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.
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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 |
When it comes to commissions and fees, Interactive Brokers comes out ahead of IUX for most forex traders. Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars and ranked #1 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com in the Commissions and Fees category. Its pricing is especially attractive for active traders, with forex commissions starting at $2 per side per order and average EUR/USD spreads that can work out to about 0.59 pips all-in after commission. IUX is also reasonably priced, but it is rated 4.5 stars and ranked #19 out of 36 brokers, so it does not match IBKR’s overall value on trading costs.
Interactive Brokers uses a commission-based forex model rather than a spread markup, which can help keep costs low, especially on larger trades and for high-volume clients. The minimum charge can make smaller trades less efficient, but for standard-sized forex orders, the pricing is still competitive. IUX offers more account variety, including spread-only and commission-based options. Its Standard accounts start with a $10 minimum deposit, while the Raw and Pro accounts require $500. The Raw account charges a $6 commission per 100,000 units, while the Pro account removes commission and relies on spreads instead.
For traders comparing overall costs, Interactive Brokers is usually the stronger choice if low commissions and tight forex pricing are the priority. IUX can still be a good fit for traders who want simple account choices and lower starting deposits, but its pricing is best viewed as competitive rather than market-leading. In short, IBKR is the better pick for low-cost forex trading, while IUX is a decent alternative with a more beginner-friendly entry point.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $50 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | N/A | 0.86 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 0.626 | 0.6 |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | 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 a stronger choice for traders who want more market access and product variety. Interactive Brokers supports about 8,500 tradeable symbols and 100 forex pairs, while IUX offers 152 symbols and 34 forex pairs. Both brokers offer forex trading, and both allow access to international exchange-traded securities. However, only Interactive Brokers lets clients buy U.S.-listed shares directly, such as Apple stock.
Interactive Brokers also stands out for cryptocurrency access, since it allows clients to buy actual crypto, while IUX offers crypto only through CFDs. Neither broker offers copy trading. Overall, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks #1 out of 36 brokers in this category, while IUX is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #38, reflecting its narrower selection of available investments.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 152 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 100 | 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 broad set of platform choices, including a free paper trading demo, a proprietary platform, a Windows desktop app, and a web-based trading platform. Each also lets users place trades directly from a chart, which can make it easier to act quickly while analyzing the market. Neither broker offers copy trading or MetaTrader 4, so traders looking for those specific features will not find them here.
The biggest difference is that IUX supports MetaTrader 5, while Interactive Brokers does not. When it comes to trading platforms and tools, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars and ranked #2 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, compared with IUX at 3.5 stars and #38. That makes Interactive Brokers the stronger choice overall for platform quality, while IUX may appeal to traders who want MT5 alongside its other built-in trading options.
| 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 iPhone and Android apps, so traders can manage accounts and place trades from either mobile platform. That said, Interactive Brokers has the edge for mobile trading features. Its app includes stock and forex price alerts, watchlist syncing with the online account, trendline drawing on charts, and a larger set of chart studies, with 155 technical indicators compared with IUX’s 106. Interactive Brokers also earns a top 5-star Mobile Trading Apps rating and ranks #4 out of 36 brokers in this category.
IUX still covers the basics with mobile apps for both iPhone and Android, and it does have one useful charting advantage: drawings auto save in the app, while Interactive Brokers does not offer that feature. Even so, IUX does not support price alerts, watchlist syncing, or trendline drawing on mobile charts, and its Mobile Trading Apps score is 3.5 stars, with a ranking of #38 out of 36 brokers. For traders who want more tools and smoother account syncing on mobile, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice.
| 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.
When it comes to market research, Interactive Brokers clearly has the edge over IUX. Interactive Brokers offers daily market commentary, forex news from major sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, plus extra research tools from Trading Central, TipRanks, and Acuity Trading. It also includes a sentiment tool that helps traders see whether more market participants are long or short on certain instruments. IUX, by comparison, does not offer these added research features, although it does provide an economic calendar for tracking global news events.
This difference shows up in the ratings as well. Interactive Brokers earns 5 out of 5 stars for Research and ranks #3 out of 36 brokers in the ForexBrokers.com research category, while IUX scores 3 out of 5 stars and ranks #37. For traders who rely on news, analysis, and trading signals to make decisions, Interactive Brokers offers a much wider set of market research tools than 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 comparing Interactive Brokers and IUX for beginner-friendly education, Interactive Brokers comes out far ahead. It offers forex and CFD learning content, monthly online client webinars, at least 10 beginner videos, and at least 10 advanced videos for more experienced traders. ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 out of 5 stars for Education and ranks it #1 out of 36 brokers, which points to a wide range of learning tools for new traders and those ready to go deeper.
IUX also provides at least 10 beginner videos, but it falls behind in other key areas. It does not offer monthly educational webinars, does not meet the minimum for forex or CFD education content, and does not have at least 10 advanced videos. Its Education rating is 3 out of 5 stars, and it ranks #38 out of 36 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, making Interactive Brokers the stronger choice for beginners looking for more complete support.
| 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 #38.
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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IUX
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| Trust Score | 99 | 76 |
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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.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 76 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | IUX Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
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| 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) | 100 | 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) - Spread-only account | N/A | 0.86 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 0.626 | 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 (Deposit/Withdraw) | 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 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | IUX Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | IUX | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 76 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | IUX Review |
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