IG review
Updated September 28, 2026 · BrokerCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
IG suits traders who want shares, ETFs, forex, contracts for difference, options, futures, crypto and spread betting under a single roof, with an account fee of €0 and cash interest of 2.5% on uninvested balances. Share dealing runs commission-free, while the retail loss rate is 69%.
Key facts
- Best for
- A single account for share dealing and leveraged trading, held by a firm regulated in Germany.
- Stock trade fee
- £0 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Account fee
- €0 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Markets
- Stocks, ETFs, Forex, CFDs, Options, Futures, Crypto, Spread-betting (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Regulators
- Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), SIPC (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Investor protection
- EU ICS up to EUR 20,000 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Retail accounts that lose money
- 69% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Platforms
- Mobile trading, L2 Dealer, ProRealTime, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Interest on cash
- 2.5% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- IG Europe GmbH (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- Germany (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Features
- Demo account, Mobile app, Fractional shares
- Pricing model
- Commission-free
- Official website
- ig.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- Markets list stocks, etfs and forex, so shares, ETFs, forex, contracts for difference, options, futures, crypto and spread betting sit together.
- Regulated by Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and SIPC, with client protection of EU ICS up to EUR 20,000.
- Platform choice runs Mobile trading, L2 Dealer and ProRealTime.
- Fractional shares and a demo account appear in demo account, mobile app and fractional shares.
Cons
- Retail accounts that lose money come to 69%.
- The commission-free model in commission free applies to share dealing, and it does not extend to trading costs on forex, contracts for difference, options or futures.
- Accounts sit with IG Europe GmbH in Germany, so compensation stops at EU ICS up to EUR 20,000.
Who it suits
- Traders who want stocks, etfs and forex reachable from the same account rather than several platforms.
- Share buyers who want dealing on a commission-free basis, since commission free covers their trades.
- EU clients who weight regulation and compensation, given Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and SIPC and EU ICS up to EUR 20,000.
Who should look elsewhere
- Buyers who want a platform built around share dealing and crypto alone should compare CFI, whose stocks, etfs and forex is a shorter, simpler list.
- Investors priced in dollars rather than euros should weigh eToro, where the stock trade fee is $0.
- Anyone weighing only the account charge should know Vantage lists $0, so IG's €0 is not the only way to hold an account cheaply.
Where it sits among rivals
IG ranks 1 on account fee among the 138 brands ranked, and 1 on stock trade fee among the 161 brands ranked. Cost is where IG pulls clear of the field, and what you pay to hold and trade is settled before you start comparing platforms.
How IG compares
IG vs Nexo9.5 vs 9.0
9.5 vs 9.4
9.5 vs 8.7
MarketScreener
IG vs ActivTrades9.5 vs 9.4
9.5 vs 8.7
9.5 vs 9.0
IG vs XTB9.5 vs 9.3
IG vs NAGA9.5 vs 8.7
9.5 vs 8.6
IG vs eToro9.5 vs 9.2Priced on share dealing: eToro's stock trade fee is $0, the same as IG's £0.
9.5 vs 8.7
Kitco
9.5 vs 9.1
IG vs EBC Financial Group9.5 vs 9.0
9.5 vs 9.0Pepperstone
Vaulted
wikifolio.com
Intellectia
Winvest
Libertex International
XM VN
Where IG is available
- Available
- Everywhere except United States
- Licence in Germany
- Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) (MiCA CASP 213800HFC5G4V293BN91), checked September 26, 2026, also valid in Germany, Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
- Licence in United States
- SIPC (SIPC member 71021), checked September 26, 2026
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to trade shares with IG?+
Share dealing runs on a commission-free model, with a stock trade fee of £0 and an account fee of €0. Those are the two figures that matter for holding and trading, and both sit at the floor of the site tables. Trading costs on forex, contracts for difference, options and futures are quoted apart from share dealing.
Who regulates IG and is my money protected?+
The regulators are Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and SIPC, and the licences listed are MiCA CASP 213800HFC5G4V293BN91 and SIPC member 71021. Client protection in the EU is EU ICS up to EUR 20,000, so a claim against the firm is covered only up to that ceiling. Any balance above the cap is your own exposure.
Which markets can I trade on IG?+
The markets list covers stocks, etfs and forex. A share dealing account sitting alongside forex, contracts for difference, options, futures, crypto and spread betting is the unusual part, since many rivals on the site cover a narrower set. It suits traders who want to switch asset class without moving money to another platform.
Which platforms and apps does IG offer?+
Platforms listed are Mobile trading, L2 Dealer and ProRealTime, so you can trade on the phone or sit at a charting terminal with a dealer interface or a named third party platform. Features listed include a demo account and fractional shares, so practice orders and smaller position sizes are both available.
How much of my money is at risk?+
IG states that 69% of retail accounts lose money, which sits near the middle of the site range. Leveraged markets such as contracts for difference and forex carry the sharpest swings, so size each position for a loss the account can absorb.
Who holds my account and where is the firm based?+
The account is held by IG Europe GmbH, with its head office in Germany. That sets which regulator you deal with and which compensation scheme applies, since protection follows the entity rather than the brand. Check which entity your own application sits under before funding it.
Do I earn interest on cash I have not invested?+
Cash left uninvested earns interest of 2.5%. On a commission-free share dealing account that adds a modest return while you decide what to buy, and the balance remains yours to withdraw whenever you want it.
Sources
- sipc.org/list-of-members checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Licences
- esma.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2024-12/CASPS.csv checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Legal entity, Regulators, Headquarters, Investor protection
“ae_lei_name=IG Europe GmbH; ae_lei=213800HFC5G4V293BN91”
- ig.com/en/marketing-partnership checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Features, Markets, Platforms
“Set up a FREE demo account; Mobile trading; share dealing investment account”
- ig.com/ie checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Interest on cash, Account fee
“2.5% Variable AER on uninvested cash on investment account”
- ig.com/uk/charges checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Retail accounts that lose money
“69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider”
- ig.com/uk/investments/share-dealing checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Stock trade fee, Pricing model
“GBP 0 commission on US stocks on share dealing investment account”
Compiled from 6 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Minimum deposit, Inactivity fee.
Related by the facts
IG
A single account for share dealing and leveraged trading, held by a firm regulated in Germany.