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 and IUX both aim for low-cost forex trading, but they take different paths. Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #2 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while IUX holds 4.5 stars and ranks #19. In short, Interactive Brokers tends to favor high-volume traders who want tight pricing with a separate commission, whereas IUX offers simple account choices that balance spreads, commissions, and low minimum deposits.
Interactive Brokers does not publish average spreads, but during Q3 2024 we observed the EUR/USD at 0.19 pips, or about 0.59 pips all-in after commission. Forex commissions start at 0.00002 (0.2 bps) of the U.S. dollar trade value per side with a $2 minimum per order ($4 round trip); that’s roughly 0.40 pips in commission on a $100,000 EUR/USD trade, on top of the spread. Pricing is typically $16–$40 per $1 million traded round trip. Because of the $2 per-side minimum, trading much less than one standard lot can feel pricier. Active traders can unlock lower minimums ($1.50 or even $1 per order with very high monthly volumes). Interactive Brokers aggregates prices from 17 major banks and charges a commission instead of marking up spreads.
IUX’s pricing depends on the account. Standard and Standard+ need only a $10 minimum deposit; Standard+ supports bonuses but has wider spreads, while Standard offers lower spreads without promotions. For active traders, Pro and Raw accounts require $500. Pro is spread-only, while Raw charges a $6 commission per 100,000 units and targets the tightest spreads. Listed average EUR/USD spreads are about 0.9 pips (Standard), 0.7 pips (Pro), and near 0.6 pips all-in for Raw when you include the commission’s pip equivalent. Bottom line: IUX is competitive and straightforward—especially the Pro account—while Interactive Brokers can deliver lower effective costs for larger tickets and high monthly volumes.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
IUX
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | 10 |
| 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 vs IUX: Both brokers offer forex trading, available as CFDs or spot contracts. Interactive Brokers lists about 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, while IUX offers 152 symbols and 34 forex pairs. Interactive Brokers also lets you buy exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges (think Apple on NASDAQ and Vodafone in London), whereas IUX supports international exchange-traded shares but not U.S.-listed stocks. Neither broker supports copy trading.
For crypto, Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual cryptocurrency, but not crypto CFDs; IUX offers crypto CFDs but not the underlying coins. Reflecting this breadth, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars and ranks it #1 out of 63 brokers for Range of Investments, while IUX earns 3.5 stars and ranks #35. If you want the widest selection with access to U.S. stocks and real crypto, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice; if you prefer a simpler lineup with crypto CFDs, IUX may fit your needs.
| 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 check key boxes for platform access and learning tools: each broker provides a free paper trading account, its own in-house platform, a Windows desktop app, a web-based platform, and the ability to place trades directly from charts. Neither supports copy trading or MetaTrader 4. If you rely on MetaTrader 5, note that IUX offers MT5 while Interactive Brokers does not. The number of built-in technical indicators and watchlist fields for either broker wasn’t specified.
For platform quality overall, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers at 5 stars and ranks it #2 out of 63 brokers, while IUX earns 3.5 stars and ranks #35. Traders focused on MT5 may lean toward IUX, while those prioritizing platform depth, research integrations, and overall toolset may find Interactive Brokers the stronger pick.
| 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 modern mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Interactive Brokers adds key conveniences like stock and forex price alerts and watchlist syncing with your online account, so changes carry over between devices. IUX does not offer alerts or synced watchlists. For charting, Interactive Brokers includes 155 technical studies versus 106 with IUX. You can draw trendlines in the Interactive Brokers app, while IUX doesn’t support trendline drawing. One area where IUX pulls ahead is convenience: it auto-saves chart drawings, whereas Interactive Brokers does not.
When it comes to third-party evaluations, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps at ForexBrokers.com. IUX is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #35 out of 63. If you value alerts, syncing, and deeper charting tools, Interactive Brokers is likely the better fit; if auto-saving chart annotations matters most, IUX has that edge.
| 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 outpaces IUX for market research. It offers daily market commentary; forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones; Trading Central analytics; a sentiment tool showing long/short positioning; TipRanks insights; Acuity Trading signals; and an economic calendar. IUX includes an economic calendar but does not provide daily commentary, top-tier forex news, Trading Central tools, sentiment data, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading. Neither broker offers Autochartist.
These gaps show up in independent ratings: ForexBrokers.com gives Interactive Brokers 5 out of 5 stars for Research and ranks it #3 of 63 brokers, while IUX earns 3 out of 5 stars and ranks #35. If you value daily commentary, leading news, and multiple third-party research tools, Interactive Brokers is the better fit; if you only need a calendar, IUX covers the basics.
| 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.
Comparing education for beginners at Interactive Brokers and IUX, both brokers provide at least 10 beginner videos that cover core trading topics, including forex and CFDs. Interactive Brokers goes further with monthly client webinars and a deep library of advanced videos to help you move beyond the basics, while IUX does not host monthly webinars and does not meet the 10-video mark for advanced lessons.
These differences show up in independent ratings: Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for Education and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while IUX earns 3 stars and ranks #35. If you want frequent live learning and a pathway from beginner to advanced, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice; if you mainly need beginner videos, IUX can cover the essentials.
| 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 #35.
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 | 10 | |
| 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