TD Ameritrade vs IC Markets 2024

TD Ameritrade FX is publicly-traded, does operate a bank, and is authorised by five Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), zero Tier-2 regulators (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulators (Average Risk), and zero Tier-4 regulators (High Risk). TD Ameritrade FX is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulators: Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), Securities Futures Commission (SFC), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

IC Markets is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. IC Markets is authorised by two Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), zero Tier-2 regulators (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulators (Average Risk), and two Tier-4 regulators (High Risk). IC Markets is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC) and regulated in the European Union via the MiFID passporting system.

TD Ameritrade’s thinkorswim platform offers over 70 tradeable currency pairs alongside a plethora of impressive tools, research, and education. For traders in the U.S., TD Ameritrade provides the ultimate trading technology experience.

IC Markets’ competitive pricing and scalable execution make it an excellent option for algorithmic traders. Though it supports an impressive range of third-party tools and plugins, IC Markets’ research and education offerings are not as impressive as those offered by industry leaders.

To open a trading account with TD Ameritrade, you'll need to make an initial minimum deposit of $0.

IC Markets requires a minimum deposit of $200 before you can open an account and start trading.

It's important to make sure that your forex broker accepts the funding options and deposit methods that work best for you. TD Ameritrade offers Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) for banking, whereas IC Markets provides Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw), PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw), Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) and Neteller (Deposit/Withdraw).

Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spread data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough, data-driven testing of each broker's commissions and fees, we found that IC Markets offers better pricing overall for traders.

Methodology: When testing each broker's commissions, fees, and pricing, we analyze multiple trade scenarios and award points based on the expansiveness (or inexpensiveness) of the broker's spreads. We then run multiple scenarios for different investor types, incorporating any miscellaneous fees, to determine an "all-in" cost per trade. Learn more about how we test.

At ForexBrokers.com, we track over 110 international regulatory agencies and sort them by tiers (Tier-1, Tier-2, Tier-3, Tier-4, and Tier-5) to help you choose well-regulated, highly trusted forex brokers. Learn more about our proprietary Trust Score rating system. Based on our research on the regulatory status of over 60 brokers, we've found that TD Ameritrade holds 5 global Tier-1 licenses, while IC Markets holds 2. Both TD Ameritrade and IC Markets hold 0 global Tier-2 licenses.

After evaluating each broker based on their number of held licenses, years in business, and a range of other data-driven variables, we've determined that TD Ameritrade (99) earned a higher Trust Score than IC Markets (84).

To compare the trading platforms of both TD Ameritrade and IC Markets, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, TD Ameritrade offers a better experience. With research, TD Ameritrade offers superior market research. Finally, we found TD Ameritrade to provide better mobile trading apps.

Here’s what trading platforms are available at TD Ameritrade:

• Proprietary Platform - Yes
• Web Platform - Yes
• cTrader - No
• DupliTrade - No
• MT4 - No
• MT5 - No
• ZuluTrade - No
• TradingView - No

Here’s what trading platforms are available at IC Markets:

• Proprietary Platform - No
• Web Platform - Yes
• cTrader - Yes
• DupliTrade - No
• MT4 - Yes
• MT5 - Yes
• ZuluTrade - Yes
• TradingView - Yes

The MetaTrader trading platform suite is wildly popular among forex and CFD traders across the globe. IC Markets offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4), while TD Ameritrade does not. Forex traders also appreciate the ability to engage in social copy trading. While IC Markets offers copy trading, TD Ameritrade does not.

TD Ameritrade provides traders 73 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to IC Markets's 61 available pairs. If you are interested in trading CFDs, IC Markets offers traders access to 3583 CFDs, while TD Ameritrade offers access to 0 CFDs; so IC Markets offers 3583 more CFDs than TD Ameritrade.

We found in our testing that TD Ameritrade offers a more diverse selection of investment options than IC Markets, allowing you to trade Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) and Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD). Neither have Cryptocurrency (Physical) and Spread Betting.