InstaForex vs Interactive Brokers

InstaForex vs Interactive Brokers Comparison Table 2024
InstaForex Interactive Brokers
3.7
4.3

Interactive Brokers is #1 in our CFD broker rankings.

United States Flag Traders from US not accepted
United States Flag Traders from US accepted

InstaForex is a forex and CFD broker founded in 2007. The broker offers diverse market coverage to over 7 million clients, spanning traditional assets like currencies and shares, as well as other interesting opportunities such as IPOs. Traders can also access copy trading services, PAMM accounts and investment opportunities. InstaForex is regulated by the BVI FSC.

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is a premier brokerage for experienced traders, providing access to 150 markets in 33 countries, along with a suite of comprehensive investment services. With over 40 years of experience, this Nasdaq-listed firm adheres to stringent regulations by the SEC, FCA, CIRO, and SFC, amongst others, and is one of the most trusted brokers for trading around the globe.

All investments involve a degree of risk of some kind. Trading financial derivative products comes with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should not engage in trading these instruments unless you fully understand the nature of the transactions you are entering into, and the true extent of your exposure. These types of investments may be suitable for some investors, but they are not for everyone.
Customer Reviews
4
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Comment by Reviewer
"InstaForex maintains its position as a top forex broker, with more currency products than most rivals. The tight spreads and low minimum deposits make it accessible to all experience levels, especially those familiar with the MT4 and MT5 platforms." "Interactive Brokers is one of the best brokers for advanced day traders, providing powerful charting platforms, real-time data, and customizable layouts, notably through the new IBKR Desktop application. Its superb pricing and advanced order options also make it highly attractive for day traders, while its diverse range of equities is still among the best in the industry."
Pros
  • InstaForex delivers a superb day trading environment, with the powerful MT4 and MT5 platforms offering dozens of technical analysis tools, automation capabilities and multiple order types
  • The broker is a particularly good pick for serious forex traders, with over 100 currency pairs, tight spreads from 0.0 pips and a market-leading selection of curated forex market resources
  • The broker is accessible for beginners, with low minimum deposits, Cent accounts (for global clients) and zero-commission trading available
  • There’s a copy trading service available with just a $10 minimum deposit, allowing clients to become both followers and providers
  • There’s a decent range of free and fast payment methods including local bank transfers, bank cards, e-wallets and cryptos
  • InstaForex has a strong industry reputation, with a 15+ year history and serving over 7 million clients
  • IBKR is one of the most respected and trusted brokerages and is regulated by top-tier authorities, so you can have confidence in the integrity and security of your trading account.
  • The TWS platform has clearly been built for intermediate and advanced traders and comes with over 100 order types and a reliable real-time market data feed that rarely goes offline.
  • The new IBKR Desktop platform takes the best of TWS while adding bespoke tools like Option Lattice and Screeners with MultiSort to create a genuinely impressive trading experience for day traders at every level.
  • There's a vast library of free or paid third-party research subscriptions catering to all types of traders, plus you can enjoy commission reimbursements from IBKR if you subscribe to Toggle AI.
  • IBKR continues to deliver unmatched access to global stocks with tens of thousands of equities available from 100+ market centres in 24 countries.
  • While primarily geared towards experienced traders, IBKR has made moves to broaden its appeal in recent years, reducing its minimum deposit from $10,000 to $0.
  • With low commissions, tight spreads and a transparent fee structure, IBKR delivers a cost-effective environment for short-term traders.
Cons
  • The broker’s global branch offers weaker regulation via the offshore jurisdiction of the British Virgin Islands, which means non-EU traders will receive limited safeguards
  • Market coverage and account conditions vary significantly between the global and EU entities - for example, only 300+ instruments are available for global clients, whilst European traders can access 2500+
  • The broker’s website and client cabinet feel outdated and difficult to navigate for newcomers
  • TWS’s learning curve is steep, and beginners may find it challenging to navigate the platform and understand all the features. Plus500's web platform is much better suited to new traders.
  • IBKR provides a wide range of research tools, but their distribution across trading platforms and the web-based 'Account Management' page lacks consistency, leading to a confusing user experience.
  • Support can be slow and frustrating based on tests, so you might find it challenging to reach customer service representatives promptly or encounter delays in resolving issues.
  • You can only have one active session per account, so you can’t have your desktop program and mobile app running simultaneously, making for a sometimes frustrating trading experience.
Awards
  • Best Forex Broker, International Investor Awards 2022
  • Best Crypto Broker 2022, Forexing.com
  • Best Customer Service Broker 2022, AllForexBonus.com
  • Best Broker 2022 in Latin America, International Business Magazine
  • Best Affiliate Program 2022, GBM
  • Best Forex Broker 2022, International Investor Awards
  • Most Active Broker in Asia 2020, AtoZ Markets Forex Awards
  • Best Affiliate Program 2020, Global Brands Magazine
  • Best Broker in Asia 2019, Le Fonti Awards
  • Best Managed Account 2019, IAFT Awards
  • Best ECN Broker in Asia 2018, International Business Magazine
Instruments
Currencies, Cryptocurrencies, Stocks, Indices, Metals, Oil and Gas, Commodity Futures and InstaFutures Stocks, Options, Futures, Forex, Funds, Bonds, ETFs, Mutual Funds, CFDs, Cryptocurrencies
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$1 $0
Trading Platforms
  • MT4
  • MT5
  • Trader Workstation (TWS)
  • IBKR Desktop
  • GlobalTrader
  • Mobile
  • Client Portal
  • AlgoTrader
  • OmniTrader
  • eSignal
  • TradingCentral
Payment Methods
Bank cards, Bitcoin, Litecoin, Tether, Ethereum, Skrill, Neteller, PayCo, AstroPay, WebMoney, plus Local Banking & Transfer Solutions
Minimum Trade
0.10 of the lot (0.0001 of market lot for Cent.Standard and Cent.Eurica) $100
Regulator
BVI FSC FCA, SEC, FINRA, CBI, CIRO, SFC, MAS, MNB
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
1.55 - 2.59%
STP Account
No Yes
ECN Account
Yes No
DMA Account
No Yes
MAM Account
No Yes
PAMM Account
Yes No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
No Yes
Robo Advisor
No Yes
Negative Balance Protection
Yes Yes
Market Maker
No No
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
No Yes
Mobile Apps
iOS and Android + browser based platform iOS & Android
App Review

The IBKR Mobile app, available on both iOS and Android devices, makes your phone a powerful gateway to your IBKR accounts, offering you the freedom to keep an eye on portfolios, initiate trades, and dive into real-time quotes and charts, all while managing your account activities on the fly. This app stands out for its intuitive design, making it especially welcoming for those just starting their trading journey, providing a smoother and more accessible experience than the more complex TWS platform.

Android App Rating
3.6
4.6
iOS App Rating
3.6
3.4
Auto Trading
Yes Capitalise.ai & TWS API
Copy Trading
Yes No
Copy Trading Platform
The Copy Trading facility at Instaforex is increasingly popular, due to the clear design and growing list of specialist traders and markets.
Social Trading
Yes No
VPS Hosting
Yes No
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
No Yes
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No No
Inactivity Fee
$0
Islamic Account
Yes No
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • INR
  • JPY
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • DKK
  • CHF
  • HUF
Stock Exchanges
Commodities
CFD Trading
You can trade CFDs across a range of diverse markets with flexible account types and leverage up to 1:1000. With access to both MT4 and MT5, day traders can execute multiple short-term CFD trading strategies using the dozens of pre-integrated technical indicators and graphical objects. Over 8,000 CFDs are offered on a vast array of instruments, encompassing stocks, indices, forex, and commodities. Moreover, the TWS platform lends itself to seasoned day traders, offering a comprehensive selection of over 100 order types and algorithms, alongside premium market data sourced from reputable sources such as Reuters and Dow Jones.
Leverage
1:1000 1:50
FTSE Spread
Fixed 0.005% (£1 Min)
GBPUSD Spread
Av. Floating 0.6 pips 0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
Oil Spread
Fixed 0.25-0.85
Stocks Spread
Commissions as low as 0.1% 0.003
Forex Trading
InstaForex's range of 100+ currency pairs is among the largest we have seen. ECN spreads are also available from 0.0 pips with zero commissions. Minimum deposits start from $1 making the broker accessible for beginners. You can also access market-leading forex analysis and insights. IBKR presents an extensive range of over 100 major, minor, and exotic forex pairs, surpassing the offerings of nearly all leading alternatives, though not CMC Markets. Forex trading occurs over multiple platforms and boasts institutional-grade spreads starting from 0.1 pips and 20 complex order types, including brackets, scale, and one-cancels-all (OCA) orders.
GBPUSD Spread
Av. Floating 0.6 0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
EURUSD Spread
Av. Floating 0.2 0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
EURGBP Spread
Av. Floating 0.5 0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
Assets
1000+ 100+
Currency Indices
  • USD
Cryptocurrency
There's a range of 10+ crypto tokens against USD, with 0.1% fees and 1:5 leverage. You can also trade the Bitcoin token with spreads around 25, which is in line with similar brokers. IBKR lets you purchase and hold Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and Litecoin at competitive commission rates and without needing a crypto wallet. Additionally, there is a range of other diverse assets to explore, such as crypto indices like the NYSE Bitcoin Index, as well as futures contracts like the BAKKT Bitcoin Futures.
Spread
0.1% 0.12%-0.18%
Coins
  • BCH
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • LTC
  • XRP
  • and50+more
  • BTC
  • LTC
  • ETH
  • XRP
Crypto Lending
No No
Crypto Mining
No No
Crypto Staking
No No
Auto Market Maker
No No
All investments involve a degree of risk of some kind. Trading financial derivative products comes with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should not engage in trading these instruments unless you fully understand the nature of the transactions you are entering into, and the true extent of your exposure. These types of investments may be suitable for some investors, but they are not for everyone.
More Comparisons
InstaForex
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Interactive Brokers
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