Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Axi, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
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Interactive Brokers, established in 1977, and Axi, founded in 2007, are prominent names in the online brokerage industry. Interactive Brokers is a publicly traded company, while Axi is privately owned. Both are non-banking financial institutions. When considering regulatory credentials, Interactive Brokers holds 9 Tier-1 licenses, making it highly trusted according to ForexBrokers.com's rating system. Axi, on the other hand, holds 2 Tier-1 licenses, signaling a respectable level of trust.
In addition to their top-tier licenses, Interactive Brokers also possesses 2 Tier-2 licenses, compared to Axi's single Tier-2 license, further underscoring Interactive Brokers' solid regulatory standing. This focus on regulatory compliance is reflected in their ForexBrokers.com Trust Score rating, where Interactive Brokers scores a near-perfect 99, indicating a high level of trust. In contrast, Axi receives a Trust Score of 82, placing it in the trusted category but slightly behind its counterpart in terms of perceived reliability.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Axi
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2007 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 9 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
Interactive Brokers stands out for its competitive pricing structure, especially for active forex traders. With a commission model that starts at 0.00002 of the U.S. dollar trade value, Interactive Brokers offers flexibility in fees that can attract significant cost savings for heavy traders. The overall commission per side may decrease to as low as 0.08 basis points for exceptionally active users. While the average spreads are not published, the broker provided spreads of 0.19 pips for EUR/USD during Q3 2024, resulting in an all-in spread of 0.59 pips after commission. Interactive Brokers earns a high rating of 5 stars, securing the #2 rank out of 63 brokers in the Commissions and Fees category by ForexBrokers.com.
In contrast, Axi is more modest in its offering without available average spreads data for a direct comparison. Although rated favorably with 4 stars in the same category, Axi falls short of matching Interactive Brokers' top-tier competitiveness as it ranks #44 out of 63 brokers. Despite this, Axi still provides a viable trading environment for traders who are looking for a straightforward fee structure without delving into the complexities that often accompany commission-based models, such as the intricate pricing tiers seen with Interactive Brokers.
Choosing between Interactive Brokers and Axi largely depends on your trade volume and complexity needs. Interactive Brokers is highly appealing for those who trade large volumes and are adept at maximizing cost-efficiencies through its tiered commission model. Axi, while not as high-performing in ranking, could suit traders who prefer simplicity over potentially intricate cost structures. Ultimately, Interactive Brokers excels in offering potentially lower costs through strategic trading volumes, making it a prime choice for experienced and active forex traders.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Axi
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.59 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Interactive Brokers vs Axi: For range of investments, Interactive Brokers offers far more markets to choose from, with 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, compared with Axi’s 175 symbols and 65 forex pairs. Both support forex trading as CFDs or spot. Interactive Brokers also lets you buy exchange-traded stocks on U.S. and international exchanges (think Apple on NASDAQ or Vodafone in London), while Axi does not offer real share dealing. For crypto, both provide cryptocurrency CFDs, but only Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual crypto. If you want copy trading, Axi includes it, whereas Interactive Brokers does not.
Independent ratings reflect this gap: ForexBrokers.com gives Interactive Brokers 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks it #1 out of 63 brokers, while Axi earns 3.5 stars and ranks #57. In short, Interactive Brokers suits investors seeking the widest market access across stocks, forex, and crypto, while Axi may fit traders who prefer a CFD-focused lineup with the option to copy trade.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Axi
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 175 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 65 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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.
Interactive Brokers vs Axi for trading platforms and tools: both brokers provide free paper (demo) accounts, Windows desktop software, web-based platforms, and the ability to trade directly from charts. Interactive Brokers offers its own proprietary platform, while Axi does not. If you want copy trading or MetaTrader 4 (MT4), Axi is the pick; neither broker supports MetaTrader 5 (MT5).
For overall platform quality, Interactive Brokers leads the way with a 5-star rating and a 3rd-place ranking for Trading Platforms and Tools from ForexBrokers.com. Axi holds a 3.5-star rating and ranks 64th. Choose Axi if MT4 or copy trading is essential; choose Interactive Brokers if you want an in-house platform and top-rated tools alongside free demo trading.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Axi
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Interactive Brokers and Axi both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, and each supports price alerts to help you track stocks and forex. The key difference is watchlists: Interactive Brokers syncs your watchlist between the mobile app and your online account, while Axi does not. If you like making changes on the go and seeing them everywhere, Interactive Brokers has the edge.
For charting, Interactive Brokers includes 97 technical studies compared with Axi’s 30. Both apps let you draw trendlines, but neither auto-saves your drawings. In independent testing, Interactive Brokers earned 5 stars and ranked #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps, while Axi received 3.5 stars and ranked #60. If you want deeper indicators and seamless watchlist syncing, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick; Axi can work for simpler needs.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Axi
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 97 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Interactive Brokers vs Axi: for market research, Interactive Brokers takes the lead. IB supplies daily market commentary (Axi does not), real-time forex news from major sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones (both do), and an economic calendar (both do). Independent testing rates IB 5 out of 5 stars for Research and ranks it #3 of 63 brokers, while Axi earns 3 out of 5 stars and ranks #56 of 63.
Tool selection also favors Interactive Brokers. IB offers Trading Central analytics, a sentiment tool showing long/short positioning, plus research from TipRanks and Acuity Trading (Signal Centre). Axi counters with Autochartist and its own sentiment tool, along with premium forex news, but it does not advertise integrations with TipRanks or Acuity Trading. If you want deeper third‑party research suites and in-house commentary, Interactive Brokers is stronger; if you primarily want Autochartist signals with headline news and a calendar, Axi covers the basics.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Axi
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Interactive Brokers and Axi both support beginners with ongoing learning: each hosts online client webinars at least once a month and offers 10 or more beginner-friendly videos that cover core trading topics. Interactive Brokers goes further with a sizeable library of advanced videos to help you keep progressing, while Axi does not offer the same depth at the advanced level.
Independent ratings reflect this gap. For education, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Axi receives 3 stars and ranks #27. If you want a clearer path from beginner basics to more advanced skills, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice; if you mainly need starter videos and regular webinars, Axi can cover the essentials.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Axi
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Interactive Brokers is better than Axi. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Axi finished with an overall rank of #49.
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 |
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Axi
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| Trust Score | 99 | 82 |
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In the Interactive Brokers vs Axi comparison, Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency and trade cryptocurrency CFDs, while Axi offers only cryptocurrency CFDs and does not support purchasing the underlying coins.
Interactive Brokers supports ACH/SEPA and bank wire deposits and withdrawals and does not support PayPal or Skrill (Visa/Mastercard not specified), whereas Axi does not support ACH/SEPA and its support for PayPal, Skrill, Visa/Mastercard, and bank wires is not specified.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | Axi | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 82 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Axi | |
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| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 82 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2007 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 9 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 175 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 65 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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 | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.59 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | ||
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | ||
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 97 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | ||
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | Axi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | Axi | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 82 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review |
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