Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD/FX brokers (leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto), using the data of Interactive Brokers' Ireland entity and Plus500's Cyprus entity. Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as stock brokers (real shares and ETFs you own outright), using the data of Interactive Brokers' Ireland entity and Plus500's Cyprus entity.
Interactive Brokers
57.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Plus500
CFD service. 82% of retail investor accounts lose money
Best for
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders Interactive Brokers and Plus500 are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in .Interactive Brokers is better than Plus500 for day traders, professional traders and high-volume traders. Long-term investors, swing traders and news traders can choose either Interactive Brokers or Plus500.
| Overall score | Interactive Brokers 86 Best 85 Best | Plus500 77 -9 74 -11 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Interactive Brokers and the ones that supervise Plus500.Interactive Brokers and Plus500 are both regulated by top-tier authorities, Interactive Brokers by CBI Ireland, ASIC (Australia) and the SEC (United States) and Plus500 by CySEC, ASIC (Australia) and the FCA (United Kingdom).
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 100 100 | Plus500 100 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Tier-1 regulators | ||
| ESMA (European Union) i | CBI (Ireland) | CySEC (Cyprus) |
| 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 Interactive Brokers and Plus500 have in place to protect your money in .Both Interactive Brokers and Plus500 offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme. Interactive Brokers also offers additional money insurance.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 95 Best 95 Best | Plus500 85 -10 85 -10 |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 1978 | 2008 |
| Parent company i | IBG LLC | Plus500 Ltd. |
| CEO i | Milan Galik | David Zruia |
| Money safety | ||
| Segregated client funds i | ||
| Two-factor authentication i | ||
| Investor compensation scheme i | ||
| Additional money insurance i | ||
| Partner bank i | Agricultural Bank of China, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, Banco Santander, Bank Hapoalim, Bank of China, Barclays Bank Ireland, Barclays Bank, Euroclear Bank, HSBC Bank, HSBC Continental Europe, ING Bank, ING Belgium, ING Bank Slaski, J.P. Morgan SE, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, Mizuho Bank, MUFG Bank, NatWest Bank, Oversea Chinese Banking Corporation, Raiffeisen Bank International, Raiffeisen Bank Zrt, Raiffeisenbank a.s., Royal Bank of Canada, Skandinaviska Enskilda Bank, Societe Generale, Standard Chartered Bank, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, UBS Switzerland, United Overseas Bank, Wells Fargo Bank | N/A |
| Brand power | ||
| Number of customers worldwide i | 3,337,000 | 30,000,000 |
| Annual revenue i | USD 6,205,000,000 | USD 768,300,000 |
| Monthly website search traffic i | ||
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with Interactive Brokers and with Plus500 in , both on each trade and on holding the account.Interactive Brokers is better than Plus500 for CFD/FX costs, as Interactive Brokers is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 3.33 USD per lot (against Plus500's 8 USD), does not charge inactivity fees, unlike Plus500, and offers volume discounts, which Plus500 does not. Neither Interactive Brokers nor Plus500 charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.
Plus500 is better than Interactive Brokers for real stock costs, because Plus500 charges lower US stock fees, at 0.12 USD (against Interactive Brokers' 2.1 USD), and does not charge withdrawal fees or real-time market data fees, unlike Interactive Brokers. Neither Interactive Brokers nor Plus500 charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 85 Best 74 -6 | Plus500 64 -21 80 Best |
|---|---|---|
| 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 4.65About this value. This is the forex commission per lot at Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited (CBI). At Interactive Brokers' other companies: USD 4.65 (the UK, Canada), USD 2 (Australia). | Free |
| 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 | USD 8 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 0.7 points | |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.75 points | |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | USD 118.34 | |
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | USD 0.005 | Free |
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Commission, Percentage | Commission, Percentage, Spread |
| US stocks fees (real) i | USD 2.1 | USD 0.12 |
| ETF fees (real) i | USD 6.96 | |
| 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 Interactive Brokers and with Plus500 in , and of how many instruments each one gives access to.Interactive Brokers is better than Plus500 for CFD/FX markets, as Interactive Brokers gives access to 15,000 tradable symbols (against Plus500's 2,800), lets you own bonds, crypto, ETFs, funds and forex outright, which Plus500 does not, and offers futures on bonds, commodities, crypto, forex and indices, which Plus500 does not. Both Interactive Brokers and Plus500 offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, forex, indices and stocks, and let you own stocks outright.
Interactive Brokers is better than Plus500 for real stock markets, as Interactive Brokers lets you own bonds, crypto, ETFs, funds and forex outright, which Plus500 does not, gives access to 15,000 tradable symbols (against Plus500's 2,800), and offers futures on bonds, commodities, crypto, forex and indices, which Plus500 does not. Both Interactive Brokers and Plus500 let you own stocks outright, and offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, forex, indices and stocks.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 100 Best 100 Best | Plus500 75 -25 15 -85 |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 15,000 | 2,800 |
| 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, Crypto, ETF, 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 | Stocks |
Platform
What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that Interactive Brokers and Plus500 make available to their clients in .Interactive Brokers is better than Plus500 for platforms, given that Interactive Brokers offers TradingView, which Plus500 does not. Both Interactive Brokers and Plus500 offer a proprietary platform and one-click trading.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 80 Best 80 Best | Plus500 75 -5 75 -5 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Interactive Brokers and Plus500 in , and of what each one lets you do from your phone.Interactive Brokers and Plus500 are equally good for mobile trading, as both offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 80 80 | Plus500 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 Interactive Brokers and Plus500 allow on their platforms in .Interactive Brokers is better than Plus500 for CFD/FX trading features, because Interactive Brokers offers tier-1 liquidity providers, which Plus500 does not, and allows for scalping and automated trading. Both Interactive Brokers and Plus500 offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.
Interactive Brokers is better than Plus500 for real stock trading features, given that Interactive Brokers offers fractional shares and tier-1 liquidity providers, which Plus500 does not, and allows for automated trading. Both Interactive Brokers and Plus500 offer trailing stops.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 81 Best 85 Best | Plus500 67 -14 76 -9 |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | NDD | Agency |
| Average execution time i | ||
| Slippage occurrence i | ||
| Requotes occurrence i | ||
| Tier-1 liquidity providers i | ||
| PFOF i | ||
| Leverage | ||
| Major FX pairs leverage i | 30:1About this value. This is the major fx pairs leverage at Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited (CBI). At Interactive Brokers' other companies: 30:1 (the UK, Australia), 50:1 (Canada). | 30:1About this value. This is the major fx pairs leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 30:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 300:1 (other accepted countries). |
| Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i | 20:1About this value. This is the minor/exotic fx pairs leverage at Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited (CBI). At Interactive Brokers' other companies: 20:1 (the UK, Australia), 33:1 (Canada). | 20:1About this value. This is the minor/exotic fx pairs leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 20:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 300:1 (other accepted countries). |
| Major indices leverage i | 20:1 | 20:1About this value. This is the major indices leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 20:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 150:1 (other accepted countries). |
| Minor indices leverage i | 10:1 | 10:1About this value. This is the minor indices leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 10:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 150:1 (other accepted countries). |
| Gold leverage i | 20:1 | 20:1About this value. This is the gold leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 20:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 150:1 (other accepted countries). |
| Commodities leverage i | 10:1 | 10:1About this value. This is the commodities leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 10:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 150:1 (other accepted countries). |
| Equities leverage i | 5:1About this value. This is the equities leverage at Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited (CBI). At Interactive Brokers' other companies: 5:1 (the UK, Australia), 3:1 (Canada). | 5:1About this value. This is the equities leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 5:1 (the UAE, Australia, the UK), 20:1 (other accepted countries). |
| Cryptocurrency leverage i | 2:1 | 2:1About this value. This is the cryptocurrency leverage at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: 2:1 (the UAE, Australia), 5:1 (other accepted countries). |
| 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 1 | USD 0 |
| 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 Interactive Brokers and at Plus500 in , and of who each one is meant for.Interactive Brokers is better than Plus500 for CFD/FX account types, given that Interactive Brokers offers an Islamic account, a micro account and a swap-free account, which Plus500 does not. Both Interactive Brokers and Plus500 offer a demo account and a professional traders account.
Interactive Brokers is better than Plus500 for real stock account types, since Interactive Brokers offers a stock investing account and a retirement account, which Plus500 does not. Both Interactive Brokers and Plus500 offer a demo account and a standard account.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 54 Best 53 Best | Plus500 38 -16 25 -28 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Interactive Brokers and with Plus500 in .Plus500 is better than Interactive Brokers for account opening, because Plus500 supports e-wallets, which Interactive Brokers does not, and offers debit cards, which Interactive Brokers does not. That said, Interactive Brokers asks for no minimum deposit at all (against Plus500's 100 USD).
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 65 -4 65 -4 | Plus500 69 Best 69 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | USD 0 | USD 100About this value. This is the minimum deposit at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). At Plus500's other companies: USD 100 (the UAE, other accepted countries, the UK), USD 70 (Australia). |
| Minimum withdrawal i | USD 0 | USD 100 |
| Wire transfers i | ||
| Credit cards i | ||
| Debit cards i | ||
| eWallets i | PayPal, SkrillAbout this value. This is the ewallets at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). It is different at Plus500's companies in the UAE and the UK. | |
| Local payment methods i | ||
| Account base currencies i | AUD, CAD, CHF, CNY, CZK, EUR, GBP, HKD, HUF, JPY, MXN, NOK, NZD, RUB, SEK, SGD, USDAbout this value. This is the account base currencies at Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited (CBI). It is different at Interactive Brokers' companies in Australia. | AUD, EUR, USDAbout this value. This is the account base currencies at Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC). It is different at Plus500's companies in Australia. |
| Deposit waiting time i | up to 1 business days | 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 Interactive Brokers and Plus500 in , in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.Interactive Brokers and Plus500 are equally good for customer care, since Interactive Brokers offers phone support. On the other hand, Plus500 offers customer support in 29 languages (against Interactive Brokers' 8), and has a website in 29 languages (against Interactive Brokers' 8). Both Interactive Brokers and Plus500 offer live chat and email support.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 58 58 | Plus500 58 58 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 8 | 29 |
| Website languages i | German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese | Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Croatian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese | Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Croatian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, 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 Interactive Brokers and Plus500 provide to their clients in .Interactive Brokers is better than Plus500 for learning, given that Interactive Brokers offers professional reports, which Plus500 does not. Interactive Brokers and Plus500 both offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 92 Best 92 Best | Plus500 80 -12 80 -12 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
Interactive Brokers vs Plus500: which one should you choose?
Interactive Brokers
CFD/FX Choose Interactive Brokers if you want a CFD/forex broker for automated trading, with low trading costs and TradingView.
Stocks Choose Interactive Brokers if you want a stock brokerage service with TradingView, bonds and funds.
Open Account 57.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Plus500
CFD/FX Choose Plus500 if you want an online CFD broker with guaranteed stop-loss orders and ETFs.
Stocks Choose Plus500 if you want an online broker for stocks.
Open Account CFD service. 82% of retail investor accounts lose moneyOther popular comparisons
Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include Interactive Brokers or Plus500, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
