Interactive Brokers vs Gemini

Interactive Brokers vs Gemini Comparison Table 2024
Interactive Brokers Gemini
4.3

Interactive Brokers is #1 in our CFD broker rankings.

3.8

Gemini is #25 in our crypto broker rankings.

United States Flag Traders from US accepted
United States Flag Traders from US accepted

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.

Gemini is a cryptocurrency exchange set up in 2014 by the Winklevoss brothers, known for their early involvement in Facebook. The exchange is among the world’s 20 largest and most popular. Gemini clients can trade and stake 110+ cryptocurrencies, with derivatives trading available in some jurisdictions, an advanced proprietary platform and additional features including an NFT marketplace.

Customer Reviews
4
Comment by Reviewer
"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." "Gemini’s ActiveTrader platform and TradingView integration make it a good choice for serious crypto traders seeking a reliable charting environment, though we were disappointed by some unnecessary fees and previous security breaches."
Pros
  • 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.
  • The trading app features a user-friendly, modern design and intuitive interface, with an excellent range of charting tools for day traders
  • The TradingView integration delivers top-quality tools, including backtesting and algo trading capabilities
  • The exchange ensures high security standards with 2FA a requirement for all crypto investors
  • Crypto perpetual futures are available in many jurisdictions with up to 1:100 leverage
  • There is a decent range of educational guides and tutorials suitable for beginners
Cons
  • 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.
  • The exchange has a history of concerning incidents including the collapse of its Earn program and a phishing breach
  • The 'convenience fee' for using the mobile app seems arbitrary and makes it inefficient to use this feature
  • There are high fees for some funding methods including a 3.49% fee for card transactions
  • Some larger coins by market cap are not available to buy through Gemini
  • There is no practice profile or demo account for prospective traders
Awards
  • Best Cryptocurrency Exchange 2019 - Markets Choice Awards
  • Best Crypto Exchange Overall 2022 - The Ascent
Instruments
Stocks, Options, Futures, Forex, Funds, Bonds, ETFs, Mutual Funds, CFDs, Cryptocurrencies Cryptos
Demo Account
Yes No
Minimum Deposit
$0 $0
Trading Platforms
  • Trader Workstation (TWS)
  • IBKR Desktop
  • GlobalTrader
  • Mobile
  • Client Portal
  • AlgoTrader
  • OmniTrader
  • eSignal
  • TradingCentral
  • ActiveTrader
  • AlgoTrader
  • TradingView
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
$100 0.00001 BTC
Regulator
FCA, SEC, FINRA, CBI, CIRO, SFC, MAS, MNB NYDFS, MAS, FCA
Margin Trading
Yes No
Margin Rate
1.55 - 2.59%
STP Account
Yes No
ECN Account
No No
DMA Account
Yes No
MAM Account
Yes No
PAMM Account
No No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
Yes No
Robo Advisor
Yes No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes No
Market Maker
No No
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes No
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android 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
4.6
iOS App Rating
3.4
Auto Trading
Capitalise.ai & TWS API
Copy Trading
No No
Social Trading
No No
VPS Hosting
No No
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
Yes No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No No
Inactivity Fee
$0
Islamic Account
No No
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • INR
  • JPY
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • DKK
  • CHF
  • AED
  • HUF
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • HKD
  • SGD
Stock Exchanges
Commodities
CFD Trading
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. CFD trading not offered
Leverage
1:50
FTSE Spread
0.005% (£1 Min)
GBPUSD Spread
0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
Oil Spread
0.25-0.85
Stocks Spread
0.003
Forex Trading
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. Forex trading not offered
GBPUSD Spread
0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
EURUSD Spread
0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
EURGBP Spread
0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
Assets
100+
Cryptocurrency
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. Gemini offers a relatively small range of 110+ cryptocurrencies on its exchange, which is anchored by the native Gemini Dollar stablecoin, as well as perpetual swap derivatives. The powerful ActiveTrader platform is optimized for online trading, delivering a wide range of technical indicators and up to 7 time frames.
Spread
0.12%-0.18% Transaction fee from $0.99
Coins
  • BTC
  • LTC
  • ETH
  • XRP
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • XRP
  • ADA
  • DOGE
  • DOT
  • BCH
  • LTC
  • UNI
  • LINK
  • FIL
  • XLM
  • WBTC
  • EOS
  • SOL
  • AAV
  • XTZ
  • ATOM
  • MKR
  • DAI
  • COMP
  • ZEC
  • ENJ
  • GRT
  • SNX
  • BAT
  • MANA
  • YFI
  • UMA
  • ZRX
  • OMG
  • BNT
  • REN
  • CRV
  • 1INCH
  • LRC
  • KNC
  • STORJ
  • GNT
  • SKL
  • SAND
  • BAL
  • NMR
  • KEEP
  • OXT
  • LOOM
  • PAXG
  • BRD
  • CSP
  • TBTC
  • WNXM
  • FXC
  • AMP
  • WTON
  • LUNA
Crypto Lending
No Yes
Crypto Mining
No No
Crypto Staking
No Yes
Auto Market Maker
No No
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