Tickmill vs IC Markets 2026: Raw Spread Costs and Regulation
Updated
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Tickmill and IC Markets are both known for raw spread accounts with low commissions. Tickmill charges $6 per round turn and IC Markets $7 on MetaTrader, with a published 0.1 pip average EUR/USD spread. The biggest difference for clients outside Europe is protection: Tickmill states negative balance protection for all clients, while IC Markets' global entity does not offer it.
Tickmill vs IC Markets: scores by criterion
| Criterion | Tickmill | IC Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Regulation and client protection (30%) | 5 / 5 ✓ | 3 / 5 |
| Trading costs (20%) | 5 / 5 ✓ | 4 / 5 |
| Deposits and withdrawals (15%) | 4 / 5 | 4 / 5 |
| Execution and platforms (15%) | 5 / 5 | 5 / 5 |
| Accounts and products (10%) | 4 / 5 | 5 / 5 ✓ |
| Transparency and support (10%) | 4 / 5 | 4 / 5 |
Scores follow our review methodology; each comes from the full Tickmill review and IC Markets review.
Key differences
| Tickmill | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulators | FCA (United Kingdom), CySEC (Cyprus), FSCA (South Africa), FSA (Seychelles) | FSA (Seychelles), CySEC (Cyprus), ASIC (Australia) |
| Entity for most global clients | Tickmill Ltd, FSA (Seychelles) | Raw Trading Ltd, FSA (Seychelles) |
| Negative balance protection (global entity) | Yes | No |
| Max leverage on majors | 1000:1 (by entity) | 5000:1 (by entity) |
| Minimum deposit | $100 | $0 |
| Account types | Classic, Raw, TradingView Raw | Raw Spread, cTrader Raw Spread, Standard |
| Raw spread + commission account | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView, Tickmill Trader | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, TradingView |
| Not available in | Cuba, Iran, Japan, North Korea, Singapore, Syria, United States | Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Iran, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand, North Korea, Syria, United States |
Is Tickmill or IC Markets safer?
Both groups have entities under major regulators: Tickmill under the FCA and CySEC, IC Markets under CySEC and ASIC. Clients outside those regions are served by Seychelles-licensed entities in both cases. The difference is on that global entity: Tickmill states that negative balance protection applies to all clients, while IC Markets states that it cannot guarantee a global account will not go negative. With IC Markets’ global leverage of up to 1:5000, a large price gap could in principle cause a loss larger than the deposit: negative balance protection.
Tickmill vs IC Markets: which costs less?
Both offer raw spread accounts. Tickmill’s Raw account charges $3 per lot per side ($6 round turn); IC Markets charges $3.50 per side on MetaTrader ($7 round turn) and $6 round turn on cTrader. IC Markets publishes an average EUR/USD spread of 0.1 pips on its Raw Spread account, which puts its MetaTrader all-in cost at about $8 per standard lot; Tickmill publishes only its minimum spread (0.0 pips), so a direct average-to-average comparison needs measured spreads.
Tickmill vs IC Markets: which suits which trader?
- cTrader users: IC Markets.
- No minimum deposit: IC Markets ($0); Tickmill from $100.
- Negative balance protection outside Europe: Tickmill.
- TradingView: both offer TradingView-connected accounts.
Comparisons and rankings
Frequently asked questions
Is Tickmill better than IC Markets?
In our reviews Tickmill scores 4.7 and IC Markets 4.0 out of 5. Tickmill scores higher on regulation, mainly because IC Markets' global entity does not offer negative balance protection.
Which is cheaper, Tickmill or IC Markets?
Tickmill's Raw account commission is $6 per round turn and IC Markets' Raw Spread account $7 on MetaTrader ($6 on cTrader). IC Markets publishes a 0.1 pip average EUR/USD spread; Tickmill publishes minimums only.
Do Tickmill and IC Markets offer cTrader?
IC Markets offers cTrader; Tickmill offers MetaTrader 4 and 5, TradingView and Tickmill Trader, but not cTrader.