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Interactive Brokers Fees & Features

Steven Hatzakis

Written by Steven Hatzakis
Fact-checked by Joey Shadeck
Edited by John Bringans

March 05, 2024

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 66% of retail CFD accounts lose money. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Since 2016, our research team at ForexBrokers.com has collected thousands of data points and published hundreds of thousands of words of research. Our unbiased broker reviews, proprietary algorithms, powerful comparison tools, and in-depth guides are all powered by our extensive independently collected data.

The following tables show a deeper dive into the fees, products, platforms, and features available at Interactive Brokers. You can also compare this broker's offerings side-by-side with dozens of the most popular forex brokers in the industry using our Comparison Tool. Make sure you also check out our in-depth review of Interactive Brokers.

Read our How We Test page to learn more about our research and testing methodologies.

Commissions & Fees

We take an in-depth look at each broker’s commissions and fees, such as bid/ask spreads – including the average spread data for some of the most popular forex currency pairs. We also collect data on an expansive range of assorted forex trading costs, such as inactivity or custody fees, minimum deposit requirements, VIP rebates and/or discounts, and an exhaustive list of other important fee-based data points.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers Definitions
Minimum Deposit info $0 The minimum deposit required for opening a live trading account.
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard info 0.63 info Average spread for the EUR/USD pair, for standard accounts.
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.63 info EUR/USD all-in spread (including commission) for best pricing available for Active Traders.
Active Trader or VIP Discounts info Yes Broker offers premium services, discounts or rebates to Active or VIP clients (as defined by the broker).
ACH or SEPA Transfers info Yes A bank transfer available in the U.S. as ACH, or within the EU as SEPA, or a regionally equivalent non-wire bank transfer.
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info No PayPal can be used to deposit and/or withdraw funds.
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Skrill can be used to deposit and/or withdraw funds.
Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) info No Visa or MasterCard debit and credit cards can be used to deposit or withdraw funds.
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Offers the option to use a bank wire to deposit and/or withdraw funds.

Offering of Investments

Forex traders want to know what they can trade with their forex broker. During our evaluations of forex brokers, our research team examines the availability of all tradeable assets, symbols, and financial instruments. In our comprehensive broker reviews, we detail which tradeable assets have geographical restrictions and we note the availability of assets on the various platforms offered by each broker.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers Definitions
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Trading forex as a CFD or spot contract.
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 8500 Total number of instruments (symbols) of all types that are available to trade (stocks, CFDs, forex, crypto, etc.).
Forex Pairs (Total) info 90 Total number of forex pairs (CFDs or spot contracts) available, e.g., EUR/USD.
U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) info Yes Offers exchange traded securities (not CFDs) on U.S. exchanges. For example, client can buy Apple (NASDAQ.AAPL) shares.
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) info Yes Offers exchange traded securities (not CFDs) on international exchanges. For example, client can buy Vodafone (FTSE.VOD) shares.
Social Trading / Copy Trading info No Platform that allows traders to follow signals or copy the trades of other users.
Cryptocurrency (Physical) info Yes Offers the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency (not CFD) with wallet storage.
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) info No Offers the ability to buy a cryptocurrency derivative (not the actual cryptocurrency).
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).

Platforms & Tools

We test all available trading platforms for each broker – whether they are proprietary or come from third-party providers – and evaluate them based on a range of data-driven variables.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers Definitions
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Offers simulated (paper) trading, such as a free virtual demo account (trial period).
Proprietary Platform info Yes Offers a unique proprietary platform (developed in-house by the broker), that the broker may license to other brokerages.
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes Desktop platform for Windows OS, such as Windows 7, 8, and/or 10.
Web Platform info Yes Offers a web-based (browser) trading platform. Also applies to broker's website, if trading can be managed through its interface.
Social Trading / Copy Trading info No Platform that allows traders to follow signals or copy the trades of other users.
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No Offers the MetaTrader 4 (MT4) platform (for desktop and mobile), developed by MetaQuotes Software Corp.
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No Offers the MetaTrader 5 (MT5) platform (for desktop and mobile), developed by MetaQuotes Software Corp.
DupliTrade info No DupliTrade provides access to trading strategy providers that traders can copy trade in their brokerage account.
ZuluTrade info No Offers the Zulutrade platform, giving traders the ability to copy other user-created trading strategies automatically in their account.
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 128 Total number of indicators/studies insertable in a chart (SMA, MACD, RSI, etc.).
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) info 6 Total number of drawing tools in a chart (pointer, trendline, arrow, note, etc.).
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Ability to trade either by right-clicking on the chart, or from a dedicated chart quote bar.
Watchlists - Total Fields info 640 Total available fields when viewing a watchlist (e.g., price, symbol, bid, ask, volume, etc.).
View More

Mobile Features

Modern forex traders now have the ability to trade at any time (and from anywhere). We dive deep into each broker's mobile offering and test all available mobile apps. During our testing, we look at proprietary trading apps, third-party mobile platforms, and any additional mobile apps or features that are designed to enhance the trading experience.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers Definitions
Android App info Yes Offers an Android smartphone app, available in the Google Play store.
Apple iOS App info Yes Offers native iOS app for Apple devices, available in the Apple App store.
Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields info Yes Ability to set basic price alerts via the mobile app, and receive notifications when prices are reached.
Watchlists - Total Fields info 640 Total available fields when viewing a watchlist (e.g., price, symbol, bid, ask, volume, etc.).
Watchlist Syncing info Yes Watchlist in mobile app syncs with client's online account (updates made in the mobile app migrate to the online account, and vice versa).
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 128 Total number of indicators/studies insertable in a chart (SMA, MACD, RSI, etc.).
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) info 6 Total number of drawing tools in a chart (pointer, trendline, arrow, note, etc.).
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Ability to draw trendlines on a chart within a mobile app.
Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes Ability to adjust the time frame while viewing a chart in the mobile app (e.g., 1m, 5m, 1hr, daily, weekly, monthly).
Mobile Economic Calendar info Yes A calendar with upcoming economic news releases available in the mobile app (may include expected versus prior).

Research

A comprehensive market research offering can deliver actionable insights to forex traders. As such, we consider the availability of research tools and features to be an important category for forex traders. During our testing, we test each broker's market research offering and evaluate its overall usefulness to everyday forex traders.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers Definitions
Daily Market Commentary info Yes Daily updates written by staff regarding market prices and news events.
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Real-time forex news headlines from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, Dow Jones, etc.
Autochartist info No Offers one or more technical analysis or fundamental research tools from Autochartist
Trading Central (Recognia) info Yes Offers one or more technical analysis or fundamental research tools from Trading Central
Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs info Yes Sentiment tool showing ratio of long/short positions across currency pairs (or other instruments).

Education

As the quality and scope of educational content provided by brokers continues to grow, so too does our testing of forex educational resources. We look at handwritten articles and FAQs, video series and YouTube channels, webinars, and in-depth educational courses. We believe strongly in the power and importance of trader education, especially for beginner forex traders.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers Definitions
Education (Forex or CFDs) info Yes A minimum of 10 educational pieces (articles, videos, archived webinars, or similar) with the primary subject being forex or CFDs. Platform tutorials and FAQs do NOT count.
Client Webinars info Yes Provides online educational client webinars (at least one per month).
Client Webinars (Archived) info Yes Provides a searchable archive featuring previously recorded client webinars.
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes At least 10 educational videos are available. A beginner video is a short clip, typically several minutes in duration, that explains a trading concept, term, or strategy. Archived webinars and platform demos do NOT count.
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Educational videos with relevant content of value for experienced traders.
Investor Dictionary (Glossary) info Yes An online dictionary with definitions of at least 50 investing terms.

Regulation

Our research team has collected extensive data on a wide range of regulatory environments, jurisidictions, and countries. Based on our comprehensive research and data collection, we’ve sorted regulatory agencies into five categories (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, Tier 4, and Tier 5), with Tier 1 indicating the most stringent regulatory environment (which is good) and Tier 5 indicating regulatory jurisdictions that offer little-to-no protections for traders. Learn more by visiting our Trust Score page.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers Definitions
Year Founded info 1977 The earliest listed year that the broker was founded from among all its affiliated companies (excluding aquiring parent companies).
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes Directly or indirectly publicly traded and listed on a stock exchange.
Bank info No Is a regulated bank.
Tier-1 Licenses info 9 Number of Tier-1 (Highly Trusted) licenses.
Tier-2 Licenses info 1 Number of Tier-2 (Trusted) licenses.
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 Number of Tier-3 (Average Risk) licenses.
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 Number of Tier-4 (High Risk) licenses.

Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted)

Tier-1 is reserved for the strictest, most stringent regulatory jurisdictions in the world.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers Definitions
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info Yes Regulated by the Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC).
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info Yes Regulated by the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) or other Canadian Province Regulator.
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info Yes Regulated by the Securities Futures Commission (SFC) in Hong Kong.
Japan (SFC Authorised) info Yes Regulated by the Japanese Financial Services Authority (JFSA).
Singapore (MAS Authorised) info Yes Regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) info Yes Authorised by FINMA in Switzerland.
United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) info Yes Authorised or Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom.
USA (CFTC Authorized) info Yes Registered as a Forex Dealer Member (FDM) and Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) with the CFTC and regulated as an NFA member in the United States.
New Zealand (FMA Authorised) info No Regulated by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) in New Zealand.
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info Regulated by at least one EU member state or EEA country and therefore authorised throughout the EU via MiFID passporting.

Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted)

Tier-2 regulators provide strong protections for investors and forex traders, but may not be as strict in their enforcement as Tier-1 regulators.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers Definitions
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info No Regulated by the Kenya Central Markets Authority (CMA).
Israel (ISA Authorised) info No Regulated by the Israel Securities Authority (ISA).
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info No Regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority in South Africa (FSCA).
UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) info No Regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA).
India (SEBI Authorised) info Yes Regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info No Regulated by the Jordan Securities Commission (JSC).

Overall Summary

Below, find our overall breakdown of our ratings for Interactive Brokers, based on our extensive research and testing. If you want to learn more about these ratings, be sure to check out our Interactive Brokers review.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers Definitions
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars Overall rating for ForexBrokers.com brokers.
Trust Score info 99 Broker's Trust Score
Offering of Investments 5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 5/5 Stars
Platform & Tools 5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars

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Methodology

At ForexBrokers.com, our reviews of online forex brokers and their products and services are based on our collected data as well as the observations and qualified opinions of our expert researchers. Each year we publish tens of thousands of words of research on the top forex brokers and monitor dozens of international regulator agencies (read more about how we calculate Trust Score here).

Our research team, led by Steven Hatazkis, conducts thorough testing on a wide range of features, products, and services. We test all available trading platforms for each broker – whether they are proprietary or come from third-party providers – and evaluate them based on a host of data-driven variables. Our research team collects and validates thousands of data points each year.

We also take an in-depth look at each broker’s commissions and fees, such as bid/ask spreads – including the average spread data for some of the most popular forex currency pairs. We research other trading costs, such as inactivity or custody fees, minimum deposit requirements, VIP rebates and/or discounts, and a range of other important fee-based data points.

Some of the other important research categories that are factored into our testing include mobile trading accessibility and capability, availability of market research and educational content, and each broker’s regulatory status and number of held regulatory licenses.

All websites and web-based platforms are tested using the latest version of the Google Chrome browser. Our Desktop PCs run Windows 11, and we use MacBook Pro laptops running the latest version of macOS to test trading on the go.

We also test on mobile devices; for Apple, we test using the iPhone XS running iOS 16, and for Android we use the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra devices running Android OS 13.

All content on ForexBrokers.com is handwritten by a writer, fact-checked by a member of our research team, and edited and published by an editor. Generative AI tools are not a part of our content creation or product testing processes. Our ratings, rankings, and opinions are entirely our own, and the result of our extensive research and decades of collective experience covering the forex industry. Read our Generative AI policy to learn more.

Read our full explanation and accounting of our research and testing process to learn more about how we test.

About the Editorial Team

Steven Hatzakis
Steven Hatzakis

Steven Hatzakis is the Global Director of Research for ForexBrokers.com. Steven previously served as an Editor for Finance Magnates, where he authored over 1,000 published articles about the online finance industry. A forex industry expert and an active fintech and crypto researcher, Steven advises blockchain companies at the board level and holds a Series III license in the U.S. as a Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA).

Joey Shadeck
Joey Shadeck

Joey Shadeck is the Content Strategist and Research Analyst for ForexBrokers.com. He holds dual degrees in Finance and Marketing from Oakland University, and has been an active trader and investor for close to ten years. An industry veteran, Joey obtains and verifies data, conducts research, and analyzes and validates our content.

John Bringans
John Bringans

John Bringans is the Senior Editor of ForexBrokers.com. An experienced media professional, John has close to a decade of editorial experience with a background that includes key leadership roles at global newsroom outlets. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from San Francisco State University, and conducts research on forex and the financial services industry while assisting in the production of content.

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