Compare trading platforms
Compare the differences between our intuitive web trading platform and app, as well as a range of advanced third-party platforms.
Call 010 500 8624 or email newaccounts.za@ig.com to talk about opening a trading account. We're here 24 hours a day from 9am Saturday to 11pm Friday.
Contact us: 010 500 8624
Call 010 500 8624 or email newaccounts.za@ig.com to talk about opening a trading account. We're here 24 hours a day from 9am Saturday to 11pm Friday.
Contact us: 010 500 8624
Why use our trading platforms?
Get flexible access to more than 17,000 markets
Enjoy fast and reliable execution of your trades
Access easy-to-use and customisable platforms
Benefit from 45 years’ experience with a true market leader
Choose your platform
Compare our core and specialist trading platforms below. Each platform can help you achieve different trading goals – so you might want to use more than one.
- Online trading platform
- Mobile trading app
- Progressive web app
- ProRealTime
- MetaTrader 4
- L2 Dealer
Trade spread bets or CFDs and deal shares using our web trading platform. You can manage your account, register cards, make payments, withdraw your funds and more. Our platform also offers browser-based research tools such as streaming news, economic calendar and signals.
Buy and sell shares and trade spread bets or CFDs using our mobile trading app – available on iOS and Android devices. You’ll have access to the same research and monitoring tools as the web-based platform, and you can view our mobile charts and open or close positions on the go.
Discover our progressive web app (PWA), which offers you a seamless trading platform on any device – without having to visit a third-party app store. The PWA is optimised to help you receive critical trading updates quickly and effortlessly, avoiding delays inherent in traditional app store review processes.
Trade derivatives using ProRealTime (PRT) – the leading advanced charting package on the web, offering powerful monitoring tools, flexible access and advanced analysis resources. PRT is suitable for technical chart users, and free if you trade spread bets or CFDs at least four times a month.
Download MetaTrader 4 (MT4) for free and access advanced analysis and automated trading tools with MetaTrader 4 – a popular third-party platform for spread betting and CFD trading. Plus, you’ll receive a range of free add-ons from us.
Get direct market access (DMA) and helpful monitoring tools including watchlists, price alerts and algorithmic orders with L2 Dealer – our DMA platform for share dealing and share or forex CFD trading.
Our trading platforms comparison
Online trading platform | Mobile trading app | Progressive web app | |
Accessibility | Browser-based | Download | Browser-based with mobile shortcut |
Suitability | All users | All users | All users |
Platform costs | Free | Free | Free |
Exchange fees | Monthly fees for certain exchanges and level 2 shares data for CFD and share dealing accounts | Monthly fees for certain exchanges and level 2 shares data for CFD and share dealing accounts | Monthly fees for certain exchanges and level 2 shares data for CFD and share dealing accounts |
Available products | Spread bets, CFDs, share dealing | Spread bets, CFDs, share dealing | Spread bets, CFDs |
Tradeable markets | Depends on account type (Digital 100s only avaliable to Pro clients) | Depends on account type (excluding Digital 100s) | Depends on account type (Digital 100s only avaliable to Pro clients) |
Research tools | In-platform newsfeeds from our expert team and Reuters, economic calendar, signals | In-platform newsfeeds from our expert team and Reuters, economic calendar, signals | None |
Monitoring tools | Watchlists, price alerts, orders, Autochartist | Watchlists, price alerts, orders | Watchlists, orders |
Charts | IG charts, ProRealTime access, Autochartist | IG mobile charts | IG mobile charts |
Trade from charts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Price improvement | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Direct market access (DMA) | Avaliable when share dealing | Available on iOS | No |
Order types | Limits, stops, guaranteed stops, trailing stops, market orders | Limits, stops, guaranteed stops, trailing stops, market orders | Limits, stops, guaranteed stops, trailing stops, market orders |
Automated trading strategies | No | No | No |
Account management | Use My IG, our account management area, to register cards, make payments, withdraw funds, view history and manage settings | Register cards, make payments, withdraw funds, bank transfers, PayPal, view history, manage settings | Use My IG to make payments and manage settings |
Compare specialist platforms
ProRealTime | MetaTrader4 | L2 Dealer | |
Desktop accessibility | Download | Download | Download |
Mobile accessibility | No | Yes, through app | No |
Suitability | Technical chart users | Forex specialists | Advanced shares traders |
Platform costs | Free if you transact at least four times in a month. If not, a £30 per month fee will apply | Free | Free (minimum £1000 balance required) |
Exchange fees | Monthly fees for certain exchange stock feeds on a CFD account | None | Monthly fees for shares data and level 2 prices |
Available products | Spread bets, CFDs | Spread bets, CFDs | CFDs, share dealing |
Tradeable markets | All markets (apart from DMA and sprints) | Forex, indices, oil and major metals | DMA forex* and shares OTC forex, shares, indices and commodities |
Streaming Reuters news | No | No | Yes |
Monitoring tools | ProScreener, Alerts, TopMovers, Lists, ProRealTrend and Automated trading | Automated trading | Algorithmic orders, watchlists and customisable alerts |
Charts | Advanced ProRealTime charts | Advanced MT4 charts | ProRealTime access |
Trade from charts | Yes | Yes | Yes (through ProRealTime, OTC only) |
Price improvement | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Direct market access (DMA) | No | No | DMA for share dealing and share CFDs. DMA on forex is available to pro clients only |
Order types | Market orders, limits, stops, trailing stops, market if touched | Market orders, limits, stops, stop-loss, take profit | Algo trades, limits, market orders, tranche orders, fill or kill, execute and eliminate, date, day, good for auction, good till cancel, at the auction, at the open, at the close, at best |
Automated trading strategies | Yes | Yes | No |
Account management | Register cards, withdraw funds, view history, manage settings | Handled through the web-based platform | Register cards, make payments, withdraw funds, view history, manage settings |
Add-ons | Import indicators | A range of free add-ons from us, plus access to Autochartist | Bloomberg, FIX API |
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*To trade DMA forex, you'll need to qualify for an IG professional account