Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs IUX, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
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.
Interactive Brokers vs IUX: Interactive Brokers (founded 1977) is publicly traded, while IUX (founded 2016) is not; neither is a bank. According to ForexBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers has a Trust Score of 99 (highly trusted), whereas IUX scores 76 (average risk).
On regulation, Interactive Brokers holds 8 Tier-1 licenses (highly trusted) and 2 Tier-2 licenses (trusted), compared with IUX’s 1 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-2 license. In simple terms, Interactive Brokers carries broader, higher-tier regulatory oversight than IUX.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2016 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
Interactive Brokers is a top choice for traders focused on low commissions and fees, earning a 5-star rating and a #2 ranking out of 36 brokers for this category. Its forex pricing is built around commission-based trading rather than marked-up spreads, with EUR/USD pricing in Q3 2024 showing an average spread of 0.19 pips and an estimated all-in cost of about 0.59 pips after commission. For active forex traders, IBKR can be especially cost-effective, though its $2 minimum per side means smaller trades can feel more expensive.
IUX is also competitive on price, but it lands behind Interactive Brokers with a 4.5-star rating and a #19 ranking out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees. Its pricing depends on the account type: Standard and Standard+ accounts are spread-only with a $10 minimum deposit, while Raw and Pro accounts are built for more active traders and require a $500 minimum deposit. The Raw account adds a $6 commission per 100,000 units, while the Pro account is commission-free but uses tighter spreads than the standard accounts.
In simple terms, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick for lower trading costs overall, especially for frequent forex traders and larger order sizes. IUX may appeal to traders who want simpler account choices or lower entry requirements on its standard accounts, but its total trading costs are generally less impressive than IBKR’s. If saving on commissions and fees is your main goal, Interactive Brokers has the edge.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $50 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 0.86 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 0.6 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Interactive Brokers offers a much wider range of investments than IUX, making it the stronger choice for traders who want more markets and product types in one place. It supports 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, along with exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges. It also lets clients buy actual cryptocurrency, which adds another option for investors who want access to digital assets. By comparison, IUX offers 152 tradeable symbols and 34 forex pairs, and while it does provide access to international exchange-traded securities, it does not offer U.S.-listed shares or actual cryptocurrency.
Both brokers offer forex trading, but their overall investment selection is very different. IUX does offer cryptocurrency CFDs, while Interactive Brokers does not, but this does not make up for the smaller product lineup. Reflecting this gap, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks #1 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while IUX is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #36. Neither broker offers copy trading.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 152 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 34 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
Interactive Brokers and IUX both give traders a choice of web-based and Windows desktop platforms, plus free simulated trading accounts for practice. Each broker also offers its own in-house platform and lets users place trades directly from charts. Neither broker supports copy trading, and neither offers MetaTrader 4, but IUX does add MetaTrader 5, which may appeal to traders who prefer that familiar platform.
For trading tools, both brokers provide paper trading and chart-based trading, while Interactive Brokers stands out for its much higher overall platform rating. ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools and ranks it #2 out of 36 brokers, compared with IUX at 3.5 stars and #36. In short, IUX offers a useful mix of platform choices, but Interactive Brokers appears stronger overall for trading platform quality and tools.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 106 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Interactive Brokers and IUX both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, so either broker gives you access on the go. That said, Interactive Brokers has a clear edge for mobile features. It includes stock and forex price alerts, watchlist syncing between the app and online account, and the ability to draw trendlines on charts. Its app also offers 155 technical studies, compared with 106 at IUX, which may matter more to active traders who rely on chart tools and market analysis.
IUX does have one useful point in its favor: drawings on its mobile charts auto-save, while Interactive Brokers does not. Even so, the overall mobile experience is rated higher at Interactive Brokers, which earns 5 out of 5 stars for Mobile Trading Apps and ranks #4 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com. IUX is rated 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #36, making Interactive Brokers the stronger choice for traders who want more tools and a better app experience.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 106 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Interactive Brokers stands out for market research, offering daily market commentary, forex news from top sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, plus tools from Trading Central, TipRanks, and Acuity Trading. It also includes a sentiment tool that shows the balance of long and short positions across currency pairs and other instruments, along with an economic calendar for tracking major global events. By contrast, IUX does not provide daily commentary, top-tier forex news, Trading Central, TipRanks, Acuity Trading, or a sentiment tool, although it does offer an economic calendar.
These differences are reflected in their research scores and rankings. Interactive Brokers earns 5 out of 5 stars for Research and is ranked #3 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while IUX receives 3 out of 5 stars and ranks #36. For traders who want more built-in market insight and research support, Interactive Brokers has a clear edge over IUX.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to learning resources for beginners, Interactive Brokers stands out over IUX. Interactive Brokers offers forex and CFDs education with at least 10 focused learning pieces, plus monthly live client webinars, which gives new traders more chances to learn from different formats. It also provides at least 10 beginner videos and at least 10 advanced videos, making it a better fit for both first-time traders and those who want to keep improving. Its Education rating is 5 stars, and ForexBrokers.com ranks it #1 out of 36 brokers in this category.
IUX also offers at least 10 beginner trading videos, but it falls behind Interactive Brokers in several key areas that matter to new learners. It does not offer monthly educational webinars, and it does not provide at least 10 advanced educational videos. IUX is rated 3 stars for Education and ranks #36 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, which suggests fewer learning tools overall for beginners who want more guidance and depth.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
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 IUX. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while IUX finished with an overall rank of #36.
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
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 99 | 76 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Trading Fees |
|
|
| Trading Platforms |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
Interactive Brokers vs IUX: Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual, delivered cryptocurrency but not crypto CFDs, while IUX offers crypto CFDs but does not provide access to buying the actual cryptocurrency.
Interactive Brokers vs IUX: for deposit and withdrawal methods, Interactive Brokers supports ACH/SEPA and bank wires but not PayPal or Skrill, while IUX supports Skrill and bank wires but not ACH/SEPA or PayPal; Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either broker.
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.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 99 | 76 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | IUX Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 76 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2016 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | |
| 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 | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| 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) | No |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 152 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 34 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| 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). |
| Cost | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 0.86 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 0.6 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $50 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 106 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | No |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 106 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | IUX Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 99 | 76 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | IUX Review |
IG
FOREX.com
CMC Markets
XTB
eToro
AvaTrade
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill