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 Robinhood's Lithuania 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 Robinhood's Lithuania entity.
Interactive Brokers
57.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Robinhood
73-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.
Best for
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders Interactive Brokers and Robinhood are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in .Interactive Brokers is better than Robinhood for day traders, professional traders and high-volume traders. Long-term investors, swing traders and crypto traders can choose either Interactive Brokers or Robinhood.
| Overall score | Interactive Brokers 86 85 Best | Robinhood not offered 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 Robinhood.Interactive Brokers and Robinhood are both regulated by top-tier authorities, Interactive Brokers by CBI Ireland, ASIC (Australia) and the SEC (United States) and Robinhood by LB Lithuania, the SEC (United States) and the CFTC (United States).
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 100 100 | Robinhood not offered 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Tier-1 regulators | ||
| ESMA (European Union) i | CBI (Ireland) | LB (Lithuania) |
| 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 Robinhood have in place to protect your money in .Both Interactive Brokers and Robinhood offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 95 95 Best | Robinhood not offered 87 -8 |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 1978 | 2013 |
| Parent company i | IBG LLC | Robinhood Markets, Inc. |
| CEO i | Milan Galik | Vlad Tenev |
| 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 | Sutton Bank |
| Brand power | ||
| Number of customers worldwide i | 3,337,000 | 27,400,000 |
| Annual revenue i | USD 6,205,000,000 | USD 3,570,000,000 |
| Monthly website search traffic i | ||
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with Interactive Brokers and with Robinhood in , both on each trade and on holding the account.Only Interactive Brokers can be assessed for CFD/FX costs, since Robinhood is a stockbroker and does not offer CFD/FX.
Interactive Brokers is better than Robinhood for real stock costs. Neither Interactive Brokers nor Robinhood charges inactivity fees or account maintenance fees.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 85 74 Best | Robinhood not offered 39 -35 |
|---|---|---|
| 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). | |
| 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 | USD 0.0004 | |
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | USD 0.005 | Free |
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Commission, Percentage | Percentage |
| US stocks fees (real) i | USD 2.1 | |
| 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 Robinhood in , and of how many instruments each one gives access to.Interactive Brokers and Robinhood cannot be compared for CFD/FX markets, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Robinhood is a stockbroker.
Interactive Brokers and Robinhood are close on real stock markets. Both Interactive Brokers and Robinhood let you own crypto, ETFs and stocks outright, and offer futures on commodities, crypto and indices. Interactive Brokers has a slight edge, as it lets you own bonds, funds and forex outright, and gives access to 15,000 tradable symbols (against Robinhood's 10,818).
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 100 100 | Robinhood not offered 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 15,000 | 10,818 |
| 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 | |
| Futures i | Bonds, Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices | Commodities, Crypto, Indices |
| Options i | Bonds, Commodities, Crypto, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks | Indices |
| Assets you can own i | Bonds, Crypto, ETF, Funds, Forex, Stocks | Crypto, ETF, Stocks |
Platform
What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that Interactive Brokers and Robinhood make available to their clients in .Interactive Brokers and Robinhood cannot be set side by side for platforms, as Robinhood is a stockbroker and does not offer CFD/FX, unlike Interactive Brokers.
Interactive Brokers is better than Robinhood for platforms, given that Interactive Brokers offers TradingView, one-click trading and 5-digit pricing, which Robinhood does not. Interactive Brokers and Robinhood both offer a proprietary platform and real-time pricing.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 80 80 Best | Robinhood not offered 68 -12 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Robinhood in , and of what each one lets you do from your phone.Interactive Brokers and Robinhood cannot be compared for mobile trading, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Robinhood is a stockbroker.
Interactive Brokers is better than Robinhood for mobile trading, since Interactive Brokers offers mobile drawing tools, which Robinhood does not. Interactive Brokers and Robinhood both offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 80 80 Best | Robinhood not offered 74 -6 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Robinhood allow on their platforms in .There is no like-for-like comparison for CFD/FX trading features, as Robinhood is a stockbroker and does not offer CFD/FX.
Interactive Brokers is better than Robinhood for real stock trading features, as Interactive Brokers offers tier-1 liquidity providers and API access, which Robinhood does not, and allows for automated trading. Both Interactive Brokers and Robinhood offer trailing stops and fractional shares.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 81 85 Best | Robinhood not offered 65 -20 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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). | |
| 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). | |
| Major indices leverage i | 20:1 | |
| Minor indices leverage i | 10:1 | |
| Gold leverage i | 20:1 | |
| Commodities leverage i | 10:1 | |
| 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). | |
| Cryptocurrency leverage i | 2:1 | |
| 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 1 | 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 Interactive Brokers and at Robinhood in , and of who each one is meant for.Robinhood does not offer CFD/FX, being a stockbroker, so Interactive Brokers and Robinhood cannot be compared for CFD/FX account types.
Interactive Brokers is better than Robinhood for real stock account types, because Interactive Brokers offers a demo account, which Robinhood does not. Both Interactive Brokers and Robinhood offer a stock investing account and a retirement account.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 54 53 Best | Robinhood not offered 44 -9 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Robinhood in .Robinhood does not offer CFD/FX, being a stockbroker, so Interactive Brokers and Robinhood cannot be compared for account opening.
Interactive Brokers and Robinhood are equally good for account opening, as Interactive Brokers offers 17 account base currencies (against Robinhood's 1), and credits deposits faster, within 1 day (against Robinhood's 2 days). On the other hand, Robinhood offers debit cards. Neither Interactive Brokers nor Robinhood requires a minimum deposit.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 65 65 | Robinhood not offered 65 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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. | USD |
| Deposit waiting time i | up to 1 business days | up to 2 business days |
| Withdrawal waiting time i | up to 1 business days | up to 2 business days |
| Bonus program i |
Customer care
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of Interactive Brokers and Robinhood in , in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.Interactive Brokers and Robinhood cannot be set side by side for customer care, as Robinhood is a stockbroker and does not offer CFD/FX, unlike Interactive Brokers.
Interactive Brokers is better than Robinhood for customer care, since Interactive Brokers offers customer support in 8 languages (against Robinhood's 1), and has a website in 8 languages (against Robinhood's 1). Interactive Brokers and Robinhood both offer phone support and live chat.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 58 58 Best | Robinhood not offered 42 -16 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 8 | 1 |
| Website languages i | German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese | English |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese | English |
| 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 Robinhood provide to their clients in .Interactive Brokers and Robinhood cannot be set side by side for learning, as Robinhood is a stockbroker and does not offer CFD/FX, unlike Interactive Brokers.
Interactive Brokers is better than Robinhood for learning, given that Interactive Brokers offers webinars, an economic calendar and traders' sentiment, which Robinhood does not. Both Interactive Brokers and Robinhood offer education for advanced traders and professional reports.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 92 92 Best | Robinhood not offered 70 -22 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Robinhood: which one should you choose?
Interactive Brokers
CFD/FX Choose Interactive Brokers if you want an online CFD broker with low trading costs and tight spreads.
Stocks Choose Interactive Brokers if you want a broker for securities investing with TradingView, bonds and funds.
Open Account 57.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Robinhood
Stocks Choose Robinhood if you want a stockbroker with fractional shares.
Open Account 73-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.Other popular comparisons
Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include Interactive Brokers or Robinhood, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
