Interactive Brokers review

Updated September 28, 2026 · BrokerCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026

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Our verdict

Interactive Brokers suits investors who want a single account across ISA, SIPP, IRA, joint and corporate holdings, with stocks, bonds, funds, forex, options and futures behind it. It ranks 1 of 213 brands on minimum deposit at $0, and stock trades are charged at $0.

Key facts

Best for
A low cost, multi market account with ISA, SIPP, IRA, joint and corporate options, funded at a minimum deposit of $0.
Minimum deposit
$0 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Stock trade fee
$0 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Markets
Bonds, ETFs, Forex, Funds, Futures, Options, Stocks (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Regulators
SEC, FCA, SIPC (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Investor protection
SIPC up to USD 500,000 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Margin rate
4.38% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Options contract fee
$0.65 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Platforms
Client Portal, IBKR Desktop, IBKR Mobile, Trader Workstation (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Account types
ISA, SIPP, IRA, Joint, Corporate (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Interest on cash
3.38% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Legal entity
INTERACTIVE BROKERS LLC (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Headquarters
United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Founded
1978 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Support channels
Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Features
Fractional shares, Mobile app
Pricing model
Commission-free, Low fees
Official website
interactivebrokers.com

Robo-advisors

Regulators
SEC, FCA, SIPC (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Investor protection
SIPC up to USD 500,000 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Account types
ISA, SIPP, IRA, Joint, Corporate (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Portfolio types
ETF (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Legal entity
INTERACTIVE BROKERS LLC (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Headquarters
United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Founded
1978 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Support channels
Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)

Apps and profiles

Elsewhere
WikidataWikipedia

Pros and cons

Pros

  • A stock trade costs $0 and the minimum deposit is $0, the pairing behind rank 1 of 161 on stock trade fees among the brokers tracked here.
  • The account types listed cover isa, sipp and ira, so an ISA, SIPP, IRA, joint or corporate account all sit under a single provider.
  • bonds, etfs and forex puts stocks, ETFs, bonds, funds, forex, options and futures on the same account, with a margin rate of 4.38% for geared positions.
  • Regulation runs through the FCA in the UK under licence 208159 and the SEC and SIPC in the US, with investor protection stated as SIPC up to USD 500,000.
  • The platform list covers Client Portal, IBKR Desktop and IBKR Mobile, so a web portal, a desktop terminal, a mobile app and a workstation all run off the same account.

Cons

  • Support runs on help centre and community, so a phone line and live chat sit outside the offer.
  • bonds, etfs and forex covers shares, ETFs, bonds, funds, forex, options and futures but leaves out crypto and CFDs, which eToro lists in stocks, etfs and forex.
  • An options contract costs $0.65 against a stock trade at $0, so options strategies pay a visible premium per contract.
Interactive Brokers

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Scored 9.6 / 10 by BrokerCue.

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Who it suits

  • Investors holding money across several wrappers, since the account types listed cover isa, sipp and ira.
  • Traders who want options, futures, forex and bonds alongside shares on a single account, per bonds, etfs and forex.
  • Anyone starting with a small balance: the minimum deposit is $0 and fractional shares appear in the feature list (fractional shares and mobile app).

Who should look elsewhere

  • Anyone who trades crypto or CFDs, since bonds, etfs and forex leaves both out while eToro lists them in stocks, etfs and forex.
  • Readers who want a stated entry figure as a signal of the provider's target size, since Vantage publishes $5 where this broker's minimum is $0.

Where it sits among rivals

Interactive Brokers ranks 1 of 213 brands tracked here on minimum deposit, and 1 of 161 on stock trade fee. Sitting at the head of the two tables is the detail that separates it from the brokers listed beside it, and it settles the price question before account types, markets or regulation come into play. For readers who compare on cost alone, that ordering carries the argument on its own. For everyone else the choice turns on what the account covers, which wrappers it offers and who regulates the money, and those are the questions the sections below answer.

What trading costs

The minimum deposit is $0 and a stock trade is charged at $0, so the two figures that most often decide a share dealing account sit at the very bottom of the scale. The charges appear where leverage and derivatives enter: the margin rate is listed at 4.38% and an options contract costs $0.65. Read together, the pricing describes an account built for volume rather than value, where holding share positions costs little and every geared or options trade carries a defined charge. A reader trading a few shares each month will feel almost none of it, while a reader running margin or options strategies pays on each ticket.

Opening and funding an account

The minimum deposit is $0, so funding is set by the saver rather than by the broker, and the account types listed run from ISA and SIPP through IRA to joint and corporate (isa, sipp and ira). That spread is the practical point for a UK or European reader: a tax wrapper, a retirement account, a shared holding and a corporate account all sit inside the same provider rather than across several firms. Funding itself reads simply, since the published figure applies across the account, and the real decision moves to which wrapper the money goes into and what it is invested in.

Safety and regulation

Regulation is stated in the UK and the US through SEC, FCA and SIPC. For a UK reader the entry that counts is the FCA, registered under licence 208159, and for a US reader the SEC sits alongside the SIPC registration SIPC member 53615. Investor protection is listed as SIPC up to USD 500,000, which is the ceiling the scheme states rather than a figure that shifts with the holding. The distinction matters in practice: the licences tell you who is accountable for the account, and the protection figure tells you how far the scheme steps in if that entity fails.

Who runs it

The legal entity behind the brand is INTERACTIVE BROKERS LLC, headquartered in the United States, and the business dates back to 1978. Support runs on help centre and community, so questions are answered through a help centre and a community rather than a phone line or live chat, which is worth weighing for anyone with tax questions on an ISA or SIPP. The registrations to check are the FCA licence 208159 and the SIPC membership SIPC member 53615, which name the regulated entity and the client protection scheme in the UK and the US respectively.

How Interactive Brokers compares

Where Interactive Brokers is available

Licence in United States
SEC, checked September 26, 2026
Licence in United Kingdom
FCA (208159), checked September 26, 2026
Licence in United States
SIPC (SIPC member 53615), checked September 26, 2026

Frequently asked questions

What does it cost to trade shares?+

A stock trade is charged at $0 and the minimum deposit is $0, so opening an account and dealing in shares carry no charge. The money sits in derivatives and leverage instead, where an options contract costs $0.65 and the margin rate is listed at 4.38%.

Is my money protected?+

The regulatory list runs to SEC, FCA and SIPC, and investor protection is stated as SIPC up to USD 500,000. The UK entry is the FCA under licence 208159, while the US side names the SEC and the SIPC membership SIPC member 53615. The protection figure describes the scheme stated for the account and says nothing about how a trade performs.

Which account types can I open?+

The account types listed are isa, sipp and ira, covering ISA, SIPP, IRA, joint and corporate accounts. That range lets a reader pick a tax wrapper, a retirement account or a shared holding without moving to another provider, and the corporate option extends the same platform to a company account.

How much do I need to open an account?+

The minimum deposit is $0, so there is no published floor on funding the account. Anyone starting with a small balance can fund it and buy in fractions, since fractional shares and a mobile app each appear in the feature list (fractional shares and mobile app). A small sum is a practical way in, though position sizing still carries the trading risk.

Which platforms and apps can I use?+

The platform list runs to Client Portal, IBKR Desktop and IBKR Mobile, so the account can be worked on a web portal, a desktop terminal, a mobile app or a dedicated workstation without changing broker. The feature list adds a mobile app and fractional shares (fractional shares and mobile app), which means smaller holdings and phone dealing fit the same setup.

Which markets can I trade?+

The market list covers bonds, etfs and forex, so stocks, ETFs, bonds, funds, forex, options and futures sit under a single account. Crypto and CFDs are not in that list. Derivatives carry separate pricing, with an options contract at $0.65 and a margin rate of 4.38%.

Can I get help from a person?+

Support runs on help centre and community, which covers a help centre and a community forum. There is no phone line or live chat listed alongside them, so readers with complicated tax or wrapper questions should settle those elsewhere or expect to work through written answers.

How much of the risk sits with the trader?+

Across the brokers tracked, 70.15% of retail accounts lose money, and among the stock brokers the figure is higher at 72.03%. A low commission and a low minimum deposit lower the cost of a trade, not the odds that it works out, so position size matters more than entry price.

Sources

Compiled from 9 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.

Not confirmed yet: Account fee, Inactivity fee, Retail accounts that lose money.

Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers

A low cost, multi market account with ISA, SIPP, IRA, joint and corporate options, funded at a minimum deposit of $0.

9.6/10See alternatives

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