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Interactive Brokers vs XTB 2025

ForexBrokers.com

Written by ForexBrokers.com

February 05, 2025

In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs XTB, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.

Interactive Brokers
5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0
  • Trust Score: 99
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 8500
XTB
5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0 info
  • Trust Score: 96
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 7184 info

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 XTB are both well-established online brokers with impressive regulatory credentials. Founded in 1977, Interactive Brokers is publicly traded and holds 9 Tier-1 licenses, reflecting its high level of trust. With a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99 out of 99, Interactive Brokers is considered highly trustworthy. Despite not being a bank, its regulatory standing is robust, setting it apart as a leader in the industry.

XTB, established in 2002, is also publicly traded and holds 2 Tier-1 licenses, demonstrating a solid level of trust within the market. It shares the same number of Tier-2 licenses as Interactive Brokers, with 2 licenses that indicate trusted standing. XTB secures a Trust Score of 96 out of 99 by ForexBrokers.com, marking it as a highly trusted broker, just a notch below Interactive Brokers in terms of trustworthiness.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
XTB logoXTB
Year Founded info 1977 2002
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes Yes
Bank info No No
Tier-1 Licenses info 9 2
Tier-2 Licenses info 2 2
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 1
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 2

Fees

Interactive Brokers and XTB take different approaches to commissions and fees. Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #2 of 63 for Commissions and Fees, while XTB earns 4.5 stars and ranks #13 of 63. In general, Interactive Brokers tends to deliver lower all-in costs for active, higher-volume forex traders, whereas XTB’s spread-only Standard account offers simpler pricing that can be appealing for smaller, occasional trades.

Interactive Brokers aggregates quotes from 17 major banks and charges a commission instead of marking up the spread. Commissions start at 0.00002 (0.2 bps) of the USD trade value per side with a $2 minimum per order ($4 round turn), and volume discounts can reduce both the rate and the minimum. In Q3 2024, the EUR/USD averaged 0.19 pips at IBKR; after commission, the effective all-in cost was about 0.59 pips. Typical commission equivalents run $16–$40 per million round turn. Note that the $2-per-side minimum can make small trade sizes proportionally more expensive.

XTB’s primary option is the spread-only Standard account, with average EUR/USD spreads of about 1.0 pip in Q4 2023. The commission-based Professional account has largely been phased out and is generally limited to elective professional clients in the U.K. and EU. Minimum deposits start at 250 in your base currency, and active traders may receive 5%–30% spread rebates through XTB’s Lower Spread Group once monthly volume thresholds are met (from 20 to 1000 lots). For small tickets, XTB’s Standard pricing can be cheaper than paying IBKR’s minimum commission, but for sustained higher volumes, Interactive Brokers often works out cheaper on an all-in basis.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
XTB logoXTB
Minimum Deposit info $0 $0 info
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info 0.59 info 0.92 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.65 info 0.92 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.

Featured Offers


Range of investments

Interactive Brokers and XTB both deliver a wide range of investments, including forex (available as CFDs and/or spot contracts) and exchange-traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges. Interactive Brokers lists about 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, while XTB offers around 7,184 symbols and 71 forex pairs. Both earned 5 stars for Range of Investments, though ForexBrokers.com ranks Interactive Brokers #1 out of 63 brokers in this category, compared with XTB at #14.

For crypto, Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual cryptocurrency in addition to crypto CFDs, whereas XTB limits crypto to CFDs only. Neither broker offers copy trading. If you want the biggest selection with the most forex pairs and access to real crypto, Interactive Brokers has the edge; XTB remains a strong choice with thousands of markets and crypto CFD access.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
XTB logoXTB
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 8500 7184 info
Forex Pairs (Total) info 90 71
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info Yes Yes
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No No
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

Comparing Interactive Brokers vs XTB for trading platforms and tools: both brokers offer free simulated (paper) trading via demo accounts, proprietary in-house platforms, a Windows desktop download, and a web-based platform. Neither supports copy trading, and neither offers MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5. Both let you place trades directly from stock charts and include watchlists and technical indicators.

For Trading Platforms and Tools, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers at 5 stars and ranks it #2 out of 63 brokers, while XTB earns 4.5 stars and ranks #9. Choose Interactive Brokers if you want the higher-rated toolkit; pick XTB if you want similar core features—demo trading, desktop and web platforms, and chart trading—without needing copy trading or MetaTrader.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
XTB logoXTB
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes Yes
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No No
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No No
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 155 39
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes

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

Forex trading apps

Interactive Brokers and XTB both offer iPhone and Android trading apps with stock and forex price alerts and the ability to draw trendlines on charts. A key difference is watchlists: Interactive Brokers syncs watchlists between the mobile app and your online account, while XTB does not. If you annotate charts, note that XTB auto-saves drawings, whereas Interactive Brokers does not.

For charting tools, Interactive Brokers offers 97 technical studies in its mobile app compared with XTB’s 39, giving more choices for indicator-based analysis. According to ForexBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps, while XTB earns 4.5 stars and ranks #8. Interactive Brokers suits traders who want deeper charting and cross-device watchlist syncing; XTB appeals to those who prefer a simpler setup with convenient auto-save for chart drawings.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
XTB logoXTB
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 39
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 XTB both deliver daily market commentary, forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, sentiment tools showing long/short ratios, and an economic calendar. Neither includes Autochartist. Both earn 5 out of 5 stars for Research from ForexBrokers.com, with Interactive Brokers ranked #3 out of 63 brokers and XTB ranked #9.

The key difference is third-party add-ons. Interactive Brokers includes Trading Central analytics, TipRanks research, and Acuity Trading tools such as Signal Centre, while XTB does not offer these specific providers. If you want a wider mix of external research alongside the core features, Interactive Brokers has the edge; if you only need the essentials listed above, XTB covers them well.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
XTB logoXTB
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 No
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

Interactive Brokers vs XTB for beginner education: both shine. Each broker runs online client webinars at least monthly and offers at least 10 beginner-friendly videos that walk through trading basics in plain language. Both earn 5 stars for Education from ForexBrokers.com, so newcomers get plenty of watchable, step-by-step material to build confidence.

As you advance, both also provide at least 10 videos for experienced traders. The main difference is recognition and breadth: Interactive Brokers ranks #1 out of 63 brokers for Education on ForexBrokers.com, while XTB ranks #11. If you want the highest-rated, most wide-ranging education path, Interactive Brokers edges ahead; if you prefer a broker that still scores top marks and keeps things straightforward, XTB is a strong pick for beginners.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
XTB logoXTB
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 XTB. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while XTB finished with an overall rank of #7.

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 logoInteractive Brokers
XTB logoXTB
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 96
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or XTB?

Interactive Brokers supports both buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies and trading cryptocurrency CFDs, whereas XTB offers only cryptocurrency CFDs and does not provide access to the underlying coins.

What funding options does each broker offer?

Interactive Brokers vs XTB: For deposit and withdrawal methods, Interactive Brokers supports ACH/SEPA and bank wire transfers but not PayPal or Skrill, whereas XTB supports PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire transfers but not ACH/SEPA.

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announcementPlease 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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Overall Rating Interactive Brokers XTB
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 96
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review XTB Review
Broker Screenshots Interactive Brokers XTB
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info
IBKR mobile watchlist. IBKR Desktop platform charts. Interactive Brokers research Traders Insight daily analysis article detail Interactive Brokers IBKR Podcast video.
XTB xStation mobile trading app sentiment XTB xStation 5 web platform XTB website news headlines and sentiment. XTB educational course intermediate article lesson details
Regulation Interactive Brokers XTB
Trust Score info 99 96
Year Founded info 1977 2002
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes Yes
Bank info No No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info Yes
Tier-1 Licenses info 9 2
Tier-2 Licenses info 2 2
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 1
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 2
Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) Interactive Brokers XTB
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
Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) Interactive Brokers XTB
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 info
India (SEBI Authorised) info Yes No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info
Investments Interactive Brokers XTB
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 8500 7184 info
Forex Pairs (Total) info 90 71
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info Yes Yes
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No No
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 XTB
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info 0.59 info 0.92 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.65 info 0.92 info
Inactivity Fee info No Yes
Order execution: Agency info Yes Yes
Order execution: Market Maker info No Yes
Funding Interactive Brokers XTB
Minimum Deposit info $0 $0 info
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 XTB
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes Yes
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No No
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No No
cTrader info No No
Trading Tools Interactive Brokers XTB
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 155 39
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes
Charts can be saved info Yes Yes
Mobile Trading Interactive Brokers XTB
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 39
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info No Yes
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Research Interactive Brokers XTB
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 XTB
Webinars info Yes Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Major Forex Pairs Interactive Brokers XTB
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 XTB Review
Overall Interactive Brokers XTB
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 96
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review XTB Review
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