Here are our recommended forex brokers：EXNESS Forex，IC Markets Forex

For over a decade, IC Markets has stood as a premier destination for serious retail traders, high-frequency scalpers, and algorithmic fund managers. Known for its heavy ASIC regulation and robust institutional infrastructure, the broker executes massive daily order flows with minimal latency.

However, when setting up your terminal, you face a critical structural decision: Should you choose the IC Markets Standard Account or the Raw Spread Account?

Many traders mistakenly believe that a “zero commission” account saves them money, while others overpay by choosing commission-based setups that don’t match their asset classes. In this technical review, we run the math on IC Markets Standard vs Raw Spread to show you exactly which account preserves more of your trading capital.

The Technical Matrix: Standard vs. Raw Spread

Metric	Standard Account	Raw Spread Account (MT4/MT5)	Raw Spread Account (cTrader)
Minimum Deposit	$200 USD	$200 USD	$200 USD
Average EUR/USD Spread	0.6 – 1.1 pips	0.0 – 0.2 pips	0.0 – 0.2 pips
Commission (per 1 Lot)	$0 (Zero Commission)	$3.50 per side ($7.00 round turn)	$3.00 per side ($6.00 round turn)
Execution Infrastructure	New York (NY4) Equinix	New York (NY4) Equinix	London (LD4) Equinix
Optimal Strategies	Swing trading, Long-term	Scalping, EAs, Day trading	Precision Scalping, API trading

1. The Standard Account: No Commission, Higher Markups

The Standard Account is an all-inclusive pricing model. You pay no separate transaction fees; instead, IC Markets adds a standard markup of 1.0 pip across all raw market feeds.

• The Math: If the raw interbank spread on EUR/USD is 0.0 pips, your chart will display a spread of 1.0 pip.
• Cost per Lot: Trading 1 standard lot of EUR/USD costs you approximately $10 USD in embedded spread markups.

Pros: Extremely simple bookkeeping. Your profit and loss calculations are straightforward because there are no back-end commission deductions when an order closes.

2. The Raw Spread Account (MT4/MT5): The True Interbank Environment

The Raw Spread account connects your terminal directly to over 25 institutional liquidity providers. There is zero price manipulation or markup added to the feed.

• The Math: Your chart displays the raw market spread, which frequently hits 0.0 pips on EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and USD/JPY during the London and New York sessions.
• Cost per Lot: You pay a raw spread (averaging 0.1 pips or $1 USD) + a fixed round-turn commission of $7.00. Total average cost is $8.00 USD per lot.

Pros: Saves you roughly 20% on transaction costs compared to the Standard account over time. The tight spreads ensure that your pending stop and limit orders are triggered with maximum precision and minimal slippage.

3. The cTrader Raw Spread Variation: A Cheaper Alternative?

If you select the cTrader platform instead of MetaTrader, IC Markets offers a slightly modified Raw Spread structure.

• The Commission: Rather than charging $7.00 per lot round turn, cTrader charges a discounted $6.00 USD round turn ($3.00 per side per 100k USD traded).
• The Infrastructure: cTrader servers are housed in the LD4 Equinix data center in London, making it highly optimal for European-based traders or strategies processing major GBP and EUR cross-pairs.

Running the Numbers: Which Account Saves You Money?

Let’s look at the financial impact over an average trading month. Assuming you trade 50 standard lots of EUR/USD per month:

• On the Standard Account: 50 lots × $10 average spread markup = $500 USD total cost.
• On the Raw Spread Account: 50 lots × ($1 average raw spread + $7 commission) = $400 USD total cost.

By simply choosing the Raw Spread account, you save $100 USD per month in pure execution friction. For high-frequency EAs processing hundreds of lots, this choice saves thousands of dollars annually.

Final Recommendation

• Choose the Standard Account only if: You hold positions for weeks at a time (swing trading) or trade exotic pairs where commission logic becomes complex, making a simple flat-spread layout preferable.
• Choose the Raw Spread Account (MT4/MT5/cTrader) if: You are a day trader, scalper, or utilize automated trading systems. The lower execution friction directly improves your strategy’s win rate and preserves your account balance.

Here are our recommended forex brokers：EXNESS Forex，IC Markets Forex