Pocket Option vs IG Group

Pocket Option vs IG Comparison Table 2024
Pocket Option IG
4.2

Pocket Option is #1 in our binary options broker rankings.

4.4

IG is #4 in our CFD broker rankings.

United States Flag Traders from US accepted
United States Flag Traders from US accepted

Established in 2017, Pocket Option is a binary options broker offering high/low contracts on forex, stocks, indices, commodities and cryptocurrencies. With over 100,000 active users and a global reach, the platform continues to prove popular with budding traders.

Founded in 1974, IG is part of IG Group Holdings Plc, a publicly traded (LSE: IGG) brokerage. The brand-US offers spread betting, CFD and forex trading across an almost unrivalled selection of 17,000+ markets, with a range of user-friendly platforms and investing apps. For 50 years, IG has maintained its position as an industry leader, excelling in all key areas for traders.

Forex trading involves risk. Losses can exceed deposits.
Customer Reviews
4.3
4
Bonus Offer
50% Deposit Bonus
Comment by Reviewer
"Pocket Option excels for its easy-to-use web platform which provides a best-in-class user experience for short-term binary traders. The $50 minimum deposit is also accessible for beginners while opening an account is really easy. Looking at the negatives, Pocket Option still trails alternatives in its market offering and regulatory credentials." "IG continues to provide a comprehensive package with an intuitive web platform and best-in-class education for beginners, plus advanced charting tools, real-time data, and fast execution speeds for experienced day traders."
Pros
  • The web platform shines for its straightforward design and usability that will appeal to beginners looking to speculate on popular financial markets in a few clicks
  • The MetaTrader platforms offer integrated analysis with helpful technical summaries for short-term traders
  • The range of payment methods beats the majority of rivals, providing fast, secure and convenient deposits for traders in most countries
  • Well-funded traders who deposit $1000+ can qualify for a 2%+ payout boost, more tradable assets and exclusive perks
  • Extremely fast and smooth sign-up process that takes less than 2 minutes
  • IG is amongst the best in terms of its range of instruments, which includes stocks, forex, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies, providing ample diversification opportunities
  • The proprietary web-based platform continues to caters to traders of all levels, with advanced charting tools and real-time market data useful for day trading
  • The IG app offers a superb mobile trading experience with a clean design that helped it secure Runner Up at our Best Trading App award
  • As a well-established broker, IG operates under strict regulatory guidelines in multiple jurisdictions, maintaining a high level of trust
  • IG offers an extensive collection of professional and engaging educational resources, including webinars, articles, and analysis
  • The ProRealTime advanced charting platform is free as long as certain modest monthly trading activity requirements are met
Cons
  • The MISA is a weak regulator with limited investor protection for retail traders
  • The maximum binary contract length of 4 hours is restrictive for longer-term trading strategies. Alternatives like Videforex offer binaries up to 1 month
  • Pocket Option offers a slimmed down iteration of the MT4 and MT5 that doesn't provide the full charting package for advanced traders
  • Despite offering competitive payouts up to 92%, binary brokers like IQCent offer higher returns up to 98% based on tests
  • You need to deposit $1000 to access the extended list of 250+ assets, otherwise just 130+ assets are available
  • Beginners might find IG’s fee structure complex, with various fees for different types of trades or services, potentially leading to confusion or unexpected charges
  • While there is negative balance protection in the UK and EU, there is no account protection or guaranteed stop losses for US clients
  • IG has discontinued its swap-free account, reducing its appeal to Islamic traders
  • Stock and CFD spreads still trail the cheapest brokers like CMC Markets based on tests
  • IG applies an inactivity fee of $12 per month after 2 years, deterring casual investors
Awards
  • Best Binary Broker Runner Up 2023 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Binary Broker 2022 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Customer Service 2022 - Online Money Awards
  • Best Spread Betting Provider 2022 - Online Money Awards
  • Best Platform for the Active Trader 2022 - ADVFN International Financial Awards
  • Best Multi Platform Provider 2022 - ADVFN International Financial Awards
  • Best Finance App 2022 - ADVFN International Financial Awards
Instruments
Binary Options, Currencies, Commodities, Stocks, Indices, Cryptos CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Futures, Options, Crypto, Spread Betting
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$50 $0
Trading Platforms
  • Web
  • MT4
  • MT5
  • Web
  • ProRealTime
  • L2 Dealer
  • MT4
  • AutoChartist
  • TradingCentral
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
$1 0.01 Lots
Regulator
MISA FCA, ASIC, NFA, CFTC, DFSA, BaFin, MAS, FSCA
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
2.5%
STP Account
No No
ECN Account
No No
DMA Account
No Yes
MAM Account
No No
PAMM Account
No No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
No No
Robo Advisor
No Yes
Negative Balance Protection
No Yes
Market Maker
No Yes
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes Yes
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS & Android
App Review

Pocket Option delivers an excellent mobile trading experience directly through mobile and tablet browsers, without needing a native app. You can easily customize charts using the settings at the top while placing trades in one click is a breeze using the ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ buttons at the bottom of the screen. The interface also adapts seamlessly to horizontal viewing, mirroring the desktop layout for a consistent user experience.

IG offers a superb all-round trading app. One of the pioneers of mobile trading, the application has been developed and refined over many years, meaning it is now among the best trading apps. Quick response, user-friendly layout, access to full charting and a stable and reliable application. It also offers guaranteed stops – an important risk management tool not available on many apps we’ve tested.

Android App Rating
4.2
4
iOS App Rating
4
4.6
Auto Trading
Yes Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, build your own on ProRealTime
Copy Trading
Yes No
Copy Trading Platform
Pocket Option hosts a user-friendly social trading service. Available in the platform, you can use the ‘Top Ranked Trades’ leaderboard, among others, to find traders to follow. The social trading solution is also available 24/7 and has active community chats. Tip: check the number of trades made and profit generated over several months rather than comparing providers over a few days.
Social Trading
Yes No
Trade Signals
Yes Yes
VPS Hosting
No Yes
Tournaments
Yes No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
No Yes
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No Yes
Inactivity Fee
$0 $12
Islamic Account
No No
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • JPY
  • ZAR
  • SEK
  • DKK
  • CHF
  • HKD
  • SGD
Stock Exchanges
Commodities
CFD Trading
CFD trading not offered IG offers a huge selection of 17,000+ CFDs, providing more trading opportunities than most CFD brokers. Traders can go long or short on popular markets like stocks, currencies, commodities and cryptos, while custom price alerts and the IG Academy continue to enhance the trading experience.
Leverage
1:30 (Retail), 1:250 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
1.0
GBPUSD Spread
0.9
Oil Spread
2.8
Stocks Spread
0.02
Forex Trading
Binary and OTC options can be purchased on 40+ currency pairs, with 55+ currency pairs available if you deposit $1000. Typical payouts are reasonable at 81% and the $1 minimum trade makes the broker accessible to new forex traders. There is also access to the MT4 and MT5 platforms for experienced forex traders. IG offers an above-average suite of 80+ currency pairs on its proprietary web platform, mobile app or MetaTrader 4, with more advanced charts and forex analysis tools available on the ProRealTime software. Forex spreads are competitive based on tests, starting from 0.1 pips on majors like the EUR/USD.
Forex App

IG offers a superb all-round trading app. One of the pioneers of mobile trading, the application has been developed and refined over many years, meaning it is now among the best trading apps. Quick response, user friendly layout, access to full charting and a stable and reliable application. Top marks.

GBPUSD Spread
N/A 0.9
EURUSD Spread
N/A 0.8
EURGBP Spread
N/A 0.9
Assets
55+ 80+
Currency Indices
  • USD
Cryptocurrency
Pocket Option offers a modest crypto offering with 10+ digital currencies including Bitcoin and 65+ tokens if you deposit $1000. The integrated analytics feature in the platform is helpful for finding opportunities, while the daily signals service makes it straightforward to act on short-term crypto opportunities. IG's modest selection of 11 crypto CFDs trails top crypto brokers like Vantage which offers 40+ tokens. That said, it stands out with its crypto index, which tracks the value of the top 10 digital currencies by market cap and provides a holistic way to speculate on the value of the crypto market.
Spread
N/A Variable
Coins
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • BCH
  • LINK
  • AAVE
  • ALGO
  • TLM
  • ALPP
  • ANT
  • AVAX
  • AXS
  • BNB
  • ADA
  • CHZ
  • COMP
  • ATOM
  • DASH
  • MANA
  • DGB
  • DOGE
  • ENJ
  • EOS
  • FIL
  • GLMR
  • ILV
  • ICP
  • KAVA
  • LTC
  • MKR
  • MASK
  • MIOTA
  • XMR
  • ALICE
  • NEAR
  • NEO
  • NULS
  • OMG
  • DOT
  • MATIC
  • QTUM
  • REEF
  • XRP
  • SANTOS
  • SC
  • SOL
  • STX
  • XLM
  • STORJ
  • DATA
  • SUN
  • XTZ
  • SAND
  • THETA
  • TRX
  • UNI
  • VET
  • WAVES
  • YFI
  • YGG
  • ZEC
  • BTC
  • BCH
  • LTC
  • ETH
  • ADA
  • DOT
  • DOGE
  • LINK
  • UNI
  • XLM
Crypto Lending
No No
Crypto Mining
No No
Crypto Staking
No No
Auto Market Maker
No No
Binary Options
Pocket Option offers ultra-short-term binaries from 5 seconds on one of the simplest web platforms for beginners. Payouts rival alternatives at 90%+ while the ‘Double Up’ and ‘Rollover’ features provide further opportunities to profit. Considering the negatives, the suite of 130+ assets trails binary brokers like Quotex, which offer 400+. Binary options trading not offered
Payout
92%
Expiry Times
5 seconds - 4 hours
Ladder Options
No Yes
Boundary Options
No No
Forex trading involves risk. Losses can exceed deposits.
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