IC Markets and Skilling are Forex and CFD brokers offering online trading services to traders and investors worldwide. Both brokers are regulated by top-tier regulatory authorities. IC Markets is regulated by 3 regulatory authorities , including the ASIC, CySEC, FSA. On the other hand, Skilling is regulated by 3 regulatory authorities, including CySEC, FSA, and FCA (recently deregistered from FCA). These two brokers offer almost similar services. However, each broker has its strengths and weaknesses.
In this article, we will compare IC Markets with Skilling regarding trading platforms, regulations, tradable assets, fees, customer support, and overall trading experience score. We will also explore if IC Markets is better than Skilling. This comparison lets you understand which broker is better for your trading style and preferences.
IC Markets vs Skilling: In a Nutshell
IC Markets
Andrew Budzinksi founded IC Markets in 2007 with the aim of using superior technology to provide forex and CFD trading services to both institutional and retail traders. 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.
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
Skilling
Established in 2016 by Scandinavian entrepreneurs, Lennart Clausen, André Lavold, Henrik Ekdahl, and Mikael Harstad, Skilling is a regulated and innovative forex broker. It offers traders access to more than 900 forex and CFDs on its Skilling Trader, cTrader, and MT4 platforms. The broker’s Premium account features competitive spreads and low commissions, ideal for advanced traders. Skilling.com provides forex pairs, CFDs, commodities, shares, indices, gold, silver, oil, bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies for your personal investment and trading options. Additionally, Skilling provides tools like TradingView, an economic calendar, market news, and detailed analysis to enhance trading decisions.
Skilling Overview
- Founded In: 2016
- Minimum Deposit: 25 € or equivalent
- Maximum Leverage: Up to 1:1000 for non-EU retail traders,1:30 for EU retail traders. 1:200 for professional traders
- Regulations:CySEC, FSA, and FCA (recently deregistered from FCA)
- Trading platform: MT4, MT5, cTrader, Skilling Trader, and Skilling Copy
- Account Types: Offers 3 account types: Standard, Premium, MT4
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), VISA, MasterCard, CoinsPaid, Directa24, FasaPay, Klarna, Neteller, Ngan Luong, Pagsmile, PayPal, PayRetailers, PayTrust88, Skrill, Swish, Trustly, UnionPay, WebMoney
- US Traders: Not Accepted
Skilling
- Trading Instruments: 800+ forex, CFDs, commodities, shares, indices, and cryptocurrencies
- Maximum leverage: up to 1:1000 for non-EU retail traders,1:30 for EU retail traders. 1:200 for professional traders
- Minimum Deposit: $25 for the Non-EU standard account, $100 for the EU standard account, and $5000 for the premium account.
- Account Types: Offers 3 account types: Standard, Premium MT4
- Fees: starting from 0.8 pips for a standard account,
- Social Copy Trading: Yes,
- Zulutrade: No
- Scalping: Allowed
- News Trading: Allowed
- EA/ Robot Trading: Allowed
IC Markets vs Skilling: Pros and Cons
IC Markets
- 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
Skilling
- Regulated by CySEC, FSA, and FCA.
- The Maximum leverage is as high as 1:1000 for global entities, 1:30 for EU traders, and 1:200
- Fully Digital Account Opening ( Easy Sign and Verification Process)
- Demo Accounts are Available
- Low Trading fees starting from 0.8 pips for standard accounts, and 0.10 pips for premium accounts
- Offers both leverage and non-leverage cryptos of trading
- Educational resources with a new 'Trading Study Hub' for beginner investors to learn more about investing
- Offers a variety of trading platforms and tools including MT4, Ctrader, Skilling Social Copy Trading, and Skilling own trading platform
- Straightforward fees, no hidden charge
- No deposit and withdrawal fees
- Higher minimum deposit of $100 for Standard accounts, and $5000 for Premium accounts in the EU
- Degegistered from FCA regulations
- Service is not available in many countries including Canada and the US
- 1:2 leverage for cryptocurrencies
- Only Forex and CFDs are offered
IC Markets vs Skilling: Side-by-Side Comparison
IC Markets Vs Skilling: Our Scores and Ratings
We rated both brokers, IC Markets and Skilling, 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 :
Skilling:
Final Verdict :
IC Markets and Skilling are regulated forex and CFD brokers in the industry. They offer similar trading services. Both brokers allow scalping, hedging, EA trading, and Copy trading. 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 Skilling is 25 € or equivalent. Additionally, the maximum leverage for IC Markets is 1:1000. In contrast, the maximum leverage for Skilling is up to 1:1000 for non-EU retail traders, 1:30 for EU retail traders. 1:200 for professional traders. IC Markets offers passive investment programs like MAM and PAMM, while Skilling does not have any passive investment programs.
Our score for IC Markets is 9.3, and for Skilling, it is 8.8 So, if you are looking for the most trusted forex brokers with MAM and PAMM services, you may choose IC Markets. However, if you prefer another forex brokers that offer similar services, you may choose Skilling.
