Interactive Brokers vs Earn 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

Interactive Brokers, founded in 1977, holds the top spot in terms of trustworthiness with a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99, indicating it is highly trusted. This online broker is publicly traded, enhancing transparency for its clientele. Although not a bank, Interactive Brokers boasts an array of licenses, with 9 Tier-1 highly trusted licenses and 2 Tier-2 trusted licenses, which contribute to its solid reputation in the financial sector.

Founded in 1994, Earn is an online broker that operates with significantly fewer regulatory credentials, holding a single Tier-1 license. It has a Trust Score of 71, categorizing it as an average-risk broker according to ForexBrokers.com. Unlike Interactive Brokers, Earn is not listed on a stock exchange, which may be a consideration for some investors associated with transparency and accountability concerns. Both Interactive Brokers and Earn are not banks, focusing solely on brokerage services.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Earn
Year Founded info	1977	1994
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	0

Fees

When comparing the commissions and fees of Interactive Brokers and Earn, Interactive Brokers stands out as a competitive option for forex trading. Despite the absence of published average spreads for forex, the EUR/USD average spread during Q3 2024 was recorded at 0.19 pips, resulting in an effective all-in spread of 0.59 pips after commission. Interactive Brokers charges commissions starting at 0.2 basis points of the U.S. dollar trade value, with a minimum of $2 per order. These fees can be reduced further for exceptionally active traders. Notably, a transaction involving $100,000 worth of EUR/USD would equate to an additional 0.40 pips in commissions on top of any prevailing spreads, positioning Interactive Brokers' rates as favorable in the forex trading landscape.

Interactive Brokers employs a commission-based model for forex by aggregating prices from multiple interbank forex dealers rather than marking up spreads. Their charges can range from $16 to $40 per million round turn, which is comparable to other brokers offering similar execution services. Active traders benefit from potential discounts when certain monthly trading volumes are reached, with the possibility of reducing the minimum charge to as low as $1 per order. Such incentives, combined with their methodology to minimize market impact, make them a strong contender in the competitive forex trading space.

In terms of rankings and ratings, Interactive Brokers receives a perfect 5-star rating for commissions and fees, placing them at #2 out of 63 brokers evaluated by ForexBrokers.com. Conversely, Earn, which does not provide average spread data, receives a slightly lower rating of 4 stars and is ranked #46 in the same category. This comparison underscores Interactive Brokers as a top choice for those seeking competitive pricing and efficient execution in forex trading.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Earn
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$100
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard info	0.59 info	N/A
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	0.65 info	N/A
Non-wire bank transfer info	Yes	No
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Range of investments

Interactive Brokers vs. Earn: both let you trade forex either as CFDs (contracts for difference) or as spot. That’s where the similarities mostly end. Interactive Brokers lists about 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, while Earn offers roughly 500 symbols and 61 pairs. Interactive Brokers also lets you buy exchange‑traded shares on U.S. and international exchanges (think Apple on NASDAQ or Vodafone in London); Earn does not offer exchange‑traded stocks. For crypto, Interactive Brokers supports both actual, delivered coins and crypto derivatives; Earn supports crypto derivatives but not actual coins.

Feature-wise, Earn includes copy trading, whereas Interactive Brokers does not. For Range of Investments, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers at 5 stars and ranks it #1 out of 63 brokers; Earn earns 3.5 stars and ranks #46. If you want the widest selection across asset classes, Interactive Brokers stands out. If copy trading is a priority and you’re fine with a smaller lineup, Earn could fit the bill.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Earn
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	8500	500
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	61
U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) info	Yes	No
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) info	Yes	No
Social Trading / Copy Trading info	No	Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info	Yes	No
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) 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 vs. Earn: Both brokers offer free paper trading (virtual demo accounts), Windows desktop and web-based platforms, and the ability to place trades directly from charts. Interactive Brokers provides a proprietary, in-house platform, while Earn does not. Instead, Earn supports third-party platforms, including MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). If you want copy trading, Earn has it; Interactive Brokers does not.

For Trading Platforms and Tools, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Earn holds 4 stars and ranks #52. In short: pick Interactive Brokers if you want an in-house platform with top-rated tools, or choose Earn if MT4/MT5 and copy trading are priorities.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Earn
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	Yes
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	No
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	Yes
Web Platform info	Yes	Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info	No	Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info	155	35
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes

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

Forex trading apps

Interactive Brokers and Earn both offer iPhone and Android trading apps with price alerts, trendline drawing, and watchlists with real-time quotes. Interactive Brokers delivers far more technical studies in its mobile charts (97 vs. 35). If you manage watchlists across devices, Interactive Brokers syncs mobile watchlists with your online account, while Earn does not. By contrast, Earn auto-saves chart drawings, whereas Interactive Brokers does not.

For overall quality, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps at ForexBrokers.com. Earn is rated 4 stars and ranks #28 out of 63. Choose Interactive Brokers for richer chart tools and seamless watchlist syncing, or pick Earn if auto-saving your drawings matters most.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Earn
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	35
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info	No	Yes
Mobile Watchlist info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

Interactive Brokers and Earn both cover the essentials for market research: each provides daily market commentary, top-tier forex news (from sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones), and a global economic calendar. Neither broker includes Autochartist. Where they differ is in added tools. Interactive Brokers offers Trading Central analytics, a sentiment tool that shows long/short positioning, plus research from TipRanks and resources from Acuity Trading. Earn does not include Trading Central or a sentiment tool, and its access to TipRanks and Acuity Trading isn’t specified.

Independent ratings reflect this gap. For research quality, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Earn holds 3.5 stars and ranks #39. If you want deeper, built-in research and trading signals, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice; if you just need news, commentary, and a calendar, Earn covers the basics.

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

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

Comparing education for beginner traders, Interactive Brokers stands out. It runs client webinars at least once a month and offers at least 10 beginner videos plus at least 10 advanced videos, giving newcomers a clear path from basics to more complex strategies. Earn does not host monthly webinars and does not meet the 10-video mark for beginner or advanced topics. Independent ratings reflect this gap: ForexBrokers.com gives Interactive Brokers 5 stars and ranks it #3 out of 63 brokers for Education, while Earn is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #63.

Some details are not confirmed for either broker, including whether they provide 10+ dedicated forex or CFD education pieces, a searchable archive of past webinars, or an investor dictionary with 50+ terms. If you want ongoing live sessions and a fuller lineup of video tutorials, Interactive Brokers is likely the better fit. If you only need light learning materials and plan to learn elsewhere, Earn may still work.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Earn
Webinars info	Yes	No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	No
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 Earn. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Earn finished with an overall rank of #50.

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	Earn
Overall Rating info
Trust Score info	99	71
Range of Investments
Commissions & Fees
Platforms & Tools
Research
Mobile Trading
Education

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or Earn?

What funding options does each broker offer?

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Overall Rating	Interactive Brokers	Earn
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	71
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review

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

Regulation	Interactive Brokers	Earn
Trust Score info	99	71
Year Founded info	1977	1994
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	0

Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted)	Interactive Brokers	Earn
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	No
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	Earn
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	No
India (SEBI Authorised) info	Yes	No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info

Investments	Interactive Brokers	Earn
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	8500	500
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	61
U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) info	Yes	No
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) info	Yes	No
Social Trading / Copy Trading info	No	Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info	Yes	No
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) 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	Earn
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard info	0.59 info	N/A
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	0.65 info	N/A
Inactivity Fee info	No	No
Order execution: Agency info	Yes	No
Order execution: Market Maker info	No	Yes

Funding	Interactive Brokers	Earn
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$100
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info	Yes	Yes
Non-wire bank transfer info	Yes	No

Trading Platforms	Interactive Brokers	Earn
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	No
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	Yes
Web Platform info	Yes	Yes
Social Trading / 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	Earn
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	Yes
Price Alerts info	Yes	Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info	155	35
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes
Charts can be saved info	Yes	Yes

Mobile Trading	Interactive Brokers	Earn
Android App info	Yes	Yes
Apple iOS App info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Watchlist info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info	Yes	No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info	97	35
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info	No	Yes
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

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

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

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

Overall	Interactive Brokers	Earn
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	71
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review