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Rankings updated October 2026

XTB vs Interactive Brokers

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

Higher rated

XTB

4.8/5

#15 in our CFD broker rankings

Taiwan flag Accepts traders from Taiwan

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69-80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money

Rating breakdown

  • Regulation & trust4.60.1 higher than Interactive Brokers (4.5)
  • Assets & markets4.60.1 lower than Interactive Brokers (4.7)
  • Fees & costs3.90.4 lower than Interactive Brokers (4.3)
  • Platforms & tools4.00.7 higher than Interactive Brokers (3.3)
  • Accounts & banking4.00.5 higher than Interactive Brokers (3.5)
  • Education3.80.5 lower than Interactive Brokers (4.3)
  • Research4.10.3 lower than Interactive Brokers (4.4)
  • Customer support4.31.3 higher than Interactive Brokers (3.0)

Interactive Brokers’s score. Numbers show the difference.

Interactive Brokers

4.3/5

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

Not available in your countryRead Interactive Brokers review

Rating breakdown

  • Regulation & trust4.50.1 lower than XTB (4.6)
  • Assets & markets4.70.1 higher than XTB (4.6)
  • Fees & costs4.30.4 higher than XTB (3.9)
  • Platforms & tools3.30.7 lower than XTB (4.0)
  • Accounts & banking3.50.5 lower than XTB (4.0)
  • Education4.30.5 higher than XTB (3.8)
  • Research4.40.3 higher than XTB (4.1)
  • Customer support3.01.3 lower than XTB (4.3)

XTB’s score. Numbers show the difference.

XTB vs Interactive Brokers comparison table 2026
XTBInteractive Brokers
OverviewFounded in 2002 in Poland, XTB now serves more than 1 million clients. The forex and CFD broker combines a heavily regulated trading environment with an extensive selection of assets and a commitment to trader satisfaction, featuring an intuitive in-house platform with superb tools to support aspiring day traders.Interactive 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.
Customer Reviews
4.7
Based on 3 customer reviews
3.5
Based on 4 customer reviews
Trustpilot Score
3.8
3
Promotions–
Comment by Reviewer“XTB stands out as a top choice for new day traders with the terrific xStation platform, low trading costs, no minimum deposit, and excellent educational tools, many of which are seamlessly integrated into the platform. ”“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.”
Pros
  • Opening an XTB account is a hassle-free, entirely online process that takes just a few minutes, making the entry into day trading smooth for new traders.
  • First-class 24/5 customer support is available, including a friendly live chat with response times of under two minutes during testing.
  • XTB has improved its assets and markets offering further in 2026 with options trading in Spain and Germany, spot cryptos in some regions, and Investment Plans 2.0 with more pre-built plans covering sectors like Defence, a more intuitive interface, and greater flexibility to combine single stocks and ETFs into individual plans.
  • The xStation platform continues to impress with its user-friendly interface and intuitive features, including customizable news feeds, sentiment heatmaps, and trader calculator, reducing the learning curve for newer traders.
  • XTB has boosted its interest rate on uninvested balances and added zero-fee ISAs (On ETFs and real shares, or 0.2% with transactions over €100k) for UK clients with a huge range of markets available.
  • 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.
  • 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 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
Cons
  • Trading fees are competitive with average spreads of around 1 pip on the EUR/USD but still trail the cheapest brokers like IC Markets, plus there's an inactivity fee after 12 months.
  • Not being able to adjust the default leverage level of XTB products is frustrating, as manual adjustment can significantly mitigate trade risk, especially in forex and CFD trading.
  • The demo account expires after just four weeks, a serious limitation for traders who wish to thoroughly test the xStation platform and practice short-term strategies before committing real funds.
  • XTB does not offer a raw spread account, which is becoming increasingly common among competitors like Pepperstone, and may disappoint day traders looking for the tightest spreads.
  • The research tools at XTB are good but could be great if they went beyond in-house features with access to leading third-party tools such as Autochartist, Trading Central and TipRanks.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • TWS’s learning curve is steep, and beginners may find it challenging to navigate the platform and understand all the features.
  • 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.
Awards–
  • Best US Broker 2025 - DayTrading.com
InstrumentsCFDs on shares, Indices, ETFs, Raw Materials, Forex currencies, cryptocurrencies, Real shares, Real ETFsStocks, Options, Futures, Forex, Funds, Bonds, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Cryptocurrencies, CFDs
Demo AccountYesYes
Minimum Deposit$0$0
Trading Platforms
  • xStation
  • Trader Workstation (TWS)
  • IBKR Desktop
  • GlobalTrader
  • Mobile
  • Client Portal
  • AlgoTrader
  • OmniTrader
  • TradingView
  • eSignal
  • TradingCentral
  • ProRealTime
  • Quantower
Payment MethodsPayment methods include Visa, Wire Transfer, Paypal, Debit / Credit Card and Skrill but vary based on the country of registration.
Minimum Trade0.01 Lots$1
RegulatorFCA, CySEC, KNF, DFSA, FSC, SCA, CMF, BappebtiSEC, FINRA, CFTC, NFA, CIRO, FCA, CBI, ASIC, SFC, SEBI, JFSA, MAS
Margin TradingYesYes
Margin Rate4.5%5.5% - 6.13% (depending on account tier)
STP AccountYesYes
ECN AccountNoNo
DMA AccountNoYes
MAM AccountNoYes
PAMM AccountNoNo
LAMM AccountNoNo
Demat AccountNoYes
AI / Machine LearningNoYes
Robo AdvisorNoYes
Negative Balance ProtectionYesYes
Market MakerYesNo
P2P TradingNoNo
Spot TradingYesYes
Mobile AppsiOS & AndroidiOS & Android
App ReviewYear after year XTB's app stands out for its slick design and uncluttered interface that we love. It’s quick, responsive and packed with useful features, notably integrated sentiment data, market news, economic calendars and education. The user-friendly order panel underneath the trading chart also makes placing trades, including adding take profit and stop loss levels, really straightforward.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
4.1
4.5
iOS App Rating
4.7
4.3
Auto Trading–TWS API
Copy TradingNoNo
Social TradingNoNo
Trade SignalsNo–
VPS HostingNoNo
TournamentsNoNo
Demo CompetitionsNoNo
Ethical InvestingYesYes
Custodial AccountNoNo
Guaranteed Stop LossNoNo
Inactivity Fee€/$10 per month after 365 days$0
Islamic AccountYesNo
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • INR
  • JPY
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • DKK
  • CHF
  • AED
  • HUF
Stock Exchanges
Commodities
CFD Trading
OverviewXTB offers a huge selection of CFDs spanning forex, indices, commodities, stocks, ETFs, and cryptos (location-dependent). Leverage up to 1:30 is available in the EU and UK, while global clients and pro traders can access up to 1:500. XTB stands out for its CFD trading resources and tutorials to assist traders in developing short-term trading strategies.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.
Leverage1:5001:50
FTSE Spread1.80.005% (£1 Min)
GBPUSD Spread1.40.08-0.20 bps x trade value
Oil Spread0.030.25-0.85
Stocks Spread0.2%0.003
Forex Trading
OverviewXTB provides access to 70+ currency pairs with low spreads averaging around 1 pip on majors. The xStation platform offers an intuitive environment for forex traders with an excellent charting package encompassing 30+ indicators, plus a range of order types, catering to various strategies and risk management techniques. 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 over 100 complex order types, including brackets, scale, and one-cancels-all (OCA) orders.
GBPUSD Spread1.40.08-0.20 bps x trade value
EURUSD Spread1.00.08-0.20 bps x trade value
EURGBP Spread1.40.08-0.20 bps x trade value
Assets70+100+
Cryptocurrency
OverviewXTB offers an excellent selection of cryptos with more than 50 digital currencies. Spreads are tight starting from 0.22% on BTC and leverage reaches 1:5. The xStation platform also provides intra-crypto pairs like ETH/BTC and DSH/BTC. With the capability to trade cryptos 24/7, XTB ensures a secure environment with transparent accounts for cryptocurrency day trading.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.
Spread0.22%0.12%-0.18%
Coins
  • ADA
  • BTC
  • BCH
  • DSH
  • EOS
  • ETH
  • IOTA
  • LTC
  • NEO
  • XRP
  • XLM
  • TRX
  • XEM
  • XLM
  • XMR
  • DOGE
  • BNB
  • LINK
  • UNI
  • DOT
  • XTZ
  • BTC
  • LTC
  • ETH
  • XRP
Crypto LendingNoNo
Crypto MiningNoNo
Crypto StakingNoNo
Auto Market MakerNoNo

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69-80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money

Not available in your countryRead Interactive Brokers review