Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD/FX brokers (leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto), using the data of Forex.com's UK 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 Forex.com's UK entity and Interactive Brokers' UK entity.
Forex.com
Regulated in your country Forex.com is allowed by FCA to onboard clients residing in the UK.
74% 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 Forex.com and Interactive Brokers are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in United Kingdom.Interactive Brokers is better than Forex.com for long-term investors, futures traders and options traders. Both are a good fit for day traders, professional traders and high-volume traders.
| Overall score | Forex.com 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 Forex.com and the ones that supervise Interactive Brokers.Forex.com and Interactive Brokers are both regulated in the UK, by the FCA.
| Section score | Forex.com 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 Forex.com and Interactive Brokers have in place to protect your money in United Kingdom.Forex.com and Interactive Brokers both offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme. Interactive Brokers also offers additional money insurance.
| Section score | Forex.com 86 -9 not offered | Interactive Brokers 95 Best 95 |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 1999 | 1978 |
| Parent company i | StoneX Group (via GAIN Capital) | IBG LLC |
| CEO i | Glenn Stevens | 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 | 400,000 | 3,337,000 |
| Annual revenue i | USD 169,500,000 | USD 6,205,000,000 |
| Monthly website search traffic i | 1.9M monthly visits | |
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with Forex.com and with Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom, both on each trade and on holding the account.Interactive Brokers is better than Forex.com for CFD/FX costs, as Interactive Brokers is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 3.33 USD per lot (against Forex.com's 4.5 USD), charges lower US stock CFD fees, at 0.01 USD (against Forex.com's 0.02 USD), and does not charge inactivity fees, unlike Forex.com. Neither Forex.com nor Interactive Brokers charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.
Interactive Brokers and Forex.com cannot be compared for real stock costs, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Forex.com is a CFD broker.
| Section score | Forex.com 81 -4 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 4.5 | USD 3.325 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 0.6 points | |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.1 points | |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | ||
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | USD 0.018 | USD 0.005 |
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Commission, Percentage | 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 0.85 | |
| Platform fees i | ||
| Fees on options | ||
| Options fees per contract i | 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 Forex.com and with Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.Interactive Brokers is better than Forex.com for CFD/FX markets, because Interactive Brokers gives access to 15,000 tradable symbols (against Forex.com's 150), lets you own bonds, crypto, ETFs, funds, forex and stocks outright, which Forex.com does not, and offers futures on bonds, commodities, crypto, forex and indices, which Forex.com does not. Both Forex.com and Interactive Brokers offer CFDs on commodities, forex, indices and stocks.
There is no like-for-like comparison for real stock markets, as Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | Forex.com 75 -25 not offered | Interactive Brokers 100 Best 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 150 | 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 | Commodities, Forex, Indices, Stocks |
| Futures i | Bonds, Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices | |
| Options i | 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 Forex.com and Interactive Brokers make available to their clients in United Kingdom.Forex.com is better than Interactive Brokers for platforms, given that Forex.com offers MetaTrader 4 and AutoChartist, which Interactive Brokers does not. Forex.com and Interactive Brokers both offer a proprietary platform and one-click trading.
Forex.com does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so Interactive Brokers and Forex.com cannot be compared for platforms.
| Section score | Forex.com 88 Best not offered | Interactive Brokers 80 -8 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 Forex.com and Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.Forex.com is better than Interactive Brokers for mobile trading, because Forex.com offers the MetaTrader 4 app and mobile trading signals, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both Forex.com and Interactive Brokers offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.
Interactive Brokers and Forex.com cannot be compared for mobile trading, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Forex.com is a CFD broker.
| Section score | Forex.com 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 Forex.com and Interactive Brokers allow on their platforms in United Kingdom.Forex.com is better than Interactive Brokers for CFD/FX trading features, given that Forex.com offers VPS hosting, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both Forex.com and Interactive Brokers offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.
Only Interactive Brokers can be assessed for real stock trading features, since Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | Forex.com 87 Best not offered | Interactive Brokers 81 -6 85 |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | Agency | NDD |
| Average execution time i | 3 ms | |
| Slippage occurrence i | ||
| Requotes occurrence i | ||
| Tier-1 liquidity providers i | ||
| PFOF i | ||
| Leverage | ||
| Major FX pairs leverage i | 30:1 | 30:1 |
| Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i | 20:1 | 20:1 |
| Major indices leverage i | 20:1 | 20:1 |
| Minor indices leverage i | 10:1 | 10:1 |
| Gold leverage i | 20:1 | 20:1 |
| Commodities leverage i | 10:1 | 10:1 |
| Equities leverage i | 5:1 | 5:1 |
| Cryptocurrency leverage i | ||
| 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 Forex.com and at Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom, and of who each one is meant for.Forex.com and Interactive Brokers are equally good for CFD/FX account types, since Forex.com offers a fixed spread account while Interactive Brokers offers a micro account. Both Forex.com and Interactive Brokers offer a demo account and a professional traders account.
There is no like-for-like comparison for real stock account types, as Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | Forex.com 52 -2 not offered | Interactive Brokers 54 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 Forex.com and with Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom.Interactive Brokers is better than Forex.com for account opening, since Interactive Brokers does not require a minimum deposit (against Forex.com's 100 USD), offers 17 account base currencies (against Forex.com's 3), and credits deposits faster, within 1 day (against Forex.com's 2 days). Both Forex.com and Interactive Brokers offer credit cards and wire transfers.
Only Interactive Brokers can be assessed for account opening, since Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | Forex.com 62 -3 not offered | Interactive Brokers 65 Best 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 | ||
| Local payment methods i | ||
| Account base currencies i | EUR, GBP, USD | AUD, CAD, CHF, CNY, CZK, EUR, GBP, HKD, HUF, JPY, MXN, NOK, NZD, RUB, SEK, SGD, USD |
| Deposit waiting time i | up to 2 business days | up to 1 business days |
| Withdrawal waiting time i | up to 2 business days | up to 1 business days |
| Bonus program i |
Customer care
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of Forex.com and Interactive Brokers in United Kingdom, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.Forex.com is better than Interactive Brokers for customer care, given that Forex.com offers a dedicated account manager and priority support, which Interactive Brokers does not. Forex.com and Interactive Brokers both offer phone support and live chat.
Only Interactive Brokers can be assessed for customer care, since Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | Forex.com 66 Best not offered | Interactive Brokers 58 -8 58 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 7 | 8 |
| Website languages i | Arabic, German, English, Japanese, Polish, Spanish, Chinese | German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | English, 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 Forex.com and Interactive Brokers provide to their clients in United Kingdom.Forex.com is better than Interactive Brokers for learning, given that Forex.com offers daily market commentary, which Interactive Brokers does not. Forex.com and Interactive Brokers both offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
There is no like-for-like comparison for learning, as Forex.com is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | Forex.com 95 Best not offered | Interactive Brokers 92 -3 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 | ||
Forex.com vs Interactive Brokers: which one should you choose?
Forex.com
CFD/FX Choose Forex.com if you want a CFD and forex broker with fast execution and fixed-spread accounts.
Open Account 74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Interactive Brokers
CFD/FX Choose Interactive Brokers if you want an online CFD broker with tight spreads, a wide choice of markets and no minimum deposit.
Stocks Choose Interactive Brokers if you want a broker for securities investing with a wide range of assets to own.
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 Forex.com or Interactive Brokers, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
