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In the fast-paced world of forex trading, choosing the right broker is crucial. Eightcap and IQ Option are two popular options, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. This comparison will dive into the key features of both platforms,helping you decide which one best suits your trading style and goals.
The radar chart above illustrates the comparison between Eightcap and IQ Option across several key metrics, with the highest possible score being 100 in each category.
At FxScouts, our mission is to assist traders in finding the broker that best suits their needs. Comparing brokers side-by-side is an effective method to achieve this goal. We evaluated Eightcap and IQ Option, using our standard criteria: trust and regulation, trading platforms, costs and trading conditions, and educational and market analysis resources.
Trust and regulation are crucial when selecting a Forex broker. A broker’s credibility is largely built on its regulatory status. We spend considerable time verifying the safety of each broker by examining their regulatory licenses. We also consider numerous factors when deciding which tier a regulator belongs to. Regulators that we rank as the world’s top regulators, gets a tier 1 rank, while regulators who only scores a tier 5-rank, provide virtually no regulatory oversight. The more top-tier authorities regulating a broker, the higher its trust rating. Read more about regulation and our tier system here.
In our comparison:
Based on these findings, Eightcap earned a higher trust rating than IQ Option.
When comparing brokers, trading costs are a significant factor. We consider the minimum deposit required to open an account and ongoing costs, including spreads and commissions. We measure the cost to trade one lot of EUR/USD using the broker’s account with the lowest minimum deposit, including both the spread and any commission charged.
We found that IQ Option has overall lower trading costs than Eightcap.
Trading Platforms Offered Traders prefer brokers that offer a variety of trading platforms. We rate brokers higher if they support multiple platforms like MetaTrader4, MetaTrader5, cTrader, and proprietary platforms.
Copy trading is beneficial for beginner traders or those unable to trade full-time. In this case both Eightcap and IQ Option offer copy trading.
A broader range of CFD instruments provides more trading opportunities. Eightcap offers a greater variety of instruments compared to IQ Option:
For those interested in trading cryptocurrencies, Eightcap offers 100 cryptocurrencies, while IQ Option offers 12 cryptocurrencies. Therefore, Eightcap is the better choice for cryptocurrency trading.
Traders prefer brokers with quick and cost-effective deposit and withdrawal processes. We favor brokers that process withdrawals within 24 hours using multiple methods without charging fees.We found that neither Eightcap nor IQ Option charges a withdrawal fee. Overall, Eightcap has better deposit and withdrawal processes than IQ Option.Â
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.Â
Eightcap and IQ Option both have moderate educational support. Both Eightcap and IQ Option offer educational support for more experienced traders.Access to frequent and high-quality market research and analysis is crucial.
We found that Eightcap offers better research analysis than IQ Option and that both Eightcap and IQ Option offer frequent webinars.
With two simple low deposit accounts, Eightcap offers appeals to cryptocurrency traders who are familiar with the MT4 and MT5 trading platforms looking for a large range of cryptocurrency options.
A well-regulated broker, Eightcap offers trading on Forex, indices, commodities, share CFDs, and over 250 cryptocurrencies, the largest set in the industry.
Eightcap offers two live accounts and a demo account. Both of its live accounts have a minimum deposit of 100 AUD (or currency equivalent), making them appealing to beginner traders. The Standard Account has fees included in its variable spreads, which average at 1 pip on the EUR/USD, while its Raw Spread Account offers competitive spreads of 0.1 pips (EUR/USD) in exchange for a commission of 7 USD (round turn).
Both MT4 and MT5 are fully supported, and Eightcap offers a premium toolset by FX Blue Labs that includes an array of sophisticated alarms and messaging systems, and live sentiment and correlation tracking. It also offers Capitalise.ai, a platform that helps customers create automated trading strategies using intuitive non-coding language.
While Forex education and analysis are not as comprehensive as some of Eightcap’s larger competitors, customer service is available in 10 languages and is responsive and knowledgeable.
FxScouts does NOT recommend IQ Option due to insufficient regulation
IQ Option appeals to beginners with its unique social trading platform, low minimum deposits, and low trading costs. However, IQ option's non-trading fees are high, and its global entity is unregulated.Â
IQ Option offers one live commission-free account with competitive spreads (starting at 0.80 pips on the EUR/USD) and a minimum deposit of only 10 USD. However, while deposits are free, IQ Option charges unreasonably high withdrawal fees and an inactivity fee of 10 EUR (or equivalent) per month after 90 days of inactivity.
IQ Option's global entity is registered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG FSA). The SVG FSA is not a Forex broker regulator and does not supervise any trading-related activities, but IQ Option claims to segregate all client funds from its operating capital and provides traders with negative balance protection.Â
IQ Option provides little in the way of market research or educational materials, forcing beginners to self-educate elsewhere.
For more detailed reviews, please read our comprehensive assessments of Eightcap and IQ Option.
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Broker | Countries Regulated | Minimum Spread EUR/USD | Minimum Deposit | Trading cost/lot EURUSD Total trading cost at the time of last update, for 1 lot of EUR/USD using the account with the lowest minimum deposit. Includes spread and commission. | Broker Score | Broker Website | Select and Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |       | 0.10 pips | USD 3 | USD 7 | |||
 |   | 0 pips | USD 0 | USD 10 | |||
 | | 0 pips | USD 0 | USD 10 | |||
 |       | 0.60 pips | USD 0 | USD 6 | |||
 |    | 0.90 pips | USD 100 | USD 9 | |||
 | | 0.40 pips | USD 100 | USD 14 | |||
 |  | 0.70 pips | USD 5 | USD 7 | |||
| | 0.60 pips | USD 5 | USD 6 | |||
 | | 0.10 pips | USD 200 | USD 8 | |||
 | | 0.70 pips | USD 10 | USD 17 |
Select another broker to another broker to compare features, fees, and platforms side by side.
Alison and Chris cover a range of topics, including how to choose a Forex broker, safety and regulation, how to reduce your risk, trading psychology, trading platforms, and trading strategies, among others.
The FxScouts podcast helps beginner Forex traders get the best start to their trading careers.
