Swissquote vs IC Markets Comparison
Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. Our research team has collected thousands of data points, written hundreds of thousands of words of research, and tested over 60 brokers to help you find the best forex brokers in the industry. Trying to decide between Swissquote and IC Markets? Our independent database powered by our unbiased research will help you compare Swissquote vs IC Markets side-by-side.
What is Trust Score?
Trust Score is a data-driven rating system that provides an at-a-glance rating of a broker’s overall trust by tracking 60+ brokers and over 100 regulatory jurisdictions across the globe. To make things clearer for everyday traders, we’ve created a five-tier system for regulators and Trust Score rating labels. Learn more about Trust Score, and check out our country guides to see the most trusted brokers in your country of residence.
Can I trust Swissquote?
Swissquote has a Trust Score of 99, giving it a "Highly Trusted" Trust Score Label.
Can I trust IC Markets?
IC Markets has a Trust Score of 84, giving it a "Trusted" Trust Score Label.
Is Swissquote a good broker?
Traders at Swissquote gain access to a balanced offering of easy-to-use proprietary trading platforms and popular third-party platforms like MetaTrader (both MT4 and MT5) and TradingView. Swissquote also delivers access to a staggering 3 million financial products, including stocks, options, futures, derivatives, ETFs, and structured products (though only a few hundred CFDs). With multiple Tier-1 regulatory licenses and a Trust Score rating of 99 (as well as the rare distinction of operating three banks), we consider Swissquote to be a highly trusted broker. It's worth noting that Swissquote's pricing is more expensive than what you'd find with low-cost forex brokers, and its forex account offers far fewer markets than Swissquote's eTrading account for share dealing.
Is IC Markets a good broker?
IC Markets' low spreads, competitive pricing, and scalable execution policies make it a great choice for algorithmic traders. A trusted broker licensed in multiple Tier-1 regulatory jurisdictions, IC Markets boasts support for a variety of social copy trading apps, including its IC Social mobile app. IC Markets consistently ranks near or at the top of our ratings for MetaTrader brokers (and was our top pick for MetaTrader brokers in 2023). Traders at IC Markets gain access to MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, as well as the Advanced Trading Tools package for desktop and support for third-party plugins from Autochartist and Trading Central. It's worth noting that the broker's research and educational offerings still have room to improve.
What Tier-1 jurisdictions is each broker regulated in?
Tier-1 is reserved for the strictest, most stringent regulatory jurisdictions in the world. Tier-1 regulators impose additional capital requirements and require a tougher initial screening process. Swissquote holds regulatory licenses in the following Tier-1 jurisdictions: Hong Kong (SFC Authorised), Singapore (MAS Authorised) and United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised). IC Markets, on the other hand, is licensed in these Tier-1 regulatory jurisdictions: Australia (ASIC Authorised). Neither have Canada (CIRO Authorised), CBI Authorised (Ireland), Japan (SFC Authorised), New Zealand (FMA Authorised), Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) and USA (CFTC Authorized)
What Tier-2 jurisdictions is each broker regulated in? What about Tier-3?
Tier-2 and tier-3 licenses are still important in evaluating the overall trustworthiness of forex brokers. As far as tier-2 licenses go, Swissquote is Cyprus (CySEC Authorised) and UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised), while IC Markets is Cyprus (CySEC Authorised).. Neither have China (CBRC Authorised), India (SEBI Authorised), Israel (ISA Authorised), Russia (CBR Authorised), South Africa (FSCA Authorised) and Thailand (SEC Authorised). When comparing tier-3 licenses Swissquote is none, while IC Markets is Bahamas (SCB Authorised) and Mauritius (FSC Authorised).. Neither have Belize (FSC Authorised), Bermuda (BMA Authorised), British Virgin Islands (FSC Authorised), Cayman Islands (CIMA Authorised) and Vanuatu (VFSC Authorised).
Which broker offers more trading platforms?
Whether your broker develops its own proprietary platforms or provides access to popular third-party platforms, you should make sure you can use your preferred type of trading platform. In our testing, we found that Swissquote offers a Proprietary Platform and Desktop Platform (Windows), whereas IC Markets supports a Desktop Platform (Windows), cTrader and ZuluTrade. Neither have DupliTrade
Does Swissquote offer MetaTrader? Does IC Markets offer MetaTrader?
Both Swissquote and IC Markets offer the whole MetaTrader suite, which consists of both MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. If you’re new to MetaTrader 4 here’s our educational guide on how to use MT4.
How do Swissquote and IC Markets differ in terms of minimum deposit? What about average spreads and funding options?
Swissquote requires a minimum deposit of $1000, while IC Markets requires a minimum deposit of $200. You'll also want to make sure that your broker accepts the funding options and deposit methods that work best for you. In our testing, we've found that both Swissquote and IC Markets offer Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw), Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) and Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) for deposits
Which broker offers more tradeable asset classes, Swissquote or IC Markets?
When choosing a broker, it’s important to check the availability of your preferred investment products and asset classes. We’ve tested each broker’s individual offering of investments to help you pick the right broker for what you want to trade. We found that both Swissquote and IC Markets offer Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs), Social Trading / Copy Trading, Metals, Energies, Agriculturals, ETF and U.S. Stocks (CFD). Neither have Spread Betting.
We also keep track of each broker’s total number of tradeable symbols; Swissquote offers 472, and IC Markets offers a total of 3583 tradeable symbols.
Can I trade cryptocurrency with Swissquote or IC Markets?
Crypto trading has become popular among forex traders across a range of international jurisdictions. As a result, many forex brokers now offer crypto products to their clients; most crypto assets are offered either as an underlying physical asset (such as when you own actual bitcoin assets, for example) or as a derivative product like a CFD. If you are looking to trade physical cryptocurrencies, you’ll find that Swissquote offers clients access to trading physical cryptocurrencies while IC Markets does not.
Who offers more research tools, Swissquote or IC Markets?
Market research plays a huge role in any forex trader’s ability to conduct analysis within the global forex market. We test each broker’s research offering to help you decide which broker is right for your technical or fundamental analysis needs. Swissquote delivers the following research tools: Autochartist, Daily Market Commentary, Stock Charts, Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) and Social Trading / Copy Trading. IC Markets, on the other hand, provides the tools listed here: Autochartist, Daily Market Commentary, Stock Charts, Forex News (Top-Tier Sources), Trading Central (Recognia) and Social Trading / Copy Trading
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Overall winner: Swissquote
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We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.