IG Review: Fees, Platforms, and Who It's For

A long history, and two different businesses under one roof

IG traces its roots back to 1974, making it one of the longest-established names in UK retail trading, and today operates as a subsidiary of the publicly listed IG Group, which trades on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker IGG. What makes IG worth understanding carefully is that it's really two different kinds of broker bundled into one brand: a large CFD and spread betting operation, and a more conventional share dealing and ISA business. Conflating the two is the single most common mistake new users make, so it's worth being precise from the outset.

CFDs and spread betting: leveraged, and not ownership

The bulk of IG's product range, and the reason it's often cited alongside eye-catching figures like access to somewhere in the region of 19,000 markets, is its CFD and spread betting offering. These are leveraged derivative products: when you open a CFD or spread bet on, say, a stock index or a currency pair, you are not buying or owning the underlying asset — you are entering into a contract whose value tracks that asset's price movement, magnified by leverage, which amplifies both gains and losses. A majority of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs, so this side of IG's business should be treated as a genuinely different risk category from long-term investing. Separately, IG's general share dealing account and Stocks and Shares ISA for UK residents work the way most people expect ordinary investing to work: you buy actual shares or funds and hold them, and any gains or income are yours as the owner of the asset. Trading takes place across IG's own web and mobile platform, the ProRealTime charting platform, L2 Dealer for direct market access, and MetaTrader 4 (MT4), a widely used third-party platform for forex and CFD traders. In the UK, IG is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA); because IG Group operates internationally, clients opening accounts through other regional entities may be regulated by different local authorities, such as ASIC in Australia, so it's worth confirming which entity and regulator applies to your specific account before signing up.

• CFD and spread betting markets span forex, indices, shares, and commodities, with breadth that few competitors match, but none of it involves owning the underlying asset.
• Share dealing and ISA accounts are a separate, genuine-ownership product line, aimed at long-term investors rather than leveraged traders.
• Platform choice ranges from IG's own web and mobile app to ProRealTime, L2 Dealer, and MT4, depending on whether you're investing or trading.

IG's scale is real, but so is the split at its core — one half is leveraged trading where most participants lose money, the other is ordinary share ownership, and the two shouldn't be confused.

Who it's for, and who might want to look elsewhere

IG suits two fairly different audiences: experienced traders who want deep access to CFD and spread betting markets with a choice of professional-grade platforms, and UK-based long-term investors who specifically want a share dealing account or ISA from an established, listed provider. It's a poor fit for beginners drawn in by the scale of its market access without a clear understanding that most of that access is leveraged and carries a high risk of loss. Fees, features, and regulatory details change over time; always confirm current terms on IG's own site before opening an account.

This article is educational and general in nature. It isn’t personalized investment, tax, or legal advice — always weigh your own circumstances, or talk to a licensed professional, before making financial decisions.

Tags: ig, broker review, cfd trading