IG Review 2026: Costs, Safety, Platforms and Who It Suits

What materially distinguishes it?

Tested directly

• Web platform: We have tested IG’s platforms hands-on for more than a decade. On the web platform, we built a workspace from scratch, used its modular panels and in-app tutorial, and found the platform depth strong.
• Desktop platform: The desktop experience was strong overall, though investment-sorting options were limited.
• Mobile app: We found investment sorting limited: positions could be ordered alphabetically, but not by cost or performance.
• Withdrawal: We requested a test withdrawal on 5 October 2022. More than 20 days later, the funds had not reached our bank, and the explanation changed while we followed up.
• Email support: We contacted IG repeatedly while tracing the withdrawal and did not feel the issue was resolved quickly.

Verified from primary sources

The legal-entity and licence references in this review are linked to regulator register pages for the relevant jurisdictions. The contracting entity and applicable terms remain location-dependent.

Not independently verified

We did not independently measure typical execution speed or establish general slippage rates from the withdrawal and platform testing described above. IG’s execution and platform claims should not be treated as results from those tests.

Test environment

Testing period: Withdrawal requested 5 Oct 2022; unresolved 20+ days at time of review

Account Pricing

IG uses floating spreads. The EUR/USD figure above is a minimum-style account quote, not a typical spread: the quoted average spreads are 0.82 pips for EUR/USD and 0.94 pips for GBP/USD. For context, the quoted average is 0.34 points for gold and 0.51 points for the S&P 500 CFD.

Most forex, index and commodity spread bets and CFDs are priced through the spread. Share CFDs carry a separate commission. Share dealing and ISA clients may pay £0 commission for eligible online global share and ETF trades with instant FX conversion; manual conversion and phone dealing can involve other charges. Costs and available terms depend on product and entity.

What the Headline Number Doesn't Tell You

Commission-free investing: £0 commission applies to eligible online global share and ETF trades with instant FX conversion. Currency conversion still applies; manual FX conversion and phone dealing may carry other charges.

Overnight funding: Leveraged cash CFD positions held at 10 pm UK time can incur daily funding. IG’s stated administration fee is 1% for FX pairs and 3% for other asset classes, in addition to the relevant funding-rate component. Futures do not incur this charge because funding is built into the spread.

Non-Trading Costs

Cost most worth watching

For leveraged traders, overnight funding can accumulate while a cash CFD remains open past the 10 pm UK cutoff. For investing or trading non-base-currency markets, check the applicable conversion rate and fee; current UK pricing differs between investing and spread-bet/CFD products.

IG operates through different legal entities. The entity serving a client determines the relevant regulator, product rules and protections; the UK, Australian, Singaporean, Japanese, South African, Dubai and US arrangements are not interchangeable.

Legal Entity Map

The relevant entities are IG Australia Pty Ltd (ASIC), tastyfx LLC for US retail forex (CFTC; formerly IG US), IG Limited (DIFC branch; DFSA), IG Markets Limited / IG Index Limited (FCA), IG Markets South Africa Limited (FSCA), IG Securities Limited (JFSA) and IG Asia Pte Ltd (MAS).

Register references: ASIC; NFA profile for tastyfx LLC; DFSA; FCA; FSCA; JFSA; MAS.

Why the entity matters

Retail leverage, product availability, client-money rules, negative-balance protection and complaint or compensation routes depend on the contracting entity and client classification. Eligible UK clients may have FSCS protection up to £85,000; eligibility and coverage depend on the entity and product. IG’s stated maximum leverage can reach 200:1 for certain products in international jurisdictions, while retail leverage in regulated regions is lower and asset-specific.

Client Protection

IG says it segregates retail client money in separate accounts and holds client assets separately. It also states that negative-balance protection applies automatically to retail spread-betting and CFD clients in regulated regions such as the UK and EU. That protection does not apply to professional traders, and protections for international accounts may differ. Regulation and account protections do not remove market or trading risk.

IG’s range spans cash investment and derivatives, but those routes are not equivalent. Buying shares through an investment account can provide ownership; a share CFD or spread bet gives leveraged price exposure without ownership of the underlying shares. Crypto exposure also depends on the account and country, and leveraged positions do not provide wallet ownership.

Where the range is strongest

The range is broadest across equities and ETFs, with 13,000 stock markets and more than 5,400 ETF markets listed for the relevant product coverage. Forex, indices, commodities, bonds and options add further markets, with different account and wrapper choices.

Where it is limited

Leverage is capped by asset and jurisdiction. Crypto derivatives are unavailable to UK retail clients, and bond exposure in the trading account is through spread bets or CFDs rather than cash-bond ownership.

Available Platforms

Core Experience

The platform choice ranges from a mobile app for manual trading to desktop-oriented tools for coding, backtesting and algorithmic strategies. MT4 and MT5 Expert Advisors run in the desktop or VPS environment; their browser and mobile versions are primarily for trading and monitoring.

Charting

ProRealTime offers technical analysis, backtesting and custom indicators. TradingView supports Pine Script research and backtesting, chart-based alerts and broker-connected discretionary trading; a Pine strategy alone does not enable universal unattended execution through a broker.

Advanced Features

IG supports API trading through REST and streaming interfaces, with FIX access for institutional clients. Its APIs can retrieve historical data and real-time prices and execute orders; building a custom application requires development or coding experience. IG says MT4 VPS hosting is provided through BeeksFX, with charges or balance conditions applying, while MT5 VPS hosting has separate balance conditions. Copying trades is possible indirectly through third-party integrations such as MT4; IG does not provide a fully integrated automated social-copy platform.

Mobile Experience

IG’s mobile app supports manual trading, position monitoring, alerts and account management. MT4, MT5 and TradingView also have mobile versions; ProRealTime is not accessible on mobile through IG’s current comparison.

Main Platform Trade-Off

Best aspect: A choice between a straightforward mobile app and specialist tools for charting, APIs and automated strategies.

Main friction point: Full custom-code and EA development is desktop/VPS-centric, while ProRealTime is not available on mobile.

Account Opening

IG requires identity verification for new clients. The stated KYC requirements include government-issued proof of identity and proof of address, such as a recent utility bill or bank statement; source-of-funds documents may be requested in some cases. Complete verification before relying on an account for deposits or withdrawals. IG offers a demo account.

Choose the legal entity and account that match your location and intended product. The available choices include spread betting, CFD trading, share dealing, ISA, SIPP, professional, US options and futures accounts, subject to jurisdiction and eligibility.

Deposits and Withdrawals

Deposit methods include Mastercard, Visa, bank transfer, Apple Pay and PayPal; withdrawals are listed by Mastercard, Visa and bank transfer. E-wallet deposit availability does not establish an e-wallet withdrawal route. Card and bank-transfer withdrawal times are processing estimates; settlement can depend on the bank route. Card funding minimums are £250 for leveraged accounts and some investment accounts, while bank transfer has no account-opening minimum for several account types. IG Smart Portfolio requires £500 to start investing, although deposits can begin at £50 and funds are invested once the balance reaches £500.

IG is classified as a market maker. Most spread bets and CFDs are priced through the spread; share CFDs carry commission. Spread betting and CFD positions can incur overnight funding, while futures have funding costs built into the spread. Retail leverage depends on asset class and legal entity: the listed maximums include 1:30 for forex, 1:20 for indices and commodities, and 1:5 for stocks and bonds. International entities may offer up to 200:1 for certain products.

IG reports symmetric slippage tolerance, meaning both positive and negative slippage can occur. Margin-call and stop-out levels are listed as 100% and 50%, respectively. These figures and protections should be checked against the client’s entity and product terms.

IG says it permits scalping, hedging and news trading. Its stated tools for news trading include major forex pairs and indices around the clock, weekend markets on selected instruments and extended hours on more than 700 US shares. Leveraged trading remains exposed to spread costs, funding charges and market risk; broker descriptions of trading access are not a guarantee of execution outcomes.

Research and Tools

IG provides market research, trading ideas and signals, an economic calendar, price charts, market news and client-sentiment indicators. Reuters news and analysis from in-house analysts and DailyFX are listed among its research resources. Autochartist and PIA-First are identified as signal-provider integrations.

Education

IG Academy offers courses, webinars and seminars alongside the broker’s market and platform tools.

Customer Services

Support is also available through WhatsApp. Stated response times address speed, not whether a complex account or withdrawal issue is resolved on the first contact. Some customer feedback describes repeated follow-up before withdrawal cases are resolved; treat this as a service concern to weigh separately from the stated response estimates.

Check these three things first

1. Your legal entity: Confirm the contracting entity, regulator and client classification for your account; these determine leverage, product access and protections.
2. Your likely trading cost: Estimate the spread or commission for your product, then include overnight funding and any currency-conversion fee that applies to your account.
3. Your product/account requirements: Confirm whether you need a leveraged trading account, an investment account, a specific platform or a swap-free account. IG generally does not offer a standard swap-free retail account in most regions.

Bottom line

IG combines a broad product range and several platform choices with investment accounts. Before opening an account, focus on the contracting entity and the full cost of funding and currency conversion.