Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs StoneX Trading, 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 and StoneX Trading are both publicly traded online brokers, and neither is a bank. Interactive Brokers was founded in 1977, while StoneX Trading started in 1983. When it comes to regulation, Interactive Brokers holds 8 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses, while StoneX Trading holds 7 Tier-1 licenses and 1 Tier-2 license.
According to ForexBrokers.com’s Trust Score scale, a score of 90-99 means a broker is highly trusted, and both Interactive Brokers and StoneX Trading score 99 out of 99. That puts each firm in the highest trust category, making them both strong options for traders who want a broker with extensive oversight and a long operating history.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
StoneX Trading
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 1983 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 7 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
Interactive Brokers stands out for commissions and fees, earning 5 stars and ranking #1 out of 36 brokers for this category. Its forex pricing is especially competitive for active traders, with commissions that start low and can fall even further at higher monthly volumes. In Q3 2024, the EUR/USD average spread was 0.19 pips, or about 0.59 pips all in after commission, which makes IBKR a strong choice for traders who want tight pricing and efficient execution.
StoneX Trading is also fairly priced, but it sits a step behind IBKR with a 4.5-star rating and a #16 out of 36 ranking for commissions and fees. Its forex and CFD pricing is generally in line with the industry average, and its EUR/USD average spread was 0.74 pips as of July 2023. For active traders, StoneX offers rebate programs in some regions, which can help lower costs at higher trading volumes.
In simple terms, Interactive Brokers is the lower-cost pick for most forex traders, especially those who trade often or in larger sizes, while StoneX Trading offers average pricing with some volume-based discounts. If commissions and fees are your top priority, IBKR has the edge overall.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
StoneX Trading
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | £100.00 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | N/A | 0.8 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 0.626 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing Interactive Brokers and StoneX Trading for range of investments, both brokers give traders access to forex, and both are rated 5 out of 5 stars for this category. Interactive Brokers stands out for choice across multiple markets, offering 8,500 tradeable symbols, 100 forex pairs, and access to exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges. It also lets clients buy actual cryptocurrency, which adds another layer of flexibility for investors who want more than just forex.
StoneX Trading offers an even larger total list of tradeable symbols at 13,500, but its investment menu is more limited in some key areas. It offers 75 forex pairs, does not support buying U.S. or international exchange-traded stocks directly, and does not offer actual cryptocurrency. Instead, it does provide cryptocurrency CFDs, which may appeal to traders who want price exposure without owning the coin itself. In ForexBrokers.com’s Range of Investments ranking, Interactive Brokers places #1 out of 36 brokers, while StoneX Trading ranks #8.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
StoneX Trading
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 13500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 100 | 75 |
| 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 StoneX Trading both give traders a wide set of platform choices, including free paper trading, a proprietary platform, a Windows desktop download, and a web-based platform. Both also let users trade directly from a chart, which makes it easier to act on market moves without switching screens. Neither broker offers copy trading, and neither supports MetaTrader 5, but StoneX Trading does offer MetaTrader 4 while Interactive Brokers does not.
For trading platforms and tools, Interactive Brokers stands out with a 5-star rating and a #2 ranking out of 36 brokers from ForexBrokers.com, compared with StoneX Trading’s 4.5-star rating and #11 ranking. That edge suggests Interactive Brokers may be the stronger choice for traders who want a more complete platform experience, while StoneX Trading still offers many of the same core features, including MT4 for traders who prefer that setup.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
StoneX Trading
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 90 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Interactive Brokers and StoneX Trading both make it easy to trade on the go, with iPhone and Android apps, price alerts, and watchlist syncing between the mobile app and online account. Each app also lets users draw trendlines on stock or forex charts, which is helpful for basic chart analysis on a phone or tablet. For traders who want a smoother mobile setup, both brokers cover the key features most people look for in a trading app.
Where Interactive Brokers pulls ahead is in charting depth and overall mobile app standing. Its app offers 155 technical studies compared with 90 at StoneX Trading, and it earns a 5-star rating for Mobile Trading Apps versus StoneX Trading’s 4.5 stars. Interactive Brokers is also ranked #4 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com in this category, while StoneX Trading sits at #9. One area where StoneX Trading has an edge is drawing autosave, since its mobile app saves chart drawings automatically and Interactive Brokers does not.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
StoneX Trading
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 90 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, Interactive Brokers and StoneX Trading both give traders daily market commentary, forex news from major sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, plus an economic calendar for tracking upcoming global events. That means both platforms cover the core research tools many traders look for when following markets and planning trades.
Interactive Brokers stands out for deeper research features. It offers Trading Central tools, sentiment data showing long and short positioning, TipRanks insights, and Acuity Trading tools such as Signal Centre, while StoneX Trading does not offer these extras. This wider selection helps explain why Interactive Brokers is rated 5 out of 5 stars for Research and ranks #3 out of 36 brokers, compared with StoneX Trading’s 4.5-star Research rating and #10 ranking.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
StoneX Trading
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Interactive Brokers and StoneX Trading both give beginners a wide range of learning tools, including forex and CFDs education with at least 10 topic-specific pieces, monthly online webinars, and plenty of beginner and advanced video lessons. That means new traders can find step-by-step material on both platforms, while more experienced users can also dig into higher-level trading content.
Where Interactive Brokers stands out is in its Education score and ranking. It earns 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #1 out of 36 brokers for Education on ForexBrokers.com, while StoneX Trading scores 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #9. In simple terms, both brokers support learning well, but Interactive Brokers offers the stronger overall education package for beginners and beyond.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
StoneX Trading
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
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 StoneX Trading. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while StoneX Trading finished with an overall rank of #8.
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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StoneX Trading
|
|---|---|---|
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 |
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Interactive Brokers and StoneX Trading differ in their cryptocurrency offerings: Interactive Brokers lets clients buy actual, delivered cryptocurrency but does not offer crypto CFDs, while StoneX Trading does not provide delivered crypto purchases yet does offer cryptocurrency CFDs.
Interactive Brokers and StoneX Trading both support ACH or SEPA transfers and bank wires for depositing and withdrawing funds, while neither broker offers PayPal or Skrill, making their funding options broadly similar.
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 | StoneX Trading | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | StoneX Trading Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | StoneX Trading | |
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| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | StoneX Trading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 1983 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 7 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | StoneX Trading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | StoneX Trading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | StoneX Trading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 13500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 100 | 75 | |
| 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 | StoneX Trading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | N/A | 0.8 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 0.626 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | StoneX Trading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | £100.00 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | StoneX Trading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | StoneX Trading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 90 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | StoneX Trading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 90 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | StoneX Trading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | StoneX Trading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | StoneX Trading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | StoneX Trading Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | StoneX Trading | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | StoneX Trading Review |
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