Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Octa, 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 Octa: for regulation and safety, the differences are clear. Interactive Brokers, founded in 1977, is publicly traded and not a bank. It holds 8 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses. ForexBrokers.com rates it 99/99, which lands in the highly trusted range (90–99).
Octa, founded in 2011, is not publicly traded and is not a bank. It holds 1 Tier-1 license and 1 Tier-2 license. Its ForexBrokers.com Trust Score is 73/99, placing it in the average risk band (70–79). Both brokers are regulated, but Interactive Brokers has more top-tier licenses and a higher trust rating.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2011 |
| 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 comes out ahead on commissions and fees, earning 5 stars and ranking #2 out of 36 brokers. Its forex pricing is commission-based rather than spread-marked up, with EUR/USD average pricing in Q3 2024 coming in at 0.19 pips and an estimated all-in cost of 0.59 pips after commission. The broker’s minimum charge is $2 per side, which can make smaller trades more expensive, but active traders can qualify for lower rates, and larger-volume clients may see further discounts.
Octa is more mixed on pricing, though it has improved and now scores 4 stars and ranks #26 out of 36. Its costs depend on the account type and regulatory entity, with average EUR/USD spreads listed at 0.5 pips for the EU entity and 0.9 pips for international entities. Octa also promotes no overnight carry costs and no slippage on most executed orders, but its published spread data does not include a clear date range, which makes it harder to compare directly with brokers like Interactive Brokers.
Overall, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice for traders focused on low commissions and clear, competitive forex pricing, especially if they trade larger volumes. Octa can still be appealing for certain traders thanks to its account structure and fee features, but its higher ranking and star rating trail Interactive Brokers in the commissions and fees category.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $25 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 0.9 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | N/A |
| 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 Octa. It gives clients access to about 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, along with exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international markets. Investors can also buy actual cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers, while Octa does not offer delivered crypto. In contrast, Octa supports forex trading and international exchange-traded securities, but it does not provide U.S. stocks and has a much smaller list of tradeable markets overall, with about 300 symbols and 35 forex pairs.
Octa does stand out for features that Interactive Brokers does not include, such as copy trading and cryptocurrency CFDs. Still, when it comes to overall investment choice, Interactive Brokers is the stronger option by a wide margin. That is reflected in its 5-star rating for Range of Investments and its #1 ranking out of 36 brokers, compared with Octa’s 3.5-star rating and #33 ranking.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 300 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 35 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| 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 Octa both give traders plenty of ways to get started and manage trades, including free paper trading, a proprietary platform, desktop software for Windows, and a web-based platform. Each also lets users trade directly from a chart, which can make order entry faster and easier. In this area, both brokers cover the basics well, but Interactive Brokers stands out for its higher overall rating and stronger industry ranking.
The main difference is that Octa offers more beginner-friendly extras like copy trading, MetaTrader 4, and MetaTrader 5, while Interactive Brokers does not support those tools. Even so, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools and ranks #2 out of 36 brokers, compared with Octa’s 4 stars and #30 ranking. If you want MetaTrader or copy trading, Octa may be the better fit; if you want a top-rated platform experience, Interactive Brokers has the edge.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Octa both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with stock or forex price alerts and the ability to draw trendlines on charts. Where Interactive Brokers stands out is in its charting tools and account features: its mobile app includes 155 technical studies, watchlist symbol syncing with the online account, and a top Mobile Trading Apps rating of 5 stars. It is also ranked #4 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com in this category.
Octa also covers the basics well with apps for both major mobile platforms and price alerts, but it offers fewer charting tools, with 30 technical studies, and it does not sync watchlists between the app and the online account. On the other hand, Octa does auto-save chart drawings, which Interactive Brokers does not. Overall, Octa is rated 4 stars and ranks #29 out of 36, making Interactive Brokers the stronger choice for most mobile traders.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, Interactive Brokers has the edge over Octa. Both brokers provide daily market commentary, forex news from major sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, and an economic calendar for tracking key global events. But Interactive Brokers goes further with more research options, including Trading Central, sentiment tools that show long and short positioning, TipRanks, and Acuity Trading. Octa offers useful extras too, such as Autochartist, but it does not include as many third-party research tools.
This wider selection helps explain the ratings and rankings: Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for Research and ranks #3 out of 36 brokers, while Octa scores 4 stars and ranks #24. For traders who want more market insights and more ways to analyze potential trades, Interactive Brokers offers the stronger research package overall.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| 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.
Interactive Brokers stands out for beginner education, with forex and CFDs learning materials, monthly client webinars, and at least 10 beginner and 10 advanced videos covering trading topics. It is rated 5 stars for Education and ranks #1 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, which suggests a strong learning setup for new traders who want a wide range of help as they get started.
Octa also offers forex and CFDs education, monthly webinars, and at least 10 beginner and 10 advanced videos, so beginners can still find useful learning content. However, it is rated 4 stars for Education and ranks #32 out of 36, so while it does provide educational resources, Interactive Brokers appears to offer a stronger overall learning experience for beginners.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Octa
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Octa. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Octa finished with an overall rank of #34.
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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Octa
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 73 |
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Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency but does not offer cryptocurrency CFDs, whereas Octa offers cryptocurrency CFDs but does not support buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency.
Interactive Brokers vs Octa: Interactive Brokers supports ACH/SEPA transfers and bank wires, Octa supports Skrill and bank wires, neither broker supports PayPal, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either.
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 | Octa | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Octa Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Octa | |
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| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2011 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 300 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 35 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 0.9 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $25 | |
| 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 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | Octa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Octa Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | Octa | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Octa Review |
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