IC Markets Review: A Comprehensive Analysis for Traders

Choosing the right broker can make all the difference in your trading journey. In this comprehensive IC Markets review, we’ll examine everything from trading platforms and account types to fees, regulation, and user experience. Founded in 2007, IC Markets has established itself as a major player in the online trading space, particularly for forex and CFD traders. But is it the right broker for your specific needs? Let’s dive deep into what IC Markets offers and help you make an informed decision.

IC Markets was established in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, by a team of financial experts with extensive experience in the derivatives markets. The company was founded with a vision to provide traders with institutional-grade liquidity and pricing, advanced trading tools, and a transparent trading environment.

Over the years, IC Markets has grown to become one of the world’s largest forex CFD providers by trading volume. As of 2025, the broker reports monthly trading volumes exceeding $1.5 trillion across its global client base of over 200,000 active traders.

The company operates through several regulated entities worldwide:

This multi-jurisdiction approach allows IC Markets to serve clients globally while maintaining regulatory compliance in various regions. However, it’s worth noting that the broker does not accept clients from certain countries, including the United States, Canada, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, and Israel.

When evaluating any broker, regulation and security should be top priorities. IC Markets operates under multiple regulatory frameworks, providing varying levels of protection depending on which entity holds your account.

IC Markets implements several security measures to protect client funds:

IC Markets provides access to several industry-leading trading platforms, catering to different trading styles and preferences. Each platform comes with its own unique features and capabilities.

IC Markets also offers integration with TradingView, a popular charting platform known for its advanced technical analysis tools and social trading features:

For traders interested in social and copy trading, IC Markets provides several options:

IC Markets offers several account types to cater to different trading styles and preferences. Each account type comes with its own fee structure, platform availability, and features.

IC Markets offers unlimited free demo accounts that accurately simulate real trading conditions. These accounts are ideal for:

IC Markets offers a diverse range of trading instruments across multiple asset classes, allowing traders to diversify their portfolios and take advantage of various market opportunities.

IC Markets is particularly known for its forex offering, with competitive spreads on major, minor, and exotic currency pairs. The broker provides deep liquidity from multiple tier-1 banks and non-bank liquidity providers, ensuring fast execution and minimal slippage even during volatile market conditions.

All non-forex instruments at IC Markets are offered as Contracts for Difference (CFDs), which allow traders to speculate on price movements without owning the underlying asset. Benefits of CFD trading include:

Trading costs are a crucial factor when choosing a broker, as they directly impact your bottom line. IC Markets is known for its competitive pricing structure, particularly for its Raw Spread accounts.

IC Markets offers some of the tightest spreads in the industry, especially on its Raw Spread accounts:

While the Standard Account has no commission (costs are built into the spread), the Raw Spread accounts charge a commission per round turn (opening and closing a position):

For perspective, a 1 lot EUR/USD trade on the Raw Spread Account would cost approximately:

The same trade on the Standard Account would cost approximately:

For positions held overnight, IC Markets charges or credits swap rates based on the interest rate differential between the two currencies in a pair. These rates can be positive (you receive) or negative (you pay) depending on the direction of your trade and the underlying interest rates.

Swap rates vary by instrument and are subject to change based on market conditions. They are calculated as points and automatically converted to your account currency.

IC Markets stands out for its transparent fee structure with minimal non-trading fees:

IC Markets offers a wide range of deposit and withdrawal options to accommodate traders from different regions. All methods are fee-free from IC Markets’ side, though third-party providers may charge their own fees.

IC Markets offers a wide range of base currencies for your trading account, helping you avoid unnecessary conversion fees:

Reliable customer support is essential when trading in financial markets, especially during volatile periods or when facing technical issues. IC Markets offers 24/7 multilingual support through various channels.

IC Markets provides support in multiple languages to serve its global client base:

Based on our testing and user feedback, IC Markets’ customer support is generally rated highly for:

Areas where some users have reported room for improvement include:

IC Markets provides a range of educational materials to help traders of all experience levels improve their knowledge and skills. While not as extensive as some competitors, the quality of content has improved significantly in recent years.

In addition to educational content, IC Markets provides several tools to assist with market analysis and trading decisions:

IC Markets provides regular market analysis to help traders stay informed about current market conditions:

In today’s fast-paced trading environment, having reliable mobile trading capabilities is essential. IC Markets offers mobile versions of all its trading platforms, allowing traders to monitor and manage their positions on the go.

In addition to the standard trading platforms, IC Markets offers IC Social, a proprietary mobile app powered by Pelican Exchange that focuses on social and copy trading:

Based on user feedback and our testing, IC Markets’ mobile trading apps perform well in terms of:

However, it’s worth noting that IC Markets does not offer a proprietary mobile trading app (unlike some competitors like IG or Saxo Bank), instead relying on the mobile versions of third-party platforms.

To provide context on how IC Markets stacks up against the competition, we’ve compared it with several other popular forex and CFD brokers across key metrics.

Based on this comparison, IC Markets’ main competitive advantages include:

Areas where some competitors have an edge over IC Markets include:

IC Markets stands out as an excellent broker for traders who prioritize competitive pricing, fast execution, and platform variety. With some of the industry’s lowest spreads, true ECN execution, and support for popular platforms like MetaTrader and cTrader, it’s particularly well-suited for active traders, scalpers, and those using automated trading strategies.

The broker’s multi-jurisdiction regulation provides a reasonable level of security, though the protection varies depending on which entity holds your account. The absence of non-trading fees (deposit, withdrawal, inactivity) is another significant advantage.

While IC Markets offers a good range of educational resources and research tools, these areas aren’t as comprehensive as some competitors. Similarly, the lack of a proprietary trading platform or mobile app might be a drawback for some traders.