I’ve been trying to figure out what IG actually costs me per trade, and it’s harder than it should be. Their website lists spreads and rebates separately, but I can’t find a clear breakdown of what my true trading cost is after everything.
I started calculating it myself: spread + any commissions - rebates. But the rebate information is scattered across different pages, and I’m not even sure if I’m reading the current rates. Then I realized I have no way to compare this to other brokers without doing the same research five times over.
Does anyone have a system for calculating your actual per-trade cost with IG? And more importantly, have you compared IG’s fees to other brokers you’ve used? I want to understand if I’m actually getting value or just convinced by the marketing that IG is competitive.
This is exactly why transparency matters. Most traders don’t calculate true cost, so they end up with brokers that look cheap on the surface but cost more overall.
For IG specifically: take their spread (usually 0.8 to 1.5 pips depending on pair), add any commission if you’re on a commission account, then subtract the rebate. That’s your real cost per lot.
Where most traders get confused is rebates. IG’s rebate structure changes quarterly, and you have to dig into their terms to find current rates. Compare this to brokers listing it upfront.
I recommend using a broker comparison tool or platform that pulls current fees, spreads, and rebate rates in one place. Manually checking each broker takes too long. Look for platforms that show you the actual cost per trade on your most-traded pairs, not just the headline numbers.
Spent way too long trying to figure this out myself. Here’s what I learned:
IG’s spreads vary by pair and market condition. During calm trading, EUR/USD might be 0.8 pips. During news, it widens to 1.5 or 2. Their commission structure depends on your account type too.
Rebates aren’t automatic—you usually have to qualify or use a service like GlobeGain to get them added back. Without rebates, IG’s cost is honestly middle-of-the-road. With rebates, it gets better.
I eventually switched to tracking my costs in a spreadsheet: every trade logged with entry, exit, actual spread paid, and rebate received. Over three months, IG came out slightly cheaper than Pepperstone but more expensive than IC Markets.
The time investment to calculate this is frustrating, but it’s the only way to know for sure.
I struggled with this too until I found a comparison that broke down fees by pair. IG’s costs vary so much depending on what you trade and when that a single number doesn’t really tell you anything.
What helped me was looking at my own trading records. I filtered for my most-traded pairs—like EUR/USD and GBP/USD—and calculated the actual spread I paid on each. Then I compared those specific numbers to what other brokers charge on the same pairs.
For me, IG was competitive on major pairs but more expensive on exotics. You really have to know what you trade before comparing fees.
Transparency would be so much easier if brokers just listed their true costs upfront instead of making you piece it together.
IG’s spreads vary by pair and time of day. Calculate your actual cost then compare.
Spread plus commission minus rebate equals your real cost.
Track your trades in a spreadsheet to see true numbers.