IG vs Coinstore: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between IG and Coinstore This side-by-side comparison reveals total cost (fees + spreads), security & licenses, coins/derivatives, deposits/withdrawals, and app quality. In 2 minutes you’ll see who wins for beginners, active traders, and long-term holders. Clear pros/cons, a quick verdict, and safe links to get started.

Last updated on September 1, 2025

ig

IG

coinstore

Coinstore

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Table of Contents

Available Countries

United States

No

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

No

Canada

No

United Kingdom

Yes
No

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

No

China

Yes

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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IG is ideal if:

Coinstore is ideal if:

IG isn’t ideal if:

Coinstore isn’t ideal if:

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

IG does not use maker/taker pricing for spot crypto trading—instead, they apply a single flat percentage spread on all trades, with no discounts tied to volume or use of a native token.
Coinstore applies a flat 0.2% maker and 0.2% taker fee for spot trading regardless of volume, offering no stated discounts tied to holdings of a native token or tiered volume structure.

Futures/Derivatives

IG’s derivatives (CFDs and futures) are priced purely through the spread—there is no separate maker or taker fee, and funding costs for cash CFDs are embedded in the spread rather than added separately.
Perpetual futures trades charge maker fees of 0.02% (reduced from 0.025%) and taker fees of 0.06%, while funding rates apply periodically on open positions to align with spot market prices.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

While specific BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT spreads aren’t publicly listed, IG applies a flat spread of approximately 1.49% across all crypto trades, implying similarly consistent spreads for major pairs across the board.
Though not published directly, Coinstore’s flat-fee structure and spot liquidity suggest spreads in major pairs remain competitive and tight—suitable for standard crypto trading.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

You can fund and withdraw via bank transfer, credit/debit cards, and e-wallets like PayPal; these methods typically carry no fees from IG and settle instantly for most deposits, with withdrawals usually completed within 1–3 business days.
Fiat access is enabled via third-party partners like Mercuryo, Banxa, or Paxful using methods such as card payments or bank transfers; Coinstore doesn’t charge for this, but the providers may, and fiat-to-crypto conversion times can range from minutes up to several hours.

On-chain Withdrawals

IG does not support direct crypto wallet withdrawals—crypto is traded via CFDs only, so there are no on-chain withdrawal fees of any kind.
Coinstore charges the network’s actual blockchain fee for withdrawals—dynamic and network-dependent (e.g., BTC, ETH, TRX)—with no fixed platform-added rate.

Hidden Costs

IG’s fee structure is generally transparent; there are no hidden costs. Currency conversion fees may apply if your deposit isn’t in your account base currency, an inactivity fee kicks in only after prolonged dormancy, and enhanced KYC services—if any—are presented clearly.
There are no reported inactivity fees or express-KYC charges, but conversion rates may differ subtly depending on the fiat provider; Coinstore itself does not layer on hidden surcharges.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

If you invest €500 in BTC CFDs, the only cost would be the flat crypto spread—so you’d effectively receive the equivalent of €500 minus 1.49% as your notional position, with no separate commission or withdrawal fee applied.
Buying €500 worth of BTC via a fiat-crypto provider yields USDT/USDC credited—no Coinstore fee—then trading that for BTC incurs a 0.2% spot fee plus usual bid-ask spread; if withdrawing on-chain, you’ll also pay the dynamic network fee.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

IG now offers access to over 35 cryptocurrencies via its partnership with Uphold, spanning everything from major assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum to more niche tokens—though specific rankings for the top 20 by trading volume aren’t publicly detailed.
Coinstore lists roughly 380+ cryptocurrencies across 410+ USDT-denominated pairs, and its top 20 by 24-hour trading share include heavyweights like BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, SOL, XRP, BNB, DOGE, TRX, among others.

Product Range

IG mainly supports spot crypto investing and CFDs, but does not currently offer standalone margin, perpetual futures, options, crypto ETFs, staking, lending, copy-trading, grid bots, or automatic DCA tools.
The platform offers spot trading, perpetual futures with up to 100× leverage, Earn programs (staking), crypto Launchpad features, and API access; however, it does not support options, ETFs, margin beyond futures, copy trading, grid bots, DCA automation, or lending.

Liquidity

IG leverages Uphold’s infrastructure for liquidity, ensuring reasonable access and execution—but public figures for 24-hour volume or order-book depth on BTC and ETH aren’t shared directly on its platforms.
Recent data shows daily trading volume around $4B, with aggregated BTC/USDT volume surpassing $1.6B and ETH/USDT around $2B—demonstrating strong liquidity and depth for those core pairs.

Tools

IG’s platform offers basic order types like market, limit, and stop-loss; price alerts and interactive charts are included, though advanced conditional orders, APIs/WebSocket access, and native TradingView integration are not part of the current crypto toolkit.
Coinstore supports basic order types (market, limit), TradingView charts, and API/WebSocket trading, but lacks advanced order features like stop-limit, OCO orders, price alerts, or native order-management tools.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Crypto investing through IG is currently limited to eligible regions—such as the UK rollout for retail clients—with some derivatives offerings either restricted or unavailable depending on local regulatory constraints.
Certain features—including derivatives, Launchpad, and Earn—are restricted in regions such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, the U.S. (and territories), Iran, North Korea, and Syria.

Innovation

IG’s latest crypto launch focuses on streamlined access and integrates directly into its platform, but it doesn’t offer token launchpads, yield farming, staking pools, or flexible vs locked “earn” product structures at this time.
Coinstore stands out with its Launchpad token sales, enabling early project participation, and an Earn program offering staking-like yield, often including both flexible and locked-duration options for yield seekers.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

Crypto trading via IG is provided through its partnership with Uphold—a U.S.-based platform—while IG Group Holdings plc (founded in 1974) remains the UK-listed parent company headquartered in London, though the crypto offering technically operates under Uphold’s custody infrastructure.
Coinstore is operated by COINSTORE PTE. LTD., a company incorporated in Singapore around 2020; its headquarters and legal operations fall under Singapore’s jurisdiction framework.

Licenses/Registration

IG itself offers crypto access in the UK via Uphold, which is regulated as a crypto platform in both the U.S. and U.K.; IG Group operates under its existing FCA and Bermuda Monetary Authority permissions, but crypto-specific licenses like MiCA or VASP registrations in the EU are not publicized for IG directly.
There’s no confirmed evidence that Coinstore holds formal VASP or MiCA registration, suggesting it’s not licensed under European or similar regulatory regimes.

Custody

Crypto assets bought through IG are held by Uphold under a third-party custody model; IG does not manage wallets itself, and there’s no public evidence of proof-of-reserves, independent audits, or data on the percentage held in cold storage.
Coinstore appears to manage assets in-house rather than through external custodians; no public proof-of-reserves, audits, or explicit cold storage percentages are provided on its platform.

Insurance & Protection Funds

Cryptocurrency holdings via IG (through Uphold) are not covered by the UK’s Financial Services Compensation Scheme, and there’s no mention of alternative insurance or protective reserve mechanisms designed for crypto assets.
There’s no indication that Coinstore offers any form of insurance coverage or dedicated protection fund for user assets.

Incident History

While IG Group has experienced system outages, refund errors, and a past regulatory fine in France, no reported crypto-specific hacks or custody breaches have occurred in connection with the new crypto service to date.
Coinstore has no widely known history of hacks, regulatory suspensions, account freezes, or public fines, indicating a relatively clean incident record in the publicly available data.

Risk Controls

Basic security best practices are encouraged—such as secure device use and phishing awareness—but features like mandatory two-factor authentication, withdrawal whitelists, sub-accounts, or granular API permissioning tied specifically to crypto use are not currently highlighted in IG’s offering.
The platform employs standard security features such as 2FA, and may offer API permissions and anti-phishing safeguards, but lacks mention of features such as address whitelists or granular sub-account controls.

Transparency

IG does not appear to provide public wallets, proof-of-reserve transparency, or specific service-level agreements tied to crypto custody, nor are there dedicated monthly crypto custody reports available for clients.
Coinstore does not publish monthly transparency reports or share public wallet addresses for client auditing, nor does it provide a formal SLA or guaranteed uptime documentation.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

IG supports bank transfers, credit/debit cards, and PayPal or other local e-wallets depending on your region; deposits are usually instant for cards and e-wallets, and 1–3 business days for transfers, with minimums varying by region (e.g. ~£10 for crypto funding) and upper limits often governed by your provider’s terms.
Coinstore enables fiat deposits through third-party providers like Mercuryo, Banxa, or Paxful—accessible via “Buy Crypto”—offering payment methods such as bank transfers, credit/debit cards, or e-wallets; transaction limits vary depending on the provider, with options typically starting at around $10, and completion times ranging anywhere from minutes to several hours or sometimes up to a day, depending on process and KYC timing

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

IG supports bank transfers, credit/debit cards, and PayPal or other local e-wallets depending on your region; deposits are usually instant for cards and e-wallets, and 1–3 business days for transfers, with minimums varying by region (e.g. ~£10 for crypto funding) and upper limits often governed by your provider’s terms.
Coinstore enables fiat deposits through third-party providers like Mercuryo, Banxa, or Paxful—accessible via “Buy Crypto”—offering payment methods such as bank transfers, credit/debit cards, or e-wallets; transaction limits vary depending on the provider, with options typically starting at around $10, and completion times ranging anywhere from minutes to several hours or sometimes up to a day, depending on process and KYC timing

KYC (Verification Levels)

IG requires identity verification before enabling withdrawals; while they don’t label tiers publicly, a basic verified account grants full functionality, and advanced documentation may be needed for higher-volume transfers, though explicit tier definitions aren’t displayed.
Coinstore employs two KYC tiers—Basic and Advanced—which unlock progressively higher withdrawal limits; for example, Basic allows single withdrawals up to 4,000 USDT and daily totals of 10,000 USDT, while Advanced increases these to 50,000 USDT per transaction and 300,000 USDT daily

Withdrawals

Withdrawals are processed via the same method used to fund (card, bank, PayPal); limits include daily card maximums (e.g. £ or $25,000) and no set caps on bank transfers, with processing ranging from instant (PayPal) to 1–5 business days depending on method; IG does not support on-chain crypto withdrawals via any network.
Withdrawals are subject to your KYC level limits, are processed via standard blockchain networks (e.g., ERC-20, TRC-20, BEP-20), and typically complete in alignment with network congestion—Coinstore itself doesn’t impose fixed withdrawal fees but passes on the actual network charges, and transactions may include necessary memos or tags depending on the coin

Customer Support

IG offers robust customer service through live chat, email, and phone across many regions, with prompt response times and a comprehensive help center covering deposits, withdrawals, platform use, and troubleshooting.
Coinstore offers 24/7 customer support through email, a live chat interface, and ticket submission; however, a call center is not available, and user feedback frequently notes delays and drawn-out resolution times, despite live-chat access being technically continuous

Languages & Localization

IG provides multilingual support including Spanish; clients in euro zones can see pricing in euros, and services are adapted under local regulators like the FCA (UK) or BMA, ensuring localized compliance and presentation.
The platform and help center support multiple languages—including English, simplified and traditional Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, and Korean—while displaying transaction amounts in local fiat formats where supported; however, localized regulatory disclosures vary depending on user region

App Quality & Stability

IG’s mobile and web platforms are known for their stability and regular updates, resulting in smooth user experience with minimal crashes—specific crash-rate data isn’t published, but continuous enhancements and high availability are emphasized.
Coinstore’s app utilizes TradingView integration for charting and appears to be regularly updated, offering a responsive mobile and web trading experience; although there’s no publicly available data on crash rates or explicit stability metrics, the platform does emphasize a seamless UI in partnership with TradingView tools.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

While IG doesn’t label modes as “Lite” or “Pro,” its platform balances clean design with professional depth—new users often find the interface intuitive to navigate, while more advanced traders can adopt MT4 or ProRealTime for a deeper feature set.
Coinstore delivers a clean and intuitive interface tailored for newcomers, without separate “Lite” and “Pro” tiers; there’s no steep learning curve, making it especially approachable for casual or first-time traders, though advanced users may find some features limited.

Performance

IG’s platform is generally responsive with fast order execution, though like many brokers, it may face brief slowdowns during extreme volatility; KYC processing is uninterrupted but may take longer during surges in new account demand.
The platform tends to execute trades with acceptable speed, but during high-volatility spikes, users report occasional app lag and platform instability; bull-market KYC queues have sometimes delayed onboarding or higher-tier access.

Education

IG offers an extensive educational ecosystem—including IG Academy, live webinars, and a robust demo account—many of which are available in Spanish, supporting both novices and more advanced learners.
Coinstore offers basic educational content and news via its platform, but lacks a dedicated academy, demo simulator, or Spanish-language learning materials—leaving room for improvement for non-English speakers and hands-on practice features.

Community

While IG has an active support community with forums and a rich help center, it does not currently maintain dedicated Discord or Telegram groups, nor does it focus on referral incentives for crypto users.
Coinstore maintains official Telegram channels for updates and community interaction, and runs a referral program offering standard 30% trading fee rebates (up to 60% for affiliates) on spot and futures trades—though no web forums or Discord server appear available.

Integrations

IG supports integration with charting platforms like TradingView (via third-party platforms), but does not offer native trading bots, tax reporting tools, or built-in accounting integrations within its crypto offering.
The platform includes its own built-in charting tools and APIs for automation, but it does not support TradingView integration, external trading bots, or tax/accounting tool compatibility—limiting ease of integration with third-party trading ecosystems.

Who Each One Is Best For

IG is particularly well-suited for multi-asset investors who value trading under a regulated, centralized broker that combines stocks, forex, and crypto in one platform—but may not suit those seeking self-custody, deep customization, or community-driven features.
Coinstore is best suited for beginner to intermediate crypto traders who value simplicity, access to a wide asset range, and mobile-first convenience; it’s less ideal for advanced traders seeking deep analysis tools, full automation, or comprehensive educational modules.
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