Written by ForexBrokers.com
Is Interactive Brokers better than TD Ameritrade? In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 62 of the best forex brokers, Interactive Brokers is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 99 out of 99. TD Ameritrade FX is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 99 out of 99. Learn more about Trust Score.
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❯×| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade | |
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| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | TD Ameritrade Review |
| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 1955 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank | No | Yes | |
| Authorised in European Union | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (High Trust) | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASIC Authorised (Australia) | Yes | No | |
| IIROC Authorised (Canada) | Yes | No | |
| SFC Authorised (Hong Kong) | Yes | Yes | |
| CBI Authorised (Ireland) | Yes | No | |
| FSA Authorised (Japan) | Yes | No | |
| MAS Authorised (Singapore) | Yes | Yes | |
| FINMA Authorised (Switzerland) | Yes | No | |
| FCA Authorised (U.K.) | Yes | Yes | |
| CFTC Registered (USA) | Yes | Yes | |
| FMA Authorised (New Zealand) | No | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Average Trust) | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBRC Authorised (China) | No | No | |
| CySEC Authorised (Cyprus) | No | No | |
| SEBI Authorised (India) | Yes | No | |
| ISA Authorised (Israel) | No | No | |
| CBR Authorised (Russia) | No | No | |
| FSCA Authorised (South Africa) | No | No | |
| SEC Authorised (Thailand) | No | No | |
| DFSA / Central Bank Authorised (UAE) | No | No |
| Tier-3 Licenses (Low Trust) | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCB Authorised (Bahamas) | No | No | |
| IFSC Authorised (Belize) | No | No | |
| CIMA Authorised (Cayman Islands) | No | No | |
| BMA Authorised (Bermuda) | No | No | |
| FSC Authorised (British Virgin Islands) | No | No | |
| FSC Authorised (Mauritius) | No | No | |
| VFSC Authorised (Vanuatu) | No | No |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 0 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 73 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFD) | No | No | |
| 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 | TD Ameritrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.6 | 1.25 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.6 | 1.25 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | No | No |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | No | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 640 | 564 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 128 | 360 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 85 | 23 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 97 | 360 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Forex Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has Education - Forex or CFDs | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | TD Ameritrade Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade | |
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| Overall Rating |
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| Commissions & Fees |
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| Offering of Investments |
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| Platform & Tools |
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| Mobile Trading |
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| Research |
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| Education |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | TD Ameritrade Review |
Compare
0 of 5Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2023 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 62 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare Interactive Brokers vs TD Ameritrade.
Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spreads data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough annual assessment, Interactive Brokers offers better pricing overall for traders.
At ForexBrokers.com, we track where each forex and CFD broker is regulated across over 23 international regulator databases. Here's our findings. Interactive Brokers holds 8 global Tier-1 licenses, while TD Ameritrade holds 4. Interactive Brokers holds 1 global Tier-2 licenses, while TD Ameritrade holds 0. In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 50 brokers, Interactive Brokers and TD Ameritrade earned the same Trust Score.
To compare the trading platforms of both Interactive Brokers and TD Ameritrade, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, Interactive Brokers offers a better experience. With research, Interactive Brokers offers superior market research. Finally, we found TD Ameritrade to provide better mobile trading apps.
For forex and CFDs traders, copy trading and MetaTrader are both popular platform options. Neither broker offers Meta Trader.Copy trading is not offered by either broker.
Interactive Brokers provides traders 90 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to TD Ameritrade's 73 available pairs. Forex pairs aside, Interactive Brokers offers traders access to 8500 CFDs while TD Ameritrade has 0 available CFDs, a difference of 8500.
Interactive Brokers is publicly traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by nine tier-1 regulators (high trust), one tier-2 regulators (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). Interactive Brokers is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), Central Bank of Ireland (CBI), Securities Futures Commission (SFC), Japanese Financial Services Authority (JFSA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
TD Ameritrade FX is publicly-traded, does operate a bank, and is authorised by five tier-1 regulators (high trust), zero tier-2 regulators (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). TD Ameritrade FX is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), Securities Futures Commission (SFC), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
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.
TD Ameritrade’s thinkorswim platform offers over 70 tradeable currency pairs alongside a plethora of impressive tools, research, and education. For traders in the U.S., TD Ameritrade provides the ultimate trading technology experience.
Overall winner: Interactive Brokers
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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