Interactive Brokers vs Spreadex 2025
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Spreadex, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Spreadex, 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, established in 1977, is a highly trusted online broker with a stellar Trust Score of 99 out of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com. This firm stands out for being publicly traded and holds an impressive number of 9 Tier-1 licenses, indicating a significant level of trust in its operations. Though not a bank, its position in the financial world is solidified by these licenses and its public trading status, offering a level of transparency and reliability that instills confidence in its clients.
In contrast, Spreadex, founded in 1999, has a Trust Score of 71, suggesting an average level of risk. Unlike Interactive Brokers, Spreadex is not publicly traded and holds only 1 Tier-1 license and no Tier-2 licenses, which could imply less regulatory oversight compared to its counterpart. Spreadex, like Interactive Brokers, is not a bank, but the difference in their regulatory standings may appeal to different types of investors based on their risk tolerance and trust preferences.
| Feature |
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|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 1999 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 9 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
If your priority is low commissions and fees, Interactive Brokers tends to come out cheaper than Spreadex for forex. Interactive Brokers: 5/5 stars and ranked #2 of 63 for Commissions and Fees by ForexBrokers.com. Spreadex: 4/5 stars and ranked #25 of 63. The main difference is that Interactive Brokers uses a commission-based model paired with tight raw spreads, while Spreadex prices through the spread.
Interactive Brokers does not publish average spreads, but in Q3 2024 we observed an average EUR/USD spread of 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 per side with a $2 minimum per order ($4 round turn), which equates to roughly $16–$40 per million round turn. On a $100,000 EUR/USD trade, the commission works out to about 0.40 pips on top of the spread. Note that the $2 minimum makes smaller trade sizes proportionally more expensive. High-volume traders can qualify for lower minimums ($1.50 per order above $1B/month; $1 above $5B), and IBKR aggregates prices from 17 interbank dealers with RFQ available for large orders.
Spreadex averaged 0.81 pips on EUR/USD in January 2024, with its 0.6-pip minimum achieved 60% of the time that month. Compared with Interactive Brokers’ observed 0.59-pip effective all-in cost, Spreadex’s typical pricing is higher. Active or high-volume traders are likely to find Interactive Brokers more cost-efficient, while casual traders who prefer a simple, spread-only structure may appreciate Spreadex’s straightforward pricing.
| Feature |
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|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.59 | 0.81 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Interactive Brokers vs Spreadex: both brokers let you trade forex as a CFD or spot. Spreadex lists more total tradeable symbols (10,000) than Interactive Brokers (8,500), yet Interactive Brokers offers a wider choice of forex pairs (90 vs 52). Neither broker supports copy trading.
For stocks and crypto, Interactive Brokers is the more complete choice. You can buy exchange-traded securities on U.S. markets (like Apple) and on international markets (like Vodafone) at Interactive Brokers, while Spreadex does not offer exchange-traded shares. For digital assets, Interactive Brokers supports both actual cryptocurrency purchases and crypto CFDs; Spreadex limits you to crypto CFDs. Both earn 5 stars for Range of Investments, but Interactive Brokers ranks #1 out of 63 brokers, compared with Spreadex at #13.
| Feature |
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|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 10000 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 52 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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). | 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 vs Spreadex: both brokers offer simulated (paper) trading with a free demo account, and each provides a proprietary, web-based trading platform. A key difference is desktop access—Interactive Brokers offers a Windows download platform, while Spreadex does not. Both let you place trades directly from charts. Neither broker supports copy trading, and neither offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or MetaTrader 5 (MT5).
For Trading Platforms and Tools, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 out of 5 stars and ranks it #2 of 63 brokers, while Spreadex earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #34. If you want a Windows desktop platform and a higher-rated toolkit, Interactive Brokers stands out; if you’re comfortable trading in a browser, both are suitable options.
| Feature |
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|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 58 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both Interactive Brokers and Spreadex offer iPhone and Android trading apps, and each supports stock and forex price alerts. A key difference is watchlist syncing: Interactive Brokers syncs watchlists between the mobile app and your online account so edits carry over automatically, while Spreadex does not.
Charting is stronger on Interactive Brokers, with 97 technical studies and the ability to draw trendlines; Spreadex also lets you draw trendlines, but it doesn’t publish how many built-in studies are available. Neither app auto-saves chart drawings. For overall quality, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars and ranks it #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps, while Spreadex holds 4 stars and ranks #33.
| Feature |
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|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 97 | N/A |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Interactive Brokers and Spreadex both deliver daily market commentary and stream forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones. Each broker includes an economic calendar and a sentiment tool that shows the ratio of long and short positions, helping traders gauge market mood at a glance.
The key differences are in third‑party research. Interactive Brokers integrates Trading Central, TipRanks, and Acuity Trading tools, while Spreadex offers Autochartist for pattern recognition but lacks those other providers. Based on ForexBrokers.com’s assessments, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for Research and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers, whereas Spreadex earns 4 stars and ranks #27. If you want a wider mix of external research providers, Interactive Brokers stands out; if you value Autochartist’s technical scans, Spreadex may fit the bill.
| Feature |
|
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|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Choosing a broker for learning as a beginner? Both Interactive Brokers and Spreadex offer at least 10 beginner-focused trading videos to help you get started. Interactive Brokers also hosts online educational webinars at least once a month, giving you a chance to learn live and ask questions, while Spreadex does not run monthly webinars.
If you plan to advance your skills, Interactive Brokers provides at least 10 advanced trading videos, whereas Spreadex does not meet that advanced threshold. Reflecting these differences, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars for education and ranks it #1 out of 63 brokers; Spreadex earns 4 stars and ranks #33. Beginners who want frequent live lessons and room to grow may prefer Interactive Brokers, while those who just need starter videos may find Spreadex suitable.
| Feature |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Spreadex. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Spreadex 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 |
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| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 71 |
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Compared to Spreadex, Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual delivered cryptocurrency as well as trade crypto CFDs, while Spreadex only supports cryptocurrency trading via CFDs and does not offer delivery of the underlying coins.
For funding and withdrawals, Interactive Brokers supports ACH/SEPA and bank wire transfers while Spreadex offers bank wires only; neither broker supports PayPal or Skrill, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified.
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 | Spreadex | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Spreadex Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Spreadex | |
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| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 71 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 1999 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 9 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | |
| 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 | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 10000 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 52 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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). | 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 | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.59 | 0.81 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 58 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 97 | N/A | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Spreadex Review |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 71 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Spreadex Review |