Interactive Brokers vs Questrade 2026

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 vs Questrade: Interactive Brokers, founded in 1977, is publicly traded and not a bank; Questrade, founded in 2000, is privately held and also not a bank.

On regulation, Interactive Brokers holds 8 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses, while Questrade holds 1 Tier-1 license and no Tier-2 licenses. According to ForexBrokers.com’s Trust Score scale (90–99 highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, under 59 not trusted), Interactive Brokers scores 99/99 (highly trusted) and Questrade scores 85/99 (trusted).

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Year Founded info	1977	2000
Publicly Traded (Listed) info	Yes	No
Bank info	No	No
Tier-1 Licenses info	8	1
Tier-2 Licenses info	2	0
Tier-3 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-4 Licenses info	0	0

Fees

If you’re comparing Interactive Brokers and Questrade on commissions and fees, the gap is clear: Interactive Brokers earns 5/5 stars and ranks #2 of 63 for this category at ForexBrokers.com, while Questrade earns 3.5/5 stars and ranks #33 of 63. Both support forex and CFDs, but they price trades very differently, which affects your total cost.

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) uses a commission-plus-spread model with no spread markups, aggregating quotes from 17 major liquidity providers. In Q3 2024, the average EUR/USD spread we observed was 0.19 pips, or about 0.59 pips all-in after commissions. Commissions start at 0.00002 (0.2 bps) of the USD trade value with a $2 minimum per side ($4 round turn), equivalent to roughly $16–$40 per million round turn. A $100,000 EUR/USD trade works out to about 0.40 pips in commission on top of the live spread. Volume discounts can drop the minimum to $1–$1.50 per order for very active traders, though the $2-per-side minimum means sub‑100k trades are proportionally pricier. Large orders can be handled via RFQ.

Questrade Global is spread-only: there’s no separate commission because costs are baked into the bid-ask. While spreads can be as low as 0.8 pips in calm markets, average majors are closer to 2.1–2.5 pips. On a standard lot (100,000 units), a typical 2-pip spread costs about $20 per trade, versus IBKR’s roughly $6–$9 total (about 0.2-pip spread plus a small commission). For CFDs, Questrade adds a $9.95 USD fee per unit when you open and again when you close, on top of the spread; buying and selling a single Tesla CFD runs about $19.95 before overnight financing, pushing break-even above 6% for a one-month hold. Bottom line: IBKR usually delivers lower forex costs—especially for standard and high-volume trading—while Questrade’s simpler pricing can end up more expensive, particularly for CFDs; very small forex trades may still find IBKR’s $2-per-side minimum a consideration.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$0
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info	0.226 info	0.8 or higher
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	0.226 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

Comparing Interactive Brokers vs Questrade for range of investments: both support forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts. Questrade lists more currency pairs (110 vs 90), but Interactive Brokers offers far more total tradable symbols (8,500 vs 675). Interactive Brokers also lets you buy exchange-traded stocks on U.S. and international markets (not CFDs), while Questrade does not. For crypto, Interactive Brokers supports buying actual cryptocurrency, and neither broker offers crypto CFDs. Neither platform supports copy trading.

Both brokers earn 5 out of 5 stars for range of investments, yet Interactive Brokers ranks #1 out of 63 brokers in this category, compared with Questrade at #12. In short, choose Interactive Brokers if you want the widest market access, including U.S. and global shares and real crypto; pick Questrade if your priority is a strong set of forex pairs within a smaller overall lineup.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	8500	675
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	110
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info	Yes	No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info	Yes	No
Copy Trading info	No	No
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info	Yes	No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info	No	No
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 deliver proprietary trading platforms on the web and as Windows desktop downloads, and each offers free paper trading to practice without risking real money. Both also let you place trades directly from a chart. However, neither broker supports copy trading, and neither integrates MetaTrader platforms (no MT4 or MT5).

When it comes to trading platforms and tools, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers at 5 stars and ranks it #2 out of 63 brokers, while Questrade earns 4 stars and ranks #28. If platform strength and tool variety are your priority, Interactive Brokers comes out ahead; if you want an accessible web and desktop setup with chart trading and a demo account, Questrade is a capable alternative.

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 offer iPhone and Android trading apps with stock and forex price alerts and watchlists that sync between mobile and your online account. Their charting tools stand apart: Interactive Brokers includes 155 technical studies, while Questrade offers 64. Both apps let you draw trendlines, but only Questrade auto-saves drawings; Interactive Brokers does not, so you may need to redo them later.

For overall quality, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps at ForexBrokers.com. Questrade is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #28. If you want deeper charting and more indicators, the Interactive Brokers mobile app is the stronger pick. If you prefer simpler tools and automatic saving of chart annotations, Questrade’s mobile app is appealing.

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	155	64
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info	No	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

Interactive Brokers comes out ahead of Questrade for in‑platform market research. IBKR delivers daily market commentary, top‑tier forex news from outlets like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, a sentiment tool that shows long/short positioning, research from Trading Central and TipRanks, tools from Acuity Trading, and a global economic calendar. Questrade also includes Trading Central and TipRanks and adds Autochartist for pattern recognition, but it does not offer daily commentary, top‑tier forex news, a sentiment tool, Acuity Trading features, or an in‑platform economic calendar.

These gaps are reflected in the ratings: Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for Research and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Questrade scores 3.5 stars and ranks #34. Pick Interactive Brokers if you want more news and analysis in one place; choose Questrade if Autochartist’s pattern and signal tools are your priority and you’re fine sourcing market news elsewhere.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info	Yes	No
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info	Yes	No
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	No

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

Interactive Brokers vs Questrade for beginner education: If you’re new to trading, Interactive Brokers stands out. It runs client webinars at least once a month and offers at least 10 beginner-friendly trading videos, so you can learn on a schedule and at your own pace. Questrade, by contrast, does not run monthly educational webinars and does not meet the 10‑video mark for beginner topics, which can make it harder to build a foundation using the broker’s own materials.

As you progress, Interactive Brokers also supplies at least 10 advanced trading videos, letting you grow without changing learning hubs. That depth shows in independent scores: 5 stars for Education and ranked #1 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. Questrade lacks the 10‑video library for advanced topics, and its Education score is 3.5 stars with a #28 ranking. Note: the data provided does not confirm whether either broker meets the minimum of 10 dedicated pieces focused on forex or CFDs.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Webinars info	Yes	No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	No
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 #29.

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	85
Range of Investments
Trading Fees
Trading Platforms
Research
Mobile Trading
Education

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or Questrade?

What funding options does each broker offer?

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Overall Rating	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Overall Rating info
Trading Fees
Range of Investments
Trading Platforms
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	85
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	85
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	8	1
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 (FSA 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 CMA 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	675
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	110
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info	Yes	No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info	Yes	No
Copy Trading info	No	No
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info	Yes	No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info	No	No
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	0.226 info	0.8 or higher
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	0.226 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	$0
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	155	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	No
Autochartist info	No	Yes
Trading Central info	Yes	Yes
TipRanks info	Yes	Yes
Client sentiment data info	Yes	No
Economic Calendar info	Yes	No

Education	Interactive Brokers	Questrade
Webinars info	Yes	No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	No
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
Trading Fees
Range of Investments
Trading Platforms
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	85
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review	Questrade Review