IC Markets vs CMC Markets Compared 2025: Pros, Cons, and More!

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IC Markets and CMC Markets are online Forex and CFD brokers that offer trading services to traders and investors worldwide. Both brokers are regulated by top-tier regulatory authorities. IC Markets is regulated in two tier-1, and one tier-4 jurisdiction, including ASIC, CySEC, and FSA. On the other hand, CMC Markets is regulated in Five Tier-1 jurisdictions, including FCA, MAS, ASIC, IIROC, FMA.. These two brokers offer almost similar services. However, each broker has its strengths and weaknesses.

In this article, we will compare and contrast IC Markets with CMC Markets regarding their pros, cons, trading platforms, regulations, tradable assets, fees, customer support, and overall trading experience score. This comparison lets you understand which broker is better for your trading style and preferences

IC Markets vs CMC Markets: In a Nutshell

IC Markets

Founded in 2007 by Andrew Budzinksi, IC Markets is an Australian-based forex and CFD broker offering trading services to institutional and retail traders worldwide. The broker offers 2250+ trading instruments including  Forex, commodities, indices, bonds, stocks, futures, and cryptocurrencies. Over the years, the broker has improved in quality and services. It offers true ECN trading with low spreads, high leverage, and fast executions to a global clientele. IC Markets is a multi-asset trading platform of choice for high-volume traders, scalpers, and robots. To learn more about IC Markets, you can read our review.
 

ICMarkets Overview

ICMarkets Overview
  • Founded In: 2007 
  • Founder: Andrew Budzinksi
  • Headquarters: Australia
  • Minimum Deposit: $200
  • Maximum Leverage: Upto 1000:1 for FSA Jurisdiction, 30:1 for ASIC, CySEC clients.  
  • Regulations: ASIC, CySEC,  and FSA
  • Trading platform: MT4, MT5 and cTrader
  • Trading Instruments: 2150+ Trading Instruments including Forex, Crypto, Stock, Commodity Indices, Bonds, Futures.
  • Account Types: Standard, Standard, Raw (Metatrader, Ctrader) 
  • Fees: Spread starting from 0.8 Pips(Standard Accounts) or $3 to 3.5 Commission (Raw Accounts)
  • Payment Options: bank/wire transfer, Paypal, credit card, Skrill, Neteller, UnionPay, Bpay, FasaPay and Poli.
  • US Traders: Not Accepted 

CMC Markets

Founded in 1989, CMC Markets is a publicly traded broker (Ticker: CMCX). The broker is regulated in the UK, Australia, Canada, and Singapore. It offers over 9800 trading instruments, including Forex, Indices, Cryptocurrencies, Shares & ETFs, and Commodities. There is no minimum deposit requirement on IC Markets; you may deposit as low as $1. CMC Markets allows EA trading and news trading. The broker uses the most popular trading platform, MetaTrader (MT4), as its trading platform.

CMC Markets Overview
  • Founded In: 1989
  • Minimum Deposit: $0
  • Maximum Leverage: 1:500
  • Regulations: ASIC
  • Trading platform: MT4 , Share trading platforms
  • Account Types: SPREAD BETTING, Fx Active, CFD Trading
  • Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), VISA, MasterCard
  • US Traders: Not Accept

IC Markets vs CMC Markets : Features

IC Markets:

  • Regulations: ASIC, CySEC, and FSA
  • Trading Instruments: 2150+ including  Forex, commodities, indices, bonds, stocks, futures, cryptocurrencies
  •  Minimum Deposit: $200 or Equivalent
  • Maximum leverage: up to 1000:1 in FSA jurisdiction, in some countries, it offers 500:1 leverage, for ASIC, and CySEC entity the brokers offers up to 1:30 leverage.   
  • Account types: Standard Account and Raw Account (Metater, Ctrader) 
  • Fees:  Spread starting from 0.8  pips for Standard Account or 3.00 to 3.50 per lot for Raw Account on a single Trip. 
  • PAMM/ MAM:  Not Available 
  • Scalping: Allowed 
  • News Trading: Allowed
  • EA/ Robot Trading: Allowed

CMC Markets

  • Trading Instruments: 12000+ trading instruments including forex, indices, Cryptocurrencies, Commodities, Shares, Share baskets, Treasuries, etc 
  • Maximum leverage:  Up to 30:1 ( FCA, ASIC), up to 1:50 (IIROC), and up to 500:1 for a professional account.
  • Minimum Deposit: No Minimum Deposit. However, Pepperstone recommends $200 or equivalent for the margin requirement. 
  • Account Types: Three (Spread Betting Account, CFD Account, Corporate Account)
  • Trading Fees: only Spread is charged (Commission is only for Shares account). Variable spreads from 0.3 pips. A rollover commission is applied on open positions overnight. For the Shares account commission starts from $7. 
  • PAMM/ MAM:  Not Available 
  • Scalping: Allowed 
  • News Trading: Allowed
  • EA/ Robot Trading: Allowed

IC Markets vs CMC Markets: Pros and Cons

IC Markets

Pros
  • Fully Regulated broker, ( One tire-1 , jurisdiction, one tire-2 jurisdiction) 
  • Super fast trade execution speed 
  • Straightforward registration process 
  • Low spread, starting from 0 pips. 
  • Easy and Fast Account Opening 
  • Free deposit and withdrawal 
  • Offers standard and raw spread account
  • Trading EA is Allowed 
  • Ability to trade from a mobile device 
  • A demo Account is available
Cons
  • Higher minimum deposit 
  • No investor protection for non-EU Clients 
  • Limited Product Selection 
  • No weekend Trading 
  • US Traders are not accepted

CMC Markets

Pros
  • Regulated by FCA, ASIC, IIROC, MAS, FMA
  • Founded in 1989, CMC Markets is publicly traded company
  • The minimum deposit is as low as $1 
  • Comparatively low spread starting from 0.7 pips
  • Allows news trading, EA/Robot trading
  • Extensive range of tradable assets 
  • Excellent education and research resources
Cons
  • Offered only MT4, no MT5, cTrader trading platforms 
  • Maximum leverage is only 1:300
  •  No passive investment programme or social trading platforms ( No PAMM, MAM accounts) 
  •  Does not accept US clients
  • Only CFD Trading 
  • High CFD spreads for certain Indices 
  • Spread betting only for UK residents

IC Markets vs CMC Markets: Side-by-Side Comparison

IC Markets
CMC Markets
Product
Product
IC Markets
CMC Markets
Founded In
Founded In
2007
1989
Founded By
Founded By
Andrew Budzinksi
Peter Andrew Cruddas, Baron Cruddas
Headquarters
Headquarters
Sydney, Australia
London, United Kingdom
Regulations
Regulations
ASIC, CySEC, FSA, and SCB
FCA, ASIC, BaFin, IIROC, FMA, MAS
Min Deposit
Min Deposit
$200
None
Max Leverage
Max Leverage
1:500
1:500
Tradable Assets
Tradable Assets
Over 2100 forex, CFDs in stocks, indices, commodities, cryptos, and Bonds.
Forex Major, Forex Crosses, Forex Minor, Metals, Oil , CFD, Stock indices
Fees
Fees
Spreads from 0.6 pips, Commissions $7/round lot
Spread starting from 0.3 pips or commission $10
Platforms and Tools
Platforms and Tools
MT4, MT5, and cTrader
MT4 , Share trading platforms
US Traders
US Traders
Not Allowed
Not Allow

IC Markets Vs CMC Markets: Our Scores and Ratings

We rated both brokers, IC Markets and CMC Markets, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 0.1 increments. To achieve a comprehensive rating, we broadly grouped all services offered by brokers into 6 macro categories and assigned percentage weights to them. Each macro category is subdivided into several data points which contributes to the total score of 1.0-10.0 assigned to each macro category. Since all categories are not equally important, our weight percentage plays a significant role in assessing the broker accurately. For example, Regulation and Security contributes a total weight of 40% to the whole ratings because this is the most important rating category. To learn more, read our methodology.

IC Markets :

9.3
IC Markets Scores
Regulation and Security (40%)9.5
Fees and Commissions (20%)9.5
Trading (15%)8.5
Trading tools (10%)9
Customer Support (10%)9.6
Trading Education (5%)9.4

CMC Markets:

9.0
CMC Markets Score
Regulation and Security (40%)9.7
Fees and Commissions (20%)8
Trading (15%)9
Trading tools (10%)8
Customer Support (10%)9.5
Trading Education (5%)9

Final Verdict :

IC Markets and CMC Markets are regulated forex and CFD brokers in the industry. They offer similar trading services including forex and CFD trading. They both allow scalping, hedging, EA trading and Copy trading. Neither of these brokers accept US Clients. The minimum order size for both of them is 0.01. 

However, there are a few areas where you may find some differences. For example, the minimum deposit for IC Markets is $200, whereas the minimum deposit for CMC Markets is $0. Additionally, the maximum leverage for the IC Market is generally 500:1 (IC Markets offers 1000:1 in some countries). On the other hand, the maximum leverage for CMC Markets is 500:1. IC Market offers passive investment programs or copy trading programs like MAM, and Zulutrade. In contrast, CMC Markets does not have any passive investment programs.

Our score for IC Markets is 9.3, and for CMC Markets, it is 9.0. So, if you are looking for the most trusted forex brokers with tight spread and  MAM account services, you may choose IC Markets. However, If you prefer a similarly trusted forex broker with a lower minimum deposit you may choose CMC Markets.

Written by

Jason Paine is a forex trader, researcher, and tech enthusiast. He is passionate about financial markets and cutting-edge technology. With a dynamic 16-year trading career, he's on a mission to guide fellow traders. Having navigated diverse forex brokers, Jason shares his insights at Brokersway to bridge the gap between traders and the right brokerage.

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