Your capital is at risk. Trade only with funds you can afford to lose.
Pepperstone
#3 in our CFD broker rankings
Accepts traders from Venezuela
CFDs and FX are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 73-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.
Rating breakdown
- Regulation & trust4.6same as IC (4.6)
- Assets & markets4.60.5 higher than IC (4.1)
- Fees & costs4.50.1 lower than IC (4.6)
- Platforms & tools4.80.8 higher than IC (4.0)
- Accounts & banking4.0same as IC (4.0)
- Education4.00.5 higher than IC (3.5)
- Research4.30.3 higher than IC (4.0)
- Customer support4.60.1 higher than IC (4.5)
IC’s score. Numbers show the difference.
IC
#4 in our CFD broker rankings
Accepts traders from Venezuela
Rating breakdown
- Regulation & trust4.6same as Pepperstone (4.6)
- Assets & markets4.10.5 lower than Pepperstone (4.6)
- Fees & costs4.60.1 higher than Pepperstone (4.5)
- Platforms & tools4.00.8 lower than Pepperstone (4.8)
- Accounts & banking4.0same as Pepperstone (4.0)
- Education3.50.5 lower than Pepperstone (4.0)
- Research4.00.3 lower than Pepperstone (4.3)
- Customer support4.50.1 lower than Pepperstone (4.6)
Pepperstone’s score. Numbers show the difference.
| Pepperstone | IC | |
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| Overview | Established in Australia in 2010, Pepperstone is a top-rated forex and CFD broker with over 830,000 clients worldwide. It offers access to 1,400+ instruments on leading platforms MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView, maintaining low, transparent fees. Pepperstone is also regulated by trusted authorities like the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC, helping to ensure a secure environment for day traders at all levels. | IC Markets (now IC) is a globally recognized forex and CFD broker known for its excellent pricing, comprehensive range of trading instruments, and premium trading technology. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Australia, the brokerage is regulated by the ASIC, CySEC and FSA, and has attracted more than 200,000 clients from over 200 countries. |
| Customer Reviews | Based on 10 customer reviews | Based on 3 customer reviews |
| Trustpilot Score | ||
| Comment by Reviewer | “Pepperstone stands out as a top choice for day trading, offering razor-sharp spreads, ultra-fast execution, and advanced charting platforms for experienced traders. New traders are also welcomed with no minimum deposit, extensive educational resources, and exceptional 24/5 support (18h a day on weekends).” | “IC (formerly IC Markets) offers superior pricing, exceptionally fast execution and seamless deposits. The introduction of advanced charting platforms, notably TradingView, and the Raw Trader Plus account, ensures it remains a top choice for intermediate to advanced day traders.” |
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| Instruments | CFDs, Forex, Currency Indices, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Crypto CFDs, Spread Betting | CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Bonds, Futures, Crypto |
| Demo Account | Yes | Yes |
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $200 |
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| Minimum Trade | 0.01 Lots | 0.01 Lots |
| Regulator | FCA, ASIC, CySEC, BaFin, DFSA, SCA, SCB, CMA-Kenya | ASIC, CySEC, FSA, SCB, CMA-Kenya |
| Margin Trading | Yes | Yes |
| STP Account | Yes | No |
| ECN Account | Yes | Yes |
| DMA Account | No | Yes |
| MAM Account | Yes | Yes |
| PAMM Account | Yes | Yes |
| LAMM Account | No | No |
| Demat Account | No | No |
| AI / Machine Learning | No | No |
| Robo Advisor | No | No |
| Negative Balance Protection | Yes | Yes |
| Market Maker | No | No |
| P2P Trading | No | No |
| Spot Trading | Yes | No |
| Mobile Apps | iOS & Android | iOS & Android |
| App Review | Pepperstone excels for its excellent integration with the MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView apps, making it a standout option for day traders familiar with these leading third-party trading solutions. These platforms deliver a stable and reliable mobile trading experience, enhanced by Pepperstone's almost unrivalled execution speeds and wide range of asset classes. Recent improvements also helped it secure second place in DayTrading.com's annual 'Best Trading App' award for 2025. | IC deliver mobile apps for their cTrader, MT4, MT5 and TradingView platforms. They have been developed on Android and iOS separately, taking full advantage of the functionality available on each. With raw pricing, and spreads from 0.0, the apps deliver an excellent trading tool for all levels of trader. Yet what really stands out is how they've managed to maintain the lightning-fast execution speed IC Markets (now just IC) is known for, right within the apps. It's a seamless trading experience that feels both professional and highly responsive. |
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| Auto Trading | Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, cBots on cTrader | Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, cBots on cTrader, Myfxbook AutoTrade |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading Platform | Pepperstone facilitates the replication of experienced traders' strategies through MetaTrader Signals, DupliTrade and now its own copy trading app (available in certain regions) through a partnership with Pelican Trading, providing access to thousands of experienced traders and personalized risk parameters. On the downside, it lacks support for cTrader Copy which may deter users familiar with the terminal from Spotware. | Launched in February 2023, the IC Social app offers an intuitive way to learn, share, and mirror the positions of other traders with just a few clicks. Additionally, the app features risk management tools and supports dedicated trading groups. Alternatively, IC grants access to Signal Start, along with well-known third-party copy trading platforms including ZuluTrade and cTrader Copy. |
| Social Trading | No | Yes |
| Trade Signals | Yes | Yes |
| VPS Hosting | No | Yes |
| Tournaments | No | No |
| Demo Competitions | No | No |
| Ethical Investing | No | No |
| Custodial Account | No | No |
| Guaranteed Stop Loss | No | No |
| Inactivity Fee | $0 | $0 |
| Islamic Account | Yes | Yes |
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| CFD Trading | ||
| Overview | Pepperstone maintains its position as one of the fastest and most dependable CFD brokers during our latest round of testing. With execution speeds averaging around 30ms and an outstanding fill rate of 99.90%, the broker ensures a seamless trading experience without requotes or dealing desk interference. It also provides ample trading opportunities across over 1,300 assets. | You gain access to over 2,250 CFDs, available for trading 24/5 across popular markets such as forex, commodities, indices, stocks, and bonds. Utilizing deep liquidity and advanced bridge technology, IC ensures optimal conditions for scalpers, hedgers, and algo traders alike. |
| Leverage | 1:30 (Retail - UK, EU, Australia), 1:500 (Pro), 1:200 (Offshore), 1:400 (Kenya) | 1:5000 |
| FTSE Spread | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| GBPUSD Spread | 0.4 | 0.23 |
| Oil Spread | 0.02 | 0.03 |
| Stocks Spread | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| Forex Trading | ||
| Overview | Pepperstone offers ultra-competitive forex spreads averaging 0.12 pips on EUR/USD in the Razor account, accompanied by a diverse portfolio comprising 100+ currency pairs - an extensive selection surpassing most competitors. Additionally, Pepperstone distinguishes itself by offering three currency indices (USDX, EURX, JPYX), not commonly found among alternative platforms. Pepperstone has now won our annual 'Best Forex Broker' award twice. | IC maintains its commitment to providing exceptionally tight 0.0-pip forex spreads on major currency pairs such as EUR/USD. This makes it an excellent option if you are seeking superior execution, with an average of 35 milliseconds. Additionally, if you are a high-volume trader, you can benefit from rebates of up to $2.50 per forex lot. |
| GBPUSD Spread | 0.4 | 0.23 |
| EURUSD Spread | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| EURGBP Spread | 0.4 | 0.27 |
| Assets | 100+ | 75 |
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| Cryptocurrency | ||
| Overview | Pepperstone continues to prove itself as one of the most trusted crypto CFD brokers. Although its selection of digital tokens is average, you can trade popular cryptos like Bitcoin and altcoins like Ripple with up to 1:10 leverage, while its crypto indices provide a holistic view of the digital currency markets not found on most day trading platforms. It has also launched a dedicated crypto exchange in Australia - Pepperstone Crypto. | IC offers 20+ cryptocurrencies which are tradable via CFDs, including lesser-known tokens such as Avalanche, Kusama and Uniswap. Commission-free trading is available, and experienced crypto traders can access leverage in the MetaTrader platforms. |
| Spread | 30 (BTC) | BTC 42.036 |
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| Crypto Lending | No | No |
| Crypto Mining | No | No |
| Crypto Staking | No | No |
| Auto Market Maker | No | No |
CFDs and FX are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 73-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.