Forex traders always look for trading with brokers that suit their trading needs and preferences. IC Markets and Kot4x are online forex brokers that offer their trading services to traders and investors. IC Markets is a highly regulated and trusted forex broker. It is regulated in two Tier-1, one Tier-2, and two Tier-4 jurisdictions. On the other hand, Kot4x is an offshore forex broker which is not regulated by any regulatory bodies.
In this article, we will review and compare the brokerage services offered by IC Markets and Kot4x. We will explore options such as regulations, reputations, fees, features, leverage, and more. Additionally, we will analyze and rate the brokers based on macro and micro categories and options. By reviewing these aspects, you will get a clear idea of which broker suits you best for your trading journey.
IC Markets vs KOT4X: 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, you can read our review on IC Markets where we have covered its features, pros, cons, ratings, and more.
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
KOT4X
Established in 2019, KOT4X is a forex and CFD broker that offers online trading services globally. It is an unregulated offshore broker that provides access to over 250 trading instruments, including forex, stocks, cryptocurrencies, and indices. The broker offers leverage of up to 1:500.
KOT4X is known for its fast execution, tight spreads, and low commissions, which may appeal to scalpers and high-frequency traders. The broker supports multiple cryptocurrency deposits with no extra fees. Traders can open multiple positions, hedge trades, and use strategies such as news trading and expert advisors. However, KOT4X does not offer the MetaTrader platform (MT4/MT5). Instead, it uses TradeLocker as its trading platform.To learn more, you can read our review on KOT4X, where we cover its features, pros, cons, ratings, and more.
KOT4X Overview
- Founded In: 2019
- Trading Instruments: Around 200 trading instruments, including 55 currencies, 104 stocks, 31 cryptocurrencies, and 8 indices
- Minimum Deposit: $10 for BTC deposit, $25 to $50 for Debit/Credit card via Instacoins.
- Maximum Leverage: 1:500
- Regulations: None
- Min Lot size: 0.01
- Max Lot Size: 500 lot per ticket
- Trading platform: TradeLocker
- Trading Styles: Allows all trading Styles including scalping, News Trading, CFD trading, EA trading,
- Account Types: Standard Pairs, Pro Pairs, Var Pairs, Mini Pairs
- Payment Options: Bitcoin, Instacoins.
- US Traders: Accepted
IC Markets vs KOT4: 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
Kot4x
- Trading Instruments: Forex, Metals, Oil, Indices, Commodities, Shares
- Trading Platforms: Mt4, Web Trading, Mobile
- Minimum Deposit: $5
- Maximum Leverage: 1:1000
- Trading Fees: Spreads starting from 1 pips. LMFX charges a fixed commission for every lot traded. A lot is equal to 100,000 units of currency. If you have a zero account, the commission is $4 per lot which means $8 for a round lot.
- Minimum Trade Size: 0.01 lot.
- Maximum Trade Size (Lot restriction per Ticket): 50 Lots
- Funding Currencies: USD/EUR
- Trading Style Allowed: Almost all trading styles including Scalping, hedging, copy trading, and EA Trading.
- Stop Out Level (retail): 20%
- Margin Call Level: 50%
- Negative balance Protection: Yes
- Investor Protection: No
- Account Opening: Fully Online Account opening. It may take only 5 to 7 Minutes.
- KYC Verification: Required
IC Markets vs KOT4X: Pros and Cons
IC Markets Pros & Cons
- 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
- Higher minimum deposit
- No investor protection for non-EU Clients
- Limited Product Selection
- No weekend Trading
- US Traders are not accepted
KOT4X Pros & Cons
- Regulated by multiple top tire regulators like NFA, FCA, ASIC, FSA, AMF, FMA, MAS, DFSA
- Allows scalping, EA/ Robot Trading, News Trading
- Offers web trading, mobile trading and ECN Trading
- IG's acquisition of tastytrade for $1 billion brought options trading and listed-derivatives (such as futures) trading to clients in the United States
- 16,000 trading instruments, investments in IPOs and exchange-traded funds;
- Quality choice of trading platforms, including MT4, WebTrader, MobileTrader (MobileApp), ProRealTime
- Relatively good spreads, from 0.6-1 pips depending on the type of instrument;
- Offers passive investment programme ( MAM, PAMM accounts)
- Relatively high Minimum deposit ( Min Deposit $250)
- Conservative leverage in some areas ( The max leverage is 1:200)
- IG charges $/£12/€14 per month after 24 months of inactivity
- Limited product range on MT4
- High Stock CFD fees
IC Markets vs KOT4X: Side-by-Side Comparison
IC Markets Vs KOT4X: Our Scores and Ratings
We rated both brokers, IC Markets and KOT4X, 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 :
KOT4X:
Final Verdict :
Both IC Markets and Kot4x offer similar trading services worldwide. However, there are differences in their regulations, reputation, and operation. IC Markets is a highly regulated and trusted forex broker. It is regulated by top-tier regulatory authorities, including ASIC, CySEC, SCB, FSA-S, and FSCA. On the other hand, Kot4x is an unregulated offshore forex broker. IC Markets provides Multiple trading platforms including MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView. On the Contrary, Kot4x does not offer MT4/MT5. It uses only TradeLocker as its trading platform.
As IC Markets is not licensed in the USA, it cannot accept US clients. Being an unregulated offshore forex broker, Kot4x can onboard clients from anywhere in the world, including the USA. Therefore, non-US traders may opt for IC Markets, while US traders looking for offshore forex brokers may consider Kot4x. Trading with offshore forex brokers is risky and not recommended.
