Compare FXTM and IC Markets to find the best fit for your trading style. Explore platforms, fees, trading conditions, and features to decide which broker meets your needs.

FXTM and IC Markets both target active Forex and CFD traders, but their current offerings are built around different priorities. FXTM provides a wider progression of account types, including a cent account for smaller trades and a separate cash-equity account for direct US stock investing. IC Markets focuses more heavily on raw pricing, MetaTrader and cTrader infrastructure, copy trading integrations, and a larger CFD catalog. This comparison uses their current international offerings and treats regional restrictions separately rather than presenting one country's trading conditions as universal.

Regulation and Trust

The Main International Entities Use Different Regulatory Frameworks

FXTM's main global trading company is Exinity Limited, regulated by the Financial Services Commission of Mauritius under Investment Dealer license C113012295. Exinity Limited is also licensed by South Africa's Financial Sector Conduct Authority under FSP 50320. A separate FXTM business serves eligible clients in Kenya under Capital Markets Authority license 135. IC Markets Global is operated by Raw Trading Ltd, regulated by the Seychelles Financial Services Authority under Securities Dealer license SD018.

Both Brokers Segregate Client Money

FXTM states that client funds are kept separate from company capital and uses established banking and payment partners. IC Markets Global also holds client money in segregated accounts with banking institutions under its Seychelles regulatory framework. The exact legal protections still depend on the entity that accepts the account, so traders should confirm the company named in their account agreement.

FXTM Has More Regulatory Layers Around Its Main International Brand

The comparison is closer than simply labeling one broker regulated and the other offshore. FXTM's main international company combines Mauritius and South African licensing, while IC Markets Global primarily operates through its Seychelles entity. IC Markets also has separately regulated businesses in other jurisdictions, but those protections do not automatically apply to a Global account.

Trading Platforms

FXTM Centers Its Trading Setup on MetaTrader and Its Own App

FXTM currently supports MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 together with the FXTM App and browser-based account tools. MT4 and MT5 support Expert Advisors, custom indicators, strategy testing, and automated trading. The FXTM App adds one-tap trading, signals, market information, account management, and mobile access through a simpler interface.

IC Markets Adds cTrader and TradingView to MetaTrader

IC Markets supports MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, and TradingView. MetaTrader users can run Expert Advisors through MQL4 and MQL5, while cTrader adds C# based algorithmic development and its own copy trading environment. TradingView provides another route for traders who prefer browser-based charting, Pine Script, and community indicators.

IC Markets Has the Broader Platform Ecosystem

FXTM covers the main MetaTrader workflow well and adds a convenient proprietary mobile experience. IC Markets provides more choice for traders who want to move beyond MetaTrader, particularly cTrader and TradingView users. The difference matters most to technical and algorithmic traders who already have a preferred third-party platform.

Markets Available

FXTM Provides More Than 1,000 Tradable Instruments

FXTM's broader trading range includes more than 1,000 instruments across Forex, metals, commodities, indices, cryptocurrency CFDs, stock CFDs, futures CFDs, ETF CFDs, and crosses. More than 60 currency pairs are available through its wider Forex offering. Most of these products are leveraged derivatives rather than ownership of the underlying asset.

IC Markets Goes Further on CFD Market Depth

IC Markets currently lists up to 2,250 tradable instruments on its MetaTrader account range. Its product catalog covers Forex, commodities, indices, bonds, stock CFDs, cryptocurrency CFDs, and futures CFDs. The broker has expanded particularly heavily into stock CFDs and currently lists dozens of cryptocurrency markets alongside its traditional Forex offering.

FXTM Has One Important Direct-Investing Difference

IC Markets has the broader CFD catalog, but FXTM also offers Advantage Stocks, a separate MT5 account covering more than 350 US stocks at 1:1 without leverage. Positions in that account represent direct cash-equity exposure rather than stock CFDs. That makes FXTM more relevant to traders who want a small direct-stock portfolio alongside leveraged trading.

Spreads and Trading Costs

FXTM Advantage Uses Raw Forex Pricing

FXTM's Advantage account offers Forex spreads from 0.0 pips and charges $3.50 per standard lot per side, equal to $7 round turn. Traders who prefer commission-free pricing can use Rewards, where spreads start from 0.9 pips, or Rewards Plus, where spreads start from 1.5 pips. Micro also uses spread-only pricing.

IC Markets Uses a Similar Raw Structure With More Commission Tiers

The IC Markets MetaTrader Raw Spread account also starts from 0.0 pips and charges $3.50 per standard lot per side. IC Markets currently publishes an average EUR/USD Raw spread of 0.1 pips. Its cTrader and TradingView Raw account charges $3 per $100,000 traded, while the Standard MetaTrader account starts from 0.8 pips without a separate Forex commission.

Standard Raw Pricing Is Close, but IC Markets Offers More Ways to Reduce Commission

The main raw MetaTrader accounts are closely matched on headline commission. IC Markets goes further for larger traders through additional Raw Pro tiers with reduced commission, while FXTM gives traders more commission-free account choices. The cheaper structure therefore depends on trading volume and whether the trader prefers raw or spread-only pricing.

Account Types

FXTM Has a Broader Progression From Beginner to Active Trader

FXTM currently offers Micro, Rewards Plus, Rewards, Advantage, Advantage Stocks, and Demo accounts. Micro uses a cent-based balance for smaller live trades, Rewards and Rewards Plus use commission-free pricing, Advantage is the raw-spread account, and Advantage Stocks is dedicated to direct US equity investing.

IC Markets Builds Its Accounts More Directly Around Pricing and Volume

IC Markets offers Standard, MetaTrader Raw Spread, and cTrader or TradingView Raw Spread as its main account structures. Raw Pro and Raw Pro+ add lower commission tiers for qualifying larger-balance MetaTrader clients. Swap-free and demo arrangements are also available.

FXTM Offers More Variety, While IC Markets Has a Cleaner Active-Trading Ladder

FXTM is more flexible for traders who want to move between cent trading, commission-free accounts, raw pricing, and direct stocks. IC Markets is more focused on progressing active traders from Standard or Raw pricing into reduced-commission professional tiers as account size increases.

Minimum Deposit

FXTM Starts From $30 Through Its Micro Account

The lowest current FXTM live-account entry point is $30 through Micro. Rewards Plus starts at $100, Rewards at $200, Advantage at $500, and Advantage Stocks at $200. These are account-opening requirements rather than minimum transaction amounts imposed by individual payment providers.

IC Markets Has No Minimum on Its Core Accounts

IC Markets currently lists a $0 minimum deposit for Standard, MetaTrader Raw Spread, and cTrader or TradingView Raw Spread accounts. Raw Pro requires $5,000, while Raw Pro+ requires $100,000. Traders still need enough available capital to meet the margin required for any position they open.

IC Markets Has the Lower Basic Entry Requirement

FXTM's Micro account is specifically designed to make small live trades practical, but IC Markets technically has the lower account-opening threshold because its main accounts do not require an initial minimum balance. FXTM provides the more purpose-built option for traders who specifically want cent-based position sizing.

Leverage

FXTM Reaches 1:5000 on Selected Accounts

FXTM currently offers floating leverage up to 1:5000 on Rewards and Rewards Plus. Advantage reaches up to 1:3000, while Micro reaches up to 1:1000. The available ratio decreases as exposure grows, and specific instruments or regulated entities can impose lower limits.

IC Markets Also Reaches 1:5000 on Eligible MetaTrader Accounts

IC Markets provides dynamic leverage from 1:1 up to 1:5000 on eligible MetaTrader Standard and Raw accounts. Its cTrader and TradingView Raw accounts currently has a lower ceiling of 1:1000. Margin requirements can change when account exposure or the broker's dynamic-leverage conditions change.

Neither Broker Has a Clear Headline Leverage Advantage

Both can reach the same maximum international ratio through selected accounts, so the difference is mainly how that leverage is distributed across account types and platforms. Traders should compare the account they actually intend to use rather than treating 1:5000 as a universal setting across every instrument.

Execution

FXTM Publishes an Average Execution Time of 0.082 Seconds

FXTM states that its current trading technology uses market execution and publishes an average execution speed of 0.082 seconds, equal to 82 milliseconds. Its Advantage account also supports automatic price improvement where available and is designed for Expert Advisors and other execution-sensitive strategies.

IC Markets Publishes Around 35 Milliseconds on Currency Pairs

IC Markets uses market execution rather than instant execution and currently states that average execution on currency pairs is around 35 milliseconds. Its MetaTrader servers are located in the Equinix NY4 data center in New York and are connected to liquidity providers through cross-connect infrastructure.

IC Markets Has the Lower Published Figure, but the Tests Are Not Identical

IC Markets reports the faster headline number, but the brokers do not publish these statistics using one common measurement methodology, dataset, server route, or order size. The figures are useful for understanding each broker's infrastructure, but they do not prove that every individual IC Markets order will execute faster than every FXTM order.

Deposits and Withdrawals

FXTM Supports Cards, E-Wallets, Bank Transfers and Local Payments

FXTM supports credit and debit cards, e-wallets, bank wire transfers, and local payment solutions, with exact availability depending on the trader's country. FXTM processes withdrawal requests internally within 24 hours. After processing, e-wallet transfers can arrive within one business day, bank wires generally take 3 to 5 business days, and card withdrawals can take 3 to 10 business days.

IC Markets Adds PayPal and a Broad Range of Electronic Funding Methods

Common IC Markets funding methods include bank or wire transfer, credit and debit cards, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, UnionPay, BPay, FasaPay, and other regional services. Several electronic deposit methods are instant. Withdrawal availability is linked to the original funding method, and requests received before the published business-day cutoff can be processed the same day.

IC Markets Has More Familiar Global E-Wallet Choice, While FXTM Publishes Clearer Withdrawal Timelines

Both brokers provide enough payment routes for most international clients. IC Markets has the broader recognizable e-wallet and payment-service lineup, while FXTM clearly separates its internal processing time from the time required by the final payment provider. Fees and limits should still be checked by method because external providers can impose their own charges.

Research and Trading Tools

FXTM Places More Emphasis on Education and Guided Market Analysis

FXTM Academy includes trading guides, educational articles, videos, webinars, technical-analysis material, risk-management content, and regular market analysis. The broker also provides Trading Central signals, economic-calendar information, trading calculators, and market insights through its wider web and app environment.

IC Markets Provides More Tools for Independent and Social Trading

IC Markets offers Trading Central, IC Insights, advanced MetaTrader tools, VPS services, economic-calendar data, calculators, webinars, and trading education. Its social and copy-trading ecosystem includes IC Social, Signal Start, ZuluTrade, and cTrader Copy, giving traders several ways to follow or replicate external strategies.

FXTM Is Stronger for Structured Learning, While IC Markets Has More Trading Integrations

FXTM is the better fit for traders who want education and broker-produced learning material to remain central to the experience. IC Markets provides the broader toolkit for traders already comfortable with the markets and looking for additional analysis, VPS, copy trading, or third-party strategy integrations.

Customer Support

FXTM Provides Weekday and Weekend Assistance

FXTM supports clients through live chat, telephone, email, and its Help Centre. Its current contact information publishes support hours during both the trading week and limited weekend periods, giving clients some access outside normal Forex market hours.

IC Markets Provides 24/7 Support

IC Markets states that its support team is available 24 hours a day from Monday through Sunday. Clients can contact the broker through live chat, telephone, and email, with additional international telephone numbers available for several markets.

IC Markets Has the Clear Availability Advantage

FXTM provides broader coverage than a strict weekday-only service, but IC Markets has the stronger schedule because assistance is continuously available throughout the week. This can be useful for account or platform issues that arise when traditional Forex markets are closed.

Mobile Trading

FXTM Combines Trading and Account Management in Its Own App

The FXTM App supports mobile trading, market information, signals, economic events, profile management, deposits, withdrawals, and account monitoring. Traders can also use MT4 and MT5 mobile applications. Expert Advisors themselves run through the desktop versions of MetaTrader rather than the mobile apps.

IC Markets Provides More Mobile Platform Choices

IC Markets traders can use mobile versions of MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, and TradingView. This allows users to maintain much of the same charting and order-management workflow they use on desktop while monitoring or adjusting positions away from their main trading setup.

FXTM Has the More Integrated App, While IC Markets Offers More Platform Freedom

FXTM is easier for traders who want trading and account administration collected inside one proprietary mobile interface. IC Markets is more flexible for users who already work extensively in cTrader, TradingView, or MetaTrader and want to stay inside the same third-party ecosystem across devices.

Conclusion

The Biggest Differences at a Glance

FXTM offers a broader progression of account styles, strong beginner education, a cent-based live account, commission-free and raw pricing choices, and a separate route into direct US stocks. IC Markets concentrates more heavily on raw-spread infrastructure, platform variety, copy trading integrations, a larger CFD catalog, and account tiers designed for higher-volume traders.

Where Each Broker Makes the Stronger Case

FXTM is particularly attractive to traders who want a structured path from small live positions into more advanced accounts, together with extensive educational content and a proprietary mobile experience. IC Markets has the stronger proposition for traders who prioritize cTrader, TradingView, low-latency infrastructure, social trading services, and a wider selection of CFDs.

Which Broker Fits Which Trader?

In the FXTM vs IC Markets comparison, FXTM is the more flexible choice across different experience levels, especially when cent trading, education, or direct US stock investing matters. IC Markets better suits active Forex and CFD traders who already know their preferred platform and want to build around raw pricing, automation, copy trading, and advanced trading infrastructure. The better choice depends on whether the priority is account variety and learning support or a more specialized active-trading environment.