Short answer
IQ Option is ahead on our score, 4.0/5 against 3.7/5 for Quotex.
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
Quotex fits: High advertised payouts and crypto deposits
Skip Quotex if: You want a licensed platform or a bonus without heavy volume rules
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
Quotex 3.7/5
- Platform and apps4.5
- Costs and minimums4.5
- Payment options4.0
- Support3.5
- Licensing and openness2.1
How the two sites look
IQ Option and Quotex 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.
Quotex. Quotex is a fixed-time platform: pick an asset, a direction and a timer, and a correct call pays a set percentage. It is known for a simple web platform, high advertised payouts and many crypto deposit options, and has run since about 2019–2020.
Licence and safetyBetter here: IQ Option
Neither IQ Option nor Quotex 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, Quotex 2.
| What we compare | IQ Option | Quotex |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Only its EU company holds a CySEC licence, and it sells no options. Options come from an unregulated offshore company. | Third-party reviews name ON SPOT LLC GROUP in St Kitts and Nevis as the current operator, after Maxbit LLC and Awesomo Ltd. |
| Official warnings we found | CVM, MAS, RBI | CMVM, RBI |
| Dispute body | No outside dispute body | No outside dispute body |
On licensing and openness IQ Option scores higher (2.6 vs 2.1).
Entry cost and chargesBetter here: Quotex
Both ask for the same first deposit: $10. The smallest trade is $1 on IQ Option and $1 on Quotex.
| What we compare | IQ Option | Quotex |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest deposit | $10 | $10 |
| Lowest trade | $1 | $1 |
| Charges | Dormant account fee after 90 days; overnight charges on CFDs | No pay-in or pay-out fee listed; bonus volume around 100 times |
| Pay-out charges | One free withdrawal a month; further ones reported at 2% (USD 1 min., USD 30 max.) – check current terms | None listed |
| Dormant account fee | About 10 USD/EUR a month after 90 days without trading | Not stated in the sources we checked |
| Bonus | No bonus confirmed in the sources we checked | Tiered deposit bonus (20–35%) with volume of about 100x the bonus |
Payouts and the win rate you needBetter here: Quotex
Quotex advertises the higher top payout (98% vs 95%), which cuts the win rate you need to break even from 51.3% to 50.5%.
| What we compare | IQ Option | Quotex |
|---|---|---|
| Top payout | 95% | 98% |
| Win rate to break even | 51.3% | 50.5% |
| Note | 95% is the advertised top; gold paid 86–88% at busy hours and 78–82% at quiet hours when checked | Up to 98% on selected assets; often lower in practice |
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.
Quotex. An in-house web platform with candle and line charts, indicators, drawing tools and a panel that shows the payout before you open a trade. It loads fast and needs no download.
| What we compare | IQ Option | Quotex |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Browser, Desktop app, Android, iPhone | Browser, Android |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone | Yes | Browser app only |
| Extras | In-house platform, Strong charts, Desktop app | In-house platform, Strong charts, Easy layout |
Instruments and trade durations
| What we compare | IQ Option | Quotex |
|---|---|---|
| Instruments | 300+ | – |
| Markets | Currencies, Crypto, Commodities, Shares, Indices, ETFs | Currencies, Commodities, Shares, Indices, Crypto |
| Trade durations | 60 seconds – 1 month | From about 1 minute; varies by asset |
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.
Quotex. USD 10 minimum for most methods, more for some coins. Verification is required, and an active bonus blocks withdrawal of the bonus and related profit until its volume is met.
| What we compare | IQ Option | Quotex |
|---|---|---|
| Pay-in methods | Cards, E-wallets, Local payment methods | Cards, Crypto |
| Pay-out methods | Cards, E-wallets, Local payment methods | Cards, Crypto |
| Smallest withdrawal | $2 | $10 |
| Pay-out speed | Up to 3 working days, often less | Depends on method; reviewers report a few days |
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 | Quotex |
|---|---|---|
| Practice balance | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Try without signing up | – | – |
SupportBetter here: IQ Option
| What we compare | IQ Option | Quotex |
|---|---|---|
| How to reach support | Live chat, Email, Phone, Help pages | Email, Help pages |
| Support | 4.2/5 | 3.5/5 |
Which markets they acceptLevel
IQ Option accepts residents of 18 of the markets we cover, Quotex of 18.
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
Quotex
- +Advertised payouts up to 98% on some assets
- +USD 10 deposits and USD 1 trades
- +Free USD 10,000 demo
- +Long list of crypto deposit options
- −No licence; the operating company has changed several times
- −Named by Pakistan's SECP, India's RBI and Portugal's CMVM
- −Bonus needs volume of roughly 100 times its value
- −Tickets and email only, no live chat
So, IQ Option or Quotex?
IQ Option is better in 4 of 7 categories here. IQ Option is ahead on our score, 4.0/5 against 3.7/5 for Quotex.
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 Quotex: 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. Quotex fits: High advertised payouts and crypto deposits.
Which needs a smaller deposit, IQ Option or Quotex?
Both ask for the same first deposit: $10.
Which pays more, IQ Option or Quotex?
Quotex advertises the higher top payout (98% vs 95%), which cuts the win rate you need to break even from 51.3% to 50.5%.
Does any regulator supervise IQ Option or Quotex?
No leading regulator and no Asian regulator licenses either of them. Both work through offshore companies, so your money has little protection.
