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FP MarketsInteractive Brokers Fees & Features
Written by Steven Hatzakis
Fact-checked by Joey Shadeck
Edited by John Bringans
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
|
Definitions |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | The minimum deposit required for opening a live trading account. |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.63 | Average spread for the EUR/USD pair, for standard accounts. |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.63 | EUR/USD all-in spread (including commission) for best pricing available for Active Traders. |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Broker offers premium services, discounts or rebates to Active or VIP clients (as defined by the broker). |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | 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) | No | PayPal can be used to deposit and/or withdraw funds. |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Skrill can be used to deposit and/or withdraw funds. |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | No | Visa or MasterCard debit and credit cards can be used to deposit or withdraw funds. |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | 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
|
Definitions |
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Trading forex as a CFD or spot contract. |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | Total number of instruments (symbols) of all types that are available to trade (stocks, CFDs, forex, crypto, etc.). |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | Total number of forex pairs (CFDs or spot contracts) available, e.g., EUR/USD. |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | 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) | Yes | Offers exchange traded securities (not CFDs) on international exchanges. For example, client can buy Vodafone (FTSE.VOD) shares. |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Platform that allows traders to follow signals or copy the trades of other users. |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | Offers the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency (not CFD) with wallet storage. |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | 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
|
Definitions |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Offers simulated (paper) trading, such as a free virtual demo account (trial period). |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Offers a unique proprietary platform (developed in-house by the broker), that the broker may license to other brokerages. |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Desktop platform for Windows OS, such as Windows 7, 8, and/or 10. |
| Web Platform | 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 | No | Platform that allows traders to follow signals or copy the trades of other users. |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Offers the MetaTrader 4 (MT4) platform (for desktop and mobile), developed by MetaQuotes Software Corp. |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Offers the MetaTrader 5 (MT5) platform (for desktop and mobile), developed by MetaQuotes Software Corp. |
| DupliTrade | No | DupliTrade provides access to trading strategy providers that traders can copy trade in their brokerage account. |
| ZuluTrade | No | Offers the Zulutrade platform, giving traders the ability to copy other user-created trading strategies automatically in their account. |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 128 | Total number of indicators/studies insertable in a chart (SMA, MACD, RSI, etc.). |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 6 | Total number of drawing tools in a chart (pointer, trendline, arrow, note, etc.). |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Ability to trade either by right-clicking on the chart, or from a dedicated chart quote bar. |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 640 | Total available fields when viewing a watchlist (e.g., price, symbol, bid, ask, volume, etc.). |
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
|
Definitions |
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Offers an Android smartphone app, available in the Google Play store. |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Offers native iOS app for Apple devices, available in the Apple App store. |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Ability to set basic price alerts via the mobile app, and receive notifications when prices are reached. |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 640 | Total available fields when viewing a watchlist (e.g., price, symbol, bid, ask, volume, etc.). |
| Watchlist Syncing | 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) | 128 | Total number of indicators/studies insertable in a chart (SMA, MACD, RSI, etc.). |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 6 | Total number of drawing tools in a chart (pointer, trendline, arrow, note, etc.). |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Ability to draw trendlines on a chart within a mobile app. |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | 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 | 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
|
Definitions |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Daily updates written by staff regarding market prices and news events. |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Real-time forex news headlines from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, Dow Jones, etc. |
| Autochartist | No | Offers one or more technical analysis or fundamental research tools from Autochartist |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Offers one or more technical analysis or fundamental research tools from Trading Central |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | 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
|
Definitions |
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | 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 | Yes | Provides online educational client webinars (at least one per month). |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Provides a searchable archive featuring previously recorded client webinars. |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | 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 | Yes | Educational videos with relevant content of value for experienced traders. |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | 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
|
Definitions |
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | The earliest listed year that the broker was founded from among all its affiliated companies (excluding aquiring parent companies). |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Directly or indirectly publicly traded and listed on a stock exchange. |
| Bank | No | Is a regulated bank. |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 9 | Number of Tier-1 (Highly Trusted) licenses. |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | Number of Tier-2 (Trusted) licenses. |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | Number of Tier-3 (Average Risk) licenses. |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 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
|
Definitions |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Regulated by the Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC). |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | Regulated by the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) or other Canadian Province Regulator. |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | Regulated by the Securities Futures Commission (SFC) in Hong Kong. |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | Regulated by the Japanese Financial Services Authority (JFSA). |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | Regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | Authorised by FINMA in Switzerland. |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Authorised or Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom. |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | 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) | No | Regulated by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) in New Zealand. |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | 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
|
Definitions |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | Regulated by the Kenya Central Markets Authority (CMA). |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | Regulated by the Israel Securities Authority (ISA). |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority in South Africa (FSCA). |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | Regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | Regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | 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
|
Definitions |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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Overall rating for ForexBrokers.com brokers. |
| Trust Score | 99 | Broker's Trust Score |
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Show allMethodology
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 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 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 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.