Comparison

CQG vs Ironbeam

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

CQG

Access real-time market data, advanced charting tools, and execute trades on global exchanges directly from your smartphone. This powerful application is designed for professional traders seeking reliable and comprehensive financial market access on the go.

Highlights
  • View real-time market data
  • Access advanced charts
  • Trade on international exchanges
  • Global market coverage
  • Robust cloud infrastructure
  • High-performance trading
Read full description

CQG for iPhone is a high-performance app for professional traders worldwide. Easily view market data, access charts, and trade on international exchanges, including CME (CME, CBOT, NYMEX, COMEX), ICE, Eurex, eSpeed, LME, NFX, NYSE, NASDAQ AMEX and others, from your smart phone with this powerful, easy-to-use app. Built on CQG's robust cloud infrastructure, CQG for iOS has all of the data quality, global coverage, and reliability that traders have come to expect. Now anywhere, anytime. *Note: This application requires an account with one of CQG's partner brokers for trading access. If you do not have an account, visit www.cqg.com/partners/fcms.

About

Ironbeam

Manage and trade futures and options accounts with a powerful platform. Access real-time quotes, charts, and account information. Create and execute custom trading strategies server-side for a seamless trading experience.

Highlights
  • Trade futures, options, and complex strategies
  • Create and use custom trading formulas
  • View and manipulate indicators on charts
  • Synchronize workspace between mobile and desktop
  • Execute strategies with one-click trading
Features
Read full description

Trade and monitor your futures & options account with Ironbeam. Ironbeam is designed for the beginner and professional trader. Change between the basic or professional version to find the best offering for you. Access your trading strategies, formulas, quotes, charts, and account information. Ironbeam is a powerful trading platform and the iOS version has all of the functionality of the desktop. Trade, write formulas, chart data, and execute your strategies server-side (right at the exchange data centers). Features: * Trade futures, options, and complex strategies. Create, modify, and manage your orders and formula based strategies quickly and easily. * Create and use your custom formulas. Also access the large number of built-in trading strategies and formulas * View and manipulate indicators how you want them on charts. You can even apply indicators to the Trading Matrix (quote board) or the Advanced Trader (depth of market trading ladder) * Modify your workspace on the mobile app and access it later on the desktop (or vice versa) * Create your own custom strategies. Use these strategies as part of a trading system or enable to be used as part of one-click trading.

Screenshots

CQG4 screens
Ironbeam3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: CQG at 3.4 against Ironbeam's 2.5. CQG also leads on review sentiment (46% vs 30%). Ironbeam's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 3 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CQG holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 37 and 30 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of CQG's written reviews are positive against 30% of Ironbeam's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CQG ships an update every 3 months, Ironbeam every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
CQG versus Ironbeam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCQGIronbeam
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (37 ratings) — better2.5 (30 ratings)
Positive reviews46.4% of reviews — better30.3% of reviews
Number of ratings37 — better30
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCQG, Inc.IRONBEAM

Customer experience

CQG

All ratings36 ratings
Positive55.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive46.4%
Neutral10.7%
Negative42.9%

Ironbeam

All ratings30 ratings
Positive36.7%
Neutral3.3%
Negative60.0%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive30.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative69.7%

In-app purchases

None

CQG

No in-app purchases

None

Ironbeam

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CQG free?
CQG is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ironbeam free?
Ironbeam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CQG or Ironbeam?
CQG is rated higher. CQG averages 3.4 out of 5 from 37 ratings, while Ironbeam averages 2.5 from 30 ratings.
Do CQG or Ironbeam have ads?
Neither CQG nor Ironbeam shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CQG or Ironbeam?
CQG ships an update every 3 months, and Ironbeam every 2 months. Most recently, CQG was updated on September 22, 2026 and Ironbeam on September 21, 2026.

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