A $0.01/oz difference in the gold spread can overturn the commission advantage on a 10-lot trade, even after rebates. That is why a useful Vantage vs IC Markets comparison must go beyond the advertised fee per lot.
If you are weighing Vantage Raw ECN against IC Markets Raw Spread, compare like accounts, measure XAUUSD spreads in the same units, and apply the rebate for each account type. In this article, Backcom.io compares the legal entities, commissions, MT5 gold spreads and 10-lot costs before and after rebates using figures checked on 14 October 2026.
Vantage Vs IC Markets: Quick Comparison
Vantage vs IC Markets involves more than two headline spreads. The relevant comparison covers the contracting entity, Raw and Standard fees, deposits, platforms and gold rebates. Published Raw commissions differ by about $1 per round-turn lot, while the spread at execution can reverse the result.
| Item | Vantage | IC Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Entity compared | Vantage Global Limited, VFSC 700271 | Raw Trading Ltd, FSA Seychelles; SD018 according to the broker |
| Raw-spread account | Raw ECN | Raw Spread MT4/MT5 |
| Raw round-turn commission | From $6/lot | $7/lot |
| Gold-specific commission | Not verified | $7/lot |
| Commission-free account | Standard STP | Standard, with a spread markup |
| Minimum deposit | 50 units of account currency | Check in Client Portal |
| Margin call / stop out | 50% / 20% | 100% / 50% |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5, WebTrader, App, ProTrader | MT4, MT5, cTrader |
| Raw gold rebate | $1.60/lot | $2/lot |
| Standard gold rebate | $11.30/lot | $4/lot |
Figures checked on 14 October 2026 against broker information, the VFSC and FSA Seychelles registers, and rebate pages. Terms vary by entity and account; this table does not rank the brokers.
Read the numbers in three parts:
- Raw: commission after rebate is $4.40 versus $5/lot, a $0.60 difference.
- Standard: rebates differ by $7.30/lot, but matched Standard gold spreads were unavailable.
- Unverified terms: confirm them in your contract or client area before funding an account.
Legal Entities, Licences And Minimum Deposits Compared
Your contracting entity is the company named in your account agreement. Its licence applies only to clients of that entity. Check the entity name before comparing trading conditions:
- Vantage: the VFSC Vanuatu register listed Vantage Global Limited, number 700271, classes A, B and C, as Active on 14 October 2026. Check your own agreement to establish which entity serves you.
- IC Markets: FSA Seychelles listed Raw Trading Ltd, trading as IC Markets Global, as a Securities Dealer. The broker publishes licence number SD018; that number was not shown on the cited FSA profile.
Check the VFSC licensee list and Raw Trading Ltd’s FSA Seychelles profile. The brokers disclose other entities, so the contract determines which one matters to you.
Which licence applies to you depends on the entity named in your agreement, which varies by country of residence. Margin terms also depend on the entity named in your agreement. Vantage’s Help Center states a 50-unit minimum in the account currency for Standard STP and Raw ECN; that means HKD 400 or JPY 5,000 for those currencies. An entity-specific IC Markets minimum had not been verified from an official source on 14 October 2026.
Before sending funds, check:
- The entity shown in both the agreement and client area.
- Its status on the regulator’s register.
- The account type and minimum deposit applicable to that entity.
Vantage Raw ECN And IC Markets Raw Spread: How Commission Works
Raw accounts quote a raw spread and charge commission per lot. A commission advertised “per side” must be counted twice for an opened and closed trade. Vantage Raw ECN and IC Markets Raw Spread share that structure, although the published gold-specific information differs.
Vantage Raw ECN: From $3 Per Lot Per Side
Vantage Raw ECN starts at $3 per lot per side, or a general $6 round turn. Its Help Center states:
- Rate: from $3 per side, based on the account’s base currency, updated 12 September 2025.
- Collection: commission is deducted when an order opens successfully, according to an 18 November 2025 article.
- Spread and platform: spreads are advertised from 0.0 pip, and Raw ECN includes free ProTrader access.
Gold-specific commission was not verified in the Help Center material used here. The examples therefore use the general $6/lot rate. Check the commission on a closed XAUUSD trade before relying on it. See the Vantage trading fees guide for other charges.
IC Markets Raw Spread: $7 Per Lot Round Turn
IC Markets Raw Spread lists a $7/lot round-turn commission for USD MT4/MT5 accounts, equivalent to $3.50 per side. Its commodity specification adds:
- Other account currencies: the forex table gives examples of AUD 9 and EUR 6.50 per round-turn lot; verify the unit used for gold.
- Gold: $7 round-turn commission per lot, a 100 oz contract per lot and a floating spread.
- cTrader: commission is based on notional value, so check the gold rate in your account’s Specification.
The IC Markets commodity specification sheet provides the product details. See IC Markets trading fees for the broader fee schedule.
Standard STP And IC Markets Standard: Costs Sit In The Spread
Vantage Standard STP ordinarily charges no gold commission and advertises spreads from 1.0 pip, according to its Help Center, although ETFs and shares have some exceptions. IC Markets Standard also has no commission, but its execution policy says the broker adds a spread markup. A higher Standard gold rebate has meaning only alongside the spread you actually pay.
Gold Spread And XAUUSD Trading Costs For 10 Lots Before And After Rebates
Gold spread is the difference between the XAUUSD Ask and Bid. At 100 oz per lot, a $0.10/oz spread costs $10 per lot. The forex spread guide explains the underlying calculation.
No average gold spreads published on matched terms for both brokers were available on 14 October 2026. IC Markets specifies 100 oz per lot. Confirm Vantage’s gold contract size in your account’s Specification before applying the examples.
How To Measure Both Gold Spreads On MT5
Record several observations at the same time:
- Match account types: compare Raw with Raw and Standard with Standard. Demo spreads may differ from live pricing.
- Show prices: add the Spread column in Market Watch, or read Ask and Bid directly.
- Convert units: subtract Bid from Ask for USD/oz. Check Specification for decimal places, points and contract size.
- Sample sessions: record both brokers within the same minute across Asian, European and US sessions, including major news periods.
- Use real commission: find the commission on a closed gold trade in History and insert it into the formula.
A 10-Lot XAUUSD Example On Raw Accounts
Use the rebate applicable to your account to calculate net cost:
Net cost = (spread × 100 oz + round-turn commission − rebate per lot) × number of lots
Suppose both USD-denominated MT4/MT5 Raw accounts show the same $0.10/oz spread:
| Cost for 10 XAUUSD lots | Vantage Raw ECN | IC Markets Raw Spread |
|---|---|---|
| Spread | $100 | $100 |
| Round-turn commission | $60 | $70 |
| Before rebate | $160 | $170 |
| Rebate | $16 | $20 |
| After rebate | $144 ($14.40/lot) | $150 ($15/lot) |
This is a conditional example with equal $0.10/oz spreads. It excludes swap, slippage, and deposit or withdrawal charges. Vantage gold commission uses its unverified general $6/lot rate. Rebates recorded on 14 October 2026 may change.
Commission minus rebate is $4.40 versus $5/lot. The $0.60 difference disappears when IC Markets’ spread is narrower by:
Break-even spread difference = fixed-cost difference per lot ÷ 100 oz = $0.006/oz
At that spread gap, costs are equal, and beyond it, IC Markets costs less:
- IC Markets narrower by $0.01/oz: at Vantage $0.10 and IC Markets $0.09/oz, after-rebate costs are $144 and $140.
- Equal spreads: anywhere from $0.05 to $0.20/oz, the 10-lot difference remains $6.
On Raw accounts, fixed costs after rebates differ by just $0.60/lot. Your gold spread at execution can decide the result.
A 10-Lot XAUUSD Example On Standard Accounts
Now suppose both Standard accounts have a $0.25/oz gold spread:
| Cost for 10 XAUUSD lots | Vantage Standard STP | IC Markets Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Spread | $250 | $250 |
| Commission | $0 | $0 |
| Rebate | $113 | $40 |
| After rebate | $137 ($13.70/lot) | $210 ($21/lot) |
This assumes equal $0.25/oz spreads. Matched Standard spreads were not published, so the table illustrates a condition rather than a broker ranking.
The rebate gap is $7.30/lot, equivalent to a $0.073/oz spread difference. Vantage Standard costs less only while its spread is no more than that much wider:
- Vantage $0.30, IC Markets $0.25/oz: net costs are $187 and $210.
- Vantage $0.35, IC Markets $0.25/oz: net costs are $237 and $210, reversing the result.
These rates came from the Vantage rebate page and IC Markets rebate page on 14 October 2026. Check current conditions on each page. Backcom.io is an independent introducing broker (IB/affiliate) of the brokers; it receives broker commission and returns part of it to traders as rebates. See the risk disclaimer.
Vantage And IC Markets Platforms, Copy Trading And Payments
Platform and payment options need checking against your actual account and contracting entity. Four areas affect this comparison:
- Vantage platforms: MT4, MT5, WebTrader, Vantage App and ProTrader. The Help Center says TradingView works with MT5 or Vantage App, but not MT4. It did not confirm cTrader as at 14 October 2026.
- IC Markets platforms: MT4, MT5 and cTrader are advertised. TradingView and copy-trading availability by entity could not be confirmed from official sources in this check.
- Copy trading and EAs: Vantage describes four copying modes, no management or subscription charge, and EA use except abusive conduct. The IC Markets commodity sheet permits scalping and hedging.
- Deposits and withdrawals: Vantage states no deposit fee, a $30 minimum withdrawal, an international bank-transfer fee of 20 units of account currency, and USDT support on TRC20, ERC20 and BEP20. Check the IC Markets terms for your region in Client Portal.
If you fund with USDT, confirm the network before transferring. Any intermediary charges also affect the final amount paid.
Which Broker Fits Your Trading Style: Vantage Or IC Markets?
Vantage vs IC Markets has no single lowest-cost answer across every account. On Raw, only $0.60/lot separates the fixed cost after rebates, so the execution spread matters. On Standard gold, rebates differ by $7.30/lot, but that advantage needs a like-for-like spread check.
Use your own trading pattern:
- Raw scalping or EAs: measure both spreads in the same minute. A $0.006/oz difference cancels the fixed-cost gap.
- Standard gold: Vantage’s higher rebate can lower net cost if its spread is no more than $0.073/oz wider.
- cTrader: IC Markets advertises it; check gold commission calculated on notional value.
- TradingView or copy trading: Vantage confirms these features in its Help Center. Check IC Markets availability for your account.
- Smaller capital: Vantage publishes a 50-unit minimum in the account currency. Check IC Markets in Client Portal. Position size and legal entity still matter more than a few dollars of fees.
Backcom.io does not rank the brokers because matched official gold-spread figures were unavailable. Insert your own measurements into the cost tables, and trade only capital you can afford to lose. The same after-rebate calculation can also help if you are considering HFM alongside Vantage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Vantage Vs IC Markets
Which Is Cheaper For Gold Trading, Vantage Or IC Markets?
There is no fixed answer. On Raw, commission less rebate is $4.40 versus $5/lot, so an IC Markets gold spread just $0.006/oz narrower than Vantage’s makes costs equal. On Standard, the $7.30/lot rebate gap corresponds to $0.073/oz. Measure spreads at the same time on comparable accounts before deciding.
What Are The Minimum Deposits At Vantage And IC Markets?
Vantage lists 50 units of account currency for Standard STP and Raw ECN, while Pro ECN starts at $10,000, according to its Help Center. An official entity-specific IC Markets minimum was not verified on 14 October 2026. Check the amount in your client area before transferring funds, and do not treat a deposit minimum as a sensible trading budget.
Does Vantage Offer cTrader?
The Vantage Help Center did not confirm cTrader as at 14 October 2026. It listed MT4, MT5, WebTrader, Vantage App and ProTrader, and TradingView connects through MT5 or Vantage App. IC Markets advertises cTrader, with commission based on notional value. If cTrader matters to you, check the gold rate in the account Specification first.
Are Vantage And IC Markets Regulated?
A single label would hide the entity distinction. Vantage Global Limited was Active on the VFSC register, while FSA Seychelles listed Raw Trading Ltd, trading as IC Markets Global, as a Securities Dealer. The protections you actually get depend on the entity your account sits under in your country of residence. Read Is Vantage Legit? and the IC Markets review, then verify the entity in your agreement.
Can I Convert Vantage Standard To Raw ECN?
Not directly, according to Vantage’s Help Center on 12 September 2025. Account type, currency and platform cannot be changed after registration. To use Vantage Raw ECN, open a new account in Client Portal. The process for switching to IC Markets Raw Spread was not verified; ask that broker. Measure spreads and calculate net cost before opening another account.
Conclusion
Vantage vs IC Markets shows similar published Raw commissions but a larger gap between Standard gold rebates. Your decision should combine the entity in your contract, gold spread and commission measured under comparable conditions, and the rebate for the correct account type.
Check the registers, record Ask and Bid using the five steps above, then put your figures into the net-cost formula. The $0.006/oz Raw and $0.073/oz Standard thresholds show when spread differences can change the answer.
Review the current Vantage rebate terms and IC Markets rebate terms before opening an account.
Disclaimer: Backcom.io compiled this article for information only. It is neither investment advice nor a recommendation to choose either broker. Leveraged forex and gold CFD trading can result in the loss of all your capital. Example spreads are hypothetical. Fees, legal entities and rebates may change after 14 October 2026.
