Short answer
IQ Option is ahead on our score, 4.0/5 against 3.7/5 for Expert Option.
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
Expert Option fits: Beginners who trade mainly on their phone
Skip Expert Option if: You want many instruments or longer-term analysis
Score by score
IQ Option 4.0/5
- Platform and apps4.8
- Costs and minimums4.2
- Payment options4.4
- Support4.2
- Licensing and openness2.6
Expert Option 3.7/5
- Platform and apps4.3
- Costs and minimums4.1
- Payment options4.2
- Support3.9
- Licensing and openness2.4
How the two sites look
IQ Option and Expert Option in brief
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.
Expert Option (2014). Expert Option has sold fixed-time trades since 2014. The screen is deliberately bare: one chart, a stake, a timer, up or down. Account levels add assets, higher payouts and a personal manager as deposits grow.
Licence and safetyBetter here: IQ Option
Neither IQ Option nor Expert 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: IQ Option 3, Expert Option 3.
| What we compare | IQ Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Only its EU company holds a CySEC licence, and it sells no options. Options come from an unregulated offshore company. | No government licence. Registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines and a member of The Financial Commission, a private dispute body. |
| Official warnings we found | CVM, MAS, RBI | CSA / AMF, MAS, RBI |
| Dispute body | No outside dispute body | Member of The Financial Commission (private dispute body) |
On licensing and openness IQ Option scores higher (2.6 vs 2.4).
Entry cost and chargesBetter here: IQ Option
Both ask for the same first deposit: $10. The smallest trade is $1 on IQ Option and $1 on Expert Option.
| What we compare | IQ Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest deposit | $10 | $10 |
| Lowest trade | $1 | $1 |
| Charges | Dormant account fee after 90 days; overnight charges on CFDs | Charge on inactive accounts; no pay-in fee listed |
| Pay-out charges | One free withdrawal a month; further ones reported at 2% (USD 1 min., USD 30 max.) – check current terms | No platform fee reported; your payment provider may charge |
| Dormant account fee | About 10 USD/EUR a month after 90 days without trading | Dormant fee in the terms – check amount and trigger |
| Bonus | No bonus confirmed in the sources we checked | Deposit bonuses reported; check volume conditions before accepting |
Payouts and the win rate you needBetter here: IQ Option
IQ Option advertises the higher top payout (95% vs 90%), which cuts the win rate you need to break even from 52.6% to 51.3%.
| What we compare | IQ Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| Top payout | 95% | 90% |
| Win rate to break even | 51.3% | 52.6% |
| Note | 95% is the advertised top; gold paid 86–88% at busy hours and 78–82% at quiet hours when checked | Reviews report 86–95% depending on account level and asset |
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
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.
Expert Option. A web platform with a clean chart, basic indicators and a feed of other users' trades. Good enough for simple trading, thin for detailed analysis.
| What we compare | IQ Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Browser, Desktop app, Android, iPhone | Browser, Android, iPhone |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone | Yes | Yes |
| Extras | In-house platform, Strong charts, Desktop app | Account levels, Trader feed, Easy layout |
Instruments and trade durations
| What we compare | IQ Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| Instruments | 300+ | ~100 |
| Markets | Currencies, Crypto, Commodities, Shares, Indices, ETFs | Currencies, Crypto, Commodities, Shares, Indices |
| Trade durations | 60 seconds – 1 month | 5 seconds – 24 hours |
Paying in and cashing outBetter here: IQ Option
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.
Expert Option. Verification must be complete first, and users say it can take longer than elsewhere, so finish it before you need the money.
| What we compare | IQ Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| Pay-in methods | Cards, E-wallets, Local payment methods | Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods |
| Pay-out methods | Cards, E-wallets, Local payment methods | Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods |
| Smallest withdrawal | $2 | $10 |
| Pay-out speed | Up to 3 working days, often less | Within 2 working days according to the platform; e-wallets and crypto can be quicker |
Practice accountLevel
Both have a free practice account, so you can try the two platforms with virtual money before depositing.
| What we compare | IQ Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| Practice balance | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Try without signing up | – | Yes |
SupportBetter here: IQ Option
| What we compare | IQ Option | Expert Option |
|---|---|---|
| How to reach support | Live chat, Email, Phone, Help pages | Live chat, Email, Help pages |
| Support | 4.2/5 | 3.9/5 |
Which markets they acceptBetter here: IQ Option
IQ Option accepts residents of 18 of the markets we cover, Expert Option of 17.
Only IQ Option: 1 markets
Bangladesh
Strengths and weak points
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
Expert Option
- +Easy layout for complete beginners
- +Proper Android and iPhone apps
- +Financial Commission membership gives you a place to complain
- +Crypto and local payments in many countries
- −No government licence
- −Fewer instruments than the leaders
- −Better payouts reserved for bigger deposits
- −Dormant account fee after a quiet period
So, IQ Option or Expert Option?
IQ Option is better in 7 of 7 categories here. IQ Option is ahead on our score, 4.0/5 against 3.7/5 for Expert Option.
Our choice: IQ Option
IQ Option fits: Experienced traders who want detailed charts and a desktop app
Whichever 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
IQ Option or Expert Option: which is better?
IQ Option is ahead on our score (4.0/5 vs 3.7/5). IQ Option fits: Experienced traders who want detailed charts and a desktop app. Expert Option fits: Beginners who trade mainly on their phone.
Which needs a smaller deposit, IQ Option or Expert Option?
Both ask for the same first deposit: $10.
Which pays more, IQ Option or Expert Option?
IQ Option advertises the higher top payout (95% vs 90%), which cuts the win rate you need to break even from 52.6% to 51.3%.
Does any regulator supervise IQ Option or Expert Option?
No leading regulator and no Asian regulator licenses either of them. Both work through offshore companies, so your money has little protection.
More comparisons and guides
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IQ Option review →Expert Option review →Is IQ Option legit? →Is Expert Option legit? →
