Interactive Brokers Review in 2025

Written by Miro Nikolov

Miro Nikolov

Miro Nikolov is the co-founder of TradingPedia.com and BestBrokers.com. His mission is to help people make profitable investments by giving them access to educational resources and analytics tools.

, | Updated: November 5, 2025

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• Jump to:
• Regulations
• Trading Instruments
• Trading Platforms
• Payment Methods
• Account Types
• Support
• Conclusion
›

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is a long-standing multi-asset broker founded in 1977 and now servicing more than 150 global markets under several regulated subsidiaries. Its core proposition centres on deep liquidity, direct market access and low-cost execution across forex, shares, ETFs, futures, options, bonds and CFDs. The broker’s proprietary Trader Workstation (TWS), Client Portal and IBKR Mobile platforms cater for both advanced desktop traders and casual mobile users, while leverage for UK/EU retail clients is capped at 1:30 in line with ESMA rules. Most individual accounts have no minimum deposit, and client money is held in segregated trust accounts with statutory compensation schemes available in several jurisdictions.

Unlike many CFD-only providers, Interactive Brokers offers physical share dealing alongside CFDs and margin financing, giving experienced traders and investors a single venue for portfolio management. Negative balance protection is applied to retail accounts in the UK and EEA, but the broker does not market guaranteed stop-loss orders or investor sentiment tools that are common at rivals.

Regulations

Interactive Brokers operates multiple legal entities, each supervised by a top-tier regulator. UK residents contract with Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited, company number 03958465, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA FRN 208159) since 17 May 2001. The registered office is Level 20, Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY.

EU retail and professional clients are booked through Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited, company number 657406, authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI C423427) on 14 September 2020, with a registered office at 10 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin D02 T380, Ireland. The firm passported its services across the EEA under MiFID II.

Central-European accounts may instead be opened with Interactive Brokers Central Europe Zrt., company number 01-10-141029, holding investment firm licence H-EN-III-623/2020 from the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB). The head office is Madách Trade Center, Madách Imre út 13–14, 1075 Budapest, Hungary.

Outside Europe, Interactive Brokers maintains licensed subsidiaries in the United States (SEC/FINRA/CFTC/NFA), Australia (ASIC AFSL 453554) and Canada (IIROC), although these entities do not service UK/EU residents.

Retail client money is kept in segregated omnibus accounts at tier-one banks. Negative balance protection applies to retail clients in the UK and EEA; professional or institutional clients may become liable for deficits. UK clients are eligible for up to £85,000 under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), while Irish clients benefit from the Investor Compensation Scheme (ICS) covering up to €20,000. Hungarian clients fall under the National Deposit Insurance Fund (OBA) up to the statutory limit of €100,000 equivalent. The broker publishes a dedicated complaints procedure and, where applicable, falls under the Financial Ombudsman Service (UK) or the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (Ireland).

Interactive Brokers does not accept residents of jurisdictions subject to comprehensive sanctions (e.g., Iran, North Korea) and, according to its disclosures, may refuse US citizens who attempt to open accounts with non-US entities.

Trading platforms

Platforms	PC / MAC	Smartphones	Tablets
Proprietary

Trading Information
Trading Platforms	Proprietary Mobile, Proprietary Web
Demo Account
Hedging
Scalping
US Traders
Arabic Traders

Interactive Brokers offers only proprietary platforms rather than MetaTrader or cTrader, but the suite is extensive. All front ends connect to the same back-end market infrastructure, allowing seamless switching between desktop, web and mobile. Algorithmic traders can access the IBKR API (FIX/REST/Socket) or rent a co-located VPS. Copy-trading is not provided, although advisers and money managers can trade on behalf of linked sub-accounts.

Trader Workstation (TWS)

Trader Workstation is the broker’s flagship desktop programme for Windows, macOS and Linux. The layout is highly modular, supporting multiple monitors, custom workspaces and more than 120 charting indicators. Order types include market, limit, stop, trailing, iceberg, bracket, scale and algorithmic ‘Adaptive’ orders that attempt price improvement across venues. Market depth and Level II data are available where subscribed, and the integrated Strategy Builder lets users back-test multi-leg options or futures spreads. All instruments offered by IBKR—forex, shares, options, futures, bonds, funds and CFDs—can be traded from a single interface.

TWS also embeds third-party analytics such as TipRanks fundamentals and social sentiment (subscription-based) alongside in-house tools like Probability Lab and Risk Navigator. Advanced traders value the API integration, which enables automated execution in languages including Python, C++, Java and C#.

Client Portal

Client Portal is a browser-based platform that mirrors most core functionality without the heavyweight resource footprint of TWS. It allows order entry, charting, watch-lists, funding, reporting and corporate-action elections from any modern browser. Institutional users can grant permission-based access to accountants or compliance officers to view reports without trading rights.

The portal is also the control centre for account management—KYC updates, tax document retrieval and security settings (two-factor authentication via IBKR Mobile). Real-time streaming prices are free for US quotes on IBKR Lite (where available) but otherwise require market-data subscriptions.

IBKR Mobile

The IBKR Mobile application for iOS and Android provides full trading capability on smartphones and tablets. Traders can enter complex options spreads, monitor margin requirements in real time and receive push notifications on fills, corporate actions and system alerts. Charting supports 20+ studies and multiple timeframes; pinch-to-zoom lets users expand details quickly.

A notable in-app feature is ‘IBot’, a natural-language assistant that can fetch quotes, place trades or answer support queries. Security is enforced through biometric login and two-factor authentication, and the app doubles as the Secure Login token for desktop/web access.

IBKR GlobalTrader

GlobalTrader is a streamlined mobile app aimed at beginners who mostly trade shares, ETFs and fractional stocks. The interface emphasises simplified ticket entry, educational snippets and performance widgets. Users can convert currencies at interbank rates inside the app before purchasing overseas securities, making it suitable for casual investors who do not need TWS complexity.

While advanced order types are pared back, GlobalTrader still connects to IBKR’s SmartRouting engine, so fills are aggregated across venues. The app supports instant funding via ACH in the US and local bank rails elsewhere, subject to verification.

APIs

The IBKR API allows fully-automated trading with access to all instruments and account information. Developers can choose proprietary sockets, FIX 4.2 or the REST-based Client Portal API. Rate limits are generous, and historical market data (up to 30 years for some equities) can be queried programmatically. IBKR does not charge for API access, though standard market-data fees apply. Co-location services in IB’s Equinix NY5 and LD5 data centres are available through third-party VPS providers that specialise in IBKR endpoints.

Payment methods

Interactive Brokers relies almost exclusively on traditional bank rails rather than cards or e-wallets. Deposits can be made via SWIFT wire, local SEPA or Faster Payments/BACS in the UK, ACH in the US, EFT in Canada and BPAY in Australia. All methods must originate from an account in the same name as the IBKR account holder; third-party payments are rejected.

There is no minimum deposit for standard Individual or Joint accounts, although margin privileges require maintaining Minimum Regulatory Equity (e.g., $2,000 under US rules). Deposits are credited once cleared funds are received—usually same day for SEPA and Faster Payments, 1–2 business days for ACH, and up to 3 business days for international SWIFT wires.

IBKR charges no inbound transfer fees and offers one free withdrawal per calendar month. Subsequent withdrawals attract a small processing fee (e.g., £7 for UK wires, €8 for SEPA, $10 for US wires). External banks may levy their own charges and intermediary fees on SWIFT instructions. Withdrawals generally leave IBKR on the same business day if submitted before the entity’s cut-off time, but receipt at the client’s bank can take 1–3 business days.

Accounts can be denominated in more than 20 base currencies including GBP, EUR, USD, CHF, AUD, CAD, HKD and JPY. Funding in a non-base currency triggers an automatic FX conversion at interbank rates plus a transparent commission (from 0.20 bp, £2 minimum). Clients therefore minimise costs by depositing in their chosen base currency.

All deposits and withdrawals require two-factor authentication approval in IBKR Mobile and may be held pending additional KYC/AML checks. The broker will normally remit withdrawals back to the original depositing bank up to the net deposit amount before allowing alternative destinations.

• Deposit
• Withdrawal

Brand	Minimum	Fees	Processing Time
	£0	None (bank charges may apply)	1–3 business days
	€0	None	Same day to 1 business day
	A$0	None	1–2 business days

Brand	Minimum	Fees	Processing Time
	£0	First withdrawal free, then £7	1–3 business days
	€0	First withdrawal free, then €8	Same day to 1 business day
	A$0	First withdrawal free, then A$10	1–2 business days

Account types

Interactive Brokers structures its offering around legal ownership (Individual, Joint, Trust, Corporate, Adviser, etc.) and margin status (Cash, Reg T Margin, Portfolio Margin). Pricing is unified—spreads are wholesale and commissions start from 0.20 bp (shares) or 0.2 pip equivalent (forex) plus a small per-order minimum. UK/EU retail leverage is capped at 1:30 for major forex and 1:5 for share CFDs; professional and institutional clients may access higher ratios subject to eligibility.

Swap-free/Islamic accounts are not offered. A free paper-trading (demo) environment with real-time market data (where subscribed) is provided to every account once approved.

Individual account

The Individual account can be opened as Cash, Reg T Margin or Portfolio Margin (subject to a minimum Net Liquidation Value of $110,000). There is no minimum initial funding, though Cash accounts must pre-fund the full purchase amount, while Margin accounts require at least $2,000 to comply with US Regulation T. Spreads on major forex pairs average 0.1–0.3 pip with a commission of 0.2 basis points of the trade value (minimum $2). All proprietary platforms are available, and retail leverage conforms to local rules (1:30 forex majors in the UK/EEA).

Joint, Trust and Family accounts

Joint accounts suit spouses or partners and support the same pricing as Individual accounts. Trust accounts cater for estate or tax planning purposes, requiring legal documentation during onboarding. The Friends & Family account groups up to 15 related users under one login so that the primary holder can allocate trades across sub-accounts—a light version of the institutional Adviser structure. Minimum deposits remain at zero, but each sub-account must maintain margin requirements independently.

Corporate and Institutional accounts

Small businesses, funds, advisers and introducing brokers can open Corporate or Institutional accounts. Fee tiers decrease with volume: forex commissions can fall to 0.08 bp (>$1 billion monthly) and share commissions to 0.01 bp (>100 million shares). Professional clients may apply for higher leverage (up to 1:100 for major forex in some jurisdictions) but lose negative balance protection and retail regulatory safeguards.

Demo accounts

IBKR’s paper-trading environment mirrors a live margin account, using delayed data unless a real-time subscription is active. The simulated balance equals the base-currency equivalent of $1,000,000 and can be reset on request. All platforms and APIs are accessible, enabling strategy testing before risking capital. The demo remains active indefinitely as long as the corresponding live account stays open; standalone demo registration is not available.

Support

Customer service is available 24 hours a day, five days a week from Sunday 22:00 UK time to Friday 22:00. Channels include live chat, secure message centre, telephone (regional toll-free numbers) and a callback service. IBot, the AI chat assistant embedded in platforms, can answer common questions and escalate to a human representative when requested.

The website hosts an extensive Knowledge Base with step-by-step articles, user forums and video tutorials. Documentation is provided in multiple languages—English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and more—although live agents may transfer complex queries to English-speaking specialists. Priority lines exist for institutions and high-value traders, while retail clients typically pass identity verification before account-specific details are discussed.

Conclusion

Interactive Brokers combines tier-one regulation, institutional-grade market access and an unusually broad product list, making it one of the most versatile choices for traders who need more than CFDs. The proprietary TWS platform is feature-rich, while lighter web and mobile apps suit casual investors. Pricing is transparent and competitive, and the broker’s multi-currency funding framework helps keep conversion costs low.

On the flip side, funding options are limited to bank transfers, there is no swap-free account, and beginners may find TWS overwhelming. Copy-trading enthusiasts will also miss the social features available elsewhere. Overall, Interactive Brokers is best for experienced traders, active investors and professionals who value market depth, international reach and rigorous regulatory oversight.