Interactive Brokers vs Exness 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 and Exness are both well-known names in the online brokerage space, but their levels of regulatory oversight and public trust differ significantly. Founded in 1977, Interactive Brokers is a publicly traded company, adding an extra layer of transparency and accountability. While it is not a bank, the firm holds an impressive nine Tier-1 licenses, which are considered highly trusted, and two Tier-2 licenses. With a top-notch Trust Score rating of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers is among the most reliable and secure options available.

Exness, on the other hand, was established in 2008 and is not publicly listed. Like Interactive Brokers, Exness is not a bank. It holds two Tier-1 licenses and three Tier-2 licenses, indicating a solid but more modest level of regulatory commitment compared to Interactive Brokers. The firm has a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 81, placing it in the "trusted" category but behind Interactive Brokers when it comes to overall security and trust. While both brokers serve their clients well, their differences in trust ratings and regulation make Interactive Brokers the more reliable choice for those prioritizing these aspects.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Exness
Year Founded info	1977	2008
Publicly Traded (Listed) info	Yes	No
Bank info	No	No
Tier-1 Licenses info	9	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	Exness
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$10 info
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account 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 and Exness both support forex trading as CFDs or spot, but their overall range of investments is very different. Interactive Brokers lists about 8,500 tradeable symbols versus 209 at Exness. While Exness edges out on forex pairs (96 vs. Interactive Brokers’ 90), Interactive Brokers stands out by offering exchange-traded stocks on U.S. and international exchanges—think Apple on NASDAQ or Vodafone in London—whereas Exness does not offer exchange-traded securities.

For crypto, Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual cryptocurrency as well as crypto CFDs, while Exness only offers crypto CFDs. Copy trading is available at Exness but not at Interactive Brokers. Reflecting this breadth, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers, while Exness holds 3.5 stars and ranks #34. In short, Interactive Brokers suits investors seeking wide market access and real assets, while Exness is geared toward forex and CFD traders who want copy trading.

Feature	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	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 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	Exness
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 vs Exness: both brokers offer iPhone and Android apps and support stock and forex price alerts. A key difference is watchlist syncing. Interactive Brokers syncs watchlists between mobile and your online account so changes carry over across devices, while Exness does not.

For charting, Interactive Brokers provides 97 technical studies versus 35 on Exness. Both apps allow trendline drawing, but neither auto-saves drawings. Overall ratings favor Interactive Brokers: it earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps, while Exness holds 4 stars and ranks #18, according to ForexBrokers.com.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Exness
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	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	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
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	Exness
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	Exness
Overall Rating info
Trust Score info	99	81
Range of Investments
Trading Fees
Trading Platforms
Research
Mobile Trading
Education

FAQs

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Overall Rating	Interactive Brokers	Exness
Overall Rating info
Trading Fees
Range of Investments
Trading Platforms
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	81
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review	Exness Review

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

Regulation	Interactive Brokers	Exness
Trust Score info	99	81
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	9	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 SCA 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	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	Exness
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account 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	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	97	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
Trading Fees
Range of Investments
Trading Platforms
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	81
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review	Exness Review