Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD/FX brokers: leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto. Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as stock brokers: real shares and ETFs you own outright.
IC Markets
Regulated in your country IC Markets is allowed by ASIC to onboard clients residing in Australia.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
Interactive Brokers
Regulated in your country Interactive Brokers is allowed by ASIC to onboard clients residing in Australia.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
Best for
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders IC Markets and Interactive Brokers are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in Australia.IC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers for crypto traders. Interactive Brokers, on the other hand, is better for day traders, long-term investors and high-volume traders. Professional traders, scalpers and swing traders can choose either IC Markets or Interactive Brokers.
| Overall score | IC Markets 84 not offered | Interactive Brokers 83 -1 83 |
|---|---|---|
| Day trading i | ||
| Long-term investing i | ||
| Professional traders i | ||
| High-volume traders i | ||
| Scalpers i | ||
| Swing traders i | ||
| News traders i | ||
| Algo traders i | ||
| Stock traders i | ||
| Crypto traders i | ||
| Futures traders i | ||
| Options traders i |
Regulation
What we compare A comparison between the financial authorities that supervise IC Markets and the ones that supervise Interactive Brokers.IC Markets and Interactive Brokers are both regulated in Australia, by ASIC.
| Section score | IC Markets 100 not offered | Interactive Brokers 100 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Tier-1 regulators | ||
| ESMA (European Union) i | ||
| FCA (United Kingdom) i | ||
| ASIC (Australia) i | ||
| CFTC (United States) i | ||
| NFA (United States) i | ||
| SEC (United States) i | ||
| CIRO (Canada) i | ||
| MAS (Singapore) i | ||
| SFC (Hong Kong) i | ||
| JFSA (Japan) i | ||
| FINMA (Switzerland) i | ||
| Tier-2 regulators | ||
| FMA (New Zealand) i | ||
| CBR (Russia) i | ||
| FSCA (South Africa) i | ||
| DFSA (Dubai) i | ||
| CSRC (China) i | ||
| ISA (Israel) i | ||
| LFSA (Malaysia) i | ||
| JSC (Jordan) i | ||
| CMA (Kenya) i | ||
| Tier-3 regulators | ||
| FSA (Seychelles) i | ||
| MMA (Maldives) i | ||
| SCB (Bahamas) i | ||
| FSC (Mauritius) i | ||
| VFSC (Vanuatu) i | ||
| FSC (Belize) i | ||
| CIMA (Cayman Islands) i | ||
| SV FSA (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) i | ||
| FSRC (St. Kitts & Nevis) i | ||
| BMA (Bermuda) i | ||
| BVI FSC (British Virgin Islands) i | ||
| EDR (External Dispute Resolution) i | ||
Safety
What we compare A comparison of the tools and services that IC Markets and Interactive Brokers have in place to protect your money in Australia.Both IC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer segregated client funds and two-factor authentication.
| Section score | IC Markets 65 -8 not offered | Interactive Brokers 73 Best 73 |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 2007 | 1978 |
| Parent company i | International Capital Markets Pty Ltd | Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. |
| CEO i | Andrew Budzinski | Milan Galik |
| Money safety | ||
| Segregated client funds i | ||
| Two-factor authentication i | ||
| Investor compensation scheme i | ||
| Additional money insurance i | ||
| Partner bank i | Eurobank | Agricultural Bank of China, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, Banco Santander, Bank Hapoalim, Bank of China, Barclays Bank Ireland, Barclays Bank, Euroclear Bank, HSBC Bank, HSBC Continental Europe, ING Bank, ING Belgium, ING Bank Slaski, J.P. Morgan SE, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, Mizuho Bank, MUFG Bank, NatWest Bank, Oversea Chinese Banking Corporation, Raiffeisen Bank International, Raiffeisen Bank Zrt, Raiffeisenbank a.s., Royal Bank of Canada, Skandinaviska Enskilda Bank, Societe Generale, Standard Chartered Bank, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, UBS Switzerland, United Overseas Bank, Wells Fargo Bank |
| Brand power | ||
| Number of customers worldwide i | 3,337,000 | |
| Annual revenue i | US$6,205,000,000 | |
| Monthly website search traffic i | 2.2M monthly visits | |
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with IC Markets and with Interactive Brokers in Australia, both on each trade and on holding the account.Interactive Brokers is better than IC Markets for CFD/FX costs, because Interactive Brokers is cheaper on EUR/USD, at US$2 per lot (against IC Markets' US$8), charges lower US stock CFD fees, at US$0.01 (against IC Markets' US$0.02), and does not charge inactivity fees, unlike IC Markets. Neither IC Markets nor Interactive Brokers charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.
Interactive Brokers and IC Markets cannot be compared for real stock costs, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while IC Markets is a CFD broker.
| Section score | IC Markets 64 -27 not offered | Interactive Brokers 91 Best 79 |
|---|---|---|
| Broker fees | ||
| Deposit fees i | ||
| Withdrawal fees i | ||
| Overnight fees i | ||
| Inactivity fees i | ||
| Currency conversion fees i | ||
| Discounts on volume i | ||
| Real time market data fee i | ||
| Dividend withholding i | ||
| Account opening fees i | ||
| Account maintenance fee i | ||
| Portfolio management fee i | ||
| Fees on CFDs | ||
| Forex commission per lot i | US$7 | US$2 |
| EUR/USD average standard spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average raw spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average fixed spread i | ||
| EUR/USD total cost per lot i | US$8 | US$2 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 0.492 points | |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.08 points | |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | US$12.01 | |
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | US$0.02 | US$0.005 |
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Commission, Percentage | Commission, Percentage |
| US stocks fees (real) i | US$2.1 | |
| ETF fees (real) i | US$2.1 | |
| Management costs i | ||
| Connection costs i | ||
| Fees on futures | ||
| Futures fees per contract i | US$0.85 | |
| Platform fees i | ||
| Fees on options | ||
| Options fees per contract i | US$0.65 | |
| Event fees i | ||
| Fees on savings plans | ||
| IRA opening fee i | ||
| IRA maintenance fee i | ||
| 401k opening fee i | ||
| 401k maintenance fee i | ||
Available markets
What we compare A comparison of the markets and products you can trade with IC Markets and with Interactive Brokers in Australia, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.Interactive Brokers is better than IC Markets for CFD/FX markets, because Interactive Brokers gives access to 15,000 tradable symbols (against IC Markets' 2,250), lets you own bonds, crypto, ETFs, funds, forex and stocks outright, which IC Markets does not, and offers futures on indices and commodities, which IC Markets does not. Both IC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, forex, indices and stocks.
There is no like-for-like comparison for real stock markets, as IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | IC Markets 75 -25 not offered | Interactive Brokers 100 Best 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 2,250 | 15,000 |
| Currency pairs i | ||
| Indices i | ||
| Commodities i | ||
| Stocks i | ||
| ETF i | ||
| Cryptocurrencies i | ||
| Bonds i | ||
| Interest rates i | ||
| Portfolios i | ||
| CFDs i | Commodities, Crypto, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks | Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices, Stocks |
| Futures i | Indices, Commodities | |
| Options i | Stocks, Indices | |
| Assets you can own i | Bonds, Crypto, ETF, Funds, Forex, Stocks |
Platform
What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that IC Markets and Interactive Brokers make available to their clients in Australia.IC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers for platforms, because IC Markets offers cTrader, MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both IC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer TradingView and one-click trading.
Only Interactive Brokers can be assessed for platforms, since IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | IC Markets 89 Best not offered | Interactive Brokers 80 -9 80 |
|---|---|---|
| Proprietary platform i | ||
| MetaTrader 4 i | ||
| MetaTrader 5 i | ||
| cTrader i | ||
| Social trading platform i | ||
| Copy trading platform i | ||
| ZuluTrade i | ||
| TradingView i | ||
| Duplitrade i | ||
| Mirror Trader i | ||
| NinjaTrader i | ||
| AutoChartist i | ||
| Real time pricing i | ||
| 5 digit pricing i | ||
| One-click trading i |
Mobile
What we compare A comparison of the mobile apps of IC Markets and Interactive Brokers in Australia, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.IC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers for mobile trading, as IC Markets offers the cTrader app, the MetaTrader 5 app and the MetaTrader 4 app, which Interactive Brokers does not. IC Markets and Interactive Brokers both offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.
Interactive Brokers and IC Markets cannot be compared for mobile trading, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while IC Markets is a CFD broker.
| Section score | IC Markets 86 Best not offered | Interactive Brokers 80 -6 80 |
|---|---|---|
| Proprietary app i | ||
| Social trading app i | ||
| Copy trading app i | ||
| MetaTrader 4 app i | ||
| MetaTrader 5 app i | ||
| cTrader app i | ||
| Mobile trading signals i | ||
| Mobile alerts i | ||
| Mobile charting tools i | ||
| Mobile drawing tools i | ||
| Mobile watchlist i | ||
| Smartwatch app i |
Trading features
What we compare A comparison of the trading tools and strategies that IC Markets and Interactive Brokers allow on their platforms in Australia.IC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers for CFD/FX trading features, as IC Markets offers VPS hosting, which Interactive Brokers does not, and allows for high-frequency trading and expert advisors. IC Markets and Interactive Brokers both offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.
Interactive Brokers and IC Markets cannot be set side by side for real stock trading features, as IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike Interactive Brokers.
| Section score | IC Markets 87 Best not offered | Interactive Brokers 75 -12 85 |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | Hybrid | NDD |
| Average execution time i | 40 ms | |
| Slippage occurrence i | ||
| Requotes occurrence i | 0% | |
| Tier-1 liquidity providers i | ||
| PFOF i | ||
| Leverage | ||
| Major FX pairs leverage i | 30:1 | 30:1 |
| Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i | 20:1 | 20:1 |
| Major indices leverage i | 20:1 | 20:1 |
| Minor indices leverage i | 10:1 | 10:1 |
| Gold leverage i | 20:1 | 20:1 |
| Commodities leverage i | 10:1 | 10:1 |
| Equities leverage i | 5:1 | 5:1 |
| Cryptocurrency leverage i | 2:1 | 2:1 |
| Risk management | ||
| Stop losses i | ||
| Take profits i | ||
| Limit orders i | ||
| Trailing stop i | ||
| Margin call i | ||
| OCO orders i | ||
| Guaranteed stop loss i | ||
| Negative balance protection i | ||
| Minimum trade size (FX) i | 0.01 lots | 0.01 lots |
| Minimum trade size (stocks) i | US$0 | US$1 |
| Fractional stocks i | ||
| Trading compliance | ||
| Scalping strategies allowed i | ||
| Hedging strategies allowed i | ||
| Automated trading strategy allowed i | ||
| EAs use allowed i | ||
| HFT strategy allowed i | ||
| VPS use allowed i | ||
| API use allowed i | ||
| Price scraping allowed i | ||
| FIFO rule applies i | ||
Account types
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of account you can open at IC Markets and at Interactive Brokers in Australia, and of who each one is meant for.IC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers for CFD/FX account types, since IC Markets offers a corporate account, an ECN account and an Islamic account, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both IC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer a demo account and a professional traders account.
There is no like-for-like comparison for real stock account types, as IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | IC Markets 74 Best not offered | Interactive Brokers 41 -33 63 |
|---|---|---|
| Demo account i | ||
| Unlimited demo account i | ||
| Standard account i | ||
| Micro account i | ||
| Cent account i | ||
| Nano account i | ||
| Raw spread account i | ||
| ECN account i | ||
| Swap-free account i | ||
| Islamic account i | ||
| Professional traders account i | ||
| Fixed spread account i | ||
| Spread betting account i | ||
| Copy trading account i | ||
| Corporate account i | ||
| Managed account i | ||
| Stock investing account i | ||
| Margin investing account i | ||
| Savings account i | ||
| Retirement account i |
Account opening
What we compare A comparison of what it takes to open and fund an account with IC Markets and with Interactive Brokers in Australia.IC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers for account opening, as IC Markets offers 10 account base currencies (against Interactive Brokers' 5), supports e-wallets, which Interactive Brokers does not, and offers debit cards, which Interactive Brokers does not. That said, Interactive Brokers asks for no minimum deposit at all (against IC Markets' US$200).
Only Interactive Brokers can be assessed for account opening, since IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | IC Markets 85 Best not offered | Interactive Brokers 60 -25 60 |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | US$200 | US$0 |
| Minimum withdrawal i | US$0 | US$0 |
| Wire transfers i | ||
| Credit cards i | ||
| Debit cards i | ||
| eWallets i | PayPal, Neteller, Skrill | |
| Local payment methods i | ||
| Account base currencies i | AUD, USD, EUR, CAD, GBP, SGD, NZD, JPY, HKD, CHF | AUD, EUR, GBP, HKD, USD |
| Deposit waiting time i | up to 5 business days | up to 1 business days |
| Withdrawal waiting time i | up to 5 business days | up to 1 business days |
| Bonus program i |
Customer care
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of IC Markets and Interactive Brokers in Australia, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.IC Markets is better than Interactive Brokers for customer care, as IC Markets offers customer support in 17 languages (against Interactive Brokers' 8), has a website in 17 languages (against Interactive Brokers' 8), and offers a dedicated account manager, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both IC Markets and Interactive Brokers offer phone support and live chat.
Interactive Brokers and IC Markets cannot be compared for customer care, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while IC Markets is a CFD broker.
| Section score | IC Markets 92 Best not offered | Interactive Brokers 58 -34 58 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 17 | 8 |
| Website languages i | Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, German, English, French, Croatian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese | German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, German, English, French, Croatian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese | German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese |
| Customer support in English i | ||
| Call back request i | ||
| Email support i | ||
| Phone support i | ||
| Live chat i | ||
| Priority customer support i | ||
| Dedicated account manager i | ||
| Cash sweep i | ||
| Stock lending i | ||
| Distributes proceeds i | ||
| Tax withholding agent i | ||
| Tax assistance i |
Learning
What we compare A comparison of the educational material that IC Markets and Interactive Brokers provide to their clients in Australia.IC Markets and Interactive Brokers are equally good for learning, as both offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
Interactive Brokers and IC Markets cannot be set side by side for learning, as IC Markets is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike Interactive Brokers.
| Section score | IC Markets 100 not offered | Interactive Brokers 100 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Education | ||
| Education center i | ||
| Education for beginners i | ||
| Education for advanced traders i | ||
| Webinars i | ||
| Tutorials i | ||
| Glossary i | ||
| Research | ||
| Economic calendar i | ||
| Traders' sentiment i | ||
| Daily market commentary i | ||
| Daily trading ideas i | ||
| News via social media i | ||
| Professional reports i | ||
| Watchlist i | ||
IC Markets vs Interactive Brokers: which one should you choose?
IC Markets
CFD/FX Choose IC Markets if you want a CFD and forex broker for high-frequency trading strategies, with MetaTrader 5 and cTrader.
Open Account CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
Interactive Brokers
CFD/FX Choose Interactive Brokers if you want an online CFD broker with low trading costs, no minimum deposit and a wide choice of markets.
Stocks Choose Interactive Brokers if you want a share dealing service with options, futures and a wide choice of markets.
Open Account CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.Other popular comparisons
Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include IC Markets or Interactive Brokers, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
