IFX Brokers vs. Plus500

IFX Brokers is a leading South African online Forex broker that provides traders with excellent customer support, excellent educational resources and access to the full MetaTrader suite.

But how does IFX Brokers compare to major publically traded online Forex broker, Plus500? The answer might surprise you in this comprehensive side-by-side review.

Overall Comparison

FEATURE

IFX Brokers

PLUS500

General comparison

4/5

4/5

Regulation

5/5

5/5

Spreads and fees

4/5

5/5

Trading Platforms

4/5

3/5

Trading Apps

4/5

3/5

Analytical Tools

4/5

3/5

Educational Resources

5/5

1/5

Trust Score

93

99

Best in class

x

Regulation Comparison

FEATURE

IFX Brokers

PLUS500

Trust score

93

99

Year Founded

2018

2008

Publically Traded

No

Yes

Licensed in South Africa

Yes

Yes

Assets Comparison

FEATURE

IFX Brokers

PLUS500

Forex

Yes

Yes

CFDs

Yes

Yes

Number of Forex pairs

60

71

US Stock Trading

No

Yes

International Stock Trading

No

Yes

Cryptocurrency CFDs

Yes

No

Fees Comparison

FEATURE

IFX Brokers

PLUS500

Average Spread for EUR/USD

0.2 pips

0.6 pips

Commissions Charged

Yes

No

ECN Execution

Yes

No

Market Maker Execution

No

Yes

Deposit Options Comparison

FEATURE

IFX Brokers

PLUS500

Deposit fees

No

No

Bank wire

Yes

Yes

MasterCard

Yes

Yes

PayPal

No

Yes

Skrill

Yes

Yes

Minimum Deposit

$100

$100

Trading Platforms Comparison

FEATURE

IFX Brokers

PLUS500

Desktop Platform

Yes

No

Mobile App

Yes

Yes

Social Trading

Yes

No

MetaTrader 4

Yes

No

MetaTrader 5

Yes

No

cTrader

No

No

DupliTrade

No

No

ZuluTrade

No

No

Proprietary Platform

No

Yes

Analytical Tools Comparison

FEATURE

IFX Brokers

PLUS500

Economic Calendar

Yes

Yes

Social Sentiment

Yes

Yes

Trading Central

No

No

AutoChartist

No

No

Forex News Sources

Yes

No

Daily Market Commentary

Yes

Yes

Educational Resources Comparison

FEATURE

IFX Brokers

PLUS500

Offers education

Yes

No

Webinars

Yes

No

Beginner training videos

Yes

Yes

Advanced training videos

Yes

No

Glossary

No

No

Majors Offered

FEATURE

IFX Brokers

PLUS500

GBP/USD

Yes

Yes

USD/JPY

Yes

Yes

EUR/USD

Yes

Yes

USD/CHF

Yes

Yes

USD/CAD

Yes

Yes

NZD/USD

Yes

Yes

AUD/USD

Yes

Yes

IFX Brokers vs. Plus500

We spent many hours thoroughly examining the best-in-class Forex brokers for 2022. Here, we take a closer look at IFX Brokers vs. Plus500.

 

Which offers better pricing – IFX Brokers or Plus500?

IFX Brokers offers slightly tighter spreads than Plus500, with 0.2 pips averaging on the EUR/USD against Plus500’s 0.6 pips for the same currency pair.

That said, Plus500 stands out for offering completely commission-free trading, which makes the tight spread of 0.6 pips an extremely compelling pricing offer.

 

Which broker offers more security when trading Forex and CFDs?

Both IFX Brokers and Plus500 offer a great level of security when trading Forex and CFDs. IFX brokers is a South African Forex broker which is regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), the primary regulator of the financial markets in South Africa.

Plus500 has gained an excellent reputation as an international Forex broker that is regulated by several tier-1 regulators, including the FSCA in South Africa, ensuring that clients enjoy a high level of security when trading with Plus500.

 

Which broker offers the superior trading platform?

IFX Brokers stands out for offering the full MetaQuotes suite, namely MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. This comprises an award-winning platform offering that is popular for its fast execution, feature-rich trading environment and user-friendly interface.

Plus500 does not offer MT4 or MT5, neither does it offer any additional trading third party trading platforms outside of its proprietary trading platform. This platform is feature-rich and has a great reputation, but is possibly less accessible to new traders than the MetaTrader suite offered by IFX Brokers.

 

Do these brokers both offer MetaTrader?

No, only IFX Brokers offers MetaTrader, namely both MT4 and MT5, while Plus500 does not offer MetaTrader to its clients.

 

How many Forex pairs can I expect from these brokers?

IFX Brokers offers 60 currency pairs, including all the most popular majors and a variety of minors. Plus500 offers 71 currency pairs consisting of the same majors as those offered by IFX Brokers, as well as minors and some exotics.

 

Is it safe to trade with IFX Brokers?

Yes. Because the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) supervises IFX Brokers in every possible way, South African traders can open an IFX Brokers account risk-free. The major watchdog for the country’s financial markets is this institution.

A risk-free, open, and safe trading environment is provided by IFX Brokers. Customers who are dissatisfied with their broker’s service can register a complaint with the Ombudsman if they believe their broker has violated the FSCA’s requirements for segregating trader funds from their own.

 

Is it safe to trade with Plus500?

Yes. Plus500 is a publically traded entity which is regulated by a number of high level international regulators, including the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

 

Who is IFX Brokers?

South African authorities have recognized IFX Brokers as a legitimate foreign exchange firm. It provides the MT4 trading terminal as well as the MT5 trading terminal, and it offers a leverage of up to 1:500.

In addition, there is a broad selection of trading assets from which to select, as well as a required minimum deposit of one hundred dollars, which corresponds to about the standard in the sector.

IFX Brokers Holdings (Pty) Ltd. is the name of the firm that is headquartered in South Africa and is responsible for operating the brokerage. In addition to this, the brokerage asserts that it is subject to the regulatory control of the regional FSCA.

The principle known as “segregation of accounts” is one of the many that are incredibly important in the trading sector. This is due to the fact that it greatly reduces the risk of possible commingling of accounts.

One more is the participation in a compensating agreement, through which the client’s losses will be reimbursed in the extremely improbable event that the broker strives to defraud traders or declares bankruptcy.

IFX Brokers gives you the opportunity to select the trading account that best meets your needs from among a number of different accounts that have been developed specifically for you.

They offer real trading accounts, which is something that should go without saying, but in addition to that, they offer something called an IFX Demo Account, which is geared toward helping novice traders.

Customers of the broker have the ability to trade in a variety of markets, including cryptocurrencies, spot metals, indices, contracts for difference (CFDs), and commodities. They can also trade in energy and commodities.

In addition to gold, silver, platinum, and palladium; oil; and natural gas; IFX Brokers provides access to sixty different currency pairs.

IFX Brokers has a department that they call IFX Academy, and through this department, they make available a substantial amount of educational content.

This portion of the IFX website is dedicated to instructional resources that can be utilized by users of any level, ranging from those who are completely new to the market to those who have extensive prior knowledge.

You will receive all of the course materials and tasks in an electronic format. The pace at which you complete the modules is entirely up to you, and you will receive all of the course materials and assignments in this format.

 

Who is Plus500?

Plus500 is a trademark owned by Plus500 Ltd, a company whose primary business is the provision of online trading in contracts for difference (also known as CFDs).

These trades are executed on Plus500’s proprietary trading platform, which can be accessed via the web and other electronic channels. Plus500 is a registered trademark.

The Israel-based company began operations in 2008 and currently has multiple subsidiaries across Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. These companies are registered with the applicable regulatory agencies and the company itself is registered with the necessary regulatory authorities.

Plus500 Ltd. (PLUS.L) is a publicly traded business that is a component of the FTSE 250 index and has been listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).

The Financial Conduct Authority has granted authorization and regulates Plus500UK Ltd., which is a corporation based in the United Kingdom and has its offices located in the City of London.

The broker provides customers in more than 50 countries with access to a comprehensive product line of CFDs on many different assets, such as cryptocurrencies, FX, stock indexes, individual shares, commodities, ETFs, and options (availability subject to regulation).

Additionally, Plus500 was the first broker in 2013 to offer a contract for difference based on Bitcoin. In addition, the broker makes it possible to trade options and CFDs on a wide variety of marketplaces.

These are distinct from traditional options in that they are cash settled; yet, they still give you the opportunity to bet on the future price of the reference instrument they are based on.

Plus500 is designed for the individual who is looking for access to a diverse selection of financial markets at cheap trading fees and on a platform that is easy to use and functional in order to place their trades.

Plus500’s trading platform provides access to over 2,000 different contracts for difference (CFDs) and does not charge any commissions.

This could pique the interest of the seasoned trader who prefers to conduct transactions manually and values the cheaper costs more than the availability of additional functionality offered by some of the company’s rivals.