Both IG and Plus500 let you trade contracts for difference (CFDs). This lets you trade on loads of different things like indices, forex, shares and commodities without ever owning the underlying asset. These are both leading brokers for CFDs and are respected in their fields.
So, how do IG and Plus500 compare?
 |  | |
| Finder score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Customer satisfaction survey | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Costs score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 70% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 80% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| More Info |
Both IG and Plus500 are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which means that your deposits are protected by up to £85,000 if either provider were to go bust.
In our customer satisfaction survey in December 2020, IG’s customers felt that it had excellent customer service, that it’s inexpensive and that it’s easy to use. Some customers feel that the spreads are too high.
Plus500 customers thought that it was easy to use, said it was great to trade with and like that it has a demo account. They think it’s really good that you can customise the charts for technical analysis.
You can trade forex, shares, options and exchange traded funds (ETFs) through CFDs with both IG and Plus 500. This gets both providers 5 stars for financial instruments.
Winner: Tie
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| Exchanges covered score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| UK - London Stock Exchange | ||
| US - NASDAQ | ||
| US - New York Stock Exchange | ||
| Canada - Toronto Stock Exchange | ||
| Japan - Japan Exchange Group | ||
| Euronext | ||
| Germany - Deutsche Börse | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 70% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 80% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| More Info |
Winner: Plus 500
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| Costs score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Borrow fee | ||
| Rolling position | ||
| Overnight funding | ||
| Open/Close trades | ||
| Stop order | ||
| Deposits | ||
| Withdrawals | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 70% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 80% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| More Info |
Neither of these platforms charge commission for trading. In both cases, they earn money from a slightly wider spread. IG tends to have the smaller spreads, but Plus500 still has competitive costs, and in some cases might work out cheaper than IG.
There are some services which you may need to pay fees for on both platforms, such as overnight funding, currency conversion, guaranteed stop orders or inactivity fees.
Winner: IG
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| Features rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| iPhone app | ||
| Android app | ||
| Desktop/web app | ||
| Notifications | ||
| In-app news and research | ||
| Watch lists | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 70% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 80% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| More Info |
Both IG and Plus 500 let you trade with a web or desktop app, Android app and iPhone app. You can also access advanced company details and financials with both providers. IG also lets you create a watchlist – something we’ve not been able to do with Plus 500.
Winner: Tie
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| Resources rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Guides | ||
| Videos and walkthroughs | ||
| Demo account | ||
| In-depth learning tools | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 70% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 80% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| More Info |
IG easily wins in terms of learning resources and tools. It has all the information and research you need to execute trades and find out everything you need to know.
Plus500 isn’t so great in this regard, so you’d need to have another option to get research and insights. Both platforms have demo accounts available, though, which is really good for those just getting the grips with investing and CFD trading.
Winner: IG
All things considered, IG is probably the better of the two here. This is mainly due to the sheer amount of learning resources and tools there are available to help you understand the market better.
IG also has the functionality for other investment types, such as share dealing and smart portfolios, which makes it quite a nice all-rounder with available products.
That being said, Plus500 does have some nifty tools that you can use, such as an economic calendar and trading sentiment, which shows whether traders are buying or selling an instrument at a given time. It has some good charting, as well.
Winner: IG
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
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