for over 100 years and manage trillions of dollars of assets, proving that they have stood the test of time.
Both IG and Spread Co use tier one banks, but we are not sure of which bank specifically.
If a broker has been penalised by a regulator in the past five years, it may mean that they were caught doing something they shouldn’t be doing - which may be of concern to you as an end client.
We’re not aware of any penalties or fines imposed by regulators on IG or Spread Co in the past five years.
While not always the case, the number of traders a broker has can be a good metric for understanding how reputable a brokers is.
According to their websites, IG is more popular with over 195,000 traders, while Spread Co is used by 5,000 traders. AvaTrade, in comparison, is used by 200,000.
Companies that are publicly listed on a stock exchange tend to be considered more reputable as they will be required to disclose their financials, and aspects of their operations, to the public.
IG is a publicly listed company, while on the other hand Spread Co is still a privately owned company.
Most reputable brokers tend to be headquartered in a major capital city or a financial hub such as Cyprus.
Both IG and Spread Co are based in London, UK .
Assuming the brokers you’re choosing between are reputable, the next point to consider is whether they offer all of the features you require to trade.
This can be broken down into three categories:
If you’re looking to trade currency pairs, both IG and Spread Co offer forex trading. IG have a slightly larger variety of currency pairs with 90 pairs, compared to 40 offered by Spread Co. Also, if you’re looking to trade cryptocurrencies, IG offers a handful of cryptocurrency CFDs to trade, including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple.
Both IG and Spread Co allow you to trade commodities like gold, silver and crude oil.
In addition to the platform, you’ll also want to ensure that the broker you choose offers the account type best suited to your needs. IG, for example, offer a mini account, standard account and VIP account.
If you have a certain trading style (e.g. scalping, hedging, or using EAs), you’ll want to double check that the broker you choose allows this, as not all of them do.
IG does allow scalping and hedging. While Spread Co does not allow scalping but does allow hedging. You can trade with EAs (expert advisors) on IG but you can't trade EAs (expert advisors) with Spread Co.
In terms of risk management tools, neither IG or Spread Co offers negative balance protection. Negative balance protection prevents you owing your broker more than you’ve deposited.
IG also offer stop losses, limit orders, and price alerts to help you automate aspects of your trading strategy.
IG accept Paypal while Spread Co accept Skrill.
Comparing the fee structures of different brokers can be a minefield at times. The important thing to consider is what the spreads & fees are on the specific instruments and account type that you will be using.
For trading EUR/USD, IG charges 0.60 points, while Spread Co charges points. Therefore, Spread Co is the more affordable for this instrument. If you want to compare their spreads across more instruments, You can jump back up to our comparison of their currency pair & indice spreads above.
Another consideration is whether or not your broker charges inactivity, deposit/withdrawal fees, or commissions on trades. If you’re a frequent trader, inactivity fees are unlikely to be an issue.
There’s no such thing as a perfect broker, but some are going to be a better fit for you than others.
Objectively, IG is more reliable based on our criteria above. IG has a wider range of instruments to trade. IG offer lower spreads on popular forex instruments like EUR/USD and are used by more traders.
Both brokers offer demo accounts, allowing you to test their platforms to see which is suitable for you. You can test drive their demos using the links below:
Finally, if you’re really not sure you can always use our free tool (takes 15 seconds) that will help you find a suitable broker based on your precise requirements here.