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Interactive Brokers vs Exness 2026

ForexBrokers.com

Written by ForexBrokers.com

February 05, 2025

In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Exness, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.

Interactive Brokers
5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0
  • Trust Score: 99
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 8500
Exness
4.0/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $10 info
  • Trust Score: 80
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 209

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 earns a 99/99 Trust Score from ForexBrokers.com, placing it in the highly trusted range (90–99). Exness scores 80/99, which ForexBrokers.com classifies as trusted (80–89). For context, 70–79 is average risk, 60–69 high risk, and under 59 should not be trusted.

Interactive Brokers, founded in 1977, is publicly traded and not a bank; it holds 8 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses (Tier-1 is considered highly trusted and Tier-2 trusted by ForexBrokers.com). Exness, founded in 2008, is not publicly traded and not a bank; it holds 2 Tier-1 licenses and 3 Tier-2 licenses.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Exness logoExness
Year Founded info 1977 2008
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes No
Bank info No No
Tier-1 Licenses info 8 2
Tier-2 Licenses info 2 3
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 3

Fees

Interactive Brokers and Exness both target traders who care about low costs, but they go about pricing differently. Interactive Brokers earns 5/5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #2 out of 63 brokers, while Exness earns 4/5 stars and ranks #31 out of 63. In general, Interactive Brokers tends to be cheaper for standard-lot forex trading and high-volume activity, whereas Exness offers a wider choice of account types that can suit different trade sizes and preferences.

Interactive Brokers uses agency pricing with no spread markups and charges a commission on each trade. In Q3 2024, we observed an average EUR/USD spread of 0.19 pips at IBKR, with an effective all-in cost of about 0.59 pips after commission. Commissions typically run $16–$40 per million round turn ($8–$20 per side) with a $2 minimum per order ($4 round trip). On a $100,000 EUR/USD trade, the commission works out to roughly 0.40 pips, which is competitive. Note that the $2-per-side minimum makes sub-100k trades proportionally pricier, but active traders can unlock volume discounts that cut the minimum to $1.50—and even $1—per order.

Exness structures pricing by account type. Standard Cent and Standard accounts are commission-free with higher spreads, while the Pro account is also commission-free but with lower spreads and the choice of instant or market execution. If you want tighter spreads, the Zero Spread account charges a $0.05 per-trade commission with market execution (30% margin-call level), and the Raw account charges up to $7 per round-turn lot ($3.50 per side) with low spreads. In short, Exness offers flexibility across account types, whereas Interactive Brokers delivers very sharp all-in costs for larger or more active forex traders.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Exness logoExness
Minimum Deposit info $0 $10 info
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info 0.226 info N/A
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.226 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.

Featured Offers


Range of investments

Interactive Brokers vs Exness: when it comes to range of investments, the difference is clear. Interactive Brokers offers about 8,500 tradeable symbols, including 90 forex pairs, and lets you buy exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges (such as Apple or Vodafone). Exness lists about 209 symbols with 96 forex pairs and centers on CFD-based trading. Both brokers support forex trading as spot or CFDs, depending on the product.

Crypto and social features also set them apart. Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual cryptocurrency, but it does not offer crypto CFDs or copy trading. Exness offers crypto via CFDs and supports copy trading, but it doesn’t provide delivered crypto or access to exchange-traded stocks. For range of investments, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5/5 stars and ranks it #1 of 63 brokers; Exness earns 3.5/5 stars and ranks #34.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Exness logoExness
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 8500 209
Forex Pairs (Total) info 90 96
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 No 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 Exness: both brokers offer free paper trading demo accounts, proprietary (in-house) platforms, Windows desktop downloads, web-based platforms, and the ability to place trades directly from charts. In independent testing by ForexBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #2 out of 63 for Trading Platforms and Tools, while Exness earns 4 stars and ranks #15.

The biggest differences are features many forex traders care about. Exness supports copy trading and offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). Interactive Brokers does not support copy trading or MT4/MT5, but its in-house platform is packed with tools and is popular with active traders. Choose Exness if you want MetaTrader or social/copy features. Pick Interactive Brokers if you want a top-rated platform suite with chart trading on desktop and web plus a free demo.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Exness logoExness
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 155 107
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes

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

Forex trading apps

Interactive Brokers and Exness both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, and each supports stock and forex price alerts. A key difference is watchlist syncing: Interactive Brokers syncs watchlists across mobile and web so changes carry over, while Exness does not.

For charting, Interactive Brokers includes 155 technical studies compared with 35 at Exness. Both let you draw trendlines, but neither app auto-saves drawings. In independent reviews, Interactive Brokers earned 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps on ForexBrokers.com, while Exness holds 4 stars and ranks #18. If you want deeper research tools and account sync across devices, Interactive Brokers stands out; if you need the basics with alerts on both platforms, Exness covers that well.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Exness logoExness
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 155 35
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info No No

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

Interactive Brokers and Exness both deliver daily market commentary and forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones. Each broker offers Trading Central for technical analysis, a sentiment tool showing long/short positioning, and a global economic calendar. Neither provides Autochartist.

The key differences come from extra third-party research. Interactive Brokers includes TipRanks and Acuity Trading (e.g., Signal Centre), while Exness does not. As a result, Interactive Brokers holds a 5-star Research rating and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com; Exness earns 3.5 stars and ranks #31. Choose Interactive Brokers for wider, data-driven research; pick Exness if you mainly want the core essentials.

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

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

Comparing education for beginners, Interactive Brokers and Exness both make it easy to get started. Each broker runs ongoing client webinars (at least monthly) and offers a sizeable video library that includes at least 10 beginner-focused videos, plus 10 or more advanced videos for when you’re ready to level up. That mix of live sessions and on-demand lessons helps new traders learn at their own pace and revisit key topics as needed.

Where they differ is quality and depth as recognized by third-party reviews. ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars for Education and ranks it #1 out of 63 brokers, while Exness earns 3.5 stars and ranks #21. If you want the highest-rated education experience, Interactive Brokers leads. If you simply need steady webinars and plenty of beginner videos, Exness can still cover the basics.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Exness logoExness
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 Exness. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Exness finished with an overall rank of #31.

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 logoInteractive Brokers
Exness logoExness
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4.0/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 80
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or Exness?

Interactive Brokers vs Exness: Interactive Brokers lets you buy real, delivered cryptocurrency (not CFDs) but does not offer crypto CFDs, while Exness offers cryptocurrency CFDs but does not support purchasing actual delivered crypto.

What funding options does each broker offer?

Interactive Brokers vs Exness: for deposits and withdrawals, Interactive Brokers supports ACH/SEPA and bank wires (no PayPal or Skrill), while Exness offers Skrill and bank wires (no PayPal and no ACH/SEPA); Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either broker.

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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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Overall Rating Interactive Brokers Exness
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4.0/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 80
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review Exness Review
Broker Screenshots Interactive Brokers Exness
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info
IBKR mobile watchlist. IBKR Desktop platform charts. Interactive Brokers research Traders Insight daily analysis article detail Interactive Brokers IBKR Podcast video.
Exness MetaTrader 5 mobile trading from charts. Exness Terminal web platform. Exness research market news headlines FX Street. Exness Educational articles.
Regulation Interactive Brokers Exness
Trust Score info 99 80
Year Founded info 1977 2008
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 8 2
Tier-2 Licenses info 2 3
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 3
Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) Interactive Brokers Exness
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info Yes No
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info Yes No
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info Yes No
Japan (FSA 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 Exness
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info Yes
Israel (ISA Authorised) info No No
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info No Yes
UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) info Yes Yes info
India (SEBI Authorised) info Yes No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info Yes
Investments Interactive Brokers Exness
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 8500 209
Forex Pairs (Total) info 90 96
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 No 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 Exness
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info 0.226 info N/A
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.226 info N/A
Inactivity Fee info No No
Order execution: Agency info Yes Yes
Order execution: Market Maker info No Yes
Funding Interactive Brokers Exness
Minimum Deposit info $0 $10 info
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 Exness
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 Exness
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 155 107
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes
Charts can be saved info Yes Yes
Mobile Trading Interactive Brokers Exness
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 155 35
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info No No
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Research Interactive Brokers Exness
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Yes
Autochartist info No No
Trading Central info Yes Yes
TipRanks info Yes No
Client sentiment data info Yes Yes
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Education Interactive Brokers Exness
Webinars info Yes Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Major Forex Pairs Interactive Brokers Exness
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 Exness Review
Overall Interactive Brokers Exness
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4.0/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 80
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review Exness Review
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