Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IG vs ActivTrades, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
IG is an online broker founded in 1974. It’s publicly traded and is also a bank, offering added oversight. According to ForexBrokers.com, IG holds 8 Tier-1 and 2 Tier-2 licenses and earns a Trust Score of 99/99, which places it in the highly trusted range.
ActivTrades, founded in 2001, is not publicly traded and is not a bank. It holds 2 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-2 licenses and has a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 80/99, falling in the trusted range. Compared with IG, ActivTrades has fewer top-tier licenses and a lower trust rating, so traders prioritizing regulatory coverage and transparency may prefer IG, while those comfortable with a trusted but smaller regulatory footprint may consider ActivTrades.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
In a side-by-side look at commissions and fees, IG comes out ahead of ActivTrades for active traders and forex pricing. IG is not a discount broker, but it does offer competitive costs through its Forex Direct DMA account, where EUR/USD spreads averaged 0.62 pips in July 2023, with an all-in cost of about 0.82 pips after commission. IG also offers spread rebates for high-volume traders, which can bring costs down further for qualifying clients. Its commissions and fees rating is 5 stars, and it ranks #7 out of 36 brokers in the Commissions and Fees category.
ActivTrades also keeps pricing fairly close to the industry average, but it does not match IG’s best rates for heavy traders. The broker has one main individual account, plus professional and Islamic account options, but no special pricing plan for high-volume trading and no active trader discounts. Based on direct data, ActivTrades’ EUR/USD average spread was 0.98 pips in May 2024. Its commissions and fees rating is 4 stars, and it ranks #22 out of 36 brokers.
Overall, IG is the stronger choice if low trading costs and volume-based pricing matter most, especially for forex traders who want tighter spreads and lower all-in costs. ActivTrades remains a solid option with spreads that are generally near the market average, but it is less appealing for traders looking to reduce costs through rebates or tiered commission pricing.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £1 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.91 | 1.08 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 0.92 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Join 239,000+ traders worldwide.
IG offers a wider range of investments than ActivTrades, making it the stronger choice for traders who want more market access in one place. IG supports forex trading as both a CFD and spot contract, with 97 currency pairs and 19,537 tradeable symbols overall, compared with ActivTrades’ 49 forex pairs and 1,267 symbols. IG also lets clients buy exchange traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, and it offers both actual cryptocurrency and cryptocurrency CFDs. By comparison, ActivTrades offers international exchange traded securities and crypto CFDs, but not U.S.-listed shares or delivered crypto.
There are also differences in extra features. ActivTrades offers copy trading, while IG does not. Still, when it comes to investment variety, IG comes out ahead with a 5-star Range of Investments rating and a #4 ranking out of 36 brokers from ForexBrokers.com, versus ActivTrades’ 4-star rating and #26 ranking. For traders focused on choice and breadth, IG has the larger selection overall.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 1267 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 49 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
IG and ActivTrades both give traders a strong range of platform choices, including a free demo account, their own in-house platform, web trading, Windows desktop downloads, and support for MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Both also let users place trades straight from charts, which can make it easier to act quickly while watching price moves. For traders who want a familiar setup across devices, either broker covers the main platform basics well.
The biggest difference is copy trading: ActivTrades offers it, while IG does not. That can matter for beginners or anyone who wants to follow other traders’ strategies. In overall platform quality, IG comes out ahead with a 5-star rating and a #1 ranking out of 36 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools, while ActivTrades is rated 4 stars and ranked #27, suggesting IG has the edge for platform depth and tools overall.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
IG and ActivTrades both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, and each app supports stock or forex price alerts, trendline drawing, and automatic saving of chart drawings. For traders who want to stay connected on the go, both brokers cover the basics well and make it easy to monitor the markets from a phone or tablet.
That said, IG has the edge in mobile trading app quality. Its app offers watchlist syncing between mobile and the online account, so updates carry over in both places, while ActivTrades does not offer this feature. IG also provides more technical studies for charting, with 33 compared with ActivTrades’ 30. These extra features help explain why IG is rated 5 stars and ranked #1 out of 36 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps by ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades holds a 4-star rating and a #21 ranking.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, IG has the edge over ActivTrades. Both brokers provide daily market commentary, forex news from top sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, sentiment tools, and an economic calendar to help traders track key global events. However, IG adds more depth with Autochartist, TipRanks, and Acuity Trading tools such as Signal Centre, while ActivTrades does not offer these extras.
This wider range of research features helps explain why IG is rated 5 stars for research and ranked #2 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, compared with ActivTrades’ 4-star rating and #27 ranking. For traders who want more built-in analysis and idea-generation tools, IG is the stronger choice for market research.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to beginner-friendly learning materials, both IG and ActivTrades give new traders plenty to explore. Each broker offers at least 10 forex or CFD education pieces, along with monthly online client webinars and a solid library of video lessons for both beginners and more experienced traders. That means either platform can help you get started with the basics of trading and then move on to more advanced topics as your skills grow.
Still, IG stands out as the stronger choice for education overall. It earns 5 out of 5 stars for Education and ranks #7 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades is rated 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #30. If you want the broker with the stronger track record for learning resources, IG is the better pick, though ActivTrades still offers a helpful set of tools for beginners.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that IG is better than ActivTrades. IG finished with an overall rank of #1, while ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #28.
IG offers the ultimate comprehensive trading package, featuring excellent trading and research tools, industry-leading education, and an extensive range of tradeable markets.
| Feature |
IG
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 99 | 80 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Trading Fees |
|
|
| Trading Platforms |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
IG allows you to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies and trade cryptocurrency CFDs, whereas ActivTrades does not support buying actual (delivered) crypto and only offers cryptocurrency CFDs.
IG vs ActivTrades: IG supports ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wire deposits and withdrawals but not Skrill, while ActivTrades offers Skrill and bank wires but lacks ACH/SEPA and PayPal.
Please note:
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.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 99 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Regulation | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 80 | |
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 1267 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 49 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.91 | 1.08 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 0.92 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £1 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | IG Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Overall | IG | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 99 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | ActivTrades Review |
IG
FOREX.com
CMC Markets
XTB
eToro
Capital.com
AvaTrade
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill