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Rankings updated October 2026

Interactive Brokers vs Pepperstone

Your capital is at risk. Trade only with funds you can afford to lose.

Interactive Brokers

4.3/5

Afghanistan flag Doesn't accept traders from Afghanistan. See available CFD brokers

Not available in your countryRead Interactive Brokers review

Rating breakdown

  • Regulation & trust4.50.1 lower than Pepperstone (4.6)
  • Assets & markets4.70.1 higher than Pepperstone (4.6)
  • Fees & costs4.30.2 lower than Pepperstone (4.5)
  • Platforms & tools3.31.5 lower than Pepperstone (4.8)
  • Accounts & banking3.50.5 lower than Pepperstone (4.0)
  • Education4.30.3 higher than Pepperstone (4.0)
  • Research4.40.1 higher than Pepperstone (4.3)
  • Customer support3.01.6 lower than Pepperstone (4.6)

Pepperstone’s score. Numbers show the difference.

Higher rated

Pepperstone

4.8/5

#4 in our CFD broker rankings

Afghanistan flag Accepts traders from Afghanistan

CFDs and FX are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 73-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.

Rating breakdown

  • Regulation & trust4.60.1 higher than Interactive Brokers (4.5)
  • Assets & markets4.60.1 lower than Interactive Brokers (4.7)
  • Fees & costs4.50.2 higher than Interactive Brokers (4.3)
  • Platforms & tools4.81.5 higher than Interactive Brokers (3.3)
  • Accounts & banking4.00.5 higher than Interactive Brokers (3.5)
  • Education4.00.3 lower than Interactive Brokers (4.3)
  • Research4.30.1 lower than Interactive Brokers (4.4)
  • Customer support4.61.6 higher than Interactive Brokers (3.0)

Interactive Brokers’s score. Numbers show the difference.

Interactive Brokers vs Pepperstone comparison table 2026
Interactive BrokersPepperstone
OverviewInteractive Brokers (IBKR) is a premier brokerage, providing access to over 170 markets across 40 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. Established in Australia in 2010, Pepperstone is a top-rated forex and CFD broker with over 830,000 clients worldwide. It offers access to 1,400+ instruments on leading platforms MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView, maintaining low, transparent fees. Pepperstone is also regulated by trusted authorities like the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC, helping to ensure a secure environment for day traders at all levels.
Customer Reviews
3.5
Based on 4 customer reviews
4
Based on 10 customer reviews
Trustpilot Score
3
4.2
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.”“Pepperstone stands out as a top choice for day trading, offering razor-sharp spreads, ultra-fast execution, and advanced charting platforms for experienced traders. New traders are also welcomed with no minimum deposit, extensive educational resources, and exceptional 24/5 support (18h a day on weekends).”
Pros
  • 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.
  • With low commissions, tight spreads and a transparent fee structure, IBKR delivers a cost-effective environment for short-term traders.
  • 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.
  • Interactive Brokers has launched a unified interface that integrates prediction markets across three top exchanges: Kalshi, CME Group, and ForecastEx, with products where users can trade yes/no contracts on political, economic, and climate events, with fixed $1 payouts per contract, 24/6 market access, and interest on eligible held positions.
  • IBKR continues to deliver unmatched access to global stocks with tens of thousands of equities available from 100+ market centres in 24 countries, most recently the Saudi Stock Exchange.
  • Pepperstone has greatly improved the deposit and withdrawal experience in recent years, adding Apple Pay and Google Pay in 2025, as well as PIX and SPEI for clients in Brazil and Mexico in 2024.
  • Award-winning customer support is available via telephone, email or live chat with response times of <5 minutes during testing and friendly agents knowledgeable about its products and trading tools.
  • Offers a dedicated CopyTrading app for traders who want a less active approach to trading, available in some countries.
  • After adding spread betting through TradingView, Pepperstone provides a seamless, tax-efficient trading experience with advanced analysis tools for financial spread bettors in supported countries.
  • Pepperstone emerges as a low-cost broker, especially for serious day traders with spreads from 0.0 in the Razor account and rebates up to 30% (index and commodities) and $3/lot (forex) through the Active Trader program.
Cons
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • IBKR was fined $11.8m by the US OFAC in 2025 for providing services in sanctioned jurisdictions. It was also fined $125k by FINRA in 2025 for municipal bond disclosure failures.
  • TWS’s learning curve is steep, and beginners may find it challenging to navigate the platform and understand all the features.
  • Execution may not feel as reliable in fast markets as headline speeds suggest. In our own testing, execution was fast at desired prices, but some community complaints focus on slippage, stop-loss fills and spread-sensitive order triggers during volatile conditions.
  • Overnight holding fees are higher than that found with some Market Maker brokers (usually Benchmark + 2.5%). This makes pepperstone an ideal broker for day traders and forex scalpers but less suitable for swing traders who often keep position open overnight.
  • Pepperstone has removed support for several tools that elevated the trading experience for active retail traders, notably Autochartist, Capitalise.ai and a free VPS for qualifying traders (now only pro traders in some countries).
  • Despite improvements to its range of markets, crypto CFD offerings are still fairly limited compared to other brokers who focus on this area, such as Eightcap, and there's no option to invest in real coins.
Awards
  • Best US Broker 2025 - DayTrading.com
  • Best Overall Broker - DayTrading.com 2025
  • Best Forex Broker Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025
  • Best Trading App Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025
  • Best MT4/MT5 Broker Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025
  • Best TradingView Broker Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025
  • Best Forex Broker - DayTrading.com 2024
  • Best Overall Broker - DayTrading.com 2023
  • Best Trading App - DayTrading.com 2022
  • Best Forex Broker - DayTrading.com 2021
InstrumentsStocks, Options, Futures, Forex, Funds, Bonds, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Cryptocurrencies, CFDsCFDs, Forex, Currency Indices, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Crypto CFDs, Spread Betting
Demo AccountYesYes
Minimum Deposit$0$0
Trading Platforms
  • Trader Workstation (TWS)
  • IBKR Desktop
  • GlobalTrader
  • Mobile
  • Client Portal
  • AlgoTrader
  • OmniTrader
  • TradingView
  • eSignal
  • TradingCentral
  • ProRealTime
  • Quantower
  • Pepperstone Trading Platform
  • MT4
  • MT5
  • cTrader
  • TradingView
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade$10.01 Lots
RegulatorSEC, FINRA, CFTC, NFA, CIRO, FCA, CBI, ASIC, SFC, SEBI, JFSA, MASFCA, ASIC, CySEC, BaFin, DFSA, SCA, SCB, CMA-Kenya
Margin TradingYesYes
Margin Rate5.5% - 6.13% (depending on account tier)–
STP AccountYesYes
ECN AccountNoYes
DMA AccountYesYes
MAM AccountYesYes
PAMM AccountNoYes
LAMM AccountNoNo
Demat AccountYesNo
AI / Machine LearningYesNo
Robo AdvisorYesNo
Negative Balance ProtectionYesYes
Market MakerNoNo
P2P TradingNoNo
Spot TradingYesYes
Mobile AppsiOS & AndroidiOS & Android
App ReviewThe 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.Pepperstone excels for its excellent integration with the MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView apps, making it a standout option for day traders familiar with these leading third-party trading solutions. These platforms deliver a stable and reliable mobile trading experience, enhanced by Pepperstone's almost unrivalled execution speeds and wide range of asset classes. Recent improvements also helped it secure second place in DayTrading.com's annual 'Best Trading App' award for 2025.
Android App Rating
4.5
4.1
iOS App Rating
4.3
4.4
Auto TradingTWS APIExpert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, cBots on cTrader
Copy TradingNoYes
Copy Trading Platform–Pepperstone facilitates the replication of experienced traders' strategies through MetaTrader Signals, DupliTrade and now its own copy trading app (available in certain regions) through a partnership with Pelican Trading, providing access to thousands of experienced traders and personalized risk parameters. On the downside, it lacks support for cTrader Copy which may deter users familiar with the terminal from Spotware.
Social TradingNoNo
Trade Signals–Yes
VPS HostingNoNo
TournamentsNoNo
Demo CompetitionsNoNo
Ethical InvestingYesNo
Custodial AccountNoNo
Guaranteed Stop LossNoNo
Inactivity Fee$0$0
Islamic AccountNoYes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • INR
  • JPY
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • DKK
  • CHF
  • AED
  • HUF
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • NZD
  • JPY
  • CHF
  • HKD
  • SGD
Stock Exchanges
Commodities
CFD Trading
OverviewOver 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.Pepperstone maintains its position as one of the fastest and most dependable CFD brokers during our latest round of testing. With execution speeds averaging around 30ms and an outstanding fill rate of 99.90%, the broker ensures a seamless trading experience without requotes or dealing desk interference. It also provides ample trading opportunities across over 1,300 assets.
Leverage1:501:30 (Retail - UK, EU, Australia), 1:500 (Pro), 1:200 (Offshore), 1:400 (Kenya)
FTSE Spread0.005% (£1 Min)1.0
GBPUSD Spread0.08-0.20 bps x trade value0.4
Oil Spread0.25-0.850.02
Stocks Spread0.0030.02
Forex Trading
OverviewIBKR 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 over 100 complex order types, including brackets, scale, and one-cancels-all (OCA) orders.Pepperstone offers ultra-competitive forex spreads averaging 0.12 pips on EUR/USD in the Razor account, accompanied by a diverse portfolio comprising 100+ currency pairs - an extensive selection surpassing most competitors. Additionally, Pepperstone distinguishes itself by offering three currency indices (USDX, EURX, JPYX), not commonly found among alternative platforms. Pepperstone has now won our annual 'Best Forex Broker' award twice.
GBPUSD Spread0.08-0.20 bps x trade value0.4
EURUSD Spread0.08-0.20 bps x trade value0.1
EURGBP Spread0.08-0.20 bps x trade value0.4
Assets100+100+
Currency Indices–
  • USD
  • EUR
  • JPY
Cryptocurrency
OverviewIBKR 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.Pepperstone continues to prove itself as one of the most trusted crypto CFD brokers. Although its selection of digital tokens is average, you can trade popular cryptos like Bitcoin and altcoins like Ripple with up to 1:10 leverage, while its crypto indices provide a holistic view of the digital currency markets not found on most day trading platforms. It has also launched a dedicated crypto exchange in Australia - Pepperstone Crypto.
Spread0.12%-0.18%30 (BTC)
Coins
  • BTC
  • LTC
  • ETH
  • XRP
  • BCH
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • LTC
  • DASH
  • ADA
  • LINK
  • DOGE
  • EOS
  • DOT
  • XRP
  • XLM
  • XTZ
  • UNI
  • BNB
Crypto LendingNoNo
Crypto MiningNoNo
Crypto StakingNoNo
Auto Market MakerNoNo
Not available in your countryRead Interactive Brokers review

CFDs and FX are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 73-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.