Interactive Brokers vs Xtrade 2025

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

Founded in 1977, Interactive Brokers stands out as a prominent choice for online trading with a Trust Score of 99 as rated by ForexBrokers.com. This high score reflects its solid reputation in the financial industry, bolstered by its status as publicly traded and holding nine Tier-1 licenses, which are recognized for their high level of trust. Additionally, Interactive Brokers has two Tier-2 licenses, adding another layer of credibility to its global operations. Although not a bank, the firm's extensive regulatory credentials make it a reliable platform for traders seeking a well-regarded broker.

In contrast, Xtrade, established in 2003, has a Trust Score of 74, indicating an average level of risk according to ForexBrokers.com. Unlike Interactive Brokers, Xtrade is not publicly traded and holds only one Tier-1 and one Tier-2 license. While Xtrade offers a viable platform for online trading, its lower trust rating and licensing count may present concerns for some traders comparing it to more established competitors. Both brokers are not banks, but Interactive Brokers' robust regulatory backing gives it an edge in instilling greater confidence among users.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
Year Founded info	1977	2003
Publicly Traded (Listed) info	Yes	No
Bank info	No	No
Tier-1 Licenses info	9	1
Tier-2 Licenses info	2	1
Tier-3 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-4 Licenses info	0	1

Fees

Interactive Brokers vs Xtrade: commissions and fees. Interactive Brokers (IBKR) uses commission-based forex pricing without marking up spreads, aggregating quotes from 17 interbank dealers. In Q3 2024, we observed an average raw spread of 0.19 pips on EUR/USD at IBKR, for an estimated 0.59 pips all-in after commission. Commissions start at 0.00002 of the USD trade value per side with a $2 minimum per order ($4 round turn), or about $16–$40 per million round turn. A standard $100,000 EUR/USD buy and sell equates to roughly 0.40 pips in commission on top of the spread. IBKR Lite and IBKR Pro both support forex and are not commission-free.

Minimums matter: tickets under 100,000 units can feel pricier due to the $2 per‑side floor, though active-trader discounts can drop the minimum to $1.50—and as low as $1—at very high monthly volumes. IBKR can also handle large orders via RFQ to help with execution. For commissions and fees, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 out of 5 stars and ranked #2 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com.

Xtrade does not publish average spread data, so a precise apples-to-apples comparison is not possible. Based on third‑party scoring, Xtrade is rated 2.5 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees and ranked #64 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. In practical terms, traders who want transparent, low forex trading costs—especially on standard-lot and larger trades—are likely to find Interactive Brokers the more cost-effective choice, while Xtrade’s lack of disclosed averages and lower rating point to potentially higher costs.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$250
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info	0.59 info	N/A info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	0.65 info	N/A info
Non-wire bank transfer info	Yes	No
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Range of investments

Interactive Brokers offers a far wider range of investments than Xtrade. You can trade across 8,500 symbols at Interactive Brokers versus 482 at Xtrade, and 90 forex pairs versus 56 at Xtrade. Both brokers support forex trading (CFD or spot, depending on your region), and both offer crypto CFDs. Only Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual cryptocurrency. If you want exchange-traded stocks, Interactive Brokers provides direct access to U.S. shares (like Apple) and international markets (such as Vodafone), while Xtrade does not offer exchange-traded securities. Neither broker supports copy trading.

For range of investments, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Xtrade scores 3.5 stars and ranks #50. Traders seeking the widest market access—spanning stocks, international markets, forex, and crypto—will likely prefer Interactive Brokers. Those who want a simpler CFD-focused lineup may find Xtrade covers the essentials with 482 symbols and 56 forex pairs.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	8500	482
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	56
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info	Yes	No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info	Yes	No
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

Interactive Brokers and Xtrade both provide proprietary trading platforms and web-based platforms, along with free paper trading demo accounts. Interactive Brokers also offers a Windows desktop platform, while Xtrade does not. Neither broker supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or MetaTrader 5 (MT5), and copy trading isn’t available at either. Both let you place orders directly from price charts. Indicator counts and watch list column options were not specified.

For trading platforms and tools, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers, while Xtrade earns 3.5 stars and ranks #59. If you want a feature-rich desktop experience plus a capable web platform and paper trading, Interactive Brokers stands out. If you only need a simple, browser-based platform with a demo option, Xtrade may suffice.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	Yes
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	No
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	N/A
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes

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

Forex trading apps

Interactive Brokers and Xtrade both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. However, Interactive Brokers stands out for overall app quality, earning 5 stars and ranking #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps on ForexBrokers.com, while Xtrade holds 4 stars and ranks #54. If you want a high-rated app with deeper features and better recognition, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick.

Feature-wise, Interactive Brokers supports price alerts and watchlist syncing across devices, so changes on your phone match your online account. Xtrade does not offer price alerts or synced watchlists. For charting, Interactive Brokers includes 97 technical studies and lets you draw trendlines; Xtrade does not support trendline drawing, and technical studies are not available. Neither app auto-saves chart drawings.

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

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

Interactive Brokers and Xtrade both cover the essentials for market research, offering daily market commentary, top-tier forex news from sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, and an economic calendar. Neither broker includes Autochartist. Where they differ is depth: Interactive Brokers adds Trading Central analytics, a sentiment tool that shows long/short positioning, TipRanks stock research, and Acuity Trading tools (including Signal Centre). Xtrade does not include these extras.

These differences show up in independent ratings: Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers for Research at ForexBrokers.com, while Xtrade holds 3.5 stars and ranks #53. If you want a wide mix of third‑party insights and sentiment data, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice. If you only need basic news, commentary, and a calendar, Xtrade covers the core needs.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
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	No
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 Xtrade for beginner education: Interactive Brokers stands out with ongoing learning support. It runs educational client webinars at least once a month and offers at least ten beginner videos, plus at least ten advanced videos for when you’re ready to level up. Xtrade, by comparison, does not host monthly educational webinars and doesn’t meet the ten-video threshold for either beginner or advanced topics, so its catalog is more limited for new traders.

Independent ratings reflect this gap. Interactive Brokers earns 5 out of 5 stars for Education and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Xtrade scores 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #46. If you want a clear learning path with videos and live sessions, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick; Xtrade may suit traders who only need a light introduction.

Feature	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
Webinars info	Yes	No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	No
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info	Yes	No

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 Xtrade. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Xtrade finished with an overall rank of #60.

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	Xtrade
Overall Rating info
Trust Score info	99	74
Range of Investments
Commissions & Fees
Platforms & Tools
Research
Mobile Trading
Education

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or Xtrade?

What funding options does each broker offer?

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Overall Rating	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	74
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review	Xtrade Review

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

Regulation	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
Trust Score info	99	74
Year Founded info	1977	2003
Publicly Traded (Listed) info	Yes	No
Bank info	No	No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info	Yes info	Yes
Tier-1 Licenses info	9	1
Tier-2 Licenses info	2	1
Tier-3 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-4 Licenses info	0	1

Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted)	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info	Yes	No
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info	Yes	No
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info	Yes	No
Japan (SFC Authorised) info	Yes	No
Singapore (MAS Authorised) info	Yes	No
Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) info	Yes
United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) info	Yes	No
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	Xtrade
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	No
India (SEBI Authorised) info	Yes	No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info

Investments	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	8500	482
Forex Pairs (Total) info	90	56
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info	Yes	No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info	Yes	No
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	Xtrade
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info	0.59 info	N/A info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	0.65 info	N/A info
Inactivity Fee info	No	No
Order execution: Agency info	Yes	No
Order execution: Market Maker info	No	Yes

Funding	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$250
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info	Yes
Non-wire bank transfer info	Yes	No

Trading Platforms	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	No
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	Xtrade
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	Yes
Price Alerts info	Yes	No
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info	155	N/A
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes
Charts can be saved info	Yes	No

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

Research	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
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	No
Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Education	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
Webinars info	Yes	No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	No
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info	Yes	No

Major Forex Pairs	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
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	Xtrade Review

Overall	Interactive Brokers	Xtrade
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	74
Winner	check_circle
Review	Interactive Brokers Review	Xtrade Review