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 comes out ahead of Spreadex on commissions and fees, especially for active forex traders. IBKR uses a commission-based model rather than simply marking up spreads, and its EUR/USD pricing was measured at an average 0.19 pips in Q3 2024, with an effective all-in spread of 0.59 pips after commission. Forex commissions start at 0.00002, or 0.2 basis points, of the U.S. dollar trade value, with a $2 minimum per order ($4 round turn), though very active traders may qualify for lower rates. Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars and ranked #2 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees.
Spreadex is simpler, but generally more expensive on the same measure. Its EUR/USD average spread was 0.81 pips in January 2024, with a minimum spread of 0.6 pips reached 60% of the time during the month. That makes it less competitive than Interactive Brokers for traders who care most about keeping trading costs low, especially on frequent forex trades. Spreadex is rated 4 stars and ranked #26 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Spreadex
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 0.81 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 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 and Spreadex both give traders access to forex, but they differ in what else you can trade. Interactive Brokers offers a larger forex lineup with 90 currency pairs, compared with 52 at Spreadex. It also supports a wide range of exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international markets, so clients can buy real shares such as Apple or Vodafone. In addition, Interactive Brokers lets investors buy actual cryptocurrency, while it does not offer crypto CFDs.
Spreadex offers a slightly larger total number of tradeable symbols overall, with 10,000 versus 8,500 at Interactive Brokers, and it does provide crypto CFDs rather than delivered crypto. However, it does not offer exchange-traded securities on U.S. or international exchanges. Both brokers earn 5 out of 5 stars for Range of Investments, but Interactive Brokers is ranked #1 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while Spreadex is ranked #13.
| Feature |
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) | 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 access to a free demo account for paper trading, plus a web-based platform and their own in-house trading software. Each also lets you place trades directly from a chart, which can make it easier to act on market moves quickly. Neither broker supports copy trading, MetaTrader 4, or MetaTrader 5, so traders looking for those third-party tools will need to look elsewhere.
One key difference is that Interactive Brokers also offers a Windows desktop platform, while Spreadex does not. In independent ForexBrokers.com testing, Interactive Brokers earned 5 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools and ranked #2 out of 36 brokers, compared with Spreadex at 4 stars and #35. That makes Interactive Brokers the stronger pick overall for traders who want more platform choice and a higher-rated trading toolkit.
| 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 stock and forex price alerts. Each app also lets users draw trendlines on charts, but neither app auto-saves those drawings. One key difference is watchlist syncing: Interactive Brokers keeps watchlists synced between the mobile app and the online account, while Spreadex does not. Interactive Brokers also stands out for charting, offering 155 technical studies in its mobile app, compared with no published number for Spreadex.
Overall, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice for mobile trading apps. It earns 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 36 brokers in the Mobile Trading Apps category, while Spreadex scores 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #34. If you want deeper charting tools and synced watchlists, Interactive Brokers has the edge. If you mainly need a simple app with the basics, Spreadex still covers the core mobile features.
| 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.
Interactive Brokers and Spreadex both give traders useful market research tools, including daily market commentary, forex news from major sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, a sentiment tool showing long and short positioning, and an economic calendar for upcoming global events. That means either broker can help you stay on top of news and key market moves.
Where Interactive Brokers stands out is in the wider range and depth of its research options. It offers Trading Central, TipRanks, and Acuity Trading tools, while Spreadex includes Autochartist instead. In overall ratings, Interactive Brokers scores 5 stars for Research and ranks #3 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, compared with Spreadex’s 4 stars and #28 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 looking to learn before they trade, Interactive Brokers comes out ahead of Spreadex in education. Interactive Brokers offers forex and CFD learning material, plus online educational webinars at least once a month, along with 10+ beginner videos and 10+ advanced videos. It is also rated 5 stars for Education and ranked #1 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, which suggests a wide range of learning support for both new and more experienced traders.
Spreadex still provides some useful learning content for beginners, including 10+ beginner trading videos, but it falls behind overall. It does not offer monthly educational webinars, does not meet the minimum for forex or CFD-focused education, and does not have 10+ advanced educational videos. Spreadex is rated 4 stars for Education and ranked #34 out of 36, making Interactive Brokers the stronger choice for traders who want more guidance and training resources.
| 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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| 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) | 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) | 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) - Standard account | 0.226 | 0.81 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 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 | 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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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