Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs FP 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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Interactive Brokers vs FP Markets: Interactive Brokers, founded in 1977, is a publicly traded online broker, while FP Markets, founded in 2005, is privately held. Neither firm is a bank.
Regulation and trust: Interactive Brokers holds 8 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses; FP Markets holds 2 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-2. According to ForexBrokers.com, their Trust Scores out of 99 are 99 for Interactive Brokers and 90 for FP Markets—both within the highly trusted 90–99 range. Interactive Brokers offers wider top‑tier coverage and a near‑perfect score, while FP Markets provides fewer licenses yet still earns a highly trusted rating.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
FP Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2005 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
Interactive Brokers stands out for low forex trading costs and is ranked #1 out of 36 brokers for Commissions and Fees, with a 5-star rating. It does not publish average forex spreads, but recent Q3 2024 data showed an average EUR/USD spread of 0.19 pips, or about 0.59 pips all-in after commission. Its forex commissions start at 0.00002 of U.S. dollar trade value per side, with a $2 minimum per order ($4 round turn), and the rate can fall further for very active traders. That means IBKR can be a strong fit for high-volume forex traders, though smaller trades may feel the minimum fee more sharply.
FP Markets also offers low-cost trading, especially on its Raw ECN account, and is ranked #11 out of 36 brokers with a 4.5-star rating for Commissions and Fees. Its Raw ECN pricing averaged 0.1 pips on EUR/USD, or about 0.8 pips all-in after commission, while its Standard account is more expensive due to wider spreads, averaging 1.1 pips on EUR/USD. On cTrader, the Raw account charges a flat $6 per round-turn standard lot for forex, which is straightforward and competitive for many traders.
In simple terms, both brokers are cost-friendly, but Interactive Brokers is the better pick if your main goal is the lowest possible forex commission pricing, especially for active trading. FP Markets is still very competitive, particularly on its Raw ECN setup, but its Standard and some platform-linked account options cost more. If you want the best overall value for commissions and fees, IBKR has the edge; if you prefer FP Markets’ platform choices and still want low trading costs, its Raw account is the better option.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
FP Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | N/A | 1.3 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 0.60 | 0.9 |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When it comes to range of investments, Interactive Brokers offers more variety for investors who want access to many markets and asset types. It lists about 8,500 tradeable symbols and 100 forex pairs, and it lets clients trade exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges. It also supports buying actual cryptocurrency, which adds another option for those who want to hold digital assets directly. By contrast, FP Markets offers a larger total number of tradeable symbols at about 10,000, but its market access is narrower in some key areas, with no exchange-traded shares on U.S. or international exchanges and fewer forex pairs at 71.
FP Markets does stand out in a few areas, including copy trading and cryptocurrency CFDs, while Interactive Brokers does not offer those features. Still, for overall investment choice, Interactive Brokers comes out ahead with a 5-star Range of Investments rating and a #1 ranking out of 36 brokers from ForexBrokers.com. FP Markets is rated 4.5 stars and ranks #17, making it a solid option, but one with a smaller selection of traditional investments compared with Interactive Brokers.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
FP Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 10000 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 100 | 71 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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.
Interactive Brokers and FP Markets both give traders a strong set of platform choices, including free paper trading, their own in-house platforms, desktop downloads for Windows, and web-based trading. Both also let users trade directly from charts, which can make placing orders faster and easier. In ForexBrokers.com’s Trading Platforms and Tools category, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars and ranked #2 out of 36 brokers, while FP Markets is rated 4 stars and ranked #22, showing that Interactive Brokers has the edge overall for platform quality and tools.
FP Markets stands out for traders who want extra platform flexibility, since it supports copy trading plus MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, which Interactive Brokers does not offer. This makes FP Markets a better fit for traders who prefer popular third-party platforms or want to follow other traders. Interactive Brokers, by contrast, is a stronger choice for those who want a top-rated all-in-one trading environment with advanced built-in tools and a highly regarded platform experience.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
FP Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Interactive Brokers and FP Markets both provide mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, and each lets users set stock or forex price alerts. Both apps also support drawing trendlines on charts. Where Interactive Brokers stands out is in watchlist syncing, which lets changes made on the mobile app and online account stay matched across devices. Its app also offers 155 technical studies for chart analysis, giving traders more chart tools to work with than FP Markets.
FP Markets does have a useful mobile app, and it includes auto-saving for chart drawings, which Interactive Brokers does not. Still, Interactive Brokers has the edge overall in mobile trading. It is rated 5 stars for Mobile Trading Apps and ranks #4 out of 36 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while FP Markets is rated 4 stars and ranks #20. For traders who want stronger watchlist syncing and more charting features, Interactive Brokers is the better choice.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
FP Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | MetaTrader (Default) |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Interactive Brokers and FP Markets both give traders plenty of market research support, including daily market commentary, news from major sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, Trading Central tools, sentiment data, and an economic calendar. That means both brokers make it easy to track headlines, spot trends, and keep an eye on major global events. Where Interactive Brokers stands out is in its extra research options, with TipRanks and Acuity Trading available, while FP Markets adds Autochartist for chart-based ideas and signals.
Overall, Interactive Brokers has the stronger research offering. It earns a 5-star research rating and ranks #3 out of 36 brokers in the ForexBrokers.com Research category, compared with FP Markets’ 4-star rating and #22 ranking. If you want the broader mix of research tools, Interactive Brokers has the edge, while FP Markets still covers the basics well and includes Autochartist for traders who like technical scanning.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
FP Markets
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to beginner-friendly education, Interactive Brokers and FP Markets both give new traders plenty to work with. Each broker offers forex or CFD learning content, monthly online webinars, and at least 10 beginner videos, plus at least 10 advanced videos for traders who want to go further. That means either platform can help beginners build a foundation and keep learning as they gain experience.
Still, Interactive Brokers stands out overall for education. It earns 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #1 out of 36 brokers in the Education category at ForexBrokers.com, while FP Markets is rated 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #21. In simple terms, both brokers offer useful learning tools, but Interactive Brokers has the edge for beginners who want the strongest education library and the highest-rated learning experience.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
FP 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 FP Markets. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while FP Markets finished with an overall rank of #19.
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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FP Markets
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| Trust Score | 99 | 90 |
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Interactive Brokers vs FP Markets: Interactive Brokers supports buying actual, delivered cryptocurrencies but not crypto CFDs, whereas FP Markets offers cryptocurrency CFDs but does not allow buying the underlying coins.
For deposits and withdrawals, Interactive Brokers supports ACH/SEPA and bank wire transfers but not PayPal or Skrill, while FP Markets lacks ACH/SEPA yet accepts PayPal and Skrill and also supports bank wires; Visa/Mastercard availability for both is not specified.
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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| Trust Score | 99 | 90 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | FP Markets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | FP Markets | |
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| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | FP Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 90 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2005 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | FP Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (FSA 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 | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | FP Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | FP Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 10000 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 100 | 71 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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 | FP Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | N/A | 1.3 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 0.60 | 0.9 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | FP Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | FP Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | FP Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | FP Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | MetaTrader (Default) | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | FP Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | FP Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | FP Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | FP Markets Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | FP Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 90 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | FP Markets Review |
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