Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD/FX brokers (leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto), using the data of Charles Schwab's US 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 Charles Schwab's US entity and Interactive Brokers' UK entity.
Charles Schwab
Not regulated in your country Charles Schwab does not accept residents in the UK because it is not regulated by FCA.
Your money is at risk
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 Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in United Kingdom.Charles Schwab is better than Interactive Brokers for crypto traders. Interactive Brokers, on the other hand, is better for professional traders, high-volume traders and scalpers. Day traders, long-term investors and swing traders can choose either Charles Schwab or Interactive Brokers.
| Overall score | Charles Schwab not offered 86 | Interactive Brokers 86 85 -1 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Charles Schwab and the ones that supervise Interactive Brokers.Only Interactive Brokers is regulated in the UK, by the FCA. Charles Schwab holds no licence in the UK and is regulated by the SEC (United States) and the CFTC (United States).
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 100 | 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 Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers have in place to protect your money in United Kingdom.Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers both offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme. Charles Schwab holds no licence in the UK and is not covered by the FSCS.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 95 | Interactive Brokers 95 95 |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 1971 | 1978 |
| Parent company i | The Charles Schwab Corporation | IBG LLC |
| CEO i | Rick Wurster | Milan Galik |
| Money safety | ||
| Segregated client funds i | ||
| Two-factor authentication i | ||
| Investor compensation scheme i | ||
| Additional money insurance i | ||
| Partner bank i | Charles Schwab Bank | N/A |
| Brand power | ||
| Number of customers worldwide i | 3,337,000 | |
| Annual revenue i | USD 6,205,000,000 | |
| Monthly website search traffic i | 87.9M monthly visits | |
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with Charles Schwab and with Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom, both on each trade and on holding the account.Only Interactive Brokers can be assessed for CFD/FX costs, since Charles Schwab is a stockbroker and does not offer CFD/FX.
Charles Schwab is better than Interactive Brokers for real stock costs, given that Charles Schwab does not charge US stock fees (against Interactive Brokers' 2.1 USD), and does not charge withdrawal fees or currency conversion fees, unlike Interactive Brokers. Neither Charles Schwab nor Interactive Brokers charges inactivity fees or account maintenance fees.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 95 Best | Interactive Brokers 85 74 -21 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 3.325 | |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | ||
| Gold fees (CFD) i | ||
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | ||
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | USD 0.005 | |
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Commission | Commission, Percentage |
| US stocks fees (real) i | Free | 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 2.25 | USD 0.85 |
| Platform fees i | ||
| Fees on options | ||
| Options fees per contract i | USD 0.65 | 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 Charles Schwab and with Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.Charles Schwab does not offer CFD/FX, being a stockbroker, so Interactive Brokers and Charles Schwab cannot be compared for CFD/FX markets.
There is little between Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers on real stock markets. Both Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers let you own bonds, crypto, ETFs, funds and stocks outright, and offer futures on commodities and indices. Interactive Brokers goes a step further, as it lets you own forex outright, and gives access to 15,000 tradable symbols (against Charles Schwab's 1,100).
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 100 | Interactive Brokers 100 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 1,100 | 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, Forex, Indices, Stocks | |
| Futures i | Commodities, Indices | Bonds, Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices |
| Options i | Commodities, Stocks | Bonds, Commodities, Crypto, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks |
| Assets you can own i | Bonds, Crypto, ETF, Funds, Stocks | Bonds, Crypto, ETF, Funds, Forex, Stocks |
Platform
What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers make available to their clients in United Kingdom.There is no like-for-like comparison for platforms, as Charles Schwab is a stockbroker and does not offer CFD/FX.
Interactive Brokers is better than Charles Schwab for platforms, given that Interactive Brokers offers TradingView, one-click trading and 5-digit pricing, which Charles Schwab does not. Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers both offer a proprietary platform and real-time pricing.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 68 -12 | Interactive Brokers 80 80 Best |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.Interactive Brokers and Charles Schwab cannot be compared for mobile trading, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Charles Schwab is a stockbroker.
Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers are equally good for mobile trading, as both offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 80 | Interactive Brokers 80 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 Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers allow on their platforms in United Kingdom.Interactive Brokers and Charles Schwab cannot be set side by side for CFD/FX trading features, as Charles Schwab is a stockbroker and does not offer CFD/FX, unlike Interactive Brokers.
Interactive Brokers is better than Charles Schwab for real stock trading features, because Interactive Brokers has a smaller minimum trade size on stocks, at 1 USD (against Charles Schwab's 5 USD), and offers tier-1 liquidity providers, which Charles Schwab does not. Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers both offer trailing stops and fractional shares.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 70 -15 | Interactive Brokers 81 85 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | NDD | NDD |
| Average execution time i | ||
| Slippage occurrence i | ||
| Requotes occurrence i | ||
| Tier-1 liquidity providers i | ||
| PFOF i | ||
| Leverage | ||
| Major FX pairs leverage i | 0:1 | 30:1 |
| Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i | 0:1 | 20:1 |
| Major indices leverage i | 0:1 | 20:1 |
| Minor indices leverage i | 0:1 | 10:1 |
| Gold leverage i | 0:1 | 20:1 |
| Commodities leverage i | 0:1 | 10:1 |
| Equities leverage i | 0:1 | 5:1 |
| Cryptocurrency leverage i | 0:1 | |
| 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 | |
| Minimum trade size (stocks) i | USD 5 | 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 Charles Schwab and at Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom, and of who each one is meant for.Interactive Brokers and Charles Schwab cannot be set side by side for CFD/FX account types, as Charles Schwab is a stockbroker and does not offer CFD/FX, unlike Interactive Brokers.
Charles Schwab is better than Interactive Brokers for real stock account types, since Charles Schwab offers a corporate account, a managed account and a margin investing account, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers offer a stock investing account and a demo account.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 83 Best | Interactive Brokers 54 53 -30 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Charles Schwab and with Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom.Charles Schwab does not offer CFD/FX, being a stockbroker, so Interactive Brokers and Charles Schwab cannot be compared for account opening. Charles Schwab holds no licence in the UK.
Interactive Brokers is better than Charles Schwab for account opening, since Interactive Brokers offers 17 account base currencies (against Charles Schwab's 1). Neither Charles Schwab nor Interactive Brokers requires a minimum deposit. Charles Schwab holds no licence in the UK.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 50 -15 | Interactive Brokers 65 65 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | USD 0 | USD 0 |
| Minimum withdrawal i | USD 0 | USD 0 |
| Wire transfers i | ||
| Credit cards i | ||
| Debit cards i | ||
| eWallets i | ||
| Local payment methods i | ||
| Account base currencies i | USD | AUD, CAD, CHF, CNY, CZK, EUR, GBP, HKD, HUF, JPY, MXN, NOK, NZD, RUB, SEK, SGD, USD |
| Deposit waiting time i | up to 1 business days | |
| Withdrawal waiting time i | up to 1 business days | |
| Bonus program i |
Customer care
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.Interactive Brokers and Charles Schwab cannot be set side by side for customer care, as Charles Schwab is a stockbroker and does not offer CFD/FX, unlike Interactive Brokers.
Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers are equally good for customer care, since Charles Schwab offers a dedicated account manager and priority support. On the other hand, Interactive Brokers offers customer support in 8 languages (against Charles Schwab's 1), and has a website in 8 languages (against Charles Schwab's 2). Both Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers offer phone support and live chat.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 60 | Interactive Brokers 58 58 -2 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 2 | 8 |
| Website languages i | English, Chinese | German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | English | 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 Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers provide to their clients in United Kingdom.Interactive Brokers and Charles Schwab cannot be compared for learning, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Charles Schwab is a stockbroker.
Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers are equally good for learning, as both offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 92 | Interactive Brokers 92 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 | ||
Charles Schwab vs Interactive Brokers: which one should you choose?
Charles Schwab
Stocks Choose Charles Schwab if you want a stockbroker with commission-free US shares and fractional share trading and live in a country where it is licensed to operate.
Not licensed in the UK Your money is at risk
Interactive Brokers
CFD/FX Choose Interactive Brokers if you want a CFD and forex broker with tight spreads.
Stocks Choose Interactive Brokers, regulated in the UK by the FCA, if you want a broker for securities investing with a wide choice of markets and several account base currencies.
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 Charles Schwab or Interactive Brokers, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
