Interactive Brokers vs Tickmill 2026

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 and Tickmill are two options to consider for online trading, both offering different levels of trust and credibility. Founded in 1977, Interactive Brokers is publicly traded and boasts the highest ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99. It holds 9 Tier-1 licenses, reflecting strong regulatory compliance. On the other hand, Tickmill, established in 2014, is not publicly traded and has a Trust Score of 86. While it holds 2 Tier-1 licenses, this suggests a solid level of trust but not as extensive as Interactive Brokers.

Neither company operates as a bank, focusing solely on providing brokerage services. Both firms hold 2 Tier-2 licenses, indicating they meet trusted standards in certain jurisdictions. However, Interactive Brokers' extensive Tier-1 licensing positions it as a more secure choice from a regulatory perspective compared to Tickmill. For investors prioritizing regulatory approval and publicly traded status, Interactive Brokers may offer greater peace of mind.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Year Founded info	1977	2014
Publicly Traded (Listed) info	Yes	No
Bank info	No	No
Tier-1 Licenses info	9	2
Tier-2 Licenses info	2	2
Tier-3 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-4 Licenses info	0	1

Fees

Interactive Brokers and Tickmill both earn 5/5 stars for commissions and fees, but they take different approaches and hold different category ranks: Interactive Brokers is ranked #2 out of 63 brokers, while Tickmill is ranked #10. IBKR uses a commission-based model with bank-grade pricing aggregated from 17 liquidity providers, while Tickmill offers a spread-only Classic account and a low-spread, commission-based Raw account.

Interactive Brokers doesn’t regularly publish average forex spreads, but Q3 2024 data shows an average EUR/USD spread of 0.19 pips, translating to an all-in cost around 0.59 pips after commission. Commissions start at 0.00002 (0.2 basis points) of the USD trade value with a $2 minimum per side ($4 round turn), comparable to $16–$40 per million round turn; fees can fall to 0.08 bps for very high volumes. Note the $2-per-side minimum: trades under 100,000 units become proportionally pricier. Active traders can unlock lower per-order minimums ($1.50 at $1B+ monthly volume, $1 at $5B+), and large orders can be handled via RFQ.

Tickmill’s Classic account is commission-free but carries wider average spreads (1.76 pips on EUR/USD as of August 2023). The Raw account targets lower spreads with a $3-per-side commission ($6 per standard lot) and listed typical EUR/USD spreads of 0.11 pips (October 2023). After the commission increase, the Raw account’s estimated all-in cost is about 0.71 pips—higher than IBKR’s recent 0.59 pips example—though Tickmill’s $100 minimum for Raw keeps entry costs low. Bottom line: both are highly rated on pricing, with IBKR’s recent EUR/USD all-in snapshot coming in below Tickmill Raw’s latest estimate, while Tickmill still appeals to active traders who prefer a simple, low-spread + commission setup.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$100
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info	0.59 info	1.70 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	0.65 info	0.70 info
Non-wire bank transfer info	Yes	No
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	Yes
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Range of investments

Interactive Brokers vs Tickmill: which broker offers more ways to invest? Interactive Brokers leads with about 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, while Tickmill lists 637 symbols and 63 pairs. Both support forex via CFDs or spot contracts. Interactive Brokers also provides direct access to exchange-traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges, so you can buy shares such as Apple (AAPL) and Vodafone (VOD-GB); Tickmill does not offer exchange-listed shares.

For extra features, Tickmill supports copy trading, whereas Interactive Brokers does not. On the crypto side, Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual cryptocurrency and also trade crypto CFDs; Tickmill offers crypto CFDs only. Reflecting this wider selection, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers for Range of Investments, while Tickmill holds 3.5 stars and ranks #30. Choose Interactive Brokers for the broadest market access, or Tickmill if you want copy trading with a focused CFD and forex lineup.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	8500	637
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	63
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info	Yes	No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info	Yes	No
Copy Trading info	No	Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info	Yes	No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) 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 vs Tickmill: both brokers offer free paper trading (demo) accounts, web-based platforms, Windows desktop software, and the ability to place trades directly from charts. Interactive Brokers stands out for its in-house proprietary platform and earned 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools, ranking #2 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com. Tickmill is rated 4 stars and ranks #24.

Key differences: Interactive Brokers does not support MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and does not offer copy trading. Tickmill doesn’t have a proprietary platform, but it supports MT4 and MT5 and offers copy trading. If you want MetaTrader and social/copy features, Tickmill is the better fit. If you prefer an in-house platform with higher platform-and-tools ratings, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	Yes
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	No
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	Yes
Web Platform info	Yes	Yes
Copy Trading info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info	No	Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info	155	91
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes

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

Forex trading apps

Interactive Brokers and Tickmill both offer iPhone and Android trading apps with price alerts and the ability to draw trendlines on stock and forex charts. In independent testing, Interactive Brokers earned 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps on ForexBrokers.com, while Tickmill earned 4 stars and ranks #25.

For charting, Interactive Brokers provides 97 technical indicators, far more than Tickmill’s 30, and it syncs watchlists between the mobile app and your online account. Tickmill, however, auto-saves your chart drawings, while Interactive Brokers does not. If you want deeper indicators and watchlist syncing, Interactive Brokers stands out; if automatic saving of drawings matters more, Tickmill has the edge.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Android App info	Yes	Yes
Apple iOS App info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info	Yes	No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info	97	30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info	No	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

Interactive Brokers and Tickmill both cover the essentials for market research: daily market commentary, top-tier forex news (from sources like Bloomberg/Reuters/Dow Jones), sentiment tools, Acuity Trading signals, and a full economic calendar. Neither broker includes Autochartist. The key differences are in third‑party add‑ons: Interactive Brokers includes Trading Central and TipRanks, while Tickmill does not. If you value integrated analyst insights and extra screening tools, Interactive Brokers has the edge; if you mainly want news, commentary, and sentiment data, both brokers deliver.

Ratings back this up: Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for Research and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Tickmill holds 4 stars and ranks #19. In short, Interactive Brokers suits traders seeking deeper built‑in research tools, whereas Tickmill covers the core research features many traders need.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info	Yes	Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info	Yes	Yes
Autochartist info	No	No
Trading Central info	Yes	No
Client sentiment data info	Yes	Yes
TipRanks info	Yes	No
Acuity Trading info	Yes	Yes
Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

Interactive Brokers and Tickmill both make it easier for beginners to get started with trading education. Each broker runs online client webinars at least once a month and offers 10+ beginner videos that explain core trading topics in plain language. As you advance, both also provide 10+ videos for experienced traders, so you can keep learning without switching platforms.

Where they differ is in overall depth and recognition. Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for Education and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers with ForexBrokers.com, while Tickmill earns 4 stars and ranks #14. For newcomers who want the most highly rated learning experience—with frequent webinars and extensive video lessons—Interactive Brokers stands out. Tickmill remains a solid pick if you want regular live education and plenty of videos to build confidence step by step.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Webinars info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos 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 Tickmill. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Tickmill finished with an overall rank of #23.

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	Tickmill
Overall Rating info
Trust Score info	99	86
Range of Investments
Trading Fees
Trading Platforms
Research
Mobile Trading
Education

FAQs

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What funding options does each broker offer?

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Overall Rating	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Overall Rating info
Trading Fees
Range of Investments
Trading Platforms
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	86
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review	Tickmill Review

Broker Screenshots	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info

Regulation	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Trust Score info	99	86
Year Founded info	1977	2014
Publicly Traded (Listed) info	Yes	No
Bank info	No	No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info	Yes info	Yes info
Tier-1 Licenses info	9	2
Tier-2 Licenses info	2	2
Tier-3 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-4 Licenses info	0	1

Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted)	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info	Yes	No
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info	Yes	No
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info	Yes	No
Japan (FSA 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	Yes info

Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted)	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info
Israel (ISA Authorised) info	No	No
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info	No	Yes
UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) info	Yes	Yes
India (SEBI Authorised) info	Yes	No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info

Investments	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	8500	637
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	63
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info	Yes	No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info	Yes	No
Copy Trading info	No	Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info	Yes	No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) 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	Tickmill
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info	0.59 info	1.70 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	0.65 info	0.70 info
Inactivity Fee info	No	No
Order execution: Agency info	Yes	Yes
Order execution: Market Maker info	No	Yes

Funding	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$100
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	Yes
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info	Yes	Yes
Non-wire bank transfer info	Yes	No

Trading Platforms	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	No
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	Yes
Web Platform info	Yes	Yes
Copy Trading info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info	No	Yes
cTrader info	No	No

Trading Tools	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	Yes
Price Alerts info	Yes	Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info	155	91
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes
Charts can be saved info	Yes	Yes

Mobile Trading	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Android App info	Yes	Yes
Apple iOS App info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] info
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info	Yes	No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info	97	30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info	No	Yes
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Research	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info	Yes	Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info	Yes	Yes
Autochartist info	No	No
Trading Central info	Yes	No
TipRanks info	Yes	No
Client sentiment data info	Yes	Yes
Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Education	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Webinars info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info	Yes	Yes

Major Forex Pairs	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
GBP/USD [DELETED] info
USD/JPY [DELETED] info
EUR/USD info	Yes	Yes
USD/CHF [DELETED] info
USD/CAD [DELETED] info
NZD/USD [DELETED] info
AUD/USD [DELETED] info
Review	Interactive Brokers Review	Tickmill Review

Overall	Interactive Brokers	Tickmill
Overall Rating info
Trading Fees
Range of Investments
Trading Platforms
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	86
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review	Tickmill Review