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

Trying to choose between IG and Buyucoin 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

BuyUCoin

Buyucoin

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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:

Buyucoin is ideal if:

IG isn’t ideal if:

Buyucoin 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.
BuyUcoin charges a flat trading fee of around 0.24 % for both maker and taker trades (including relevant taxes), without offering tiered volume discounts or reductions for using its native token.

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.
BuyUcoin does not currently offer futures or derivative contracts, so there are no maker/taker fees or funding rate mechanisms to consider.

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.
Trading spreads for major pairs like BTC/USDT or ETH/USDT aren’t explicitly published on the platform, though users report that liquid pairs generally maintain competitive spreads thanks to its decent market depth.

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.
You can deposit INR via bank transfers (including UPI, IMPS, NEFT/RTGS) or card options; bank-to-bank transactions typically have minimal processing delay and no direct fees, though instant cash-outs to cards may incur additional charges and processing time may vary.

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.
Withdrawals of crypto assets are charged as fixed network-based fees (for example, BTC withdrawals are a set amount of BTC), not percentage-based, and rates differ by blockchain—BuyUcoin covers moving crypto between own wallets for free, but external transfers incur standard network fees.

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.
BuyUcoin has no KYC or inactivity fees, nor storage charges, and sends within its own ecosystem incur no transfer fees; currency conversion costs are implicit in spreads rather than explicit charges.

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.
If you convert €500 to BTC, you’d first use INR (so there’s currency exchange implied), pay a ~0.24 % trading fee embedded in the buy price, then face a spread implied in the rate, and finally incur a fixed network fee when withdrawing, depending on the specific chain—so your total cost would reflect trading fee + spread + withdrawal 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.
BuyUcoin currently lists over 170 cryptocurrencies, including most of the top-20 coins by market cap, offering a wide selection for spot trading across well-known tokens.

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 focuses on spot trading, OTC trades, staking (and earning through NFTs), recurring buys like SIPs, and an NFT marketplace—margin, futures, options, ETFs, and bots are not yet available.

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.
While precise figures aren’t published, liquidity for major pairs such as BTC and ETH is sufficient for smooth execution, though deeper institutional-level data and 24-hour volume statistics remain unclear.

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.
Users get standard order types like limit and stop, along with charting via integrated views, but advanced features like OCO, native TradingView, alerts, or API access have limited visibility and may not be fully implemented.

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.
BuyUcoin’s services are tailored for Indian residents only, with fiat options limited to INR; that means global availability of advanced products like derivatives or margin is restricted.

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.
The platform stands out with its NFT marketplace, SIP-based recurring crypto buys, cashback scratch cards, and flexible vs locked staking—features that reflect creative engagement rather than traditional financial tools.

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.
BuyUcoin is legally operated by iBlock Technologies Pvt. Ltd, established in 2016 and headquartered in the Delhi-NCR region of India.

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.
BuyUcoin is officially registered as a reporting entity under India’s Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and holds registration with the Financial Intelligence Unit – India (FIU-IND).

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.
Custody is handled in-house by BuyUcoin; there’s no publicly available proof of reserves, audit reports, or details on the proportion of assets held in cold storage.

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 are no public disclosures indicating institutional insurance or a protection fund covering user assets in the event of a breach or insolvency.

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.
BuyUcoin has no recorded history of major security breaches, platform-wide suspensions, regulatory fines, or notable withdrawal freezes to date, based on public records.

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.
Basic security measures like mandatory KYC and anti-money laundering policies are in place, but more advanced features—such as two-factor authentication, address whitelisting, anti-phishing tools, sub-accounts, or granular API permissions—are either limited or not visibly featured.

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.
While BuyUcoin participates in regulatory sandbox initiatives and maintains compliance reporting via FIU-IND, it does not offer monthly transparency reports, public wallet statements, or a formal service-level agreement (SLA) for uptime or responsiveness.

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.
Bank transfers via IMPS, UPI, NEFT, and RTGS are available for depositing INR; there are no minimum or maximum amounts publicly listed, and funds usually arrive quickly depending on the chosen transfer method.

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.
Bank transfers via IMPS, UPI, NEFT, and RTGS are available for depositing INR; there are no minimum or maximum amounts publicly listed, and funds usually arrive quickly depending on the chosen transfer method.

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.
BuyUcoin operates with mandatory KYC; beyond that, the platform does not publicly distinguish between basic or advanced tiers or provide specific transaction limits for each tier.

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.
Crypto withdrawals are subject to fixed network fees and processed on typical blockchains (e.g. BTC, ETH), with timing and limits largely dependent on network congestion and internal review standards, but multi-network options or daily caps aren’t explicitly disclosed.

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.
Users can access support via help center articles, email, and live chat (when available), though response times vary; the platform also provides an FAQ section for self-help guidance.

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 interface operates in English and INR pricing, tailored primarily to Indian users; international fiat display or regulatory tailoring is minimal, as it focuses on the local market.

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.
The mobile app offers several security layers (2FA, PIN, biometric login) and promises fast deposit/withdrawal performance; while user feedback varies, recent updates suggest ongoing maintenance with occasional performance reports.

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.
BuyUcoin presents a clean, mobile-first interface with both light and dark themes; onboarding is straightforward, minimizing friction, though it doesn’t offer distinct “Lite” or “Pro” modes.

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’s in-house engine is said to process over 100,000 orders per second, contributing to fast order execution; while it appears reliable during normal activity, details on handling volatility spikes or KYC backlog during bull markets aren’t widely discussed.

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.
Users benefit from online learning through webinars and real-time crypto news; however, there’s no dedicated academy, demo account, simulator, or Spanish-language resources currently available.

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.
BuyUcoin fosters engagement via its referral program offering lifetime trading-fee commissions, and users can connect through its social media channels and forums, though there’s no official Discord or Telegram mentioned.

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 exchange supports smart trading strategies and copy trading options, but lacks native TradingView integration or tax accounting tools; however, third-party bot platforms can nonetheless connect to BuyUcoin.

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.
BuyUcoin is ideal for Indian newcomers seeking a rewards-focused mobile experience with easy KYC and referral income; advanced traders seeking multi-asset tools or deep customization may find it less fitting.
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