Interactive Brokers vs TD Ameritrade

Interactive Brokers vs TD Ameritrade Comparison Table 2024
Interactive Brokers	TD Ameritrade
Review 4.3	Review 4

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.	TD Ameritrade is a leading discount brokerage offering a vast range of instruments including forex, stocks, futures, options and crypto. The company has nearly 40 years of experience and authorization from the SEC, FINRA and CFTC. Trading takes place via its well-known thinkorswim platform, which offers sophisticated tools and features including stock screeners and calculators.
Customer Reviews
4 Based on 2 Interactive Brokers 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."	"Traders who want access to a huge range of stocks from a reputable broker with low fees should consider TD Ameritrade. On the downside, we miss access to the familiar MetaTrader 4 software."
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.	Advanced order types, including OCO and brackets Automated trading capabilities, including robo-advisors Several trading platforms including proprietary award-winning software TD Ameritrade provides rich in-depth research and educational resources Extended 24/7 trading hours allow for international access to the markets The broker facilitates automatic syncing between desktop and mobile trading platforms There is access to over 350 technical studies, 20 drawing tools and 8 Fibonacci tools Active chat rooms to share ideas and communicate with thousands of experienced traders The Economic Data tool allows access to a range of data about the health of global economies Management Services and Essential Portfolios. Reviews of which show high levels of customer satisfaction Portfolio margin gives some users increased leverage by basing margin requirements on total portfolio risk
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.	CFD trading not available No MT4 or MT5 integration Fractional shares are not offered No direct cryptocurrency trading Broker-assisted trade commissions are around $25 Stringent margin maintenance requirements and high fees New traders may be overwhelmed by the vast amount of information and tools available
Awards
	Best Broker for Beginners 2022 - Investopedia Best Online Broker Awards Best Online Broker for Stock Trading Platform and Research 2022 - NerdWallet's Best-Of Awards #1 Platform & Tools, #1 Active Trading, #1 Options Trading, #1 Customer Service, and #1 Phone Support 2022 - StockBrokers.com Online Broker Review
Instruments
Stocks, Options, Futures, Forex, Funds, Bonds, ETFs, Mutual Funds, CFDs, Cryptocurrencies	Forex, Stocks, ETFs, Cryptos, Futures, Options, Commodities, Bonds
Demo Account
Yes	Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0	$0
Trading Platforms
Trader Workstation (TWS) IBKR Desktop GlobalTrader Mobile Client Portal AlgoTrader OmniTrader eSignal TradingCentral	eSignal AutoChartist
Payment Methods
ACH Transfer Automated Customer Account Transfer Service Cheque Debit Card TransferWise Wire Transfer	ACH Transfer Automated Customer Account Transfer Service Cheque TransferWise Wire Transfer
Minimum Trade
$100	$0
Regulator
FCA, SEC, FINRA, CFTC, CBI, CIRO, SFC, MAS, MNB	SEC, FINRA, CFTC
Margin Trading
Yes	Yes
Margin Rate
1.55 - 2.59%
STP Account
Yes	No
ECN Account
No	No
DMA Account
Yes	Yes
MAM Account
Yes	Yes
PAMM Account
No	No
LAMM Account
No	No
Demat Account
No	No
AI / Machine Learning
Yes	No
Robo Advisor
Yes	Yes
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.	TD Ameritrade offers currency trading via Android and iOS mobile and tablet apps. Users can speculate on over 75 currency pairs with low fees and advanced trading tools. Deposit funds and manage accounts in a few clicks.
Android App Rating
4.5
iOS App Rating
4.3
Auto Trading
Capitalise.ai & TWS API	Yes - Auto trading available via bots
Copy Trading
No	No
Social Trading
No	No
Trade Signals
	Yes
VPS Hosting
No	No
Tournaments
No	No
Demo Competitions
No	No
Ethical Investing
Yes	Yes
Custodial Account
No	Yes
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No	No
Inactivity Fee
$0	$0
Islamic Account
No	No
Account Currencies
USD EUR GBP CAD AUD INR JPY SEK NOK DKK CHF AED HUF	USD
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	Dow Jones Japan Exchange Group Nasdaq New York Stock Exchange S&P 500 Toronto Stock Exchange Taiwan Stock Exchange
Commodities
Aluminium Gold Lead Natural Gas Precious Metals Soybeans Zinc	Cocoa Coffee Copper Corn Cotton Gasoline Gold Livestock Natural Gas 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.	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.	Trade 70+ forex pairs including majors, minors or exotics via the desktop, mobile or webtrader app with no commission and 1:2 leverage. The choice of currencies is wider than most forex brokers.
Forex App
	TD Ameritrade offers currency trading via Android and iOS mobile and tablet apps. Users can speculate on over 75 currency pairs with low fees and advanced trading tools. Deposit funds and manage accounts in a few clicks.
GBPUSD Spread
0.08-0.20 bps x trade value	Variable
EURUSD Spread
0.08-0.20 bps x trade value	Variable
EURGBP Spread
0.08-0.20 bps x trade value	Variable
Assets
100+	75+
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.	Gain exposure to cryptocurrency markets through OTC crypto trusts, mutual funds and ETFs and Bitcoin futures. This offers portfolio diversification opportunities and trading vehicles beyond standard crypto CFDs.
Spread
0.12%-0.18%	Commission fees apply
Coins
BTC LTC ETH XRP	BTC ETH MBT MET
Crypto Lending
No	No
Crypto Mining
No	No
Crypto Staking
No	No
Auto Market Maker
No	No

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