Pepperstone and IC Markets are two of the leading forex and CFD brokers that offer online trading services to traders and investors worldwide. Both brokers are highly regulated by top-tier regulatory authorities. Pepperstone is regulated by three Tier-1, two Tier-2, and two Tier-4 jurisdictions, including FCA, ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, CMA, and SCB. On the other hand, the IC Market is regulated by two Tier-1 jurisdictions, one Tier-2 jurisdictions, and two Tier-4 jurisdictions including ASIC, CySEC, SCB, FSA-S, and FSCA. These two brokers offer similar services. However, each broker has its own strengths and weaknesses.
In this article, we will compare Pepperstone with IC Markets in terms of trading platforms, regulations, tradable assets, fees, customer support, and overall trading experience score. We will also explore if Pepperstone is better than IC Markets and vice versa. With this comparison, you can clearly understand which broker is better for your trading style and preferences.
Pepperstone vs IC Markets: In a Nutshell
Pepperstone
Founded in 2010; Pepperstone is an Australian-based forex and CFD broker that offers online trading services globally. The broker gives you access to trade more than 1200 forex/CFDs on its powerful platforms; MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView. With its technological infrastructure, Pepperstone offers lightning-speed executions, multiple trading tools, and low trading fees. It is regulated in 7 jurisdictions and boasts of over 400,000 clients from all over the world.
Pepperstone At a Glance
- Founded In: 2010
- Founder: Owen Kerr and Joe Davenport
- Headquarters : Melbourne, Australia,
- Minimum Deposit: None (However, Pepperstone recommends $200 or equivalent for margin requirements.
- Maximum Leverage: Upto 30:1 for ASIC, CySEC, FCA, BaFin, and DFSA jurisdictions, 400:1 for CMA, 200:1 for SCB, and 500:1 for Professional Accounts
- Regulations: FCA, ASIC, CySEC, BaFIN, DFSA, CMA, and SCB
- Trading platform: MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView
- Account Types: Standard, Standard (cTrader/MetaTrader 4&5), Razor (MT4, MT5, cTrader & TradingView)
- Trading Styles: All including Scalping, Hedging, News Trading, EA Trading
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), VISA, MasterCard, BPAY, Local Bank Transfers, M-Pesa, Neteller, PayPal, Poli, Skrill, UnionPay
- US Clients: Not Accepted
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
Pepperstone vs IC Markets: Features
Pepperstone:
- Trading Instruments: 1250+Trading instruments including Forex, Commodities, Cryptocurrencies, Shares/Stocks CFDs, etcÂ
- Maximum leverage: 1:30 for retail traders of ASIC, CySEC, FCA, and BaFin jurisdictions, 1:200 for SCB Jurisdiction, 1:400 for CMA Jurisdiction, and 1:500 for professional traders.Â
- Minimum Deposit: No Minimum Deposit. However, Pepperstone recommends $200 or equivalent for the margin requirement.Â
- Account Types: Two ( Standard account, Razor Account)Â
- Trading Fees: Spread starting from 1 pip for Standard Account or Commission 3.00 to 3.50 per lot for Razor Account on a Single Trip.Â
- PAMM/ MAM:Â AvailableÂ
- Scalping: AllowedÂ
- News Trading: Allowed
- EA/ Robot Trading: Allowed
IC Markets:
- Regulations: ASIC, CySEC, and FSA
- Trading Instruments: 2150+ including Forex, commodities, indices, bonds, stocks, futures, cryptocurrencies
- Â 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.  Â
- Account types: Standard Account and Raw Account (Metater, Ctrader)Â
- Fees:Â Spread starting from 0.8Â pips for Standard Account or 3.00 to 3.50 per lot for Raw Account on a single Trip.Â
- PAMM/ MAM:Â Not AvailableÂ
- Scalping: AllowedÂ
- News Trading: Allowed
- EA/ Robot Trading: Allowed
Pepperstone vs IC Markets: Pros and Cons
Pepperstone
- Regulated in 7 Reputed Jurisdictions (FCA in the UK, CySEC in Cyprus, ASIC in Australia, BaFin in Germany, DFSA in Dubai, CMA in Kenya, and SCB in the Bahamas)
- Fast order execution (fast execution on an average of 30 ms)
- Competitive spread starting from 0.0 pips
- Segregated clients fund with tire 1 bank
- No Inactivity Fees
- Attractive Trading Conditions
- Wide Range of Instruments Offered
- Fast and full online account opening
- MT4 Smart trader tools, Autochartist, Capitalise.ai, and free VPS are some of the trading tools available.
- US Traders not allowed
- Only CFDs are Offered
- No cent/Micro Account
- Minimum deposit 200
- Support works only 24/5
- Limited account protection for non-U.K./E.U. clients
- No guaranteed Stop loss
- 30-day expiry for demo accounts
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
Pepperstone vs IC Markets: Side-by-Side Comparison
Pepperstone Vs IC Markets: Our Scores and Ratings
We rated both brokers, Pepperstone and IC 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.
Pepperstone :
IC Markets:
Final Verdict :
Pepperstone and IC Markets are both top-tier forex and CFD brokers in the industry. They are both experienced brokers who offer excellent trading services that suit beginners, professionals, and even institutional traders. Their fees are minimal while their services are top-notch.
However, there are a few areas where one suits better than the other. For example, if you are a forex trader who trades major currencies and prefers to trade marked-up spreads; then IC Market is recommended because it comes with lower spreads than Pepperstone.
Beginners might find IC Markets’ trading resources and demo account more convenient than that of Pepperstone, which expires after 30 days. Pepperstone is best for pros who need highly regulated brokers and use professional platforms like TradingView.
Disclaimer: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 74-89 % of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money
