City Index vs IG Index

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

City Index vs IG Index Comparison Table 2025
City Index IG Index
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4.4
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4.7
City Index is ranked #18 among CFD brokers. IG Index is ranked #7 among CFD brokers.
Review
Review
Established in 1983 and now a part of the Nasdaq-listed StoneX Group, City Index is a renowned and award-winning broker specializing in forex, CFDs, and spread betting. Offering over 13,500 instruments, an evolving Web Trader platform, top-tier educational resources, and 24/5 customer support, City Index delivers a comprehensive trading experience. 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.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. 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
  • City Index is regulated by top-tier authorities like the FCA (UK), ASIC (Australia), and MAS (Singapore), while its ownership by StoneX Group Inc., a listed company, further reinforces its credibility.
  • City Index has made strides to enhance the trading experience, notably through its Performance Analytics in 2024 for insights into trades and discipline, plus an upgraded mobile app featuring in-built market research and news at a swipe.
  • City Index boasts 13,500+ markets spanning forex, indices, shares, commodities, bonds, ETFs, and interest rates, with the platform's inclusion of niche markets like interest rates offering unique trading avenues not always found elsewhere.
  • City Index provides versatile trading platforms for all skill levels. The intuitive Web Trader platform is ideal for beginners, while support for MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and TradingView adds robust analysis and automation features, ensuring a flexible experience for traders of all levels.
  • 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
  • While many brokers like eToro have expanded their crypto offerings, City Index only provides crypto CFDs, and the limited range may not satisfy traders looking for a broader selection of altcoins.
  • Unlike brokers such as AvaTrade and BlackBull, City Index does not provide passive investment opportunities like social copy trading, or real stock or ETF ownership, making it less appealing for hands-off trading.
  • City Index lacks an Islamic account with swap-free trading conditions, making the broker less appealing to Muslim traders compared to providers like Eightcap and Pepperstone.
  • 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 CFD Provider 2024 - ADVFN International Financial Awards
  • Best Trading Platform 2022 - Online Money 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, Futures, Options, Bonds, Interest Rates,ETFs,Spread Betting 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, CySEC, MAS FCA, ASIC, NFA, CFTC, DFSA, BaFin, MAS, FSCA, FINMA, CONSOB, AFM
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS & Android
Trading App

The City Index app offers a user-friendly mobile trading experience with bespoke features like one-swipe trading. What’s also neat is the full-screen TradingView charts with 60+ technical indicators to plan your next move, while you can stay ahead with real-time price alerts and notifications. Additionally, Performance Analytics tools, added in 2024, provide insights into your trading metrics, helping you refine your trading strategies.

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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3.8
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4.6
Android App Rating
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3.1
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4
Margin Trading
No Yes
Margin Rate
2.5% 2.5%
MetaTrader 4
Yes Yes
MetaTrader 5
No No
cTrader
No No
AlgoTrader
No No
OmniTrader
No No
TradingView
Yes Yes
Autochartist
No Yes
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
Yes Yes
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
Yes No
Robo Advisor
No Yes
Negative Balance Protection
Yes Yes
Market Maker
Yes Yes
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, build your own on ProRealTime
Copy Trading
No No
Social Trading
No No
Trade Signals
SMART Signals Yes
VPS Hosting
No Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
Yes Yes
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
Yes Yes
Inactivity Fee
£12 $12
Islamic Account
No No
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • AUD
  • PLN
  • CZK
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • JPY
  • ZAR
  • SEK
  • DKK
  • CHF
  • HKD
  • SGD
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Oil
  • Silver
  • Copper
  • Livestock
  • Platinum
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Nickel
  • Iron
  • Orange Juice
  • Cannabis
  • Palladium
  • Coffee
  • Cotton
  • Lean Hogs
  • Sugar
  • Wheat
  • 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
City Index has one of the most extensive suite of CFDs we’ve seen, providing short-term trading opportunities on diverse assets, sectors and regions. Its ‘Trade Ideas’ also excel for active traders looking for information to inform decisions while the Web Trader boasts extensive charting capabilities with 90+ technical indicators. 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<
1.1 0.9
Oil Spread
1.5 2.8
Stocks Spread
Variable 0.02
Forex
City Index is one of the most trusted forex brokers, providing an above-average selection of 80+ currency pairs alongside tight spreads from 0.7 pips, trading alerts, and terrific insights into FX markets, with 99.99% of trades successfully executed. 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
84 80+
GBPUSD Spread
1.1 0.9
EURUSD Spread
0.8 0.8
EURGBP Spread
1.0 0.9
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • USD
City Index IG Index
Review
Review
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. 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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