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Interactive Brokers vs Spreadex 2025

ForexBrokers.com

Written by ForexBrokers.com

February 05, 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.

Interactive Brokers
5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0
  • Trust Score: 99
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 8500
Spreadex
4/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0
  • Trust Score: 71
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 10000

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, 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 Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Spreadex logoSpreadex
Year Founded info 1977 1999
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes No
Bank info No No
Tier-1 Licenses info 9 1
Tier-2 Licenses info 2 0
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 0

Fees

Interactive Brokers earns 5 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees and is ranked #2 of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. Spreadex earns 4 out of 5 stars and is ranked #28 of 63. In short, Interactive Brokers tends to deliver lower all-in costs for active or larger forex trades, while Spreadex’s pricing depends on how often its tighter spread is available.

Interactive Brokers uses a commission-plus-spread model. In Q3 2024, the average EUR/USD spread we observed was 0.19 pips, translating to about 0.59 pips all-in after commission. 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. 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 per-side minimum makes smaller-than-100k trades proportionally pricier. High-volume traders can qualify for lower minimums ($1.50 per order above $1 billion in monthly volume, and as low as $1 above $5 billion), and Interactive Brokers aggregates quotes from 17 major dealers with RFQ support for large orders.

Spreadex reported an average EUR/USD spread of 0.81 pips in January 2024, with a 0.6-pip minimum achieved 60% of the time. Compared with Interactive Brokers’ roughly 0.59-pip all-in cost during Q3 2024, Interactive Brokers often comes out cheaper on average, especially for standard or larger trade sizes and for very active traders who unlock volume discounts. When Spreadex hits its 0.6-pip minimum, its pricing can come close, but its typical average was higher over the period cited.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Spreadex logoSpreadex
Minimum Deposit info $0 $0
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard info 0.59 info 0.81 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.65 info N/A info
Active Trader or VIP Discounts info Yes No
ACH or SEPA Transfers info Yes No
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info No No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No No
Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) info No Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Featured Offers


Range of investments

Interactive Brokers and Spreadex both support forex trading as CFDs or spot. Spreadex lists about 10,000 tradeable instruments, more than Interactive Brokers’ 8,500. That said, Interactive Brokers offers 90 forex pairs versus Spreadex’s 52, giving currency traders more pair choices. If you want the largest overall list of markets, Spreadex has a slight edge; if you care most about forex variety, Interactive Brokers stands out.

For real share dealing, Interactive Brokers clearly leads. It lets you buy exchange-traded securities on U.S. markets (like Apple) and on international exchanges (like Vodafone), while Spreadex does not offer direct share ownership. Neither broker supports copy trading. On crypto, Interactive Brokers offers both delivered cryptocurrencies and crypto derivatives, while Spreadex offers crypto only via derivatives. Both earned 5 stars for Range of Investments, but in ForexBrokers.com’s ranking Interactive Brokers is #1 out of 63 brokers and Spreadex is #14, highlighting IB’s broader market access for those who want both CFDs and real assets.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Spreadex logoSpreadex
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 8500 10000
Forex Pairs (Total) info 90 52
U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) info Yes No
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) info Yes No
Social Trading / Copy Trading info No No
Cryptocurrency (Physical) info Yes No
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) 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). 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 Spreadex both provide free paper trading (virtual demo) accounts and run their own in-house platforms. Each offers a web-based platform, and both let you place orders directly from charts. If you want a downloadable desktop platform for Windows, Interactive Brokers has one, while Spreadex does not. Neither broker supports copy trading, MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5), or ZuluTrade.

For platform tools, Interactive Brokers stands out for customization, with 659 available watchlist columns compared with 8 at Spreadex. That depth helps you track far more data at a glance. Reflecting these differences, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars and ranks it #3 out of 63 for Trading Platforms and Tools, while Spreadex earns 4 stars and ranks #47. In short, Interactive Brokers may better suit traders who want a feature-packed desktop and highly detailed watchlists, whereas Spreadex may appeal if you prefer a simpler, web-first experience.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Spreadex logoSpreadex
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Proprietary Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes No
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading info No No
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No No
DupliTrade [DELETED] info
ZuluTrade info No No
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 155 58
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) [DELETED] info
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes
Watchlists - Total Fields info 659 8

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

Forex trading apps

Interactive Brokers and Spreadex both offer iPhone and Android trading apps with real-time watchlists, price alerts, trendline drawing, and multiple time frames for stocks and forex. A key difference is watchlist syncing: Interactive Brokers syncs your watchlists across mobile and the web, while Spreadex does not. Neither app auto-saves chart drawings.

For charting depth, Interactive Brokers lists 97 technical studies in its mobile app; Spreadex does not provide a comparable number. Reflecting this, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars and ranks it #4 out of 63 brokers for mobile trading apps, while Spreadex earns 4 stars and ranks #47. If you want advanced charting and seamless device-to-web syncing, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick; if you need the essentials with alerts and watchlists, Spreadex covers the basics.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Spreadex logoSpreadex
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields info Yes Yes
Watchlist Syncing info Yes No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 97 N/A
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave info No No
Mobile Watchlist info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

Interactive Brokers and Spreadex both cover the essentials for market research: daily market commentary, top-tier forex news (Bloomberg/Reuters/Dow Jones class), an economic calendar, and sentiment tools that show the long/short mix. Where they differ is in third-party research. Interactive Brokers integrates Trading Central analytics, TipRanks stock research, and tools from Acuity Trading (Signal Centre). Spreadex, by contrast, plugs in Autochartist for pattern recognition and trading ideas but does not offer Trading Central, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading extras.

If you want the widest mix of research providers, Interactive Brokers comes out ahead. It earns 5 stars for Research and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Spreadex scores 4 stars and ranks #32. Both platforms deliver timely news and actionable calendars; pick Interactive Brokers for a deeper toolkit, or choose Spreadex if Autochartist-driven chart signals are your priority.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Spreadex logoSpreadex
Daily Market Commentary info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Yes
Autochartist info No Yes
Trading Central (Recognia) info Yes No
Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs info Yes Yes
TipRanks info Yes No
Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) info Yes No
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

When it comes to educational resources for beginners, Interactive Brokers and Spreadex both provide a solid foundation with a variety of materials that can help new traders understand forex and CFDs. Both platforms offer more than ten educational pieces, including articles and videos, specifically focused on these topics. For those who prefer learning through visual means, both Interactive Brokers and Spreadex offer more than ten beginner-friendly videos to guide novice traders through the basics. Additionally, each platform provides an investor dictionary with over 50 investing terms, making it easier for beginners to familiarize themselves with key concepts.

Interactive Brokers significantly outshines Spreadex in several key areas of educational support. They provide online educational webinars regularly every month, a feature that Spreadex lacks. These webinars are even archived for future reference, adding flexibility for users who want to learn at their own pace. While both brokers support beginners, Interactive Brokers also caters to experienced traders by providing advanced educational videos, an area where Spreadex falls short. This extensive range of educational offerings has earned Interactive Brokers a 5-star rating and the number 3 spot in the education category among 63 brokers, whereas Spreadex holds a 4-star rating and is ranked at number 45.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Spreadex logoSpreadex
Education (Forex or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Client Webinars info Yes No
Client Webinars (Archived) info Yes No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes No
Investor Dictionary (Glossary) info Yes Yes

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 Spreadex. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Spreadex finished with an overall rank of #39.

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 logoInteractive Brokers
Spreadex logoSpreadex
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 71
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or Spreadex?

Interactive Brokers allows for the purchase of actual cryptocurrencies and also offers cryptocurrency derivatives, whereas Spreadex solely provides options for trading cryptocurrency derivatives without the capability to buy the actual cryptocurrencies.

What funding options does each broker offer?

Interactive Brokers supports ACH, SEPA, and bank wire transfers for depositing or withdrawing funds, but not PayPal, Skrill, Visa, or Mastercard, while Spreadex offers bank wire transfers and accepts Visa or Mastercard transactions, but doesn't support ACH, SEPA, PayPal, or Skrill.

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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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Overall Rating Interactive Brokers Spreadex
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 71
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review Spreadex Review
Broker Screenshots Interactive Brokers Spreadex
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info
IBKR mobile watchlist. IBKR Desktop platform charts. Interactive Brokers research Traders Insight daily analysis article detail Interactive Brokers IBKR Podcast video.
Spreadex web platform. Spreadex research news headlines market analysis. Spreadex educational article risk management.
Regulation Interactive Brokers Spreadex
Trust Score info 99 71
Year Founded info 1977 1999
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes No
Bank info No No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info No info
Tier-1 Licenses info 9 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 Spreadex
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info Yes No
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info Yes No
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info Yes No
Japan (SFC Authorised) info Yes No
Singapore (MAS Authorised) info Yes No
Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) info Yes
United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) info Yes Yes
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 info
Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) Interactive Brokers Spreadex
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info
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
Investments Interactive Brokers Spreadex
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 8500 10000
Forex Pairs (Total) info 90 52
U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) info Yes No
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) info Yes No
Social Trading / Copy Trading info No No
Cryptocurrency (Physical) info Yes No
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) 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). 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 info 0.59 info 0.81 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.65 info N/A info
Active Trader or VIP Discounts info Yes No
Inactivity Fee info No No
Execution: Agency Broker info Yes No
Execution: Market Maker info No Yes
Funding Interactive Brokers Spreadex
Minimum Deposit info $0 $0
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info No No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No No
Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) info No Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes
ACH or SEPA Transfers info Yes No
Trading Platforms Interactive Brokers Spreadex
Proprietary Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes No
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading info No No
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No No
cTrader info No No
DupliTrade [DELETED] info
ZuluTrade info No No
Trading Tools Interactive Brokers Spreadex
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Alerts - Basic Fields info Yes Yes
Watchlists - Total Fields info 659 8
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 155 58
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) [DELETED] info
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes
Charts can be saved info Yes Yes
Mobile Trading Interactive Brokers Spreadex
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlist info Yes Yes
Watchlist Syncing info Yes No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 97 N/A
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave info No No
Mobile Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Research Interactive Brokers Spreadex
Daily Market Commentary info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Yes
Autochartist info No Yes
Trading Central (Recognia) info Yes No
TipRanks info Yes No
Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs info Yes Yes
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Education Interactive Brokers Spreadex
Education (Forex or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Client Webinars info Yes No
Client Webinars (Archived) info Yes No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes No
Investor Dictionary (Glossary) info Yes Yes
Major Forex Pairs Interactive Brokers Spreadex
GBP/USD info Yes Yes
USD/JPY info Yes Yes
EUR/USD info Yes Yes
USD/CHF info Yes Yes
USD/CAD info Yes Yes
NZD/USD info Yes Yes
AUD/USD info Yes Yes
Review Interactive Brokers Review Spreadex Review
Overall Interactive Brokers Spreadex
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 71
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Review Interactive Brokers Review Spreadex Review
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