IG vs XTB

Most comparison sites publish a spread table and stop there. The figure that actually matters is the all-in round-turn cost on the pair you trade most. Here is a worked example on one standard lot (100,000 units) of EUR/USD, where one pip is worth roughly €10.

IG: 0.6 pips average spread, no commission. That is about €6 round-turn per standard lot. Trade 10 standard lots a month and your EUR/USD cost is roughly €60. IG also runs a volume-based rebate for high-turnover traders, lowering effective cost further.

XTB (Standard): the headline figure is “from 0.1 pips”, but the commission-free Standard account averages closer to 0.9 pips on EUR/USD in live conditions. That is about €9 round-turn per standard lot, or roughly €90 over 10 lots a month. XTB's Pro account narrows the raw spread but adds a commission, so the all-in cost for a typical retail forex trader is broadly similar.

Verdict: for forex specifically, IG is the cheaper broker for the majority of retail traders — roughly a third less per standard lot on EUR/USD at typical Standard pricing. XTB's cost story is strongest away from forex, in its stock and ETF investing.

This is the clearest dividing line between the two. XTB built its retail proposition around commission-free real stock and ETF investing: 0% commission on real shares and ETFs up to €100,000 of monthly turnover, with a 0.2% commission (minimum €10) applying only above that threshold. Crucially, these are genuinely owned instruments held in custody — not CFDs — so you are a real shareholder with the corresponding rights.

IG approaches shares differently. Its core strength is CFD trading, and while IG offers share dealing in select markets, those trades carry a per-trade commission and the market coverage is narrower than XTB's 3,000+ real stocks across major global exchanges. For a trader who wants to combine active forex positions with a low-cost, buy-and-hold equity portfolio in one account, XTB's model is materially cheaper and simpler.

Both operate under the same ESMA framework for EU retail clients: 30:1 maximum leverage on major forex pairs, 5:1 on individual equities traded as CFDs, negative balance protection, and standardised risk warnings. The regulatory ceiling is identical; the commercial models on top of it are not.

Verdict: XTB wins decisively on real stock and ETF investing. If your account is forex-only, this gap will not affect you; if you intend to hold shares, it is the single most important difference here.

Both brokers sit comfortably in the top tier of European regulatory credibility, and both are publicly listed — an unusual level of transparency for retail brokers. IG Europe GmbH is regulated by BaFin under licence 148759, with additional FCA (UK) and ASIC (Australia) authorisations across the group. As a FTSE 250 constituent on the London Stock Exchange, IG publishes audited accounts and operates under continuous scrutiny from institutional shareholders — a transparency layer that privately held brokers cannot match. EU client deposits are protected by the Investor Compensation Fund up to EUR 20,000 in Germany; UK clients fall under FSCS up to GBP 85,000.

XTB S.A. is regulated by KNF, one of the EU's more demanding regulators, with FCA and CySEC authorisations covering other regions. XTB is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange under ticker XTB, so it too files audited public accounts. EU client deposits are protected up to roughly EUR 20,000–20,100 via the Polish KDPW compensation scheme and ICF. Both brokers segregate client money at tier-1 banks and provide ESMA-mandated negative balance protection for all EU retail clients.

Post-Brexit, each broker routes UK and EU clients through separate authorised entities — IG through IG Europe GmbH (BaFin) for the EU, XTB through XTB S.A. (KNF) for the EU. For an EU-based trader, the entity you contract with sits inside the single market, which keeps MiFID II protections and ICF coverage intact.

Verdict: both are genuinely safe, publicly listed, and well capitalised. IG's 50-year track record and FTSE 250 listing give it a marginal edge on perceived institutional weight, but there is no material safety gap between them.

IG offers five trading platforms — the most varied ecosystem of any major broker. The proprietary IG Platform provides advanced charting with 100+ indicators, integrated Reuters news, and client sentiment data. ProRealTime adds professional automated trading. TradingView integration connects IG execution to the world's most popular charting community. MetaTrader 4 serves traders with existing Expert Advisor libraries. L2 Dealer offers direct market access with Level II pricing for professional clients.

XTB takes the opposite approach: one platform, done very well. xStation 5 is a repeatedly award-winning proprietary platform with fast execution, a clean interface, advanced charting, an integrated trading calculator, sentiment data, and built-in market analysis. xStation Mobile mirrors it on phones and tablets. XTB does not support MetaTrader or TradingView, so traders tied to MT4 Expert Advisors or TradingView Pine Script strategies cannot migrate without rebuilding.

Verdict: IG wins on platform variety and third-party integration. XTB wins on focus and polish — xStation 5 is arguably the better single platform, but it is the only platform. Neither offers cTrader or MetaTrader 5.

IG offers 17,000+ instruments — forex, indices, shares, commodities, bonds, interest rates, and options — among the broadest ranges in the industry, though primarily CFD-based. The sheer count means most traders will find whatever market they want to trade.

XTB offers around 5,800 instruments: forex and CFDs on indices, commodities, and crypto, plus roughly 3,000 real stocks and 400+ ETFs available as genuinely owned instruments. The headline number is lower than IG's, but the composition is different — XTB's real-equity access is the part competitors struggle to match on cost.

Verdict: IG wins on raw breadth and CFD coverage; XTB wins on commission-free real-share and ETF access. Which matters depends entirely on whether you trade CFDs or invest in shares.

Under ESMA rules, both brokers cap retail leverage at 30:1 on major forex pairs, 20:1 on minors, 10:1 on commodities, 5:1 on equities, and 2:1 on crypto. These are regulatory mandates that apply identically to both.

For professional clients who qualify under MiFID II criteria, IG offers up to 222:1 and XTB up to 200:1 — a marginal difference. Both require clients to meet at least two of three qualifying tests: relevant professional experience, a portfolio above EUR 500,000, and sufficient trading frequency.

Verdict: no meaningful difference for EU retail clients. Both are capped at 30:1; professional leverage is broadly similar.