Offshore entity only
IC Markets Review
Some of the tightest pricing and best execution we have measured, undermined by an offshore-only structure, reported withdrawal delays and support that let us down.
A pricing benchmark the rest of the field is measured against
IC Markets has built its reputation on one thing above all others: price. Its Raw Spread accounts consistently deliver some of the tightest all-in costs we have measured, with EUR/USD spreads starting at 0.0 pips and a flat commission of $3.50 per side. For traders who run size or trade frequently, that structure is very difficult to beat.
Behind the pricing sits genuine ECN infrastructure. Orders route to a deep pool of liquidity providers with execution that averaged under 40 milliseconds in our testing, and the broker supports every major platform, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and cTrader, alongside TradingView integration. There is very little a serious discretionary or algorithmic trader cannot do here.
Regulation is where the picture has weakened. IC Markets no longer onboards international clients to its Tier-1 entities, everyday retail accounts now sit under the offshore Seychelles (FSA) entity, which carries far lighter client-money protection than an onshore licence. Combined with user reports of withdrawal delays and closed winning positions, this is the area we would weigh most carefully before funding an account.
Ten sectors, scored out of 10
Click any row for the reasoning. The overall score is our published headline rating, curated by hand rather than averaged.
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Key facts at a glance
Fees and costs
IC Markets runs two pricing models. The Raw Spread account is the one to use for serious volume, spreads from 0.0 pips plus a transparent commission. The Standard account rolls the cost into a slightly wider spread with no commission, which suits smaller or less frequent traders.
Platforms and tools
IC Markets is the clearest example in our dataset of why we publish ten sectors instead of one number. Costs score 9.5, our highest mark in that sector, and platforms 9.0 with the full MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView lineup. On execution and price it is genuinely excellent. But support scores 4.0, regulation 6.0 now that retail clients sit under the offshore Seychelles entity, deposits and withdrawals 6.0 on the back of reported delays, and mobile 6.0 with no proprietary app. That combination is why it sits twelfth despite the best pricing we measure. If you are an experienced high-volume trader who will never need to contact support and accepts offshore protection, the economics are compelling. For everyone else, the risk of not being able to reach anyone when your withdrawal stalls outweighs the spread saving.
We have reviewed brokers independently since 2017. Every score comes from opening and funding a real account, placing trades, contacting support and requesting a withdrawal, not from marketing material. Scores are revised whenever conditions change rather than once a year, and IC Markets was downgraded in July 2026 following changes to its onboarding entity and reported withdrawal issues.
Our overall rating is curated, not averaged, so a serious failure in one sector cannot be offset by an unrelated strength. See the full scoring report for the methodology and every broker’s data.
Fees, spreads and terms are based on information published by IC Markets and our own testing, and can change without notice. Trade4Gains may receive compensation if you open an account through links on this page, which does not affect our scoring. This review is for informational purposes only and is not financial advice. CFDs carry a high risk of losing money.