Short answer
Pocket Option is ahead on our score, 4.1/5 against 4.0/5 for IQ Option.
Pocket Option fits: Very small first deposits and copying other traders
Skip Pocket Option if: You want a regulator behind your money, or contests make you trade too much
IQ Option fits: Experienced traders who want detailed charts and a desktop app
Skip IQ Option if: You trade rarely (dormant fee) or withdraw several times a month
Score by score
Pocket Option 4.1/5
- Platform and apps4.7
- Costs and minimums4.8
- Payment options4.6
- Support4.2
- Licensing and openness2.6
IQ Option 4.0/5
- Platform and apps4.8
- Costs and minimums4.2
- Payment options4.4
- Support4.2
- Licensing and openness2.6
How the two sites look
Pocket Option and IQ Option in brief
Pocket Option (2017). Pocket Option has run since 2017 and is built around short fixed-time trades: choose up or down and a timer, and a correct call pays a set percentage. Next to the chart sit copy trading, a signals panel and regular contests. An MT5 account for forex and CFDs is offered separately.
IQ Option (2013). IQ Option was founded in 2013 and wrote its own platform. Besides fixed-time trades it offers digital options, where you pick a strike and the payout rises the further away it is, and CFDs on currencies, shares, crypto and ETFs.
Licence and safetyLevel
Neither Pocket Option nor IQ Option is authorised by a leading regulator or by any regulator in Asia. Both run through offshore companies, so there is no compensation fund and no local authority to complain to.
Official warnings and alert-list entries we found: Pocket Option 4, IQ Option 3.
| What we compare | Pocket Option | IQ Option |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | No leading or Asian regulator. Pocket Option cites an offshore MISA licence from the Comoros. | Only its EU company holds a CySEC licence, and it sells no options. Options come from an unregulated offshore company. |
| Official warnings we found | FCA, CFTC, RBI, Bank of Russia | CVM, MAS, RBI |
| Dispute body | No outside dispute body | No outside dispute body |
On licensing and openness both get the same score (2.6).
Entry cost and chargesBetter here: Pocket Option
Pocket Option is cheaper to open: its minimum deposit is $5, compared with $10 at IQ Option. The smallest trade is $1 on Pocket Option and $1 on IQ Option.
| What we compare | Pocket Option | IQ Option |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest deposit | $5 | $10 |
| Lowest trade | $1 | $1 |
| Charges | No pay-in fee listed; currency conversion costs can apply | Dormant account fee after 90 days; overnight charges on CFDs |
| Pay-out charges | None from the platform; your payment provider may charge | One free withdrawal a month; further ones reported at 2% (USD 1 min., USD 30 max.) – check current terms |
| Dormant account fee | Not mentioned in the sources we checked – read the current terms | About 10 USD/EUR a month after 90 days without trading |
| Bonus | Deposit bonuses, often 50–100%, with volume rules that can block withdrawals | No bonus confirmed in the sources we checked |
Payouts and the win rate you needBetter here: IQ Option
IQ Option advertises the higher top payout (95% vs 92%), which cuts the win rate you need to break even from 52.1% to 51.3%.
| What we compare | Pocket Option | IQ Option |
|---|---|---|
| Top payout | 92% | 95% |
| Win rate to break even | 52.1% | 51.3% |
| Note | 92% applies to popular assets at busy hours; quieter hours are reported 7–12 points lower | 95% is the advertised top; gold paid 86–88% at busy hours and 78–82% at quiet hours when checked |
Top payouts apply to a few assets at the busiest hours. Look at the payout on the trade ticket before you open a trade; it is often lower.
Platform and phone appsBetter here: IQ Option
Pocket Option. A browser platform with several chart styles, indicators and drawing tools. Copy trading and signals sit beside the chart, which makes it easy for a beginner to copy trades before understanding them.
IQ Option. The platform is the main reason to choose IQ Option: several charts at once, a full set of indicators and the same layout in the browser and the desktop app.
| What we compare | Pocket Option | IQ Option |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Browser, Android, iPhone, MT5 (forex) | Browser, Desktop app, Android, iPhone |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone | Browser app only | Yes |
| Extras | Copy trading, Contests, Small minimum | In-house platform, Strong charts, Desktop app |
Instruments and trade durations
| What we compare | Pocket Option | IQ Option |
|---|---|---|
| Instruments | 100+ | 300+ |
| Markets | Currencies, Crypto, Commodities, Shares, Indices | Currencies, Crypto, Commodities, Shares, Indices, ETFs |
| Trade durations | 3 seconds – 4 hours | 60 seconds – 1 month |
Paying in and cashing outBetter here: Pocket Option
Pocket Option. Money normally goes back the way it came in. Your ID and address are checked before the first pay-out. An active bonus can block a withdrawal until its volume is reached.
IQ Option. Verification must be complete, and money usually returns to the deposit method first. The help centre lists processing times; your bank or wallet adds its own.
| What we compare | Pocket Option | IQ Option |
|---|---|---|
| Pay-in methods | Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods | Cards, E-wallets, Local payment methods |
| Pay-out methods | Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods | Cards, E-wallets, Local payment methods |
| Smallest withdrawal | $10 | $2 |
| Pay-out speed | Typically 1–3 working days; crypto often quicker (user reports) | Up to 3 working days, often less |
Practice accountLevel
Both have a free practice account, so you can try the two platforms with virtual money before depositing.
| What we compare | Pocket Option | IQ Option |
|---|---|---|
| Practice balance | $50,000 | $10,000 |
| Try without signing up | Yes | – |
SupportLevel
| What we compare | Pocket Option | IQ Option |
|---|---|---|
| How to reach support | Live chat, Email, Help pages | Live chat, Email, Phone, Help pages |
| Support | 4.2/5 | 4.2/5 |
Which markets they acceptBetter here: IQ Option
Pocket Option accepts residents of 17 of the markets we cover, IQ Option of 18.
Only IQ Option: 1 markets
Philippines
Strengths and weak points
Pocket Option
- +Accounts open from USD 5 and trades from USD 1
- +Copy trading and contests on the same screen as the chart
- +Many ways to pay in, including crypto and local agents in Asia
- +Light web platform that runs well on a phone
- −Only an offshore Comoros licence
- −Named by the UK FCA, the US CFTC and India's RBI
- −Bonuses lock your balance behind trading volume
- −Refuses residents of the Philippines and Japan
IQ Option
- +Best platform: browser, Windows and macOS app, Android and iPhone
- +Digital options with a strike price you choose, plus CFDs
- +Running since 2013
- +Detailed charts and a fast interface
- −Options for Asian clients come from an unregulated offshore company
- −On the alert lists of Singapore's MAS and India's RBI; sanction case in Brazil
- −Dormant account fee after 90 days
- −Fewer crypto deposit options than rivals
So, Pocket Option or IQ Option?
IQ Option is better in 3 of 7 categories here. Pocket Option is ahead on our score, 4.1/5 against 4.0/5 for IQ Option.
Our choice: Pocket Option
Our pickPocket Option fits: Very small first deposits and copying other traders
+50% bonusConditions
Go to Pocket OptionWhichever you pick, practise on the demo first, keep the first deposit small and withdraw part of it before adding more. Binary options are high-risk and most retail accounts lose money.
Quick answers
Pocket Option or IQ Option: which is better?
Pocket Option is ahead on our score (4.1/5 vs 4.0/5). Pocket Option fits: Very small first deposits and copying other traders. IQ Option fits: Experienced traders who want detailed charts and a desktop app.
Which needs a smaller deposit, Pocket Option or IQ Option?
Pocket Option is cheaper to open: its minimum deposit is $5, compared with $10 at IQ Option.
Which pays more, Pocket Option or IQ Option?
IQ Option advertises the higher top payout (95% vs 92%), which cuts the win rate you need to break even from 52.1% to 51.3%.
Does any regulator supervise Pocket Option or IQ Option?
No leading regulator and no Asian regulator licenses either of them. Both work through offshore companies, so your money has little protection.