Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs BlackBull Markets, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
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When comparing Interactive Brokers and BlackBull Markets, regulatory information plays a crucial role. Founded in 1977, Interactive Brokers holds a top-tier Trust Score of 99 out of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, showcasing high trust and credibility. As a publicly traded company, Interactive Brokers boasts 9 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses, reinforcing its strong regulatory standing. Despite not being a bank, Interactive Brokers' extensive licensing provides clients with confidence in its security and reliability.
In contrast, BlackBull Markets, established in 2014, holds a Trust Score rating of 78 from ForexBrokers.com, indicating an average risk level. While it is not publicly traded, BlackBull Markets operates under 1 Tier-1 license and does not have any Tier-2 licenses. Like Interactive Brokers, it is not a bank, but its fewer licenses and lower trust score suggest a different level of regulatory assurance compared to its competitor. This distinction helps potential investors understand the varying degrees of safety and trust these brokers offer.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
BlackBull Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2014 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 9 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
Interactive Brokers earns 5/5 stars and ranks #2 of 63 for Commissions and Fees, while BlackBull Markets scores 4.5/5 stars and ranks #19 of 63. On EUR/USD, our Q3 2024 data shows Interactive Brokers with a 0.19‑pip average spread and an estimated 0.59‑pip all‑in cost after commission. BlackBull’s Prime account averaged a 0.16‑pip spread in March 2024, but with commission its all‑in came to about 0.76 pips. In short, IBKR tends to be cheaper on an all‑in basis for typical lot sizes, especially for active traders.
Interactive Brokers uses an agency, commission‑based model, aggregating quotes from 17 major FX dealers and charging instead of marking up the spread. Commissions start at 0.00002 of trade value (0.2 bps) per side with a $2 minimum per order ($4 round turn), roughly $16–$40 per million round turn, with discounts for larger monthly volumes (as low as 0.08 bps and $1–$1.50 minimums for very high activity). Note: the $2 per‑side minimum makes sub‑100k trades proportionally more expensive, but for a standard $100,000 EUR/USD trade the commission works out to about 0.40 pips added to the prevailing spread, producing that 0.59‑pip all‑in figure in our testing period.
BlackBull Markets’ costs vary by account. The Standard account is commission‑free with higher spreads and no minimum deposit. The Prime account requires $2,000 and charges $3 per side ($6 round turn) with tighter spreads; its recent EUR/USD average was 0.16 pips and about 0.76 pips all‑in. The ECN Institutional tier needs $20,000 and lowers commission to $2 per side ($4 round turn). For traders who want zero commissions and a small initial deposit, Standard is the simplest path, but for lower all‑in pricing on larger or more frequent trades, IBKR generally has the edge.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
BlackBull Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.59 | 0.71 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | 0.71 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Interactive Brokers vs BlackBull Markets: both brokers cover a wide range of investments, including forex (available via CFDs or spot), and let you buy exchange-traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges. Interactive Brokers lists about 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, supports both crypto CFDs and the ability to buy actual cryptocurrency, and does not offer copy trading. BlackBull Markets offers a much larger catalog with roughly 26,000 symbols and 72 forex pairs, provides crypto CFDs (but not delivered crypto), and includes copy trading.
Both earn 5 out of 5 stars for Range of Investments, though ForexBrokers.com ranks Interactive Brokers #1 out of 63 brokers and BlackBull Markets #6. Choose BlackBull if you want lots of symbols and copy trading; choose Interactive Brokers if access to real crypto and a top-ranked all-around product matters more.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
BlackBull Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 26000 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 72 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| 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 and BlackBull Markets both check core boxes for traders: each offers a free demo (paper trading), a web platform, a Windows desktop platform, and the ability to place trades directly from charts. The key split is platform choice. Interactive Brokers provides its own in-house platform alongside its web tools, while BlackBull Markets leans on MetaTrader, offering both MT4 and MT5. If you want copy trading, BlackBull supports it; Interactive Brokers does not.
For trading platforms and tools, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers at 5 stars and ranks it #3 out of 63 brokers, while BlackBull Markets earns 4 stars and ranks #31. In short, Interactive Brokers suits traders who want a proprietary platform with wide tool coverage, whereas BlackBull Markets is a good fit if you prefer MT4/MT5 and copy trading options.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
BlackBull Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 109 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Interactive Brokers and BlackBull Markets both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts, synced watchlists across devices, and the ability to draw trendlines on stock and forex charts—handy for tracking levels on the go. If you want basic essentials covered, both apps deliver.
For charting depth, Interactive Brokers stands out with 97 technical studies compared with BlackBull’s 30. However, BlackBull’s app auto-saves your chart drawings, while Interactive Brokers does not. According to ForexBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps, whereas BlackBull Markets earns 4 stars and ranks #33. Traders who value a wider set of indicators may prefer Interactive Brokers, while those who want drawings to save automatically may lean toward BlackBull.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
BlackBull Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 97 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Interactive Brokers and BlackBull Markets both provide daily market commentary and economic calendars, but there are notable differences in their research offerings. Interactive Brokers stands out with its access to forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, whereas BlackBull Markets does not provide such premium news sources. For traders who rely on technical analysis, BlackBull Markets offers tools from Autochartist, while Interactive Brokers offers tools from Trading Central. Both brokers provide sentiment-based trading tools to assist traders in making informed decisions.
The research capabilities of Interactive Brokers are comprehensive, with additional resources like TipRanks and Acuity Trading, which are not available at BlackBull Markets. As a result, Interactive Brokers has earned a higher research rating of 5 stars and is ranked #3 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. In comparison, BlackBull Markets holds a solid 4-star rating and is ranked #18, making it a respectable choice but less extensive in research tools compared to Interactive Brokers.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
BlackBull Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Interactive Brokers and BlackBull Markets both give beginners a strong start. Each offers at least 10 beginner trading videos and runs monthly client webinars, and both also provide 10+ advanced videos for when you’re ready to go further. Where they differ is overall quality and recognition: Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for Education and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while BlackBull Markets holds 4 stars and ranks #29. If you want the best-rated learning experience, Interactive Brokers takes the lead; BlackBull still delivers helpful training for new traders.
Regarding forex- and CFD-focused education specifically, the information provided here doesn’t confirm whether either broker publishes 10 or more lessons dedicated only to forex or CFDs. Even so, the large video libraries and monthly webinars mean beginners have plenty of material to learn the basics and build skills over time. Choose Interactive Brokers if top ratings and a higher ranking matter most; pick BlackBull Markets if you’re fine with a slightly lighter lineup that still includes frequent webinars and lots of videos.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
BlackBull Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
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 BlackBull Markets. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while BlackBull Markets finished with an overall rank of #24.
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
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BlackBull Markets
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| Trust Score | 99 | 78 |
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Interactive Brokers vs. BlackBull Markets: Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency and trade cryptocurrency CFDs, whereas BlackBull Markets offers only cryptocurrency CFDs and not delivered crypto.
Comparing deposit and withdrawal methods, Interactive Brokers offers ACH/SEPA and bank wire transfers but not PayPal or Skrill, while BlackBull Markets supports Skrill and bank wire transfers but not ACH/SEPA or PayPal; Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either.
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 | BlackBull Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 78 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | BlackBull Markets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | BlackBull Markets | |
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| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | BlackBull Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 78 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2014 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 9 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | BlackBull Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | BlackBull Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | BlackBull Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 26000 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 72 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | BlackBull Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.59 | 0.71 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | 0.71 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | BlackBull Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | BlackBull Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | Yes |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | BlackBull Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 109 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | BlackBull Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 97 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | BlackBull Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | BlackBull Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | BlackBull Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
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| Trust Score | 99 | 78 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | BlackBull Markets Review |
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