Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Vantage, 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 Vantage are two well-regarded online brokers, but they differ significantly in their regulatory standings and trust ratings. Interactive Brokers, established in 1977, is publicly traded and holds an impressive nine Tier-1 licenses, which are highly trusted according to ForexBrokers.com. In contrast, Vantage, founded in 2009, is not publicly traded and holds two Tier-1 licenses. Furthermore, Interactive Brokers is backed by a near-perfect Trust Score of 99 out of 99, reflecting its high reliability, while Vantage has a Trust Score of 90, placing it in the "highly trusted" category.
While neither Interactive Brokers nor Vantage operates as a bank, their varying licenses and trust ratings reflect different levels of regulatory assurance. Interactive Brokers not only has a significant number of Tier-1 licenses but also holds two Tier-2 licenses, adding another layer of trust. Vantage, on the other hand, holds one Tier-2 license. For potential investors and traders, these differences in regulation and trust ratings can be key factors when choosing between the two platforms.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2009 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 9 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
Interactive Brokers and Vantage both offer competitive forex pricing, but they take different routes. Interactive Brokers uses agency-style pricing with no spread markup and charges a commission, which delivered an effective all-in EUR/USD cost of about 0.59 pips in Q3 2024. Vantage’s best widely accessible pricing is on its RAW ECN account, where typical costs totaled about 0.75 pips (0.15-pip spread plus $3 per side commission). For commissions and fees, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars and ranked #2 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while Vantage is rated 4.5 stars and ranked #20 out of 63.
Interactive Brokers’ commission starts at 0.00002 (0.2 basis points) of USD trade value per side, with a $2 minimum per order ($4 round turn), equating to $16–$40 per million round turn depending on volume. Very active traders can see pricing drop to 0.08 bps and minimums as low as $1–$1.50 per order with high monthly volumes. IBKR aggregates pricing from 17 major dealers and, for a 100,000 EUR/USD trade, the commission component is roughly 0.40 pips, plus the prevailing spread. Note: the $2-per-side minimum means smaller trade sizes become proportionally more expensive.
Vantage’s costs depend on the account type and entity. The Standard STP account is spread-only with typical EUR/USD spreads around 1.30 pips. The RAW ECN account lists 0.15-pip average spreads plus a $3 commission per side ($6 round turn), totaling about 0.75 pips. The PRO ECN account cuts commission to $2 per side ($4 round turn), but eligibility and funding rules apply (e.g., wholesale status in Australia or a $10,000 minimum under the Cayman entity). Vantage also offers active-trader rebates of $2–$8 per standard lot, though only on the higher-spread Standard account.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $50 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.59 | 1.30 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | 0.75 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Interactive Brokers vs Vantage: for range of investments, Interactive Brokers offers 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, while Vantage lists about 1,000 symbols and 61 pairs. Both let you trade forex as spot or via CFDs (contracts for difference).
Interactive Brokers also lets you buy exchange-traded stocks on U.S. and international exchanges (for example, Apple and Vodafone) and offers both real cryptocurrency and crypto CFDs. Vantage does not offer exchange-traded shares or delivered crypto, but it does offer crypto CFDs and adds copy trading, which Interactive Brokers lacks. Reflecting the broader selection, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #1 out of 63 for Range of Investments, while Vantage earns 3.5 stars and ranks #51.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 1000 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 61 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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.
Interactive Brokers and Vantage both cover the basics for trading platforms and tools: each offers a free paper trading demo account, a proprietary in-house platform, a Windows desktop download, a web-based platform, and the ability to trade directly from charts. The biggest differences are add-ons. Vantage supports copy trading and offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), while Interactive Brokers does not provide copy trading or MetaTrader access.
For overall quality, Interactive Brokers is top-rated with 5 stars and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools, while Vantage earns 4 stars and ranks #21. Choose Interactive Brokers if you want a highly rated in-house platform and don’t need MetaTrader or copy trading. Pick Vantage if access to MT4/MT5 and copy trading is a priority.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Interactive Brokers and Vantage both offer iPhone and Android apps with price alerts and the ability to draw trendlines on charts. The experiences diverge in charting and organization: Interactive Brokers packs in 97 technical studies compared with Vantage’s 30, and it syncs watchlists between the mobile app and your online account. Vantage, on the other hand, does not sync watchlists but does auto-save chart drawings, while Interactive Brokers does not.
For overall quality, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps on ForexBrokers.com, while Vantage holds 4 stars and ranks #29. If you want deeper chart tools and synced watchlists, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick; if auto-saving chart annotations is important, Vantage may suit you better.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 97 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing the market research offerings of Interactive Brokers and Vantage, both platforms provide daily market commentary and forex news from leading sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones. Each also supports technical analysis tools from Trading Central and offers sentiment-based trading tools, allowing users to see the ratio of long and short positions across various instruments. Additionally, both brokers feature an economic calendar to keep traders informed about current and upcoming global events. However, while Vantage excels with tools like Autochartist for technical analysis, it does not include some of the advanced research tools available with Interactive Brokers.
On the other hand, Interactive Brokers distinguishes itself by offering access to exclusive tools like market research from TipRanks and resources from Acuity Trading. This breadth of options and resource availability contributes to Interactive Brokers' higher rating for research, with the platform receiving 5 out of 5 stars and claiming the #3 spot in ForexBrokers.com’s research category ranking. Meanwhile, Vantage achieves a solid 4-star rating but ranks #22. This indicates that while both facilitate informed trading, Interactive Brokers offers a more comprehensive suite of research tools for traders seeking deeper insights.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Comparing education for beginners, Interactive Brokers stands out with a 5-star Education rating and a #3 rank out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Vantage holds 4 stars and ranks #24. Both brokers run online client webinars at least once a month and offer sizable video libraries for newcomers, including 10+ beginner-focused videos. As you progress, each also provides 10+ advanced videos, so you can keep learning without switching platforms.
If you’re focused on forex and CFD learning, both brokers provide a mix of articles, videos, and archived webinars; however, this summary doesn’t confirm whether each has 10 or more forex/CFD-specific pieces. In day-to-day use, Interactive Brokers delivers a more highly rated, well-structured path from beginner to advanced, while Vantage offers helpful guidance and frequent live sessions. For the strongest overall education experience, Interactive Brokers is the safer choice; for accessible starter content and regular webinars, Vantage remains a solid option.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Vantage. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Vantage finished with an overall rank of #26.
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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Vantage
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| Trust Score | 99 | 90 |
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Compared to Vantage, Interactive Brokers supports buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies and trading crypto CFDs, while Vantage offers only cryptocurrency CFDs and does not allow purchasing real crypto.
Compared to Vantage, Interactive Brokers supports ACH/SEPA and bank wire transfers but not PayPal or Skrill, whereas Vantage offers PayPal, Skrill, and bank wires but not ACH/SEPA; Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either broker.
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 | Vantage | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 90 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Vantage Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
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| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 90 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2009 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 9 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (SFC 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 | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 1000 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 61 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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 | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.59 | 1.30 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | 0.75 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $50 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 97 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Vantage Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 90 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Vantage Review |
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