Interactive Brokers Review 2026: Fees, Platforms and Who It Suits
Interactive Brokers is an international broker for professionals. Investors and traders use it to trade stocks, ETFs, options, futures, forex, CFDs, bonds and funds on many markets around the world.
The broker is especially suited to active traders, options traders and investors with an international focus. For people who only want to save into ETFs, or for complete beginners, Interactive Brokers is less comfortable.
In short
- Pros: 170+ markets worldwide · very low fees · stocks, ETFs, options and futures · professional Trader Workstation
- Cons: no savings plans · complex platform
Kagels Trading uses Interactive Brokers itself. Our rating: 7.9 out of 10. Website: interactivebrokers.com
Risk warning: your capital may be at risk.
Overview: is Interactive Brokers the right broker for you?
| Topic | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|
| Regulation | SEC & FCA, a broker regulated worldwide |
| Platform | Web, app and TWS (Trader Workstation) |
| Instruments | 170+ markets worldwide: stocks, ETFs, options, futures |
| Costs | From 0.05%, very low professional terms |
| Trading tools | Professional software: scanner, options tools, API |
| Orders and execution | 90+ exchanges; market, limit, stop, OCO |
The Trader Workstation (TWS), the desktop platform of Interactive Brokers.
The facts in detail
Regulation: Interactive Brokers is one of the largest brokers in the world and is supervised by several financial regulators, including the SEC in the USA, the FCA in the UK and other international authorities.
Markets: access to more than 170 markets in over 30 countries. You can trade stocks, ETFs, options, futures, forex, bonds, funds, CFDs and other asset classes.
Platform: several trading platforms are available, including the professional Trader Workstation (TWS), the Client Portal in the browser, and the mobile apps IBKR Mobile and GlobalTrader.
Trading tools: Trader Workstation, options tools, market scanner, API access, portfolio analysis, real-time data.
Costs and fees: very low trading fees with a volume-based price structure. No custody fees and no inactivity fees. Especially attractive for active traders.
Orders and execution: many professional order types such as limit, stop, stop-limit, trailing stop and OCO, as well as complex options and futures strategies.
Demo account: a free paper trading account is available. You can use it to test strategies and platform features without risk.
Minimum deposit: no fixed minimum deposit. Because of its professional focus, however, Interactive Brokers suits active investors and traders best.
Short verdict: Interactive Brokers is one of the most powerful brokers in the world. The huge range of products, the professional tools and the low fees make it especially interesting for active traders and international investors.
Interactive Brokers rating
This is our rating of Interactive Brokers for costs, product range, platform and customer service, plus our view on safety and how well it suits beginners.
Pros
- Very large product range with access to global markets
- Professional trading platform with many order types
- Especially strong for active traders, options and futures
Cons
- No classic ETF or stock savings plans
- The platform is quite complex for beginners
- You have to handle tax matters yourself
Final score: 7.9 out of 10. An international broker for professionals, built for active traders and global markets.
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Costs | 8.4 / 10 |
| Product range | 9.0 / 10 |
| Platform | 7.5 / 10 |
| Customer service | 6.6 / 10 |
| Safety | 9.5 / 10 |
| Beginners | 5.5 / 10 |
The first four scores are made up of the criteria below. Our rating system uses transparent criteria, a practical check and data, and is updated when something changes.
Costs: 1,250 of 1,500 points (8.4 / 10)
| Criterion | Interactive Brokers | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Custody fee (€ per year) | €0 | 300 |
| Order fee (€ per trade) | €3 | 200 |
| Small order surcharge (under €500) | €0 | 300 |
| Savings plan execution | Not stated | 150 |
| Inactivity fee (€ per month) | €0 | 300 |
Product range: 1,350 of 1,500 points (9.0 / 10)
| Criterion | Interactive Brokers | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Stocks | 20,000 | 300 |
| ETFs | 5,000 | 300 |
| Derivatives | 50,000 | 300 |
| Trading venues | 90 | 300 |
| Savings plans | Not stated | 150 |
Platform: 1,120 of 1,500 points (7.5 / 10)
| Criterion | Interactive Brokers | Points |
|---|---|---|
| App and web | Both | 300 |
| Order types | Limit, stop, stop-loss, OCO, trailing stop | 300 |
| Real-time trading | Real-time | 220 |
| Analysis and extras | Professional tools | 300 |
| Ease of use | Cumbersome | 0 |
Customer service: 990 of 1,500 points (6.6 / 10)
| Criterion | Interactive Brokers | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Contact channels | 2 channels | 220 |
| Service hours | Under 8 hours or unclear | 100 |
| Language | German | 250 |
| Help centre and FAQ | Decent | 220 |
| Service quality | Good | 200 |
A look at the Interactive Brokers platform.
What Interactive Brokers offers
Everything you need to know at a glance.
Regulation: SEC, FINRA, CFTC, FCA and the Central Bank of Ireland.
Platforms: Trader Workstation, IBKR Desktop, GlobalTrader app, API.
Costs and trading
A professional broker with very low fees.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Stock trading | From 0.005 USD per share: very low fees for active traders |
| Options | From 0.15 USD per contract: one of the cheapest providers worldwide |
| Custody | €0: no custody or inactivity fees |
| Margin | Very low financing costs for margin traders |
| Order types | Limit, stop, stop-limit, plus 100+ special order types |
| Trading venues | 160+ exchanges worldwide in 30+ countries |
Markets and instruments
One of the largest product ranges in the world.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Stocks | On more than 90 exchanges worldwide |
| ETFs | Thousands of ETFs worldwide, international selection |
| Options | US and international options markets |
| Futures | CME, Eurex and other futures exchanges |
| Forex | More than 100 currency pairs, direct trading |
| Bonds | Government and corporate bonds, available worldwide |
The biggest advantage of Interactive Brokers is access to almost all important exchanges and asset classes worldwide.
Account, safety and payments
An internationally regulated broker for professional investors.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Demo account | Yes |
| Account types | Cash, margin |
| Minimum deposit | €0 |
| Custody fee | €0 |
| Regulation | Regulated in several countries |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Client money | Held separately |
| Securities | Held separately from the company’s own assets |
Does it suit you?
- A good fit for: active traders, options and futures traders, international investors.
- It depends: ETF investors, long-term investors, buy-and-hold portfolios.
- Less ideal for: complete beginners, users of simple neobrokers, investors in Germany who want the broker to handle German tax automatically.
The most important point about Interactive Brokers: hardly any broker offers more markets, instruments and professional features, but the platform is much more complex than a typical neobroker.
For clients in the EU: US ETFs such as SPY or QQQ are blocked for retail investors there, because of the EU’s PRIIPs regulation.
For day traders: since the pattern day trader rule was abolished in June 2026, the 25,000-dollar minimum no longer applies at Interactive Brokers either. That also removes one of the old reasons for a funded account, which we compare on our prop trading page.
My experience with Interactive Brokers
Kagels Trading uses Interactive Brokers itself.
Interactive Brokers is one of the best-known brokers in the world and is aimed mainly at active investors and traders. The broker was founded back in 1978, is listed on NASDAQ and is supervised by several international regulators.
While many German brokers focus mainly on stocks and ETFs, Interactive Brokers offers access to an enormous number of exchanges, markets and financial instruments. In my test, it quickly became clear that the broker is especially interesting for experienced investors.
For clients in Germany, one point matters: Interactive Brokers is a foreign custodian and does not withhold German flat-rate tax (Abgeltungsteuer). You have to declare your gains yourself.
Opening an account is done fully online and is generally straightforward. After logging in, you get access to several platforms. Besides the simple GlobalTrader app, there is the powerful Trader Workstation (TWS), the desktop application, and many web solutions.
The GlobalTrader app: the simple way into Interactive Brokers.
A product range at professional level
The biggest advantage of Interactive Brokers is its product range. Investors get access to stocks, ETFs, options, futures, forex, bonds, funds and many other asset classes. You can also trade securities on exchanges in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Especially for traders who want to use international markets, Interactive Brokers is one of the best providers of all. While many German brokers only offer a few trading venues, IBKR gives you more than 160 exchanges worldwide.
When it comes to platform and features, Interactive Brokers plays to its strengths. The Trader Workstation offers extensive charting, professional order types, market scanners, risk analysis and many tools for options and futures traders.
Fees and costs
On trading costs, Interactive Brokers is one of the cheapest brokers in the world. Fees for stocks, options and futures are often clearly below those of many European competitors.
The broker also charges no classic custody fees or inactivity fees.
Especially with larger trading volumes or regular trading, the low costs can make a noticeable difference. That is why many professional investors and institutional market participants have used Interactive Brokers for years.
My verdict on Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers is not a typical beginner’s broker, but a professional trading platform for demanding investors. The huge product range, the very low fees and the powerful trading tools are among the broker’s greatest strengths.
If you mainly want to save into ETFs or buy stocks now and then, a simpler neobroker is often easier to start with. For active traders, international investors, and options and futures traders, on the other hand, Interactive Brokers is one of the best brokers in the world.
Risk warning: your capital may be at risk.
This article is translated from the German edition on kagels-trading.de.