FXVPS
Get Started
forex vps ic-markets

Best VPS for IC Markets: Low-Latency Hosting for Raw Spread Trading

person
FXVPS
Share
Best VPS for IC Markets: Low-Latency Hosting for Raw Spread Trading

IC Markets is one of the most popular brokers in the world for algorithmic and high-frequency traders, and there is a straightforward reason for that: raw spreads starting from 0.0 pips on their Raw Spread account, combined with deep liquidity from multiple providers. But raw spreads only matter if your orders actually reach the server fast enough to capture them. A home internet connection sitting 50-200ms away from IC Markets’ matching engine means you are seeing stale prices and getting filled at worse levels than traders who are colocated. That is where a properly configured forex VPS makes the difference between a profitable scalping strategy and one that bleeds money on slippage.

IC Markets at a Glance

IC Markets consistently ranks as the world’s largest forex broker by trading volume, processing over $1 trillion in monthly trades. Here is a quick overview of what makes them a go-to choice for serious traders:

  • Founded: 2007 in Sydney, Australia
  • Regulation: ASIC (Australia), CySEC (Cyprus), FSC (Mauritius), FSCA (South Africa), DFSA (Dubai)
  • Account Types: Standard (spreads from 0.8 pips, no commission) and Raw Spread (spreads from 0.0 pips, $3.50/side commission)
  • Platforms: MT4, MT5, cTrader
  • Instruments: 2,200+ including forex, indices, commodities, bonds, crypto, and futures
  • Minimum Deposit: $200
  • Islamic Accounts: Yes (swap-free available)

The combination of tight regulation across five jurisdictions, institutional-grade liquidity, and support for all three major trading platforms makes IC Markets particularly well-suited for automated trading on a VPS.

If you trade IC Markets with Expert Advisors, scalping strategies, or any approach where execution speed matters, this guide covers exactly what you need: where IC Markets servers are located, what latency you can realistically achieve, and which FXVPS plan fits your trading style.

IC Markets Server Locations

IC Markets operates MT4 and MT5 trading servers primarily out of the Equinix LD4 datacenter in London and the Equinix NY4 datacenter in New York. The London servers handle the majority of their client base, particularly traders on EUR, GBP, and commodity pairs. The New York servers cater more to traders focused on USD pairs and those geographically closer to the Americas.

📊 Key Stat: Major forex brokers cluster in a handful of Equinix datacenters (LD4 London, NY4 New York, TY3 Tokyo). A VPS in the same facility achieves sub-millisecond latency because data travels meters, not continents.

For cTrader accounts, IC Markets also routes through London-based infrastructure. If you are running cAlgo strategies on cTrader, the same London proximity advantage applies — see our complete cTrader VPS setup guide for configuration details.

The key takeaway: if you are trading IC Markets on MT4 or MT5, your VPS needs to be physically close to Equinix LD4 in London. Being in the same datacenter — or cross-connected to it — eliminates the biggest chunk of network latency.

FXVPS Latency to IC Markets

FXVPS maintains servers in the Equinix LD4 datacenter in London, which is the same facility housing IC Markets’ primary trading servers. Our measured latency to IC Markets is 2.50ms — that is round-trip, meaning your order reaches IC Markets and the confirmation comes back in under 3 milliseconds.

To put that in perspective: a typical home broadband connection in Europe sees 30-80ms latency to IC Markets. In North America or Asia, that jumps to 100-250ms. At 2.50ms, you are executing roughly 20-100x faster than most retail traders on the same broker.

For scalping strategies that target 1-3 pip moves, this difference is not academic. A 100ms delay on a fast-moving pair like EURUSD during London open can easily cost 0.5-1.5 pips in slippage — our real latency benchmarks comparing VPS to local PC show just how much this gap affects fill quality. At 2.50ms, slippage from network latency is essentially eliminated.

You can verify the current latency data on our IC Markets broker latency page.

IC Markets traders tend to fall into two categories: those running 1-2 terminals with manual or semi-automated strategies, and those running multiple EAs across several pairs simultaneously. Your plan choice depends on which category fits.

Core Plan ($29/mo) — Best for most IC Markets traders. With 2GB RAM, 1 vCPU, and 40GB NVMe, you get enough resources to run 1-2 MT4/MT5 terminals comfortably. If you are trading manually with a few indicators, or running 1-2 EAs on a single account, this is the sweet spot. The resource-isolated vCPUs mean your EA execution is not competing with other users on the same machine — unlike cheaper shared VPS providers where your backtest or EA can stall because someone else is hogging the processor.

💡 Tip: Always confirm whether your VPS provider offers resource-isolated vCPUs or shared vCPUs. Shared cores mean your EA’s execution speed fluctuates based on other users’ workloads — exactly the inconsistency scalpers cannot afford.

Pro Plan ($39/mo) — Choose this if you run multiple EAs across several currency pairs, use tick-based strategies, or run both live and demo accounts simultaneously for testing. With 4GB RAM and 2 vCPUs, scalpers who operate on IC Markets’ Raw Spread account with aggressive entry/exit logic should go Pro. The additional resources ensure your platform does not lag during high-volatility events like NFP or ECB rate decisions when tick volume spikes.

The Core plan at $29/mo is also sufficient if you run a single MT4 terminal with one EA on a few pairs. Not ideal for scalping or tick-intensive strategies, but works fine for swing trading or position trading where you mainly need the VPS for uptime rather than raw speed.

Setting Up IC Markets on Your FXVPS

Once your FXVPS is provisioned, connecting IC Markets takes about five minutes:

  1. Connect to your VPS via Remote Desktop (RDP). FXVPS provides your IP address, username, and password immediately after purchase.

  2. Download MT4 or MT5 directly from IC Markets’ website. Do not use the generic MetaTrader installer — always download the broker-branded version from icmarkets.com to ensure the correct server list is preconfigured.

  3. Log in to your trading account. When MT4/MT5 opens, select the correct server from the list. For Raw Spread accounts, you will typically see servers like ICMarketsSC-Live01 through ICMarketsSC-Live19. Choose the one assigned to your account (check your IC Markets dashboard if unsure).

  4. Verify your connection latency. In the bottom-right corner of MT4/MT5, you will see a connection indicator showing latency in milliseconds. On FXVPS London servers, you should see values between 1-4ms to IC Markets. If you see higher numbers, you may be connected to the wrong server location.

💡 Tip: Watch the ms indicator in MT4/MT5’s bottom-right status bar during active market hours. If it regularly exceeds 10ms, a colocated VPS will make a measurable difference to your execution quality.

  1. Set MT4/MT5 to auto-start. Place a shortcut to your MT4/MT5 terminal in the Windows Startup folder on your VPS. This ensures that if the VPS restarts (rare, but it happens during maintenance windows), your platform comes back online automatically. See our auto-startup guide for detailed steps.

  2. Load your EAs and indicators. Copy your EA files (.ex4 or .ex5) into the MQL4/Experts or MQL5/Experts directory, and restart the terminal. Enable “Allow automated trading” in the platform options, and attach your EA to the appropriate chart. For a complete walkthrough on keeping EAs running without interruption, see our guide to running Expert Advisors 24/7 on a VPS. If you plan to run multiple IC Markets accounts or pair IC Markets with other brokers, see our guide on running multiple MT4/MT5 terminals on VPS.

One IC Markets-specific tip: if you trade during the daily rollover period (around 00:00 server time), be aware that spreads widen significantly. Some EAs need a spread filter to avoid trading during this window. Configure this in your EA settings rather than relying on the VPS to solve a broker-side spread widening issue.

💡 Tip: Most brokers widen spreads significantly during the daily rollover period (around 00:00 server time). Configure your EA with a spread filter to pause trading during this window — no VPS can fix broker-side spread widening.

Why FXVPS for IC Markets Traders

There are dozens of VPS providers that claim “low latency” to forex brokers. Here is what actually separates FXVPS for IC Markets trading specifically:

Same datacenter, not just same city. FXVPS London servers are in Equinix LD4 — the same building as IC Markets’ servers. “London VPS” from a generic cloud provider might be 5-10km away in a different datacenter, adding 5-15ms of unnecessary latency. Physical proximity at the datacenter level is what drives sub-3ms round trips.

Dedicated CPU cores. IC Markets’ Raw Spread accounts attract heavy EA users. When you run tick-based strategies or multiple instances, you need consistent CPU performance — not a shared vCPU that throttles when your neighbor runs a backtest. Every FXVPS plan allocates resource-isolated vCPUs to your instance.

195+ broker support. If you trade IC Markets alongside other brokers (common for traders diversifying across prop firm challenges and retail accounts), your single FXVPS can connect to all of them from the same optimized location. No need for separate VPS instances per broker. Many traders run IC Markets alongside Pepperstone or FTMO on the same VPS.

24/7 support from people who understand trading. When you submit a ticket saying “my EA stopped executing during NFP,” our support team knows what that means. They are not going to ask you to explain what MetaTrader is.

IC Markets traders — particularly those on Raw Spread accounts running EAs — are exactly the type of trader who sees measurable P&L improvement from proper VPS hosting. The combination of raw spreads and sub-3ms execution creates conditions where your strategy performs as close to backtested results as physically possible.

Check the live latency to IC Markets on our broker latency page, and find the right plan for your trading at our pricing page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What latency can I expect from FXVPS to IC Markets?

FXVPS measures 2.50ms round-trip latency to IC Markets from our London LD4 servers. This is because both FXVPS and IC Markets operate within the same Equinix LD4 datacenter, eliminating public internet routing. Compare this to 30-80ms from a European home connection or 100-250ms from North America.

Is IC Markets good for scalping and EA trading?

IC Markets is one of the most popular brokers for algorithmic and scalping strategies. Their Raw Spread account offers spreads from 0.0 pips with a $3.50 per side commission, deep liquidity from multiple providers, and no restrictions on trading styles including scalping, hedging, and high-frequency EA trading. Combined with a low-latency VPS, IC Markets delivers institutional-grade execution for retail traders.

Which IC Markets account type works best with a VPS?

The Raw Spread account is the preferred choice for VPS-based trading. The tighter spreads (averaging 0.1 pips on EUR/USD) benefit most from low-latency execution, since your orders reach IC Markets fast enough to capture displayed prices. Standard accounts work well too, but the spread advantage of Raw Spread is maximized when paired with sub-3ms VPS latency.

Can I run IC Markets cTrader on a VPS?

Yes. FXVPS provides a full Windows desktop environment that supports IC Markets on MT4, MT5, and cTrader. cTrader with cAlgo bots is more resource-intensive than MT4, so we recommend the Standard or Pro plan for cTrader users. Our cTrader VPS setup guide covers installation and optimization.

Do I need a VPS if I only swing trade on IC Markets?

A VPS benefits swing traders primarily through 24/7 uptime and reliable order execution. If you use pending orders, trailing stops, or leave positions open overnight, a VPS ensures these execute even during home internet outages or PC issues. The Core plan at $29/mo provides this reliability at a reasonable cost.