Compare trading and investment accounts
Trading and investment accounts differ in several ways. Compare the best trading and investment accounts in the UK to find the one that suits your goals and risk appetite.
Call 0800 195 3100 or email newaccounts.uk@ig.com to talk about opening an account.
Contact us 08001953100
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Call 0800 409 6789 or email helpdesk.uk@ig.com if you have any questions about trading or investing. We're available 24/7 between 8am Saturday and 10pm Friday.
Contact us 0800 409 6789
Call 0800 195 3100 or email newaccounts.uk@ig.com to talk about opening an account.
Contact us 08001953100
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Call 0800 409 6789 or email helpdesk.uk@ig.com if you have any questions about trading or investing. We're available 24/7 between 8am Saturday and 10pm Friday.
Contact us 0800 409 6789
Compare our trading accounts
IG Spread betting account
With our spread betting account, you’ll trade assets by betting a certain amount per point of price movement. You’ll go long (buy) if you think the instrument’s price will rise or go short (sell) if you think it’ll fall.
When spread betting, you don’t own any assets outright, your profits are tax-free, and there’s no stamp duty or commission payable.1 You also have more control over your position size, and you can bet in your preferred currency. Plus, there are more than 17,000 markets available to trade when you open a spread betting account with us.
Note that spread bets are leveraged, which means you can trade for the full value of the position with just a deposit. When trading on leverage, your profits and losses are magnified. That means you stand to gain or lose more than what you put down to open the position. So, it’s important to take necessary steps to manage your risk.
IG CFD trading account
With our CFD trading account, you’ll also speculate on rising and falling asset prices in over 17,000 markets. However, your profit or loss will be the difference between the position’s opening and closing price.
When trading CFDs (short for contracts for difference), you can offset losses against profits for your capital gains tax (CGT) liabilities.1 This is why many traders use CFDs to hedge positions. When trading this financial derivative, you won’t pay any stamp duty1 and you can get direct market access (DMA).2
You’ll also use leverage when trading CFDs with us, getting exposure to the full value of the position by committing just a fraction of the total sum as an initial deposit. Both your potential profit and loss will be amplified. You can manage your risk to avoid incurring losses that you can’t afford.
IG US-listed options and futures account
You can use our US-listed options and futures account to take long, short and non-directional positions. You’ll use options strategies for a neutral market assumption when you think prices will move within a sideways range.
Our pure-form options and futures offerings give you access to simple and complex strategies on a specialist, award-winning platform through our partnership with our colleagues at tastytrade.3 You can access these products straight from the My IG dashboard.
You’ll have a range of underlying markets to choose from and you can choose whether you want to use leverage or not.
If you choose to trade using magnified exposure, you’ll use a margin account with access to more options strategies; whereas you’ll trade in a cash account if you don’t want to use leverage. It’s important to note that futures are only available in a margin account, and pure-form options are non-marginable (even when trading them in a margin account).
| IG Spread betting | IG CFD trading | IG US-listed options and futures account | ||
Account type |
Trading account |
Trading account |
Trading account* |
|
What is it? |
Staking an amount of money per point of movement in a financial market |
Exchanging the difference in price from the point the position is opened to the point it’s closed |
Speculating on an underlying’s price movements using pure-form options and futures. In addition to going long and short, you can also use options strategies for a neutral market assumption |
|
Is it leveraged? |
Yes, spread betting accounts are leveraged trading accounts. To take a position without leverage, you’d use a share dealing account |
Yes, CFD accounts are leveraged trading accounts. To take a position without leverage, you’d use a share dealing account |
Yes, you can trade using leverage in a margin account – which gives you access to more strategies – but options are non-marginable (even when traded in this account type). You can also trade options in a cash account that’s non-leveraged |
|
Do I pay tax? |
You won’t pay capital gains tax (CGT) or stamp duty1 |
You won’t pay stamp duty, but you’ll pay CGT. However, losses can be offset as a tax deduction for CGT1 |
You won’t pay stamp duty, but you’ll pay CGT. However, losses can be offset as a tax deduction for CGT1 |
|
What are the charges? |
Spread betting is commission-free. Your charge is a spread on all markets and overnight fees on spot trading (no overnight fees on futures and forwards). See our full trading costs |
A spread on all markets except shares. We charge a commission on share CFDs, but no spread. Overnight fees apply on spot trading (no overnight fees on futures). See our full trading costs |
When trading US-listed options and futures, you’ll pay low commissions, and no commission to close options positions.4 Other costs include currency conversion fees, banking fees and clearing fees5 |
|
What markets and assets can I trade? |
17,000+ markets including shares, indices, forex, commodities and more |
17,000+ markets including shares, indices, forex, commodities and more |
Use options, futures, and futures options to get access to a wide range of stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), indices (including volatility indices), and other asset classes like forex, interest rates, and commodities |
|
How can I trade? |
You can trade on the spot (cash), and with futures (called forwards in some markets) and options |
You can trade on the spot (cash) and with futures and options |
You trade using pure-form options and futures. Permissible strategies depend on whether you're trading in a cash account or margin account. You can also buy/sell equities |
|
Can it be used for hedging? |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
How does dealing work? |
You choose the amount you want to bet per point of movement |
You control the number of contracts or shares you want to trade, but each contract has a fixed value based on the underlying |
You set your position size by selecting the number of contracts to trade – each contract has a certain value based on the underlying |
|
What currency will I trade in? |
You choose the currency you want to trade in for any market, eg if you have an account in GBP, it’ll always trade in pounds per point |
You’ll deal in the market’s base currency |
You’ll trade in US dollars5 |
|
What platforms can I trade with? |
Our online trading platform, our trading app, MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or ProRealTime |
Our online trading platform, our trading app, MT4, ProRealTime or L2 Dealer (for DMA)2 |
Our specialist platform from our colleagues at tastytrade. You can access it straight from your MyIG dashboard through the online trading platform or mobile app |
|
Can I trade with direct market access (DMA)?2 |
No |
Yes |
No |
|
What are the risks? |
Spread betting is leveraged, so you put up a percentage of the trade size to open a position. When trading on leverage, your profit and loss is based on the full position size, so your profits or losses will be amplified. This is why it’s essential to manage your risk |
CFD trading is leveraged, so you put up a percentage of the trade size to open a position. Again, your profit and loss is based on the full position size, so you could gain or lose a lot more than your initial deposit. This is why it’s so important to manage your risk |
Trading futures in a margin account is leveraged. Other risks include expiration and assignment risk, rolling positions, employing high-risk strategies, pattern day trading rules, and good faith violations (ie when you use unsettled funds from one security to buy another security and then liquidate the new position before the settlement date of the one that generated its proceeds) |
* At expiration, most options contracts are automatically converted into the relevant underlying if they’re in the money (eg 100 long or short shares of a stock), ie physical settlement. To avoid this, you can close your trade before expiration. If the option is out of the money at expiration, it’ll expire worthless.
Compare our investment accounts
IG Share dealing
Our share dealing account enables you to buy and own stocks outright. The aim is to buy assets and eventually sell them at a higher price for a profit. You can also make money as a shareholder of the company by receiving dividends (if granted). Plus, you’ll have shareholder voting rights, if eligible.
There are more than 13,000 shares, 2000 funds, and several UK IPOs for you to invest in. You can invest via a share dealing account from zero commission,6 with fast execution and out-of-hours trading on US stocks.
IG Smart Portfolios
Our Smart Portfolios are investment accounts managed by our in-house experts. You’ll get exposure to different global markets that are tailored to your preferred risk appetite. Our diversified portfolios are managed by experts with a wealth of knowledge on global markets and a proven track record. But it's important to remember that past performance doesn’t guarantee future results.
Invest in ETFs across global stock markets that include property, gold, bonds and more. Our Smart Portfolios offer lower fees than competitors and have beaten benchmark returns.4
| IG Share dealing | IG Smart Portfolios | |
Account type |
Investment account |
Investment account |
What is it? |
Self-directed investing in company shares, ETFs and investment trusts |
Fully managed investing in a broadly diversified portfolio of ETFs |
Is it leveraged? |
No, you buy (put up the full value) and own shares |
No, your outlay is invested into the markets and you own the ETF shares in your portfolio |
Can I get an individual savings account (ISA) account? |
Yes. You need to open a share dealing account first, then you can add an ISA to get exemption from paying taxes on any interest or returns on your ISA allowance |
Yes. You need to open a Smart Portfolio account first, then you can add an ISA to get exemption from paying taxes on any interest or returns on your ISA allowance |
What are the charges? |
Main charge is commission per share – from £0 for US shares and £3 for UK shares.6 The currency conversion fee is 0.5% on foreign shares. See all share dealing charges |
0.5% management fee, plus fund and transaction costs. Average total cost of 0.72%. See all Smart Portfolio costs |
What markets and assets can I invest in? |
13,000+ shares, 2,000+ ETFs and a range of investment trusts |
Our in-house experts will invest in a diverse and balanced portfolio of ETFs on your behalf that include shares, bonds, and commodities |
Will I receive shareholder privileges and dividends? |
Yes, if the company offers them and you’re eligible |
No |
What currency will I trade in? |
You’ll invest in the shares’ local currency. Our foreign exchange fee is just 0.5% |
Pound sterling (GBP) |
What platforms can I trade with? |
Our online trading platform, our trading app, L2 Dealer (DMA)2 |
Our online trading platform, our trading app |
What are the risks? |
The value of investments can rise or fall, so you could get back less than you put in. However, the risk is lower than when trading with leverage |
The value of investments can rise or fall, so you could get back less than you put in. However, the risk is lower than when trading using leverage |
Our trading and investment accounts vs other brokers’ accounts
Established in 1974, we’re the UK broker that offers the longest trading hours. You can choose from more than 17,000 markets to trade and over 13,000 markets to invest in on the best platform in the world.7 Whichever market you want to trade or invest in, you’ll pay very competitive fees to get exposure. Plus, we’ll give you the best round-the-clock support.
Check out how we compare to others in the UK:8
|
IG |
eToro |
CMC Markets |
Hargreaves Lansdown |
AJ Bell |
Accounts |
Spread betting, CFD trading, US-listed options and futures, share dealing, Smart Portfolios |
CFD trading, share dealing, Smart Portfolios |
Spread betting, CFD trading, options trading |
Share dealing, cash savings |
Share dealing, cash savings |
Trading or investing |
Both |
Both |
Trading |
Investing |
Investing |
Markets to trade and invest in |
More than 17,000 markets including shares, bonds, ETFs, IPOs, indices, forex and commodities |
More than 5,000 markets |
More than 12,000 markets |
More than 3,000 markets |
More than 2,000 markets |
Round-the-clock and extended hours trading |
24/7 trading on certain major indices and forex pairs. Extended hours trading on a range of US stocks |
24/7 trading on cryptocurrencies. |
24/7 trading on certain major indices and forex pairs from Sunday evening to Friday evening. Extended hours trading on indices |
Normal market hours. Deal placement is subject to trading volumes and timings |
Deals are placed during the relevant country’s normal market hours, ie where the investment is listed |
Trading platforms |
Web, app, L2 Dealer, MT4, ProRealTime |
Web and app |
Web, app, MT4 |
Web and app |
Web and app |
Educational resources |
IG Academy, news and insights from in-house analysts, Reuters news within platform, community forum, demo account, webinars and events, newsletter, and free trading signals |
eToro Academy, news and insights from in-house analysts, social trading tools, tutorials, podcast, newsletter, and webinars |
Learning hub, news and insights from in-house analysts, Morningstar equity research and Reuters news on the platform, webinars and events, newsletter, and demo account |
News and insights from in-house analysts, knowledge centre, newsletters, webinars, and downloadable guides |
Beginner guides, news and insights, dealing demo, videos and podcasts, and webinars |
HQ |
UK |
Israel |
UK |
UK |
UK |
Customer service |
24/7 telephone support and 24/7 email and X (formerly Twitter) support from 8am Saturday to 10pm Friday (UK time) |
Email, automated chatbot, live chat (24 hours a day from Monday to Friday) and WhatsApp |
Telephone support Sunday night to Friday night and email |
Telephone support – Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm (UK time) and Saturday, 9.30am to 12.30pm (UK time); instant messaging |
Telephone support from 8am - 7pm Monday to Friday, and 10am - 2pm on Saturday (UK time), email and web chat |
How to choose the best trading account for you
There are some important aspects to consider when looking for the trading account that’s best suited for you. Here are some of the main questions you can ask yourself:
- Do you want to be self-directed or passive?
If you choose the self-directed approach, you’ll personally execute your trades and investment, speculating on market prices based on your trading plan and strategy. You can trade or invest using the self-directed approach for more flexibility and control.
With the passive approach, you’ll take long-term positions, buying and holding ETF portfolios managed by experts, and earning possible profits from dividends (if granted) and market price rises.
- What markets and assets do you want to trade?
There are several markets that you can trade, including stocks, indices, forex, commodities, bonds, ETFs, options and futures.
With us, you can trade a wide range of markets and assets using a spread betting, CFD trading or a US-listed options and futures account. You can also invest in single-name stocks and ETFs using a share dealing or an IG Smart Portfolio account.
- What level of risk can you accept?
Trading derivatives such as spread bets and CFDs come with high risk and complexity due to leverage. When you trade on leverage, you put up a faction of money as a deposit to get exposure to the full position size. This deposit is called your margin.
While leverage brings down your initial outlay, it magnifies both your potential profits and possible losses substantially. It’s important to take steps to manage your risk to try avoid major losses. If your margin requirement is 20%, for example, your leverage ratio is 1:5. So, a 1% movement in the market price would result in a 5% change to your position.
When trading pure-form options and futures with us, you can choose between a cash or a margin account. A cash account is non-leveraged and you can’t trade listed futures in it; whereas a margin account is leveraged, with more strategies available. Listed options are non-marginable, even when traded in a margin account.
With us, you can customise the level of risk that you’re comfortable with when you deal in Smart Portfolios. Investing in ETFs using Smart Portfolios can also enable you to diversify your exposure across a range of assets, companies, geographies, and sectors.
While investing in individual stocks and ETFs carries greater risk, you’d get exposure to individual shares of your choosing. One way of managing your risk when buying and holding using a share dealing account is assessing possible losses against potential returns and setting an appropriate risk-reward ratio for your investment.
FAQs
What's the best trading account for me?
The best trading account for you depends on what your financial goals are and the trading plan you’ll employ. You could choose to speculate on derivatives like spread bets and CFDs to get exposure to the price movement of an underlying asset. Alternatively, you could go for pure-form options and futures for access to more strategies, including ones that enable neutral market assumptions.
If you want to buy and hold assets, you’d choose an investment account like our share dealing account or the IG Smart Portfolio account.
What trading account is best for beginners?
Beginners can start with a brief walkthrough of what each trading account has to offer by checking out our learning material on IG Academy. You can practise all you have learnt from the educational resources on our risk-free environment when you create a demo account. Your demo account will be credited with £10,000 in virtual funds to practise your trading strategies and learn how to manage your risk before you open a live account.
We offer our US-listed options and futures through our partnership with our colleagues at tastytrade. The affiliated content brand, tastylive, gives you free access to countless resources to learn about trading listed options and futures.
What should I bear in mind before opening a trading account?
Before opening a trading account, you should become familiar with the markets and assets you want to trade. You must also have a good grasp of the costs involved, the platform quality, available customer service channels and the risks involved in trading.
Try these next
Learn about the differences between spread betting and CFD trading.
Create a trading account to get exposure to over 17,000 markets.
Explore how you can go long, short or neutral with pure-form options.
1 Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.
2 With direct market access (DMA), we take a parallel position in the underlying market when you place your order, so we can’t change or reverse your order once it’s been executed.
3 tastytrade was awarded the best options trading platform at the 2024 ADVFN International Finance Awards. It was ranked the best overall options trading platform of 2024 by Investopedia. The criteria, evaluation, and ranking were determined by Investopedia. tastytrade is the No.1 desktop options trading platform and the no.1 desktop futures trading platform as awarded at the 2024 StockBrokers.com annual awards. Our streamlined platform gives you access to the tastytrade options and futures products from My IG.
4 $1.00 commission to open per options contract, $0 commission to close per options contract. Applicable exchange, clearing, and regulatory fees still apply to all opening and closing equity options trades. Some additional applicable commissions are capped at $10 per leg on equity option trades. The following index products are excluded from the capped commissions offer: SPX, RUT, VIX, OEX, XEO, DJX, and XSP. Trade futures from $0.85 commission to open and $0.85 commission to close on micro futures. Learn more about our charges.
5 The base currency for trading on our US options and futures platform is USD. We auto-convert deposits in a different currency to USD and we automatically convert any realised profit, loss, funding, dividend adjustments or commission to your base currency. We charge a currency conversion fee of 0.5% for deposits and withdrawals, respectively.
6 Trade in your share dealing account three or more times in the previous month to qualify for our best commission rates. Please note published rates are valid up to £25,000 notional value. See our full list of share dealing charges and fees.
7 Best platform for the active trader, best multi-platform provider and best finance app as awarded at the ADVFN International Financial Awards 2024. Best Share Dealing Platform, YourMoney.co.uk Investment Awards, 2024.
8 Information is based on available data from each provider’s website (as at June 2024).
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