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Interactive Brokers vs Plus500 2023

ForexBrokers.com

Written by ForexBrokers.com

December 27, 2022

Is Interactive Brokers better than Plus500? In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 62 of the best forex brokers, Interactive Brokers is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 99 out of 99. Plus500 is considered low-risk, with an overall trust score of 98 out of 99. Learn more about Trust Score.

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Overall RatingInteractive BrokersPlus500
Overall Rating 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Offering of Investments 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Platform & Tools 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Trust Score 99 98
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review Plus500 Review
RegulationInteractive BrokersPlus500
Trust Score 99 98
Year Founded 1977 2008
Publicly Traded (Listed) Yes Yes
Bank No No
Authorised in European Union Yes info Yes info
Tier-1 Licenses 8 4
Tier-2 Licenses 1 4
Tier-3 Licenses 0 0
Tier-1 Licenses (High Trust)Interactive BrokersPlus500
ASIC Authorised (Australia) Yes Yes
IIROC Authorised (Canada) Yes No
SFC Authorised (Hong Kong) Yes No
CBI Authorised (Ireland) Yes No
FSA Authorised (Japan) Yes Yes
MAS Authorised (Singapore) Yes Yes
FINMA Authorised (Switzerland) Yes No
FCA Authorised (U.K.) Yes Yes
CFTC Registered (USA) Yes No
FMA Authorised (New Zealand) No Yes
Tier-2 Licenses (Average Trust)Interactive BrokersPlus500
CBRC Authorised (China) No No
CySEC Authorised (Cyprus) No Yes
SEBI Authorised (India) Yes No
ISA Authorised (Israel) No Yes
CBR Authorised (Russia) No No
FSCA Authorised (South Africa) No Yes
SEC Authorised (Thailand) No No
DFSA / Central Bank Authorised (UAE) No Yes
Tier-3 Licenses (Low Trust)Interactive BrokersPlus500
SCB Authorised (Bahamas) No No
IFSC Authorised (Belize) No No
CIMA Authorised (Cayman Islands) No No
BMA Authorised (Bermuda) No No
FSC Authorised (British Virgin Islands) No No
FSC Authorised (Mauritius) No No
VFSC Authorised (Vanuatu) No No
InvestmentsInteractive BrokersPlus500
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) 8500 2800
Forex Pairs (Total) 90 65
U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) Yes Yes
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) Yes Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading No No
Cryptocurrency (Physical) Yes No
Cryptocurrency (CFD) 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). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account.
CostInteractive BrokersPlus500
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard 0.6 info 0.8
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active 0.6 info N/A
Active Trader or VIP Discounts Yes No
Execution: Agency Broker Yes No
Execution: Market Maker No Yes
FundingInteractive BrokersPlus500
Minimum Deposit $0 €100
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) No Yes
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) No No
Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) No Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) Yes Yes
Trading PlatformsInteractive BrokersPlus500
Proprietary Platform Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) Yes No
Web Platform Yes Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading No No
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) No No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) No No
cTrader No No
DupliTrade No No
ZuluTrade No No
Trading ToolsInteractive BrokersPlus500
Virtual Trading (Demo) Yes Yes
Alerts - Basic Fields Yes Yes
Watchlists - Total Fields 640 9
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) 128 110
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) 85 21
Charting - Trade From Chart Yes No
Charts can be saved Yes Yes
Mobile TradingInteractive BrokersPlus500
Android App Yes Yes
Apple iOS App Yes Yes
Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlist Yes Yes
Watchlist Syncing Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies 97 110
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave No No
Forex Calendar Yes Yes
ResearchInteractive BrokersPlus500
Daily Market Commentary Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) Yes No
Autochartist No No
Trading Central (Recognia) Yes Yes
Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs Yes Yes
Economic Calendar Yes Yes
EducationInteractive BrokersPlus500
Has Education - Forex or CFDs Yes Yes
Client Webinars Yes Yes
Client Webinars (Archived) Yes Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos Yes Yes
Investor Dictionary (Glossary) Yes No
Major Forex PairsInteractive BrokersPlus500
GBP/USD Yes Yes
USD/JPY Yes Yes
EUR/USD Yes Yes
USD/CHF Yes Yes
USD/CAD Yes Yes
NZD/USD Yes Yes
AUD/USD Yes Yes
Review Interactive Brokers Review Plus500 Review
OverallInteractive BrokersPlus500
Overall Rating 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Offering of Investments 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Platform & Tools 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Trust Score 99 98
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review Plus500 Review
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Interactive Brokers vs Plus500 Comparison

Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2023 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 62 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare Interactive Brokers vs Plus500.

Does Interactive Brokers or Plus500 offer lower pricing?

Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spreads data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough annual assessment, Interactive Brokers offers better pricing overall for traders.

Is Interactive Brokers or Plus500 safer for forex and CFDs trading?

At ForexBrokers.com, we track where each forex and CFD broker is regulated across over 23 international regulator databases. Here's our findings. Interactive Brokers holds 8 global Tier-1 licenses, while Plus500 holds 4. Plus500 holds 4 global Tier-2 licenses, while Interactive Brokers holds 1. In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 50 brokers, Interactive Brokers earned a higher Trust Score than Plus500.

Which trading platform is better: Interactive Brokers or Plus500?

To compare the trading platforms of both Interactive Brokers and Plus500, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, Interactive Brokers offers a better experience. With research, Interactive Brokers offers superior market research. Finally, we found Interactive Brokers to provide better mobile trading apps.

What about MetaTrader and copy trading?

For forex and CFDs traders, copy trading and MetaTrader are both popular platform options. Neither broker offers Meta Trader.Copy trading is not offered by either broker.

How many forex pairs and CFDs are available to trade?

Interactive Brokers provides traders 90 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to Plus500's 65 available pairs. Forex pairs aside, Interactive Brokers offers traders access to 8500 CFDs while Plus500 has 2800 available CFDs, a difference of 5700.

Can I trust Interactive Brokers?

Interactive Brokers is publicly traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by nine tier-1 regulators (high trust), one tier-2 regulators (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). Interactive Brokers is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), Central Bank of Ireland (CBI), Securities Futures Commission (SFC), Japanese Financial Services Authority (JFSA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Can I trust Plus500?

Plus500 is publicly traded and does not operate a bank. Plus500 is authorised by five tier-1 regulators (high trust), three tier-2 regulators (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). Plus500 is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

Is Interactive Brokers good?

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.

Is Plus500 good?

Plus500 is a trusted global brand that offers an easy-to-use trading platform for online traders, alongside access to a thorough selection of CFDs. Share trading is available, but only via its Plus500 Invest product offering.

Overall winner: Interactive Brokers

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announcementPlease 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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