Interactive Brokers vs BDSwiss 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

Founded in 1977, Interactive Brokers has established itself as a highly reliable online broker with a Trust Score of 99 out of 99 from ForexBrokers.com. This public company holds an impressive nine Tier-1 licenses, adding to its reputation for high trustworthiness and compliance with top-tier regulations. Despite not being a bank, Interactive Brokers operates with a high level of confidence and security for its clients.

BDSwiss, on the other hand, entered the market in 2012 and has garnered an average Trust Score of 73 out of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com. It holds one Tier-1 license, which indicates a level of trust, but might not match the regulatory clout of its competitors. Privately held and not a bank, BDSwiss serves its clients with a focus on essential regulatory standards, but potential investors might consider their regulatory positioning when choosing between these two brokers.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
Year Founded info	1977	2012
Publicly Traded (Listed) info	Yes	No
Bank info	No	No
Tier-1 Licenses info	9	1
Tier-2 Licenses info	2	0
Tier-3 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-4 Licenses info	0	2

Fees

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) earns 5 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #2 of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com. BDSwiss scores 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #31. Both support forex, but their pricing models differ: IBKR pairs tight raw spreads with a commission, while BDSwiss relies more on spread-based pricing (with a commission on its Raw account).

At IBKR, average EUR/USD spreads observed in Q3 2024 were 0.19 pips, or about 0.59 pips all-in after commission. Forex commissions start at 0.00002 (0.2 basis points) of the USD trade value per side with a $2 minimum per order ($4 round turn), roughly 0.40 pips for a $100,000 trade. That works out to about $16–$40 per million round turn, with volume discounts available ($2 minimum drops to $1.50 when monthly volume exceeds $1B, and to $1 at $5B+). IBKR aggregates quotes from 17 major interbank dealers and charges a commission instead of marking up the spread; smaller trade sizes feel the $2 minimum more, and IBKR Lite and Pro are not commission-free for forex. Large tickets can be handled via RFQ to help reduce market impact.

BDSwiss lists a 1.5-pip EUR/USD spread on its Classic account. The Raw account quotes 0.3 pips plus a $5 commission per side (about a 1.3-pip effective total), while the VIP account is about 1.2 pips. Execution stats are solid, but spreads are generally higher than top low-cost brokers. For traders seeking the lowest all-in costs on standard-lot forex trades, IBKR’s commission model and tighter average pricing tend to be cheaper; BDSwiss can still appeal if you prefer its platform lineup and account options.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$10-$5000 info
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info	0.59 info	1.6 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	0.65 info	1.3 info
Non-wire bank transfer info	Yes	Yes
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 BDSwiss. IB lists about 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, while BDSwiss has roughly 1,081 symbols and 53 pairs. Both support forex trading via CFDs or spot. A key difference is stock access: Interactive Brokers lets you buy real, exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges (for example, Apple on NASDAQ or Vodafone in London), whereas BDSwiss does not offer real shares and focuses on CFDs. For crypto, IB supports both actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies and crypto CFDs, while BDSwiss offers crypto only as CFDs. If you want copy trading, BDSwiss has it; Interactive Brokers does not.

These differences are reflected in independent ratings: Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers for Range of Investments at ForexBrokers.com, while BDSwiss earns 4 stars and ranks #35. Choose Interactive Brokers if you want the broadest market access and the ability to own real shares and cryptocurrencies; pick BDSwiss if you prefer a CFD-centered setup with the option to copy trade.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	8500	1081
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	53
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 BDSwiss both cover the essentials for trading platforms and tools. Each broker offers a free paper trading (demo) account, an in-house proprietary platform, a Windows desktop download, a web-based platform, and the ability to place orders directly from charts. That means you can practice first, then trade from either your browser or desktop with familiar workflows.

The biggest differences are copy trading and MetaTrader. BDSwiss supports copy trading and offers MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, while Interactive Brokers does not. For overall platform quality, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools at ForexBrokers.com, compared with BDSwiss at 4 stars and #24. Choose BDSwiss if you want MT4/MT5 or copy trading, or go with Interactive Brokers if you prioritize a higher-rated platform experience.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	Yes
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	Yes
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 BDSwiss both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, and each supports price alerts for stocks and forex. A key difference is watchlist syncing: Interactive Brokers syncs symbols between the mobile app and your online account, while BDSwiss does not. For charting, Interactive Brokers includes 97 technical studies compared with 30 at BDSwiss. Both apps let you draw trendlines, but only BDSwiss automatically saves your drawings; Interactive Brokers does not auto-save them.

In expert reviews, Interactive Brokers’ mobile app earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps at ForexBrokers.com, while BDSwiss earns 4 stars and ranks #24. Choose Interactive Brokers if you want deeper chart tools and synced watchlists across devices. Pick BDSwiss if automatic saving of chart drawings matters more and you’re comfortable with a simpler set of indicators. Both apps cover the essentials, including iPhone and Android support and price alerts.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
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	30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info	No	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

Interactive Brokers and BDSwiss offer daily market commentary to keep traders informed about market movements. While both brokers provide this feature, Interactive Brokers extends its market research offerings by including forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. This sets Interactive Brokers apart from BDSwiss, which does not offer this level of news coverage. Additionally, both brokers incorporate tools from Trading Central, but Interactive Brokers further enhances its offerings with sentiment-based trading tools and research from TipRanks and Acuity Trading. These features contribute to Interactive Brokers' higher ranking and research rating compared to BDSwiss.

In terms of technical analysis tools, BDSwiss offers resources from Autochartist, unlike Interactive Brokers. However, when it comes to the comprehensive scope of research tools, Interactive Brokers emerges as the stronger contender, securing a 5-star rating and a third-place rank in the Research category by ForexBrokers.com. BDSwiss, while competent with a 4-star rating and ranked 24th, does not provide the same breadth of tools and third-party research integration. Both platforms feature an economic calendar to track global economic events, ensuring traders stay updated on key market influences. However, the additional tools and higher quality of news sources provided by Interactive Brokers establish it as a more resource-rich option for market research.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
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	No
Acuity Trading info	Yes	No
Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

Interactive Brokers and BDSwiss both offer education for forex and CFD traders. Beginners can join ongoing client webinars (at least monthly) and watch large video libraries: each broker provides 10+ beginner videos and 10+ advanced videos. On quality, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars for Education and ranks it #3 out of 63 brokers, while BDSwiss earns 4 stars and ranks #22.

If you’re just starting out, Interactive Brokers stands out for its higher-rated learning experience, while BDSwiss still delivers helpful webinars and videos that explain key trading ideas in clear, simple terms. Choose Interactive Brokers if you want the highest-ranked education package; pick BDSwiss if you’re after a straightforward path with solid materials for learning forex and CFDs.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
Webinars info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info	Yes	Yes

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 BDSwiss. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while BDSwiss finished with an overall rank of #36.

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	BDSwiss
Overall Rating info
Trust Score info	99	73
Range of Investments
Commissions & Fees
Platforms & Tools
Research
Mobile Trading
Education

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or BDSwiss?

What funding options does each broker offer?

×

×

Sponsored

+ Add Broker

Close Menu ×

navigate_before navigate_next

Overall Rating	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	73
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review	BDSwiss Review

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

Regulation	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
Trust Score info	99	73
Year Founded info	1977	2012
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	1
Tier-2 Licenses info	2	0
Tier-3 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-4 Licenses info	0	2

Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted)	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info	Yes	No
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info	Yes	No
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info	Yes	No
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	BDSwiss
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info
Israel (ISA Authorised) info	No	No
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info	No	No
UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) info	Yes	Yes info
India (SEBI Authorised) info	Yes	No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info

Investments	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	8500	1081
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	53
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	BDSwiss
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info	0.59 info	1.6 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	0.65 info	1.3 info
Inactivity Fee info	No	Yes
Order execution: Agency info	Yes	Yes
Order execution: Market Maker info	No	No

Funding	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$10-$5000 info
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info	Yes
Non-wire bank transfer info	Yes	Yes

Trading Platforms	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	Yes
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	BDSwiss
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	BDSwiss
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	30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info	No	Yes
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Research	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
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	No
Client sentiment data info	Yes	No
Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Education	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
Webinars info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info	Yes	Yes

Major Forex Pairs	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
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	BDSwiss Review

Overall	Interactive Brokers	BDSwiss
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	73
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review	BDSwiss Review