Interactive Brokers vs ATFX 2025

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Regulation

When comparing the online brokers Interactive Brokers and ATFX, there are notable differences in their trust scores and regulatory licenses. Interactive Brokers, established in 1977 and publicly traded, holds a perfect ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99. This reflects its high level of trust among traders and is reinforced by its 9 Tier-1 and 2 Tier-2 licenses, indicating robust regulatory compliance. Despite not being a bank, its long-standing presence and recognition in the industry contribute to its solid reputation.

ATFX, on the other hand, was founded in 2017 and is not publicly traded. It maintains a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 85, marking it as a trusted entity in the market. ATFX holds 4 Tier-1 and 2 Tier-2 licenses, showcasing its commitment to regulation and security. While its Trust Score is lower than that of Interactive Brokers, ATFX still offers a reliable option for those seeking a newer trading platform with strong regulatory backing.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Year Founded info	1977	2017
Publicly Traded (Listed) info	Yes	No
Bank info	No	No
Tier-1 Licenses info	9	4
Tier-2 Licenses info	2	2
Tier-3 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-4 Licenses info	0	1

Fees

Interactive Brokers earns 5 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #2 out of 63 brokers, while ATFX holds 3 out of 5 stars and ranks #61. This gap reflects lower, more transparent trading costs at Interactive Brokers compared with ATFX, where average spread data isn’t available, making a direct apples-to-apples comparison harder.

Interactive Brokers uses commission-based forex pricing rather than marking up spreads, aggregating quotes from 17 interbank dealers. Though it doesn’t publish average forex spreads, Q3 2024 data for EUR/USD showed an average spread of 0.19 pips and an estimated all-in cost of about 0.59 pips after commission. Commissions start at 0.2 basis points per side (minimum $2 per order, or $4 round turn), equivalent to roughly 0.40 pips on a $100,000 EUR/USD trade. The minimum charge means smaller trade sizes become proportionally pricier. For context, costs equate to about $16–$40 per million round turn, with volume discounts that can lower the per-order minimum to $1.50 above $1 billion in monthly volume and $1 at $5 billion; large orders can be handled on an RFQ basis.

ATFX does not provide average spread figures, so estimating true trading costs is less straightforward. Based on our rankings and star ratings, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick for low commissions and fee transparency, especially for active traders who can benefit from tiered discounts, while ATFX’s lack of published averages makes cost comparison more challenging.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$500
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info	0.59 info	N/A info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	0.65 info	N/A info
Non-wire bank transfer info	Yes	No
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Range of investments

Interactive Brokers offers a far wider range of investments than ATFX: 8,500 tradeable symbols versus 150. For currency traders, Interactive Brokers lists 90 forex pairs compared with ATFX’s 44. Unlike ATFX, Interactive Brokers lets clients buy exchange-traded stocks on both U.S. and international exchanges (for example, Apple on NASDAQ and Vodafone in London). Reflecting this breadth, Interactive Brokers earned 5 stars and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers for Range of Investments on ForexBrokers.com, while ATFX holds 3.5 stars and ranks #58.

Both brokers support forex trading (CFD or spot). For crypto access, Interactive Brokers allows buying actual cryptocurrency as well as trading crypto CFDs, whereas ATFX offers crypto only as CFDs. Copy trading is available at ATFX but not at Interactive Brokers. If you want the biggest choice of markets and the ability to buy listed shares across the U.S. and abroad, Interactive Brokers stands out; if you prefer copy trading with a simpler lineup, ATFX may fit.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	8500	150
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	44
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info	Yes	No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info	Yes	No
Copy Trading info	No	Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info	Yes	No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Disclaimers	Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients).	Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients).

Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.

Trading platforms and tools

Interactive Brokers and ATFX both let you practice with a free demo (paper) account and offer desktop and web trading platforms. Interactive Brokers adds a proprietary, in-house platform, while ATFX does not. Both brokers let you place trades directly from charts. If social and copy trading matter to you, ATFX supports copy trading, whereas Interactive Brokers does not.

Platform choice differs too: ATFX supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), while Interactive Brokers does not support either. For overall trading platforms and tools, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, compared with ATFX’s 3.5 stars and a #63 ranking. If you want MetaTrader or copy trading, ATFX has the edge; for in-house tools and higher-rated platform quality, Interactive Brokers stands out.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	Yes
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	No
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	Yes
Web Platform info	Yes	Yes
Copy Trading info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info	No	Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info	155	30
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.

Forex trading apps

Interactive Brokers and ATFX both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, and each supports price alerts for stocks and forex. A key difference is watchlists: Interactive Brokers syncs watchlists between the mobile app and your online account, while ATFX does not, which can matter if you switch devices often.

For charting, Interactive Brokers provides 97 technical studies versus 7 at ATFX. Both let you draw trendlines, but only ATFX auto-saves drawings; Interactive Brokers does not. In ForexBrokers.com’s Mobile Trading Apps category, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers, while ATFX is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #64. If you want deeper chart tools and synced watchlists, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick; if you prefer simpler charts with auto-saved drawings, ATFX may suit you.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Android App info	Yes	Yes
Apple iOS App info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info	Yes	No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info	97	7
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info	No	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

Comparing market research at Interactive Brokers vs ATFX: both brokers provide daily market commentary and an economic calendar to track upcoming events. Interactive Brokers goes further with forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, plus sentiment data that shows the balance of long and short positions. It also features research from Trading Central, TipRanks, and Acuity Trading. ATFX offers Trading Central and Autochartist for chart patterns and trade ideas, but it does not include top-tier forex news or a sentiment tool; support for TipRanks and Acuity Trading is not indicated.

Ratings reflect this gap: Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for Research and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while ATFX holds 3 stars and ranks #55. If you want comprehensive third‑party research, sentiment insights, and premium news, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice. If you value Autochartist alongside standard commentary and a calendar, ATFX can cover the basics.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info	Yes	Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info	Yes	No
Autochartist info	No	Yes
Trading Central info	Yes	Yes
Client sentiment data info	Yes	No
TipRanks info	Yes
Acuity Trading info	Yes
Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

Interactive Brokers vs ATFX for beginner education: Interactive Brokers clearly offers more ways to learn. It runs client webinars at least once a month, provides at least 10 beginner-friendly videos, and also has at least 10 advanced videos for when you’re ready to go deeper. ATFX delivers at least 10 beginner videos too, but it does not host monthly educational webinars and does not reach the same depth for advanced video lessons. If you value live learning and a path from basics to advanced topics, Interactive Brokers has the edge; if you mainly want starter videos, ATFX can cover the essentials.

The difference shows up in third-party scores. Interactive Brokers earns 5 out of 5 stars for Education and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers with ForexBrokers.com. ATFX earns 3 out of 5 stars and ranks #28 out of 63. In short, both can help newcomers get started, but Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick for ongoing education and growing your skills over time.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Webinars info	Yes	No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info	Yes	No

Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.

Winner

After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Interactive Brokers is better than ATFX. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while ATFX finished with an overall rank of #51.

Interactive Brokers is a highly trusted multi-asset broker with an extensive offering of tradeable global markets. It delivers competitive fees and high-quality research and education, as well as a modern, institutional-grade trading platform suite.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Overall Rating info
Trust Score info	99	85
Range of Investments
Commissions & Fees
Platforms & Tools
Research
Mobile Trading
Education

FAQs

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Overall Rating	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	85
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review

Broker Screenshots	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info

Regulation	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Trust Score info	99	85
Year Founded info	1977	2017
Publicly Traded (Listed) info	Yes	No
Bank info	No	No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info	Yes info	Yes info
Tier-1 Licenses info	9	4
Tier-2 Licenses info	2	2
Tier-3 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-4 Licenses info	0	1

Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted)	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info	Yes	Yes
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info	Yes	No
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info	Yes	Yes
Japan (SFC Authorised) info	Yes	No
Singapore (MAS Authorised) info	Yes	No
Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) info	Yes
United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) info	Yes	Yes
USA (CFTC Authorized) info	Yes	No
New Zealand (FMA Authorised) info	No	No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info	Yes info	Yes info

Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted)	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info
Israel (ISA Authorised) info	No	No
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info	No	Yes
UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) info	Yes	Yes info
India (SEBI Authorised) info	Yes	No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info		No

Investments	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	8500	150
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	44
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info	Yes	No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info	Yes	No
Copy Trading info	No	Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info	Yes	No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Disclaimers	Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients).	Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients).

Cost	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info	0.59 info	N/A info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	0.65 info	N/A info
Inactivity Fee info	No	No
Order execution: Agency info	Yes	No
Order execution: Market Maker info	No	Yes

Funding	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$500
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info	Yes
Non-wire bank transfer info	Yes	No

Trading Platforms	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	No
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	Yes
Web Platform info	Yes	Yes
Copy Trading info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info	No	Yes
cTrader info	No	No

Trading Tools	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	Yes
Price Alerts info	Yes	Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info	155	30
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes
Charts can be saved info	Yes	Yes

Mobile Trading	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Android App info	Yes	Yes
Apple iOS App info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] info
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info	Yes	No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info	97	7
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info	No	Yes
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Research	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info	Yes	Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info	Yes	No
Autochartist info	No	Yes
Trading Central info	Yes	Yes
TipRanks info	Yes
Client sentiment data info	Yes	No
Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Education	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Webinars info	Yes	No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info	Yes	No

Major Forex Pairs	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
GBP/USD [DELETED] info
USD/JPY [DELETED] info
EUR/USD info	Yes	Yes
USD/CHF [DELETED] info
USD/CAD [DELETED] info
NZD/USD [DELETED] info
AUD/USD [DELETED] info
Review	Interactive Brokers Review

Overall	Interactive Brokers	ATFX
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	85
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review