Oanda and IG are online forex brokers that offer their trading services to traders and investors. Oanda is a highly regulated and trusted forex broker. It is regulated by multiple regulatory authorities including ASIC, CFTC, IIROC, FCA, PFSA, MAS in Singapore, FSA in Japan, FSC in BVI. Similarly, IG is also a regulated forex broker. IG is regulated by multiple regulatory bodies around the world including ASIC, FCA, JFSA, SFC (Hongkong), FSCA, MAS, FMA, GmbH, FINMA. Both brokers have their own strengths and weaknesses.
In this article, we will review and compare the brokerage services offered by Oanda and IG. 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.
Oanda
Founded by Drs. Stumm and Olsen in the USA in 1996, Oanda is one of the oldest and most experienced forex brokers in the world. The broker expanded into Asia in 2007, opened its London office in 2011, and its Sydney office in 2014. On its platforms, you can trade over 3,000 forex pairs, CFDs, and even real stocks. The broker is regulated by top regulatory authorities including ASIC, CFTC, IIROC, FCA, PFSA, MAS in Singapore, FSA in Japan, and FSC in BVI. Oanda offers multiple trading platforms such as MT4, MT5, the fxTrade app, and TradingView. Oanda is also known for its currency transfer services as well as its MarketPlus trading analytics. To learn more, you can read our review on Oanda, where we cover features, pros, cons, and more
Oanda Overview
- Founded In: 1996
- Founder: Dr. Stumm (a computer scientist), and Dr. Olsen (an economist)
- Headquarters: New York, United States
- Trading Instruments: 100+ trading Instruments including forex, indices, shares, commodities, metals, cryptocurrencies, metals
- Minimum Deposit: No minimum Deposit is required. You may deposit as low as $1
- Maximum Leverage: 1:50 (US), 1:30 (EU), 1:200 (other regions)
- Regulations: ASIC, CFTC, IIROC, FCA, PFSA, MAS in Singapore, FSA in Japan, FSC in BVI
- Trading platform: MT4, MT5, fxTrade app, Tradingview
- Account Types: Standard, Elitetrader
- Trading Fees: Spreads starting from 0.6 pips (EUR/USD pair)
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), VISA, MasterCard, ACH Payments (echeck), BPAY, CHAPS, Check, DBS Bill Payment, Local Bank Deposits, Local Bank Transfers, Neteller, Payment Asia, PayNow, PayPal, SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT), Skrill
- US Traders: Accepted
IG
Founded in 1974 as IG Index by British financier Stuart Wheeler, IG is a well-known forex and CFD broker. Based in the United Kingdom, IG offers online trading services, including spread betting and CFD trading. It provides access to over 100 forex currency pairs, CFDs, commodities, stocks, indices, gold, silver, oil, bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies for personal investment and trading. As of 2021, IG had a market value of £2.9 billion and offered trading in 17,000 investment markets. Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), IG is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. To know more, read our review about IG.
IG Markets Overview
- Founded In: 1974
- Minimum Deposit: $250
- Maximum Leverage: 200:1
- Regulations: ASIC, FCA, JFSA, SFC (Hongkong), FSCA, MAS, FMA, GmbH, FINMA
- Trading platform:MT4, Tradingview, WebTrader, MobileTrader (MobileApp), ProRealTime
- Account Types: Standard account, DMA Account
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), VISA, MasterCard, PayPal
- US Traders: Accepted
Oanda vs : IG Features
Oanda:
- Trading Instruments: CFD trading is not allowed for US clients; however, non-US clients can trade CFDs
- Maximum leverage: The maximum leverage of Oanda is 1:200 (global), 1:50 (US), 1:30 (EU)
- Minimum Deposit: No Minimum Deposit.
- Account Types: Two (Standard, Elitetrader)
- Trading Fees: Spreads range from 0.1 to 0.6, and commissions range from 3.5 to 4 per lot (depending on account type).
- PAMM/ MAM:
- Scalping: Allowed
- News Trading: Allowed
- EA/ Robot Trading: Allowed
IG
- Trading Instruments: 17,000+ trading instruments including forex, indices, cryptocurrencies, shares, commodities, bonds, options, etc
- Maximum leverage: 30:1 to 200:1 ( dependent on Jurisdiction and Tradable assets)
- Minimum Deposit: No Minimum Deposit. However, the Minimum requires $250 if traders use credit/debit cards or PayPal
- Account Types: Ig Offers couple of account types including Standard Accounts, Limited Risk Accounts, Spread Betting Accounts, Options Trading Accounts, Turbo24 Accounts, Share Dealing Accounts, Professional Accounts, etc
- PAMM/ MAM: Available
- Scalping: Allowed
- News Trading: Allowed
- EA/ Robot Trading: Allowed
Oanda vs IG: Pros and Cons
Oanda
- Regulated by the CySEC, FCA, CFTC, JFSA, IIROC, ASIC, MAS and FSC BVI
- Clients can trade over 1800 forex/CFDs and over 2000 real stocks.
- Platforms: MT4, MT5, and Oanda mobile apps on iOS and Android.
- Trading tools provided are MetaTrader premium tools, Autochartist, Market pulse analysis, etc.
- Customer support is provided in multiple languages and via different channels.
- Fast and user-friendly account opening
- The TradingView platform is available, alongside several VPS services for MT4 hosting.
- Bank withdrawals incur a fee which is transferred to the trader.
- Premium core accounts require a minimum balance of $20,000
- Inactivity fees are charged from dormant accounts.
- No account protection for U.S. clients
- No guaranteed stop-losses for U.S. or U.K. clients
- Traders in the U.S. cannot access single-stock CFDs
- No cent accounts, bonus programme for beginner traders
IG
- 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
Oanda vs IG: Side-by-Side Comparison
Oanda Vs IG: Our Scores and Ratings
We rated both brokers, Oanda and IG, 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.
Oanda :
IG
Final Verdict :
Both OANDA and IG offer similar trading services worldwide. Both brokers are regulated in the USA and accept US clients. The minimum lot size for both is as low as 0.1.
However, there are some differences. For example, OANDA is regulated by 8 regulatory authorities including ASIC, CFTC, IIROC, FCA, PFSA, MAS in Singapore, FSA in Japan, FSC in BVI while IG is regulated by 9 regulatory authorities including ASIC, FCA, JFSA, SFC (Hongkong), FSCA, MAS, FMA, GmbH, FINMA. The trading cost for OANDA is Spread starting from 0.2 pips or commission $5, while the trading cost for IG is Spread starting from 0.1 pips. Our score for OANDA is 8.8, and for IG, it is 9 (according to our expert ratings, brokers that achieve a score of 8.00 or higher are considered safe and trustworthy).
So, if you are looking for a low-cost broker for forex trading, you can choose OANDA. If you want to use a widely recognized broker, you may consider IG.
