Written by ForexBrokers.com
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.
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Interactive Brokers vs. Spreadex: Interactive Brokers, founded in 1977 and publicly traded, is not a bank. Spreadex, founded in 1999, is privately held and also not a bank. On the ForexBrokers.com Trust Score, Interactive Brokers earns 99/99 (highly trusted, 90–99), while Spreadex scores 70/99 (average risk, 70–79).
Regulation and licenses: Interactive Brokers holds 8 Tier-1 licenses (considered highly trusted by ForexBrokers.com) and 2 Tier-2 licenses (considered trusted). Spreadex holds 1 Tier-1 license and no Tier-2 licenses. This difference in top-tier licensing aligns with their Trust Scores and is useful context when comparing these online brokers.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 1999 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
Interactive Brokers stands out for commissions and fees, earning 5 stars and ranking #1 out of 36 brokers. Its forex pricing is commission-based rather than spread-marked up, and that can make it very competitive for active traders. In Q3 2024, the average EUR/USD spread was 0.19 pips, with an estimated all-in cost of about 0.59 pips after commission. IBKR’s forex commission starts at 0.00002 of U.S. dollar trade value per side, with a $2 minimum per order, though this can fall for very high-volume traders.
Spreadex is also priced fairly well, but it is not as low-cost as Interactive Brokers. It earns 4 stars and ranks #27 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees. In January 2024, its average EUR/USD spread was 0.81 pips, with a minimum spread of 0.6 pips seen 60% of the time during the month. This makes Spreadex a reasonable choice, but its typical forex trading costs are higher than IBKR’s.
Overall, if keeping trading costs as low as possible is the goal, Interactive Brokers has the edge over Spreadex. IBKR’s mix of low spreads, commission-based pricing, and volume discounts makes it especially attractive for active forex traders, while Spreadex offers a simpler spread-based model that is decent but more expensive on average.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | N/A | 0.81 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 0.626 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | 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 and Spreadex both give traders access to forex, but they differ in what else is on offer. Interactive Brokers lists about 8,500 tradeable symbols and 100 forex pairs, while Spreadex offers around 10,000 symbols but only 52 forex pairs. If your focus is currency trading, Interactive Brokers has the wider forex choice. If you want a larger overall list of markets, Spreadex has the edge in total symbols.
Interactive Brokers is also stronger for investors who want to trade real shares and other exchange traded securities, because it offers U.S. and international stocks on live exchanges. It also lets clients buy actual cryptocurrency, while Spreadex does not. Spreadex, on the other hand, offers cryptocurrency CFDs rather than the real asset. Neither broker offers copy trading. Both are rated 5 out of 5 stars for Range of Investments, but Interactive Brokers is ranked #1 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com in this category, compared with Spreadex at #13.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 10000 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 100 | 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) | 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
Interactive Brokers and Spreadex both give traders a free demo account for paper trading, along with their own in-house platform and a browser-based trading option. Each also lets you trade directly from a stock chart, which can make order entry quicker and easier. Neither broker supports copy trading, MetaTrader 4, or MetaTrader 5.
The main difference is that Interactive Brokers also offers a Windows desktop trading platform, while Spreadex does not. That wider platform choice helps explain why Interactive Brokers earns a 5-star rating for Trading Platforms and Tools and ranks #2 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, compared with Spreadex’s 4-star rating and #37 ranking.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| 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.
Interactive Brokers and Spreadex both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with price alerts and trendline drawing on charts. Neither app automatically saves chart drawings, so users will need to add them again if they are lost. For basic mobile trading features, both platforms cover the essentials, but Interactive Brokers goes further with watchlist symbol syncing, which lets changes update between the mobile app and the online account.
Where Interactive Brokers pulls ahead is in charting and overall app quality. Its mobile app includes 155 technical studies, while Spreadex does not list a comparable number. Interactive Brokers is also rated 5 stars for mobile trading apps and ranks #4 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, compared with Spreadex’s 4-star rating and #36 ranking. For traders who want stronger chart tools and smoother watchlist syncing on mobile, Interactive Brokers has the edge.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | N/A |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, Interactive Brokers and Spreadex both give traders daily market commentary, news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters, sentiment tools, and an economic calendar. That means both platforms can help you keep track of major market moves and upcoming events in a straightforward way.
Interactive Brokers, however, goes further with a wider range of research tools. It offers Trading Central, TipRanks, and Acuity Trading, while Spreadex does not. Spreadex does include Autochartist, which Interactive Brokers does not. Overall, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars for research and ranks #3 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, compared with Spreadex’s 4-star rating and #29 ranking.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| 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.
For beginners who want to learn before trading, Interactive Brokers has a clear edge over Spreadex. Interactive Brokers offers forex and CFDs education with at least 10 dedicated learning pieces, monthly live client webinars, and 10 or more beginner videos, plus another set of advanced videos for traders who want to keep learning. That extra mix of articles, videos, and webinars makes it easier for new traders to build skills step by step.
Spreadex does offer 10 or more beginner trading videos, but it does not match Interactive Brokers in broader education for forex and CFDs, does not provide monthly webinars, and does not have 10 or more advanced videos. That difference shows in the ratings too: Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for Education and ranks #1 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Spreadex receives 4 stars and ranks #36.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 #33.
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
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Spreadex
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|---|---|---|
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| Trust Score | 99 | 70 |
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In the Interactive Brokers vs Spreadex comparison for cryptocurrency trading, Interactive Brokers allows buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency but does not offer cryptocurrency CFDs, whereas Spreadex offers cryptocurrency CFDs but does not support buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency.
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 | 70 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Spreadex Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Spreadex | |
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| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 70 | |
| 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 | 8 | 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 CMA 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) | 100 | 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) | 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). |
| Cost | Interactive Brokers | Spreadex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | N/A | 0.81 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 0.626 | 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 (Deposit/Withdraw) | 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 Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Spreadex Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | Spreadex | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 70 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Spreadex Review |
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