IC Markets and XTB are online Forex and CFD brokers that offer trading services to traders and investors worldwide. These two brokers are regulated by top-tier regulatory authorities. IC Markets is regulated by two tier-1, and one tier-4 jurisdictions, including ASIC, CySEC, SCB, and FSA. On the other hand, the XTB is regulated by Three Tier-1 jurisdictions and one Tier-4 jurisdiction including CySEC, FCA, KNF, and FSC. 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 XTB 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 XTB: 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
XTB
Founded in 2002, XTB is an exchange-listed forex and CFD broker with headquarters in Poland and offices in over 13 countries. The broker offers more than 5,800 forex, CFDs as well as real stocks and ETFs for trading on its proprietary platforms. XTB boasts of over 800,000 clients from all over the world. However, the broker offers only the xStation platform. The broker also offers real stocks with 0% commissions.
XTB Overview
- Founded In: 2002
- Founder: Jakub Zablocki
- Locations: UK, Cyprus, Belize, Poland.
- Minimum Deposit: $0
- Maximum Leverage: 1:500
- Regulations:CySEC, FCA , KNF , IFSC
- Trading platform:xStation 5 , xStation Mobile
- Account Types: Standard, Pro, Islamic
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), VISA, MasterCard, Maestro, Neteller, Paysafe, SafetyPay, Skrill
- US Traders: Not Accept
IC Markets vs XTB : 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
XTB:
- Trading Instruments: 5800+Trading instruments including Real stocks, ETFs, CFDs on forex, CFDs on Indices, CFDs on Commodities
- Maximum leverage: The maximum leverage of XTB is as high as 500:1. Leverage may vary based on jurisdiction and tradable assets. For example, for CySEC jurisdiction the maximum leverage is 30:1.
- Minimum Deposit: No Minimum Deposit. You may deposit as low as possible.
- Account Types: Two ( Stocks &ETFS, and CFD Instruments)
- Trading Fees: The fees of CFD instruments start from as low as 0.5 pips spread. 0% commission on Stock Accounts
- PAMM/ MAM: No
- Scalping: Allowed
- News Trading: Allowed
- EA/ Robot Trading: Allowed
IC Markets vs XTB: 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
XTB
- Regulated by FCA, FSC, KNF, DDM-M, DNMV,
- The Minimum deposit is as low as $1
- The Maximum Leverage is as high as 1:500
- Allows scalping, EA/Robot Trading, News Trading
- Trade stocks, ETFs, indices, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and forex
- 0% commission on stock and ETF trading (only applicable to some EU countries)
- Traders can enjoy commission-free trading with spreads as low as 0.25 pips
- XTB does not offer cTrader, MT4/MT5, or Ninja Trader which are the most popular platforms in the world
- No passive investment programme ( PAMM, MAM Accounts)
- Withdrawal fees for transfers below $100 or €200
- Inactivity fee (€10/monthly after 1+ year with no activity plus no deposit in the last 90 days)
- Complex trading platform for a beginner
- CFDs only – so traders do not own the underlying asset
IC Markets vs XTB: Side-by-Side Comparison
IC Markets Vs XTB: Our Scores and Ratings
We rated both brokers, IC Markets and XTB, 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 :
XTB:
Final Verdict :
IC Markets and XTB 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 XTB is $0. Additionally, the maximum leverage for the IC Market is generally 500:1 (in some countries IC Markets offers 1000:1 leverage). On the other hand, the maximum leverage for XTB is 500:1. IC Market offers passive investment programs or copy trading programs like MAM, and Zulutrade. In contrast, XTB does not have any passive investment programs.
Our score for IC Markets is 9.3, and for XTB, it is 8.8 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 forex broker with a lower minimum deposit and offering a similar trading service to IC Markets, you may select XTB.
