Interactive Brokers vs iFOREX 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

Founded in 1977, Interactive Brokers has established itself as a highly trusted online brokerage, achieving a perfect Trust Score of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com. It is a publicly traded company, although not a bank, and notably holds nine Tier-1 licenses, underscoring its solid regulatory standing. Additionally, Interactive Brokers maintains two Tier-2 licenses, showcasing its compliance with trusted regulatory standards across multiple jurisdictions.

In contrast, iFOREX, founded in 1996, operates under a slightly different framework. It is not publicly traded and does not hold bank status. With a Trust Score of 75, iFOREX is considered to have an average risk level. The broker holds one Tier-1 license, indicating a basic level of trust, but falls short in the Tier-2 category, holding no licenses. While both brokers offer trading platforms, their regulatory credentials and trust metrics vary significantly.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	iFOREX
Year Founded info	1977	1996
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	1

Fees

Interactive Brokers outpaces iFOREX on pricing transparency and overall costs for forex. Interactive Brokers is rated 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #2 of 63 brokers for Commissions and Fees, while iFOREX is rated 3 out of 5 stars and ranks #62 of 63. Direct comparisons are limited because iFOREX doesn’t publish average spread data and Interactive Brokers doesn’t publish it broadly either; however, for Q3 2024 we obtained IBKR’s EUR/USD averages: 0.19 pips, or about 0.59 pips all-in after commissions.

Interactive Brokers uses an agency model that aggregates quotes from 17 major banks and charges a commission instead of marking up spreads. Forex commissions start at 0.00002 (0.2 basis points) of the USD trade value per side with a $2 minimum per order ($4 round turn), and can drop to 0.08 basis points for exceptionally active traders. That equates to roughly $16–$40 per million round turn. Example: buying then selling $100,000 of EUR/USD is about a 0.40‑pip commission on top of the spread. In Q3 2024, EUR/USD averaged ~0.19 pips at IBKR, for an effective ~0.59‑pip all‑in cost after commission. Note: IBKR Lite and IBKR Pro support forex but are not commission‑free, trades under 100,000 units are affected more by the $2‑per‑side minimum, and high‑volume traders can unlock lower minimums ($1.50 at $1B+/month; $1 at $5B+/month) and RFQ large orders.

iFOREX does not provide average spread figures, making its total trading costs harder to gauge in advance. Reflecting this, iFOREX holds a 3/5 star rating and ranks #62/63 for Commissions and Fees, compared with Interactive Brokers’ 5/5 stars and #2/63 ranking. If clear, tiered pricing and potentially lower all‑in costs—especially at higher volumes—matter to you, Interactive Brokers is likely the more cost‑efficient choice; always confirm current quotes and fee disclosures before you trade.

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

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Range of investments

Interactive Brokers covers a wider range of investments than iFOREX. IB offers about 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, while iFOREX lists roughly 750 symbols and 88 pairs. Both support forex trading and provide cryptocurrency as CFDs, but only Interactive Brokers also lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency. Interactive Brokers additionally provides access to exchange-traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges (for example, Apple on NASDAQ or Vodafone in London), whereas iFOREX does not offer exchange-traded shares. Neither broker offers copy trading.

These differences show up in independent ratings: ForexBrokers.com gives Interactive Brokers 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks it #1 out of 63 brokers, while iFOREX earns 3.5 stars and ranks #42. If you want the broadest selection across stocks, forex, and crypto (both CFD and actual), Interactive Brokers is the more comprehensive choice, while iFOREX fits traders who prefer a smaller list centered on CFDs and forex pairs.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	iFOREX
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	8500	750
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	88
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info	Yes	No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info	Yes	No
Copy Trading info	No	No
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 iFOREX: for trading platforms and tools, the differences are clear. Interactive Brokers offers free paper trading with a virtual demo account, while iFOREX does not. Both brokers provide proprietary, in-house platforms and web-based trading, and both let you place trades directly from charts. Only Interactive Brokers has a downloadable Windows desktop platform. Neither broker supports MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5, and neither offers copy trading.

Ratings and rankings back this up: ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars and ranks it #3 out of 63 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools, while iFOREX earns 4 stars and ranks #55. If you want a practice account and a full-featured platform lineup, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick; if you just need straightforward web trading without MetaTrader or copy trading, iFOREX may suffice.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	iFOREX
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	No
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	No
Web Platform info	Yes	Yes
Copy Trading info	No	No
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info	No	No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info	No	No
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info	155	57
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes

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

Forex trading apps

Interactive Brokers and iFOREX both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Interactive Brokers stands out for features traders often want on the go: price alerts, watchlist syncing with your online account, and advanced charting with 97 technical studies plus the ability to draw trendlines. iFOREX also supports mobile trading but does not offer price alerts or watchlist syncing, does not list technical studies for its charts, and does not support trendline drawing. Neither app auto-saves chart drawings.

For overall quality, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars and ranks it #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps, while iFOREX earns 4 stars and ranks #56. If you value alerts, synced watchlists, and deeper charting, Interactive Brokers’ app is likely a better fit; if you just need basic trading access on iPhone or Android, iFOREX covers the essentials.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	iFOREX
Android App info	Yes	Yes
Apple iOS App info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info	Yes	No
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info	Yes	No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info	97	N/A
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	No
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info	No	No

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

Interactive Brokers and iFOREX both publish daily market commentary, offer an economic calendar, and provide sentiment tools that show the ratio of long and short positions. Where they differ is news and third-party research depth: Interactive Brokers streams forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, while iFOREX does not. Both include Trading Central analytics and exclude Autochartist. Interactive Brokers also integrates TipRanks and Acuity Trading (Signal Centre), whereas iFOREX does not list these integrations.

These differences show up in independent ratings: Interactive Brokers earns 5 out of 5 stars for Research and ranks #3 of 63 at ForexBrokers.com, while iFOREX is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #49. If you value premium news feeds and extra third-party insights, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick; if you just need the basics like commentary, calendars, sentiment, and Trading Central, iFOREX covers those needs.

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

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

Comparing Interactive Brokers and iFOREX for beginner education in forex and CFDs: both provide at least 10 beginner-friendly trading videos, making it easy to learn basics at your own pace. Interactive Brokers goes further with ongoing client webinars (at least one per month), giving newcomers a chance to ask questions live; iFOREX does not host monthly webinars. When you’re ready to progress, Interactive Brokers also offers 10+ advanced videos for experienced topics, while iFOREX does not, which may limit your learning path over time.

These differences show up in independent ratings: ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars for Education and ranks it #3 out of 63 brokers, whereas iFOREX earns 3.5 stars and ranks #53. If you want a beginner track with regular webinars and room to advance, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick; if you only need basic video lessons, iFOREX can cover the essentials.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	iFOREX
Webinars info	Yes	No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	Yes
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 iFOREX. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while iFOREX finished with an overall rank of #52.

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	iFOREX
Overall Rating info
Trust Score info	99	75
Range of Investments
Commissions & Fees
Platforms & Tools
Research
Mobile Trading
Education

FAQs

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Overall Rating	Interactive Brokers	iFOREX
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	75
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review

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

Regulation	Interactive Brokers	iFOREX
Trust Score info	99	75
Year Founded info	1977	1996
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	1

Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted)	Interactive Brokers	iFOREX
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	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	iFOREX
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	iFOREX
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	8500	750
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	88
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info	Yes	No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info	Yes	No
Copy Trading info	No	No
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	iFOREX
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info	0.59 info	N/A info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	0.65 info	N/A info
Inactivity Fee info	No	No
Order execution: Agency info	Yes	No
Order execution: Market Maker info	No	Yes

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

Trading Platforms	Interactive Brokers	iFOREX
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	No
Web Platform info	Yes	Yes
Copy Trading info	No	No
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info	No	No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info	No	No
cTrader info	No	No

Trading Tools	Interactive Brokers	iFOREX
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	No
Price Alerts info	Yes	No
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info	155	57
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes
Charts can be saved info	Yes	No

Mobile Trading	Interactive Brokers	iFOREX
Android App info	Yes	Yes
Apple iOS App info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info	Yes	No
Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] info
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info	Yes	No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info	97	N/A
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	No
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info	No	No
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info	Yes	No

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

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

Major Forex Pairs	Interactive Brokers	iFOREX
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

Overall	Interactive Brokers	iFOREX
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	75
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review