IG Index vs Eightcap

IG Index or Eightcap – which is better for UK traders 2024? Compare IG Index and Eightcap in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.

IG Index vs Eightcap Comparison Table 2024
IG Index Eightcap
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4.7
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4.6
IG Index is ranked #1 among CFD brokers. Eightcap is ranked #10 among CFD brokers.
Review
Review
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. Eightcap is an award-winning, FCA-regulated broker offering industry-low trading fees. They are also the highest-rated brand by TradingView’s 50 million-strong users, who can trade directly on the platform. UK traders can sign up for a live account with an accessible £100 minimum deposit.
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% 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
  • 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, 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 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
  • Having excelled across all key areas for traders, Eightcap outperformed every competitor to win our 'Best Overall Broker' award for 2024, also securing our 'Best Crypto Broker' title.
  • With tight spreads from 0 pips, low commission fees, and high leverage up to 1:500 for certain clients, Eightcap provides cost-effective and flexible trading conditions that can accommodate an array of strategies, including trading and scalping.
  • After bolstering its roster in 2021, Eightcap offers one of the most extensive selections of cryptocurrency CFDs in the market, with crypto/fiat pairs, crypto/crypto pairs, plus crypto indices for broader exposure to the market.
  • Eightcap stands out with a selection of powerful trading tools and resources, including MT4 and MT5, the innovative algorithmic trading platform Capitalise.ai, and more recently the 50-million strong social trading network TradingView.
Cons
  • 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
  • In spite of an increasing variety of tools, Eightcap doesn't offer industry favorites like Autochartist or Trading Central, which offer cutting-edge charting analytics, live news, and market insights for short-term traders.
  • Eightcap needs to continue bolstering its suite of instruments to match category leaders like Blackbull Markets with its 26,000+ assets, featuring a particularly weak selection of commodities.
  • The demo account expires after 30 days and can only be extended upon request - a notable inconvenience compared to the likes of XM with its unlimited demo mode.
  • Despite a useful library of educational guides and e-books in Labs, Eightcap still trails IG’s comprehensive toolkit for aspiring traders with its dedicated IG Academy app and 18 course categories.
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
  • Best Overall Broker 2024 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Cryptocurrency Broker 2024 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Forex Broker 2023 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Cryptocurrency Broker 2023 - DayTrading.com
  • Best MT4/MT5 Broker 2022 - DayTrading.com
FCA Regulated
Yes Yes
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Futures, Options, Crypto, Spread Betting CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0 £100
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots 0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, ASIC, NFA, CFTC, DFSA, BaFin, MAS, FSCA, FINMA, CONSOB, AFM ASIC, FCA, CySEC, SCB, CNMV
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android iOS & Android
Trading 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. It also offers guaranteed stops – an important risk management tool not available on many apps we’ve tested.

Eightcap supports the MT4, MT5 and TradingView apps (the only FCA regulated broker offering TradingView), catering to mobile traders looking for advanced charting tools. While we don’t love the increasingly outdated design of the MetaTrader suite, its dozens of technical indicators and drawing tools, multiple charting styles, and straightforward overlays in horizontal mode are excellent. The push notifications and active social network on the TradingView app are also valuable additions for aspiring traders and Eightcap has published helpful videos on connecting TradingView accounts to iOS and Android devices.
iOS App Rating
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4.6
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4.8
Android App Rating
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4
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4.4
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
2.5%
MetaTrader 4
Yes No
MetaTrader 5
No Yes
cTrader
No No
AlgoTrader
No No
OmniTrader
No No
TradingView
No Yes
Autochartist
Yes No
eSignal
No No
Trading Central
Yes No
STP Account
No No
ECN Account
No Yes
DMA Account
Yes No
MAM Account
No Yes
PAMM Account
No No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
No No
Robo Advisor
Yes No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes Yes
Market Maker
Yes No
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, build your own on ProRealTime TradingView Bots
Copy Trading
No No
Social Trading
No Yes
Trade Signals
Yes Yes
VPS Hosting
Yes Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
Yes No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
Yes No
Inactivity Fee
$12 $0
Islamic Account
No Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • JPY
  • ZAR
  • SEK
  • DKK
  • CHF
  • HKD
  • SGD
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • SGD
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Copper
  • Oil
  • Palladium
  • Silver
  • Sugar
  • Coffee
  • Wheat
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Orange Juice
  • Nickel
  • Steel
  • Iron
  • Precious Metals
  • Aluminium
  • Lithium
  • Cannabis
  • Lean Hogs
  • Cattle
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Oil
  • Palladium
  • Zinc
  • Nickel
  • Platinum
CFD
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. Eightcap offers a wide range of trading options with 800+ CFDs across stocks, indices, bonds, commodities, and cryptocurrencies (depending on location), with leverage up to 1:30/1:500. It excels in its tools, notably the AI-enabled economic calendar covering 25+ countries with impact filters (high, medium, low). However, its commodities offering, particularly in softs like cotton and wheat, as well as the limited precious metal and energy assets, is its weakest area.
Leverage
1:30 (Retail), 1:222 (Pro) 1:30
FTSE Spread
1.0 1.2
GBPUSD Spread<
0.9 0.1
Oil Spread
2.8 0.03
Stocks Spread
0.02 0.03 (Apple Inc)
Forex
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. Eightcap offers 50+ currency pairs in line with the industry average but trailing category leaders like CMC Markets with its 300+ currency pairs. However, Eightcap stands out with institutional-level spreads from 0.0 pips on major pairs like the EUR/USD, alongside low $3.50/side commissions. The broker also offers rich forex data to inform trading decisions, including key fundamentals, bullish/bearish indicators and a calendar that tracks key events in the foreign exchange market.
Assets
80+ 50+
GBPUSD Spread
0.9 0.1
EURUSD Spread
0.8 0.0
EURGBP Spread
0.9 0.1
Currency Indices
  • USD
  • USD
IG Index Eightcap
Review
Review
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% 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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