Interactive Brokers vs Plus500

Interactive Brokers vs Plus500 Comparison Table 2024
Interactive Brokers	Plus500
Review 4.3	Review 4.1

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is a premier brokerage, 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.	Established in 2008 and headquartered in Israel, Plus500 is a prominent brokerage that boasts over 25 million registered traders in over 50 countries. Specializing in CFD trading, the company offers an intuitive, proprietary platform and mobile app. It maintains competitive spreads and does not charge commissions or deposit or withdrawal fees. Plus500 also continues to shine as one of the most trusted brokers with licenses from reputable regulators, including the FCA, ASIC and CySEC.
Customer Reviews
4 Based on 2 Interactive Brokers customer reviews	3 Based on 1 Plus500 customer reviews
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."	"Plus500 offers a super-clean experience for traders with a CFD trading platform that sports a modern design and dynamic charting. That said, the broker’s research tools are limited, fees trail the cheapest brokers, and there’s room for enhancement in its educational resources."
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.	Plus500 provides a specialized WebTrader platform designed explicitly for CFD trading, offering a clean and uncluttered interface The broker offers commission-free trading on a diverse range of markets, minimizing additional fees while appealing to established traders Plus500 has recently bolstered its suite of short-term trading products, including introducing VIX options with enhanced volatility You can utilize leverage while engaging in long or short positions, allowing for more strategic trading opportunities The customer support team continue to provide reliable 24/7 support via email, live chat and WhatsApp
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.	Plus500’s lack of support for MetaTrader or cTrader charting tools might be a deal breaker for advanced day traders looking for familiarity Educational resources are limited compared to best-in-class brokers like eToro, impacting the learning curve for beginners The absence of social trading means users can’t follow and replicate the trades of experienced traders Compared to some competitors, especially IG, Plus500’s research and analysis tools are limited Algo trading and scalping are not supported, which may deter some day traders
Awards
	Best Overall Broker 2021 - DayTrading.com Best Overall Broker 2020 - DayTrading.com Best Overall Broker 2019 - DayTrading.com
Instruments
Stocks, Options, Futures, Forex, Funds, Bonds, ETFs, Mutual Funds, CFDs, Cryptocurrencies	CFDs on Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Futures, Options, Crypto
Demo Account
Yes	Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0	$100
Trading Platforms
Trader Workstation (TWS) IBKR Desktop GlobalTrader Mobile Client Portal AlgoTrader OmniTrader eSignal TradingCentral	WebTrader App
Payment Methods
ACH Transfer Automated Customer Account Transfer Service Cheque Debit Card TransferWise Wire Transfer	Apple Pay Credit Card Debit Card Mastercard PayPal Skrill Trustly Visa Wire Transfer
Minimum Trade
$100	0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, SEC, FINRA, CFTC, CBI, CIRO, SFC, MAS, MNB	FCA, ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, MAS, FSA, FSCA, FMA, EFSA
Margin Trading
Yes	Yes
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	Yes
Market Maker
No	Yes
P2P Trading
No	No
Spot Trading
Yes	No
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android	iOS, Android & Windows
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.	Plus500 have developed their mobile apps to match the WebTrader online platform . Secure and reliable, the app is among the best out there. Stop loss and limits are available, free alerts and a full range of markets and instruments are available. Visit the download page here.
Android App Rating
4.5	4.3
iOS App Rating
4.3	4.1
Auto Trading
Capitalise.ai & TWS API	No
Copy Trading
No	No
Social Trading
No	No
VPS Hosting
No	No
Tournaments
No	No
Demo Competitions
No	No
Ethical Investing
Yes	Yes
Custodial Account
No	No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No	Yes
Inactivity Fee
$0	$10
Islamic Account
No	Yes
Account Currencies
USD EUR GBP CAD AUD INR JPY SEK NOK DKK CHF AED HUF	USD EUR GBP AUD ZAR CZK
Stock Exchanges
Borsa Italiana CAC 40 Index France Chicago Mercantile Exchange Euronext IBEX 35 Japan Exchange Group Korean Stock Exchange London Metal Exchange London Stock Exchange Nasdaq Nasdaq Nordic & Baltics New York Stock Exchange Russell 2000 Shenzhen Stock Exchange Toronto Stock Exchange	Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) Borsa Italiana CAC 40 Index France DAX GER 40 Index Deutsche Boerse Dow Jones Euronext FTSE UK Index Hang Seng IBEX 35 London Stock Exchange Nasdaq S&P 500 SIX Swiss Exchange
Commodities
Aluminium Gold Lead Natural Gas Precious Metals Soybeans Zinc	Aluminium Cocoa Coffee Copper Corn Cotton Gasoline Gold Livestock Oil Palladium Platinum Silver Soybeans Sugar Wheat
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.	Plus500 presents commission-free CFDs encompassing a vast array of markets, spanning currencies, stocks, indices, and commodities. You can engage in long or short positions on popular assets, benefiting from adaptable leverage without encountering any concealed fees.
Leverage
1:50	1:30
FTSE Spread
0.005% (£1 Min)	1.2
GBPUSD Spread
0.08-0.20 bps x trade value	1.1
Oil Spread
0.25-0.85	0.04
Stocks Spread
0.003	0.08
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.	Plus500 provides forex trading through CFDs, featuring narrow spreads across an impressive selection of over 60 currency pairs. During testing, spreads came in as tight as 0.6 pips on the EUR/USD, which is notably lower than many alternatives.
Forex App
	Plus500 have developed their mobile apps to match the WebTrader online platform . Secure and reliable, the app is among the best out there. Stop loss and limits are available, free alerts and a full range of markets and instruments are available. Visit the download page here.
GBPUSD Spread
0.08-0.20 bps x trade value	1.1
EURUSD Spread
0.08-0.20 bps x trade value	0.6
EURGBP Spread
0.08-0.20 bps x trade value	1.4
Assets
100+	60+
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.	Investors can trade on rising and falling prices with CFDs on popular cryptos like Bitcoin. Plus500 also stands out for its crypto indices, which offer diversification opportunities by tracking a basket of leading digital currencies. Availability subject to regulation.
Spread
0.12%-0.18%	Variable
Coins
BTC LTC ETH XRP	BCH BTC ETH LTC XRP IOTA NEO EOS XMR
Crypto Lending
No	No
Crypto Mining
No	No
Crypto Staking
No	No
Auto Market Maker
No	No

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