Interactive Brokers vs Questrade 2025

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.

Regulation

Interactive Brokers, founded in 1977, and Questrade, established in 2000, are both well-known online brokers. However, they differ significantly in their regulatory standings. Interactive Brokers boasts an impressive ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99 out of 99, reflecting its highly trusted status. This is supported by its nine Tier-1 licenses and two Tier-2 licenses, further emphasizing its credibility on a global scale. In contrast, Questrade, which holds a Trust Score of 86, is also considered trusted but not at the same level. It has two Tier-1 licenses but lacks Tier-2 licenses, indicating a narrower regulatory framework.

Neither of these companies functions as a bank, and while Interactive Brokers is publicly traded, Questrade remains privately held. This organizational difference may appeal to different types of investors seeking either the transparency of a public company or the agility of a private one. Overall, in terms of regulatory trust and trading transparency, Interactive Brokers stands out as a leader, whereas Questrade offers a reliable option with a solid trust score and essential licensing.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Year Founded info	1977	2000
Publicly Traded (Listed) info	Yes	No
Bank info	No	No
Tier-1 Licenses info	9	2
Tier-2 Licenses info	2	0
Tier-3 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-4 Licenses info	0	0

Fees

Interactive Brokers generally offers lower forex trading costs than Questrade. While IBKR doesn’t publish average spreads, the observed EUR/USD average in Q3 2024 was 0.19 pips, translating to an effective all-in cost of about 0.59 pips after commission. Questrade’s stated EUR/USD target spread is 1.9 pips, which is steep versus the industry average. Ratings: Interactive Brokers — 5/5 stars and ranked #2 of 63 for Commissions and Fees by ForexBrokers.com; Questrade — 3/5 stars and ranked #59 of 63.

Interactive Brokers aggregates quotes from 17 major interbank dealers and charges a commission instead of marking up spreads. Commissions start at 0.00002 (0.2 bps) of the USD trade value per side with a $2 minimum per order ($4 round turn), roughly $16–$40 per million round turn ($8–$20 per side). On a standard $100,000 EUR/USD trade, that commission equals about 0.40 pips on top of the spread, which produced the 0.59‑pip all‑in figure in Q3 2024. IBKR Lite and IBKR Pro support forex but are not commission‑free. Because of the $2 minimum, smaller-than-100k trades can feel pricier; high‑volume traders may qualify for lower rates and minimums (down to 0.08 bps and as low as $1 per order at very high monthly volumes).

Questrade’s EUR/USD target spread of 1.9 pips can make frequent trading more costly compared with commission-based pricing at IBKR. That lines up with its 3/5 stars and #59 of 63 ranking for Commissions and Fees. If keeping forex trading costs low is the priority, Interactive Brokers’ pricing model typically delivers a lower all‑in cost on standard trade sizes, while Questrade’s wider spread can add up over time.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$250
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info	0.59 info	N/A
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	0.65 info	N/A
Non-wire bank transfer info	Yes	No
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	No
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Range of investments

Interactive Brokers vs. Questrade: both earn 5 stars for Range of Investments from ForexBrokers.com, yet Interactive Brokers ranks #1 out of 63 brokers while Questrade is #12. Both brokers offer forex trading and access to exchange-traded stocks on U.S. markets (like Apple) and international exchanges (like Vodafone), and neither supports copy trading. The size of the lineup differs, though: Interactive Brokers lists 8,500 tradeable symbols compared with Questrade’s 641.

For currency traders, Questrade provides 110 forex pairs versus 90 at Interactive Brokers. Crypto access tilts the other way: Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual cryptocurrency as well as crypto CFDs, while Questrade limits crypto to CFDs. If your priority is the widest overall menu of assets, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice; if you want a larger selection of forex pairs, Questrade has an edge there.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	8500	641
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	110
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info	Yes	Yes
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info	Yes	Yes
Copy Trading info	No	No
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info	Yes	No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info	Yes	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.

Trading platforms and tools

Interactive Brokers and Questrade both cover the platform basics traders expect. Each offers its own in-house platforms, a Windows desktop download, and a web-based platform. You can practice with a free paper trading account at either broker, and both let you place orders directly from price charts. If you’re looking for copy trading or popular third-party platforms like MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5, neither broker supports them.

Where they differ is in overall platform strength and recognition. In the Trading Platforms and Tools category, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers, while Questrade earns 4 stars and ranks #35, according to ForexBrokers.com. In short, both brokers deliver the essentials, but Interactive Brokers is rated higher for traders who want a more advanced, feature-rich experience.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	Yes
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	Yes
Web Platform info	Yes	Yes
Copy Trading info	No	No
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info	No	No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info	No	No
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info	155	64
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.

Forex trading apps

Interactive Brokers and Questrade both deliver full-featured mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports stock and forex price alerts and lets you sync watchlists between mobile and your online account, so changes update in both places. Both apps also let you draw trendlines on charts, covering key essentials for on-the-go trading.

If you care about chart depth, Interactive Brokers offers 97 technical studies in its mobile charts versus 64 with Questrade. For drawing tools, Questrade auto-saves your chart annotations, while Interactive Brokers does not. In independent testing by ForexBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers earned 5 stars and ranked #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps, whereas Questrade earned 4 stars and ranked #35. Pick Interactive Brokers for more indicators and higher ratings, or choose Questrade if auto-saving chart drawings matters most—both handle core mobile trading tasks well.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Android App info	Yes	Yes
Apple iOS App info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info	97	64
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info	No	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

In the Interactive Brokers vs. Questrade research comparison, Interactive Brokers offers more in-house content and tools. It includes daily market commentary, forex news from leading outlets (such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones), a sentiment tool that shows long/short positioning, research from Acuity Trading, Trading Central, TipRanks, and a global economic calendar. Questrade delivers Trading Central, Autochartist, TipRanks, and an economic calendar, but it does not provide daily commentary, lacks sentiment data, and does not include Acuity Trading. Availability of top-tier forex news feeds at Questrade is not specified.

According to ForexBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for research and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers, while Questrade scores 3.5 stars and ranks #52. If you want built-in news and sentiment tools alongside third-party research, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice; if your focus is Trading Central and Autochartist with basic calendars and TipRanks, Questrade covers those needs.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info	Yes	No
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info	Yes
Autochartist info	No	Yes
Trading Central info	Yes	Yes
Client sentiment data info	Yes	No
TipRanks info	Yes	Yes
Acuity Trading info	Yes	No
Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

Interactive Brokers vs. Questrade for beginner education: Interactive Brokers stands out with ongoing client webinars (at least one each month) and a deep video library that covers both beginner topics (10+ videos) and advanced material (10+ videos for experienced traders). Questrade offers 10+ beginner trading videos but does not run monthly educational webinars and lacks a similarly large set of advanced videos. Details on whether either broker provides 10 or more forex or CFD-specific lessons were not specified here.

If you want the strongest overall learning experience, Interactive Brokers is the clear winner: it earns 5 stars for Education and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com. Questrade is serviceable for getting started but trails in depth, scoring 3.5 stars and ranking #36 out of 63.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Webinars info	Yes	No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info	Yes	No

Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.

Winner

After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Interactive Brokers is better than Questrade. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Questrade finished with an overall rank of #32.

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	Questrade
Overall Rating info
Trust Score info	99	86
Range of Investments
Commissions & Fees
Platforms & Tools
Research
Mobile Trading
Education

FAQs

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Overall Rating	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	86
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review	Questrade Review

Broker Screenshots	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info

Regulation	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Trust Score info	99	86
Year Founded info	1977	2000
Publicly Traded (Listed) info	Yes	No
Bank info	No	No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info	Yes info	No
Tier-1 Licenses info	9	2
Tier-2 Licenses info	2	0
Tier-3 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-4 Licenses info	0	0

Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted)	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info	Yes
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info	Yes	Yes
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info	Yes	No
Japan (SFC Authorised) info	Yes	No
Singapore (MAS Authorised) info	Yes	No
Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) info	Yes	No
United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) info	Yes	No
USA (CFTC Authorized) info	Yes	No
New Zealand (FMA Authorised) info	No	No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info	Yes info	No

Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted)	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info		No
Israel (ISA Authorised) info	No	No
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info	No	No
UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) info	Yes	No
India (SEBI Authorised) info	Yes	No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info		No

Investments	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	8500	641
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	110
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info	Yes	Yes
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info	Yes	Yes
Copy Trading info	No	No
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info	Yes	No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info	Yes	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	Questrade
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info	0.59 info	N/A
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	0.65 info	N/A
Inactivity Fee info	No	No
Order execution: Agency info	Yes	Yes
Order execution: Market Maker info	No	No

Funding	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$250
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	No
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info	Yes	Yes
Non-wire bank transfer info	Yes	No

Trading Platforms	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	Yes
Web Platform info	Yes	Yes
Copy Trading info	No	No
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info	No	No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info	No	No
cTrader info	No	No

Trading Tools	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	Yes
Price Alerts info	Yes	Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info	155	64
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes
Charts can be saved info	Yes	Yes

Mobile Trading	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Android App info	Yes	Yes
Apple iOS App info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] info
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info	97	64
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info	No	Yes
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Research	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info	Yes	No
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info	Yes
Autochartist info	No	Yes
Trading Central info	Yes	Yes
TipRanks info	Yes	Yes
Client sentiment data info	Yes	No
Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Education	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Webinars info	Yes	No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info	Yes	No

Major Forex Pairs	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
GBP/USD [DELETED] info
USD/JPY [DELETED] info
EUR/USD info	Yes	Yes
USD/CHF [DELETED] info
USD/CAD [DELETED] info
NZD/USD [DELETED] info
AUD/USD [DELETED] info
Review	Interactive Brokers Review	Questrade Review

Overall	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	86
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review	Questrade Review