XM Group vs IC Markets 2024

XM Group is not publicly-traded and does not operate a bank. XM Group is authorised by four Tier-1 regulators (highly trusted), one Tier-2 regulator (trusted), zero Tier-3 regulators (average risk), and one Tier-4 regulator (high risk). XM Group is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) via its parent company's other brand Trading.com, and regulated in the European Union via the MiFID passporting system.

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.

XM Group is a MetaTrader-only broker that offers a strong selection of high-quality educational content and market research.

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 XM Group, you'll need to make an initial minimum deposit of $5.

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. XM Group offers Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw), Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) and Neteller (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 XM Group holds 4 global Tier-1 licenses, while IC Markets holds 2. XM Group holds 1 global Tier-2 licenses, while IC Markets holds 0.

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 XM Group (88) earned a higher Trust Score than IC Markets (84).

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

Here’s what trading platforms are available at XM Group:

• Proprietary Platform - No
• Web Platform - Yes
• cTrader - No
• DupliTrade - No
• MT4 - Yes
• MT5 - Yes
• 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. Both XM Group and IC Markets offer MetaTrader 4 (MT4). Forex traders also appreciate the ability to engage in social copy trading. XM Group and IC Markets both offer copy trading.

IC Markets provides traders 61 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to XM Group's 55 available pairs. If you are interested in trading CFDs, IC Markets offers traders access to 3583 CFDs, while XM Group offers access to 1429 CFDs; so IC Markets offers 2154 more CFDs than XM Group.

We found in our testing that IC Markets offers a more diverse selection of investment options than XM Group, allowing you to trade both brokers allow traders to trade Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs), U.S. Stocks (CFD), Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD), Cryptocurrency (Derivative) and Social Trading / Copy Trading. Neither have Cryptocurrency (Physical) and Spread Betting.