Interactive Brokers vs ThinkMarkets

Interactive Brokers vs ThinkMarkets Comparison Table 2023
Interactive Brokers Review 2023 ThinkMarkets Review 2023
4.3

Interactive Brokers is #13 in our CFD broker rankings.

4
United States Flag Traders from US accepted
United States Flag Traders from US not accepted

Interactive Brokers is a leading global brokerage that provides access to a comprehensive offering of stocks as well as forex, futures, metals, bonds and cryptos. The firm has over 40 years experience in the online trading industry and is heavily regulated by SEC, FCA, IIROC, and SFC. Traders use the proprietary Trader Workstation and can access powerful tools and data feeds as well as comprehensive educational resources.

ThinkMarkets is a reputable CFD and forex broker with regulation from several top-tier bodies including the FCA and ASIC. Traders can use a bespoke platform, MT4 or MT5 to access a wide variety of assets including 3500+ stocks and ETFs, 46 forex pairs and over 20 cryptocurrencies. Fees are competitive, particularly for the ThinkZero account with spreads starting at zero.

71.89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Comment by Reviewer
"Serious traders seeking a regulated broker with unparalleled access to stock markets should look at IB. Their range of stocks can't be beaten." "ThinkMarkets is a reliable, multi-regulated broker that will suit most CFD traders thanks to its large asset list, competitive fees and excellent platform options."
Pros
  • Gives retail traders unmatched access to global stocks with tens of thousands available from 100+ market centres in 24 countries
  • Direct market access, including to the FTSE 100 index, the CAC 40 and Germany’s DAX 40
  • You can trade from multiple account types, such as IRA, single registered, joint
  • Proprietary workstation comes with powerful tools and charting capabilities
  • Regulated by some of the world's most reputable bodies including in US
  • You have a reliable real-time market data feed, that rarely goes offline
  • Diverse payment options and account currencies
  • Commission reimbursement with Toggle AI
  • Low commissions and tight spreads
  • Low fees with competitive spreads on the commission-free account and very tight spreads and a low $3.5 commission on ThinkZero
  • Unique Traders' Gym simulation tool for testing out strategies on real historical data, with multiple timeframes and custom features
  • In-depth educational resources for beginner, intermediate and advanced level traders, plus live webinars
  • Three stable and award-winning platforms plus seamless integration with the broker's Signal Centre
  • Top-tier regulation from the FCA, ASIC and CySEC plus offshore branches with high leverage
  • Free VPS hosting available for MT4 and MT5, ideal for traders using Expert Advisors (EAs)
  • Reliable 24/7 multilingual support via telephone, email or live chat
  • Quick and easy to open a ThinkMarkets account
Cons
  • Due to the pricing structure, this firm can be more expensive for aggressive traders who trade over $100,000 shares a day
  • Platform and web interface are complex and difficult for beginners to pick up
  • Accessing products like CFDs is not straightforward compared to competitors
  • The TWS platform falls short in terms of technical charting
  • Mediocre customer support
  • $500 minimum deposit for ThinkZero account
  • Not many payment methods available for UK traders
  • Limited bonus offers, refer-a-friend schemes or trading competitions
Awards
  • Best CFD Provider 2021 - City of London Wealth Management Awards (COLWMA)
  • Best Value Broker in Asia at the 2020 - Global Forex Awards
  • Best Forex Trading Experience 2017 - UK Forex Awards
  • Best Forex Trading Innovation 2017 - UK Forex Awards
  • Best Customer Service 2013 - UK Forex Awards
Instruments
Stocks, Futures, E-minis, Options, CFD, Forex, Crypto, Exchange Linked Warrants CFDs, Forex, Stocks, ETFs, Futures, Commodities, Crypto, Spread Betting (UK Only)
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0 $0
Trading Platforms
  • AlgoTrader
  • OmniTrader
  • eSignal
  • TradingCentral
  • ThinkTrader
  • MT4
  • MT5
  • AutoChartist
  • TradingCentral
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
$100 0.01 Lots
Regulator
SEC, FCA, IIROC, SFC FCA, ASIC, CySEC, FSCA, JFSA, FSA Seychelles
Margin Trading
Yes Yes
Margin Rate
1.55 - 2.59%
STP Account
Yes Yes
ECN Account
No No
DMA Account
Yes No
MAM Account
Yes No
PAMM Account
No Yes
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
Yes No
Robo Advisor
No No
Negative Balance Protection
No Yes
Market Maker
No No
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes No
Mobile Apps
iOS, Android and Windows iOS & Android
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
No Yes
Copy Trading Platform
The Signal Centre is FCA-regulated and offers insights into forex, stocks, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. Users can receive up to 40 signals before the trading day starts to plan setups.
Social Trading
No Yes
Trade Signals
Signal Centre
VPS Hosting
No Yes
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
No No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No No
Inactivity Fee
$0 $0
Islamic Account
No Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • INR
  • JPY
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • DKK
  • CHF
  • HUF
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • AUD
  • JPY
  • CHF
Stock Exchanges
Commodities
CFD Trading
Trade leveraged CFDs on thousands of global stocks as well as 13 global indices, 80+ forex pairs, and London gold and silver. Leverage is available in line with regulatory requirements. ThinkMarkets offers CFDs on a good range of instruments, the most extensive being stocks and ETFs with 3500+ assets, as well as indices and commodities, amongst others. Leverage is available up to 1:30 in the EU and UK, while clients of the offshore branch can access up to 1:500 leverage.
Leverage
1:50 1:500
FTSE Spread
0.005% (£1 Min) 0.7
GBPUSD Spread
Commission (.20 pts x trade value) 0.4
Oil Spread
N/A 0.03
Stocks Spread
From 0.003 per share, variable From 0.4
Forex Trading
Trade 85 major, minor and exotic forex pairs via CFDs on IB's FXTrader platform with tight spreads and low commissions, or trade forex on the spot market. They offer more FX assets than almost any competitor. ThinkMarkets offers 46 forex pairs, including a decent variety of minors and exotics as well the majors. Forex traders also benefit from very tight spreads starting from 0.0 pips for the EUR/USD in the Zero account.
GBPUSD Spread
Commission (.20 pts x trade value) 0.3
EURUSD Spread
Commission (.20 pts x trade value) 0.0
EURGBP Spread
Commission (.20 pts x trade value) 0.0
Assets
70+ 45+
Cryptocurrency
Buy and hold Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and Litecoin with low commissions of 0.12%–0.18%. Fees are low and the broker offers a secure environment to invest in digital assets. With 20+ cryptocurrencies available to trade via CFDs, traders can securely speculate on crypto markets with up to 1:10 leverage. ThinkMarkets does not directly trade crypto assets, meaning you will not own the tokens, and crypto trading is not available in some jurisdictions.
Spread
Variable BTC 25, ETH 6 (Variable)
Coins
  • BTC
  • LTC
  • ETH
  • XRP
  • BCH
  • LTC
  • XMR
  • DOGE
  • XLM
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • XRP
Crypto Lending
No No
Crypto Mining
No No
Crypto Staking
No No
Auto Market Maker
No No
71.89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
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