How do markets.com and IQ Option stack up against each other?

The Radar Chart below highlights how the brokers stack up against each other across various metrics. The highest score a broker can receive in each area is 5.

At FxScouts, we help traders find the broker that suits their trading needs. In many cases, the best way to achieve this is to compare brokers side-by-side.

To compare markets.com and IQ Option, we used the same factors we use when reviewing brokers: The trust and regulation of the broker, the trading platform, the costs and trading conditions, and the level of education and market analysis available at the broker.

Does markets.com or IQ Option have a better trust and regulation rating?

Trust and regulation are some of the most important factors to consider when choosing a Forex broker. Trust in the Forex trading business is almost entirely founded upon regulation. We spend many hours evaluating the safety of each broker by delving into their fine print and confirming each one of their regulatory licences on the online registers. The more top-tier authorities a broker is regulated by, the higher its trust rating.

In our comparison, we found that markets.com holds three Tier 1 and no Tier 2 licences, and IQ Option holds no Tier 1 and no Tier 2 licences.

 

Is markets.com financially regulated?

Yes markets.com was founded in 2008 and is regulated by ASIC, B.V.I FSC, CySEC, FCA and FSCA.

 

Is IQ Option financially regulated?

No IQ Option is not adequately regulated.

 

Based on these findings, markets.com earned a higher trust rating than IQ Option.

Does markets.com or IQ Option have lower costs?

Another important aspect we consider when comparing brokers is the cost of trading. When evaluating trading costs, we always consider the minimum deposit required to open an account and the ongoing trading costs, including the spreads and commissions. When calculating trading costs, we measure the cost to trade one lot of EUR/USD using the broker’s account with the lowest minimum deposit. The cost includes both the spread and any commission charged. 

Not all brokers publish their trading costs, so we often open accounts and trade on their platforms to verify the spreads and commissions. Based on our reviews, we found that markets.com has overall lower trading costs than IQ Option. 

 

Does markets.com or IQ Option offer a better choice of trading platforms?

Traders want Forex brokers to offer them a choice of trading platforms, so we give brokers who offer multiple platforms higher ratings. Trading platforms we consider include MetaTrader4, MetaTrader5, cTrader and proprietary mobile and web-based platforms. 

In this case, markets.com offers support for and IQ Option offers support for . 

Do the brokers offer copy trading?

In this case both IQ Option and markets.com offer copy trading.

 

Which broker offers a better choice of trading instruments?

A variety of CFD instruments – and a large range of CFDs for each instrument category allow traders more opportunities for profitable trading. The best brokers will have thousands of CFDs to trade, covering all these instrument categories. We found that markets.com offers a greater range and depth of instruments to trade than IQ Option. markets.com offers 56 Forex pairs to trade and IQ Option offers 33 Forex pairs to trade.

And what about Cryptocurrencies?

In this case, markets.com offers 25 cryptocurrencies while IQ Option offers 12 cryptocurrencies. So if you want to trade cryptocurrencies, we advise trading with markets.com.

Which broker offers better deposit and withdrawal processes?

Although brokers may have reasonable trading fees, many traders are caught out by the high non-trading fees charged by some brokers, including deposits and withdrawals. Traders want to be able to deposit and withdraw funds quickly and cheaply. Most brokers have multiple funding methods with zero fees for making deposits, but some brokers make it more expensive and take longer to process withdrawals. 

We rate brokers more highly that process withdrawals within 24 hours by multiple withdrawal methods and without charging processing fees. We found that neither IQ Option nor markets.com charges a withdrawal fee. Overall, markets.com has better deposit and withdrawal processes than IQ Option. 

Which broker offers better educational support?

We often find that brokers offer very little in the way of educational materials, forcing traders to use other third-party sites or self-educate elsewhere. Beginner traders need well-structured, well-presented materials in multiple formats to get a good start at trading. More experienced traders also benefit from webinars led by experts in the field and advanced trading strategy sections with new trading ideas. 

markets.com has better educational support than IQ Option. Both IQ Option and markets.com offer educational support for more experienced traders.

 

Which broker offers better market analysis materials?

To successfully predict the price movements of an instrument, traders will need access to frequent market research and analysis. We find that research and market analysis are always better when they are produced in-house and updated frequently. Third-party resources don’t show the same expertise in trading ideas, so we place a strong emphasis on frequent in-house updates. Some brokers also often offer interactive webinars where traders can learn from experts in the field. 

We found that 0 offers better research analysis than 0 and that both IQ Option and markets.com offer frequent webinars.

 

Our overall Verdict on markets.com

With a listing on the London Stock Exchange, a well-regulated and competitive trading environment, and a user-friendly, full-featured trading platform that allows spread betting, British traders will be hard-pressed to find a better broker.

Markets.com offers traders fast, low-cost trading on a broad range of financial instruments, including over 2000 stock CFDs, Forex, commodities, indices, ETFs, and bonds. Although Markets.com offers only one live account, spreads start at 0.6 pips (EUR/USD), with no commissions and a minimum deposit requirement of only 100 GBP.

Full support is offered for MT4, MT5, and Markets.com's award-winning in-house platform. An advanced multi-asset trading platform, the Markets.com platform is packed full of features, including excellent trading tools, expert analysis, and in-depth charting. 

Markets.com also provides a high level of customer service compared to other brokers, and its educational materials provide an excellent resource for beginners starting their trading careers.

Our overall Verdict on IQ Option

IQ Option does not accept clients from the UK.  In this event, we recommend that traders looking for a broker similar to IQ Option review either Pepperstone or AvaTrade. 

IQ Option appeals to beginners with its unique bespoke social trading platform, low minimum deposits, and excellent trading conditions. However, IQ Option’s non-trading fees are high, and it offers fewer CFDs to trade than other similar brokers. 

IQ Option’s proprietary social trading platform is very popular among new traders.  The platform is very easy to use, provides various sentiment indicators, and allows social trading via a feature labelled Community Live Deal.  It also features a large chart with a wide selection of trading tools, including Moving Averages, Bollinger Bands, MACD, and RSI. 

IQ Option offers one live commission-free account with competitive spreads (starting at 0.7 pips on the EUR/USD) and a minimum deposit of only 10 USD, making it accessible to beginner traders.  However, while deposits are free, IQ Option charges high withdrawal fees for bank transfers and an inactivity fee of 10 EUR (or equivalent) per month after 90 days of inactivity.  

IQ Option provides little market research or educational materials, forcing traders to self-educate elsewhere.  

Which broker has the highest overall rating?

markets.com has an overall rating of 4.68 and IQ Option has an overall rating of 2.68. For more detail please read our reviews of markets.com and IQ Option.