Interactive Brokers Review 2025: Pros, Cons and How It Compares

Interactive Brokers is also a great choice for options investors, traders, and those trading on margin. GlobalTrader lets you trade 90 global stock markets plus options and cryptocurrency. The GlobalTrader stock scanner makes finding stocks fast and easy and the swap function lets you exchange stock you have for stock you want with a single tap. Note that the platforms include an integrated AI-driven IBot, also forex white label agreement available in the mobile app. It’s a nifty add-on that we found ourselves using more than we expected. Interactive Brokers offers access to dozens of market research and news providers, some of which are even available with demo accounts.

Why is interactive brokers so good?

The Impact app follows the Lite pricing plan with unlimited commission-free trades. IBKR GlobalTrader is a slimmed down version but with an exceptionally easy to use interface and plenty of features for beginner and intermediate traders. What makes this app a standout is that it includes a robust sim account to get you up and trading in a simulated environment in about a minute. From there, it’s easy to open an account and start trading with real money. It’s geared toward beginner and intermediate traders, https://www.xcritical.com/ although even advanced users will find more than adequate functionality.

Connecting to Interactive Brokers

It is often best known for its trader workstation, API’s, and low margins. It operates the largest electronic trading platform in the U.S. by number of daily average revenue trades. The company brokers Cryptocurrency exchange stocks, options, futures, EFPs, futures options, forex, bonds, and funds. I do love the interest on cash and rates offered for lending shares by Interactive Brokers. It’s a heavy complex interface but has access to the most markets I’ve ever seen, so it might be a function of how slow the platform is as a user. I wish it was more user friendly as a noobie, but I have been learning slowly but surely.

The Interactive Brokers Group Provides Global Investment Services in Europe via:

• The GlobalTrader app is easy to use, intuitive, and powerful enough to satisfy even more experienced traders without sacrificing simplicity.
• Due to the dominant position of US markets, that is the most popular market for overnight trading for Asian and European clients.
• We serve individual investors, hedge funds, proprietary trading groups, financial advisors and introducing brokers.
• We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence.
• In contrast and from our own personal experience, this is a complicated  process for other brokers.
• Interactive Brokers has been a leader in the online brokerage space for decades.
• Traders’ Insights provides investors with financial analysis, webinars, podcasts, blogs, and videos.

Some folks report having no issues getting prompt service, while others complain that the waits are long. There may be a quality difference between U.K./European support and U.S. support. Yes, Interactive Brokers customers can trade bitcoin, bitcoin cash, ethereum, and litecoin.

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) offers one of the most diverse and in-depth account types we have come across on PipPenguin. Their trading account types cater to a wide variety of clients, from individuals and small businesses to institutional investors and professional advisors. This information can be found on the Interactive Brokers website under the “Accounts guide” section. Interactive Brokers provides diverse tradable assets for investors looking to diversify their portfolios. Though the website does not offer in-depth contract specifications, it does provide key features and advantages for each asset class.

However, you have to opt-in for this service and you can find all the details on their website. Interactive Brokers doesn’t offer any saving plans or any type of automation for their customers. You’ll have to manually send money towards your account to top it up and then make the trades. There are many different options available, so picking the right one for you is challenging. We’ll look at the pros and cons, the fees, convenience of setting up an account and safety. By the end, you’ll be able to decide if Interactive Brokers is a right broker for you to invest your savings, or if another broker suits you better.

Interactive Brokers Luxembourg SARL (IB Lux) no longer offers investment services and its clients have been moved to one of the above IBKR entities. Former IB Lux clients can register inquiries or complaints by logging in to Client Portal and submitting a Web Ticket using their current or prior usernames/passwords. The problem in Europe is that the same ETF share class can trade on multiple stock exchanges. That can get you confused about which exchange and currency to prioritise. Please email us at with more details, and we will be happy to investigate. Interactive Brokers pays competitive interest rates on uninvested cash — if you meet some fairly substantial cutoffs in cash balance and overall account value.

Interactive Brokers offers a wide range of assets, including stocks, options, futures, EFPs, futures options, forex, bonds, funds, and selected cryptocurrencies. Interactive Brokers’ vast offering is accessible via desktop—Trader Workstation (TWS)—or mobile app, and you can fund your account in 26 currencies and trade assets denominated in multiple currencies. IBKR also has Client Portal, a web-based platform, and IBKR GlobalTrader, both of which are simplified experiences compared to the robust TWS and IBKR mobile app. IBKR offers real-time streaming data, charting, tools, research, and news on all platforms. Simply put, IBKR offers a very powerful and customizable trading platform—a fact that is reflected in the trading categories it continues to dominate in our reviews. Interactive Brokers offers unparalleled global market access, advanced technology, and competitive pricing, empowering self-directed individual and institutional investors.

You can also compare its offerings side-by-side with those of other brokers using our Comparison Tool. Our rigorous data validation process yields an error rate of less than .001% each year, providing site visitors quality data they can trust. IBKR Lite is the zero-commission tier for retail brokers at Interactive Brokers.

The platform offers low, transparent commissions (0.20% to 0.30% of trade value) and a unified trading platform for multiple asset classes. Regulation plays a critical role in ensuring the safety and security of entities and clients when dealing with brokerage firms. A regulated broker is one that adheres to the rules and regulations set forth by the relevant authorities in the jurisdiction(s) it operates.

That means 96.95% of orders sold for at a price that was at or better than the National Best Bid and Offer. Executing at or above the NBBO means you may receive a price improvement or a better share price than you were originally quoted. Interactive Brokers offers 24-hour phone, email and chat support starting 8 a.m. A few providers available to all clients include Zacks Investment Research, Morningstar Equity Ownership, Market Realist, 24/7 Wall Street and TheStreet.

IBKR Pro users pay small commissions on stock trades in exchange for faster and more price-efficient order execution. They can choose between a fixed $0.005 per share commission, or a variable commission between $0.0005 and $0.0035 per share depending on volume. IBKR Pro users can also get a volume discount on options trades, and can pay as little as $0.15 per contract or as much as $0.65. Hands-on testing of the account funding process, provider websites and trading platforms.

You will then be able to make trades and swap positions based on the outcome of those choices. Our editors independently research and recommend the best products and services. You can learn more about ourindependent review processand partners in ouradvertiser disclosure.

Our highest-rated brokerages generally include low fees, a diverse range of assets and account types, and useful platform features. Meanwhile, GlobalTrader will appeal to both beginners and those interested in trading foreign stocks. For example, it allows fractional stock trades in an easy to use and intuitive layout. More experienced investors will also enjoy the ease of options trading and access to foreign markets through the app. Invest globally in stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds and funds from a single unified platform.