Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD/FX brokers (leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto), using the data of AvaTrade's British Virgin Islands entity and Interactive Brokers' UK entity. Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as stock brokers (real shares and ETFs you own outright), using the data of AvaTrade's British Virgin Islands entity and Interactive Brokers' UK entity.
AvaTrade
Not available in your country AvaTrade is not available in the UK.
76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Interactive Brokers
Regulated in your country Interactive Brokers is allowed by FCA to onboard clients residing in the UK.
57.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Best for
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in United Kingdom.AvaTrade is better than Interactive Brokers for crypto traders. Interactive Brokers, on the other hand, is better for day traders, long-term investors and algo traders. Professional traders, high-volume traders and scalpers can choose either AvaTrade or Interactive Brokers.
| Overall score | AvaTrade 85 -1 not offered | Interactive Brokers 86 85 |
|---|---|---|
| Day trading i | ||
| Long-term investing i | ||
| Professional traders i | ||
| High-volume traders i | ||
| Scalpers i | ||
| Swing traders i | ||
| News traders i | ||
| Algo traders i | ||
| Stock traders i | ||
| Crypto traders i | ||
| Futures traders i | ||
| Options traders i |
Regulation
What we compare A comparison between the financial authorities that supervise AvaTrade and the ones that supervise Interactive Brokers.Only Interactive Brokers is regulated in the UK, by the FCA. AvaTrade holds no licence in the UK and is regulated by CBI Ireland, ASIC (Australia) and the CIRO (Canada). AvaTrade does not operate in the UK.
| Section score | AvaTrade 100 not offered | Interactive Brokers 100 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Tier-1 regulators | ||
| ESMA (European Union) i | ||
| FCA (United Kingdom) i | ||
| ASIC (Australia) i | ||
| CFTC (United States) i | ||
| NFA (United States) i | ||
| SEC (United States) i | ||
| CIRO (Canada) i | ||
| MAS (Singapore) i | ||
| SFC (Hong Kong) i | ||
| JFSA (Japan) i | ||
| FINMA (Switzerland) i | ||
| Tier-2 regulators | ||
| FMA (New Zealand) i | ||
| CBR (Russia) i | ||
| FSCA (South Africa) i | ||
| DFSA (Dubai) i | ||
| CSRC (China) i | ||
| ISA (Israel) i | ||
| LFSA (Malaysia) i | ||
| JSC (Jordan) i | ||
| CMA (Kenya) i | ||
| Tier-3 regulators | ||
| FSA (Seychelles) i | ||
| MMA (Maldives) i | ||
| SCB (Bahamas) i | ||
| FSC (Mauritius) i | ||
| VFSC (Vanuatu) i | ||
| FSC (Belize) i | ||
| CIMA (Cayman Islands) i | ||
| SV FSA (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) i | ||
| FSRC (St. Kitts & Nevis) i | ||
| BMA (Bermuda) i | ||
| BVI FSC (British Virgin Islands) i | ||
| EDR (External Dispute Resolution) i | ||
Safety
What we compare A comparison of the tools and services that AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers have in place to protect your money in United Kingdom.AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers both offer segregated client funds and additional money insurance. Interactive Brokers also offers an investor compensation scheme.
| Section score | AvaTrade 74 -21 not offered | Interactive Brokers 95 Best 95 |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 2006 | 1978 |
| Parent company i | Ava Trade Ltd | IBG LLC |
| CEO i | Dáire Ferguson | Milan Galik |
| Money safety | ||
| Segregated client funds i | ||
| Two-factor authentication i | ||
| Investor compensation scheme i | ||
| Additional money insurance i | ||
| Partner bank i | N/A | N/A |
| Brand power | ||
| Number of customers worldwide i | 9,000,000 | 3,337,000 |
| Annual revenue i | USD 6,205,000,000 | |
| Monthly website search traffic i | ||
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with AvaTrade and with Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom, both on each trade and on holding the account.Interactive Brokers is better than AvaTrade for CFD/FX costs, because Interactive Brokers is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 3.33 USD per lot (against AvaTrade's 8 USD), charges lower US stock CFD fees, at 0.01 USD (against AvaTrade's 2.6 USD), and does not charge inactivity fees, unlike AvaTrade. Neither AvaTrade nor Interactive Brokers charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.
Interactive Brokers and AvaTrade cannot be set side by side for real stock costs, as AvaTrade is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike Interactive Brokers.
| Section score | AvaTrade 69 -16 not offered | Interactive Brokers 85 Best 74 |
|---|---|---|
| Broker fees | ||
| Deposit fees i | ||
| Withdrawal fees i | ||
| Overnight fees i | ||
| Inactivity fees i | ||
| Currency conversion fees i | ||
| Discounts on volume i | ||
| Real time market data fee i | ||
| Dividend withholding i | ||
| Account opening fees i | ||
| Account maintenance fee i | ||
| Portfolio management fee i | ||
| Fees on CFDs | ||
| Forex commission per lot i | Free | USD 4.65 |
| EUR/USD average standard spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average raw spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average fixed spread i | ||
| EUR/USD total cost per lot i | USD 8 | USD 3.325 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 0.5 points | |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.34 points | |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | ||
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | USD 2.6 | USD 0.005 |
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Percentage, Spread | Commission, Percentage |
| US stocks fees (real) i | USD 2.1 | |
| ETF fees (real) i | USD 8.12 | |
| Management costs i | ||
| Connection costs i | ||
| Fees on futures | ||
| Futures fees per contract i | USD 1.75 | USD 0.85 |
| Platform fees i | ||
| Fees on options | ||
| Options fees per contract i | Free | USD 0.65 |
| Event fees i | ||
| Fees on savings plans | ||
| IRA opening fee i | ||
| IRA maintenance fee i | ||
| 401k opening fee i | ||
| 401k maintenance fee i | ||
Available markets
What we compare A comparison of the markets and products you can trade with AvaTrade and with Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers are equally good for CFD/FX markets, since AvaTrade offers CFDs on crypto. On the other hand, Interactive Brokers gives access to 15,000 tradable symbols (against AvaTrade's 1,250), and lets you own bonds, crypto, ETFs, funds, forex and stocks outright. Both AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers offer CFDs on commodities, forex, indices and stocks, and offer futures on commodities, crypto, forex and indices.
There is no like-for-like comparison for real stock markets, as AvaTrade is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | AvaTrade 100 not offered | Interactive Brokers 100 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 1,250 | 15,000 |
| Currency pairs i | ||
| Indices i | ||
| Commodities i | ||
| Stocks i | ||
| ETF i | ||
| Cryptocurrencies i | ||
| Bonds i | ||
| Interest rates i | ||
| Portfolios i | ||
| CFDs i | Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices, Stocks | Commodities, Forex, Indices, Stocks |
| Futures i | Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices | Bonds, Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices |
| Options i | Forex | Bonds, Commodities, Crypto, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks |
| Assets you can own i | Bonds, Crypto, ETF, Funds, Forex, Stocks |
Platform
What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers make available to their clients in United Kingdom.AvaTrade is better than Interactive Brokers for platforms, because AvaTrade offers cTrader, MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4, which Interactive Brokers does not. AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers both offer a proprietary platform and one-click trading.
Interactive Brokers and AvaTrade cannot be compared for platforms, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while AvaTrade is a CFD broker.
| Section score | AvaTrade 94 Best not offered | Interactive Brokers 80 -14 80 |
|---|---|---|
| Proprietary platform i | ||
| MetaTrader 4 i | ||
| MetaTrader 5 i | ||
| cTrader i | ||
| Social trading platform i | ||
| Copy trading platform i | ||
| ZuluTrade i | ||
| TradingView i | ||
| Duplitrade i | ||
| Mirror Trader i | ||
| NinjaTrader i | ||
| AutoChartist i | ||
| Real time pricing i | ||
| 5 digit pricing i | ||
| One-click trading i |
Mobile
What we compare A comparison of the mobile apps of AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.AvaTrade is better than Interactive Brokers for mobile trading, as AvaTrade offers the MetaTrader 5 app, the MetaTrader 4 app and mobile trading signals, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.
Interactive Brokers and AvaTrade cannot be set side by side for mobile trading, as AvaTrade is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike Interactive Brokers.
| Section score | AvaTrade 93 Best not offered | Interactive Brokers 80 -13 80 |
|---|---|---|
| Proprietary app i | ||
| Social trading app i | ||
| Copy trading app i | ||
| MetaTrader 4 app i | ||
| MetaTrader 5 app i | ||
| cTrader app i | ||
| Mobile trading signals i | ||
| Mobile alerts i | ||
| Mobile charting tools i | ||
| Mobile drawing tools i | ||
| Mobile watchlist i | ||
| Smartwatch app i |
Trading features
What we compare A comparison of the trading tools and strategies that AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers allow on their platforms in United Kingdom.AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers are close on CFD/FX trading features, as both offer negative balance protection and trailing stops. Interactive Brokers goes a step further, as it offers tier-1 liquidity providers, and allows for automated trading. The leverage shown for AvaTrade is set by its British Virgin Islands entity and exceeds the retail limit in the UK (30:1 on major currency pairs).
Interactive Brokers and AvaTrade cannot be set side by side for real stock trading features, as AvaTrade is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike Interactive Brokers.
| Section score | AvaTrade 81 not offered | Interactive Brokers 81 85 |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | Agency | NDD |
| Average execution time i | ||
| Slippage occurrence i | ||
| Requotes occurrence i | ||
| Tier-1 liquidity providers i | ||
| PFOF i | ||
| Leverage | ||
| Major FX pairs leverage i | 400:1 | 30:1 |
| Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i | 400:1 | 20:1 |
| Major indices leverage i | 200:1 | 20:1 |
| Minor indices leverage i | 100:1 | 10:1 |
| Gold leverage i | 200:1 | 20:1 |
| Commodities leverage i | 200:1 | 10:1 |
| Equities leverage i | 10:1 | 5:1 |
| Cryptocurrency leverage i | 100:1 | |
| Risk management | ||
| Stop losses i | ||
| Take profits i | ||
| Limit orders i | ||
| Trailing stop i | ||
| Margin call i | ||
| OCO orders i | ||
| Guaranteed stop loss i | ||
| Negative balance protection i | ||
| Minimum trade size (FX) i | 0.01 lots | 0.01 lots |
| Minimum trade size (stocks) i | USD 0 | USD 1 |
| Fractional stocks i | ||
| Trading compliance | ||
| Scalping strategies allowed i | ||
| Hedging strategies allowed i | ||
| Automated trading strategy allowed i | ||
| EAs use allowed i | ||
| HFT strategy allowed i | ||
| VPS use allowed i | ||
| API use allowed i | ||
| Price scraping allowed i | ||
| FIFO rule applies i | ||
Account types
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of account you can open at AvaTrade and at Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom, and of who each one is meant for.AvaTrade is better than Interactive Brokers for CFD/FX account types, because AvaTrade offers a corporate account, a copy trading account and a fixed spread account, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers offer a demo account and a professional traders account.
Interactive Brokers and AvaTrade cannot be compared for real stock account types, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while AvaTrade is a CFD broker.
| Section score | AvaTrade 65 Best not offered | Interactive Brokers 54 -11 53 |
|---|---|---|
| Demo account i | ||
| Unlimited demo account i | ||
| Standard account i | ||
| Micro account i | ||
| Cent account i | ||
| Nano account i | ||
| Raw spread account i | ||
| ECN account i | ||
| Swap-free account i | ||
| Islamic account i | ||
| Professional traders account i | ||
| Fixed spread account i | ||
| Spread betting account i | ||
| Copy trading account i | ||
| Corporate account i | ||
| Managed account i | ||
| Stock investing account i | ||
| Margin investing account i | ||
| Savings account i | ||
| Retirement account i |
Account opening
What we compare A comparison of what it takes to open and fund an account with AvaTrade and with Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom.AvaTrade is better than Interactive Brokers for account opening, since AvaTrade supports e-wallets, which Interactive Brokers does not, credits deposits faster, within the same day (against Interactive Brokers' 1 day), and offers debit cards, which Interactive Brokers does not. However, Interactive Brokers does not require a minimum deposit at all (against AvaTrade's 100 USD). AvaTrade does not operate in the UK.
AvaTrade does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so Interactive Brokers and AvaTrade cannot be compared for account opening. AvaTrade does not operate in the UK.
| Section score | AvaTrade 87 Best not offered | Interactive Brokers 65 -22 65 |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | USD 100 | USD 0 |
| Minimum withdrawal i | USD 0 | USD 0 |
| Wire transfers i | ||
| Credit cards i | ||
| Debit cards i | ||
| eWallets i | PayPal, Neteller, Skrill | |
| Local payment methods i | ||
| Account base currencies i | AUD, EUR, GBP, JPY, USD, ZAR | AUD, CAD, CHF, CNY, CZK, EUR, GBP, HKD, HUF, JPY, MXN, NOK, NZD, RUB, SEK, SGD, USD |
| Deposit waiting time i | Instant | up to 1 business days |
| Withdrawal waiting time i | up to 1 business days | up to 1 business days |
| Bonus program i |
Customer care
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.AvaTrade is better than Interactive Brokers for customer care, given that AvaTrade offers customer support in 22 languages (against Interactive Brokers' 8), and has a website in 22 languages (against Interactive Brokers' 8). Both AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers offer phone support and live chat.
Interactive Brokers and AvaTrade cannot be set side by side for customer care, as AvaTrade is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike Interactive Brokers.
| Section score | AvaTrade 67 Best not offered | Interactive Brokers 58 -9 58 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 22 | 8 |
| Website languages i | Afrikaans, Arabic, German, English, Finnish, French, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Mongolian, Malay, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Urdu, Chinese | German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | Afrikaans, Arabic, German, English, Finnish, French, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Mongolian, Malay, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Urdu, Chinese | German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese |
| Customer support in English i | ||
| Call back request i | ||
| Email support i | ||
| Phone support i | ||
| Live chat i | ||
| Priority customer support i | ||
| Dedicated account manager i | ||
| Cash sweep i | ||
| Stock lending i | ||
| Distributes proceeds i | ||
| Tax withholding agent i | ||
| Tax assistance i |
Learning
What we compare A comparison of the educational material that AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers provide to their clients in United Kingdom.Interactive Brokers is better than AvaTrade for learning, because Interactive Brokers offers professional reports and traders' sentiment, which AvaTrade does not. AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers both offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
Only Interactive Brokers can be assessed for learning, since AvaTrade is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | AvaTrade 83 -9 not offered | Interactive Brokers 92 Best 92 |
|---|---|---|
| Education | ||
| Education center i | ||
| Education for beginners i | ||
| Education for advanced traders i | ||
| Webinars i | ||
| Tutorials i | ||
| Glossary i | ||
| Research | ||
| Economic calendar i | ||
| Traders' sentiment i | ||
| Daily market commentary i | ||
| Daily trading ideas i | ||
| News via social media i | ||
| Professional reports i | ||
| Watchlist i | ||
AvaTrade vs Interactive Brokers: which one should you choose?
AvaTrade
CFD/FX Choose AvaTrade if you want a CFD and forex broker with MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and cTrader, along with copy and social trading and live in a country where it accepts clients.
Not available in the UK 76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Interactive Brokers
CFD/FX Choose Interactive Brokers, regulated in the UK by the FCA, if you want an online CFD broker with low trading costs, no minimum deposit and a wide choice of markets.
Stocks Choose Interactive Brokers if you want an online broker for stocks with no minimum deposit and a wide choice of markets.
Open Account 57.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.Other popular comparisons
Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include AvaTrade or Interactive Brokers, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
