Axi vs IG Index

Axi or IG Index – which is better for UK traders 2025? Compare Axi and IG Index in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.

Axi vs IG Index Comparison Table 2025
Axi IG Index
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3.7
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4.7
Axi is ranked #27 among CFD brokers. IG Index is ranked #7 among CFD brokers.
Established in 2007, Axi is a multi-regulated forex and CFD broker that has made strides to improve its trading experience over the years, from expanding its suite of stocks and upgrading the Axi Academy to launching its own copy trading app. Founded in 1974, IG is part of IG Group Holdings Plc, a publicly traded (LSE: IGG) brokerage. The brand 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.
72.4% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Pros
  • Axi offers a terrific MT4 experience, enhanced with the NextGen plug-in for advanced order management and analytics, and complete with low execution latency of approximately 30ms.
  • The growing educational resources in the Axi Academy, including free eBooks, video tutorials and notably interactive quizzes, are excellent for supporting beginner traders.
  • Axi's latest copy trading app is really intuitive based on our tests with useful filtering options to match strategies with individual risk preferences.
  • Advanced traders can now sign up for the Axi Select funded trader program through the broker’s offshore entity, providing funding up to $1 million with a 90% profit share.
  • IG is amongst the best in terms of its range of instruments, which includes stocks, forex, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies, plus recently added US-listed futures and options as well as an AI Index, providing 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 trading, while IG has also added TradingView integration.
  • 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
  • Axi is falling behind by only offering MT4 when many rivals now support MT5, cTrader, TradingView and proprietary software for a slicker experience with more advanced tools.
  • Despite bolstering its stock CFDs in US, UK and EU markets, it’s still nowhere near as extensive as firms like BlackBull which offer thousands of equities for diverse opportunities.
  • Axi still has our confidence but issues with the ASIC and FMA in recent years mean it needs to continue providing a secure environment while adhering to licensing conditions.
  • Despite performing well whenever we use it, Axi's support is unavailable 24/7, which can be inconvenient for traders in different time zones or those needing assistance outside standard trading hours.
  • 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 Forex Provider 2023 – Online Money Awards
  • Best MT4 Provider UK 2022 – International Business Magazine Awards
  • Best CFD Provider 2022 – Shares Awards
  • Best CFD Provider 2021 – Shares Awards
  • Most Transparent Forex Broker (Middle East) 2021 - Global Forex Awards
  • Best EMEA Region Broker 2020 - ADVFN International Financial Awards
  • 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
FCA Regulated
Yes Yes
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Crypto CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Futures, Options, Crypto, Spread Betting
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0 $0
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots 0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, ASIC, FMA, DFSA, SVGFSA FCA, ASIC, NFA, CFTC, DFSA, BaFin, MAS, FSCA, FINMA, CONSOB, AFM
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS & Android
Trading App

Axi’s app delivers a smooth, efficient trading experience, integrating all the tools needed for active trading in global markets right from your palm. Benefiting from upgrades to fix bugs and improve speed, it now features push notifications, personalized watchlists, and educational videos, all within a user-friendly interface that really impresses.

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.

iOS App Rating
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3.6
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4.6
Android App Rating
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4.2
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4
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
2.5%
MetaTrader 4
Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5
No No
cTrader
No No
AlgoTrader
No No
OmniTrader
No No
TradingView
No Yes
Autochartist
Yes Yes
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
No Yes
STP Account
Yes No
ECN Account
No No
DMA Account
No Yes
MAM Account
Yes No
PAMM Account
Yes No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
No No
Robo Advisor
No Yes
Negative Balance Protection
Yes Yes
Market Maker
No Yes
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, Myfxbook Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, build your own on ProRealTime
Copy Trading
Yes No
Social Trading
Yes No
Trade Signals
MT4, Autochartist Yes
VPS Hosting
Yes Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
Yes No
Ethical Investing
No Yes
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No Yes
Inactivity Fee
$10 $12
Islamic Account
Yes No
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CHF
  • PLN
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • JPY
  • ZAR
  • SEK
  • DKK
  • CHF
  • HKD
  • SGD
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Oil
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Platinum
  • Cocoa
  • Coffee
  • Gasoline
  • Natural Gas
  • Precious Metals
  • Gold
  • Copper
  • Oil
  • Palladium
  • Silver
  • Sugar
  • Coffee
  • Wheat
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Orange Juice
  • Nickel
  • Steel
  • Iron
  • Precious Metals
  • Aluminium
  • Lithium
  • Cannabis
  • Lean Hogs
  • Cattle
CFD
Axi offers a growing suite of CFDs covering currencies, shares, indices, commodities and crypto (location dependent). It’s clearly built with active traders in mind with zero restrictions on scalping or algo trading, extensive leverage opportunities, and fast execution with latency under 100ms. 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 1:30 (Retail), 1:222 (Pro)
FTSE Spread
1.0 1.0
GBPUSD Spread<
0.6 0.9
Oil Spread
0.03 2.8
Stocks Spread
0.07 0.02
Forex
Axi’s 70+ currency pairs is its strongest market offering and beats out rivals like AvaTrade, which offers only 50+. Combine this with an elevated MT4 offering through the NextGen add-on, and Axi remains an excellent broker for 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.
Assets
70+ 80+
GBPUSD Spread
0.5 0.9
EURUSD Spread
0.2 0.8
EURGBP Spread
0.5 0.9
Currency Indices
  • USD
Cryptocurrency
Axi provides 24/7 short-term trading opportunities on 30 popular cryptos paired with fiat currencies, other tokens and more unusually, metals. It also stands out with its high leverage up to 1:200 for advanced crypto traders, amplifying potential returns but also losses. 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
From 0.0 Variable
Coins
  • BCH
  • BNB
  • BTC
  • LTC
  • OMG
  • FTT
  • BTC
  • BCH
  • DOG
  • LTC
  • XLM
  • AAVE
  • COMP
  • LRC
  • MKR
  • SUSHI
  • UNI
  • BAT
  • CRV
  • ENJ
  • LNK
  • MANA
  • MATIC
  • SAND
  • XRP
  • LNK
  • XRP
  • KSM
  • AVAX
  • ETH
  • SOL
  • XTZ
  • ADA
  • DOT
  • EOS
  • 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
Axi IG Index
72.4% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
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