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.
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.
Pepperstone
Regulated in your country Pepperstone 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 Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in Australia.Interactive Brokers is better than Pepperstone for day traders, long-term investors and futures traders, while Pepperstone is better for crypto traders. Professional traders, high-volume traders and scalpers can choose either Interactive Brokers or Pepperstone.
| Overall score | Interactive Brokers 83 83 | Pepperstone 83 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Interactive Brokers and the ones that supervise Pepperstone.Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone are both regulated in Australia, by ASIC.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 100 100 | Pepperstone 100 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone have in place to protect your money in Australia.Both Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone offer segregated client funds and two-factor authentication.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 73 Best 73 | Pepperstone 65 -8 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 1978 | 2010 |
| Parent company i | Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. | Pepperstone Group Limited |
| CEO i | Milan Galik | Tamas Szabo |
| Money safety | ||
| Segregated client funds i | ||
| Two-factor authentication i | ||
| Investor compensation scheme i | ||
| Additional money insurance i | ||
| Partner bank i | 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 | N/A |
| Brand power | ||
| Number of customers worldwide i | 3,337,000 | 909,000 |
| Annual revenue i | US$6,205,000,000 | US$13,000,000 |
| Monthly website search traffic i | 1.3M monthly visits | |
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with Interactive Brokers and with Pepperstone in Australia, both on each trade and on holding the account.Interactive Brokers is better than Pepperstone for CFD/FX costs, as Interactive Brokers is cheaper on EUR/USD, at US$2 per lot (against Pepperstone's US$9), and charges lower US stock CFD fees, at US$0.01 (against Pepperstone's US$0.02). Neither Interactive Brokers nor Pepperstone charges inactivity fees or account maintenance fees.
Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone cannot be compared for real stock costs, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Pepperstone is a CFD broker.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 91 Best 79 | Pepperstone 74 -17 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| 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$2 | US$7 |
| 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$2 | US$9 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 0.5 points | |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.21 points | |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | US$15 | |
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | US$0.005 | US$0.02 |
| 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 Interactive Brokers and with Pepperstone in Australia, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.Interactive Brokers is better than Pepperstone for CFD/FX markets, because Interactive Brokers gives access to 15,000 tradable symbols (against Pepperstone's 1,350), lets you own bonds, crypto, ETFs, funds, forex and stocks outright, which Pepperstone does not, and offers futures on indices and commodities, which Pepperstone does not. Both Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, forex, indices and stocks.
Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone cannot be set side by side for real stock markets, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike Interactive Brokers.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 100 Best 100 | Pepperstone 75 -25 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 15,000 | 1,350 |
| Currency pairs i | ||
| Indices i | ||
| Commodities i | ||
| Stocks i | ||
| ETF i | ||
| Cryptocurrencies i | ||
| Bonds i | ||
| Interest rates i | ||
| Portfolios i | ||
| CFDs i | Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices, Stocks | Commodities, Crypto, ETF, 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 Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone make available to their clients in Australia.Pepperstone is better than Interactive Brokers for platforms, because Pepperstone offers cTrader, MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4, which Interactive Brokers does not. Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone both offer a proprietary platform and TradingView.
Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone cannot be set side by side for platforms, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks, unlike Interactive Brokers.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 80 -17 80 | Pepperstone 97 Best not offered |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone in Australia, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.Pepperstone is better than Interactive Brokers for mobile trading, since Pepperstone offers the cTrader app, the MetaTrader 5 app and the MetaTrader 4 app, which Interactive Brokers does not. Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone both offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.
Pepperstone does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone cannot be compared for mobile trading.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 80 -6 80 | Pepperstone 86 Best not offered |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone allow on their platforms in Australia.Pepperstone is better than Interactive Brokers for CFD/FX trading features, given that Pepperstone offers VPS hosting, which Interactive Brokers does not, and allows for high-frequency trading and expert advisors. Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone both offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.
Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone cannot be compared for real stock trading features, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Pepperstone is a CFD broker.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 75 -12 85 | Pepperstone 87 Best not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | NDD | Hybrid |
| Average execution time i | 50 ms | |
| Slippage occurrence i | ||
| Requotes occurrence i | 0.08% | |
| 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$1 | 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 Interactive Brokers and at Pepperstone in Australia, and of who each one is meant for.Pepperstone is better than Interactive Brokers for CFD/FX account types, as Pepperstone offers a corporate account, a managed account and an Islamic account, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone offer a demo account and a professional traders account.
There is no like-for-like comparison for real stock account types, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 41 -36 63 | Pepperstone 77 Best not offered |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Interactive Brokers and with Pepperstone in Australia.Pepperstone is better than Interactive Brokers for account opening, because Pepperstone offers 6 account base currencies (against Interactive Brokers' 5), supports e-wallets, which Interactive Brokers does not, and offers debit cards, which Interactive Brokers does not. Neither Interactive Brokers nor Pepperstone requires a minimum deposit.
There is no like-for-like comparison for account opening, as Pepperstone is a CFD broker and does not offer real stocks.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 60 -25 60 | Pepperstone 85 Best not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | US$0 | 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, EUR, GBP, HKD, USD | USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, SGD, HKD |
| Deposit waiting time i | up to 1 business days | Instant |
| Withdrawal waiting time i | up to 1 business days | up to 2 business days |
| Bonus program i |
Customer care
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone in Australia, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.Pepperstone is better than Interactive Brokers for customer care, given that Pepperstone offers customer support in 10 languages (against Interactive Brokers' 8), has a website in 9 languages (against Interactive Brokers' 8), and offers a dedicated account manager, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone offer phone support and live chat.
Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone cannot be compared for customer care, because Interactive Brokers is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Pepperstone is a CFD broker.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 58 -20 58 | Pepperstone 78 Best not offered |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 8 | 10 |
| Website languages i | German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese | Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese | Arabic, English, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, 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 Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone provide to their clients in Australia.Interactive Brokers is better than Pepperstone for learning, because Interactive Brokers offers professional reports and a glossary, which Pepperstone does not. Both Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
Pepperstone does not offer real stocks, being a CFD broker, so Interactive Brokers and Pepperstone cannot be compared for learning.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 100 Best 100 | Pepperstone 84 -16 not offered |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
Interactive Brokers vs Pepperstone: which one should you choose?
Interactive Brokers
CFD/FX Choose Interactive Brokers if you want an online CFD broker with low trading costs and a wide choice of markets.
Stocks Choose Interactive Brokers if you want a stockbroker with bonds, funds and options.
Open Account CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
Pepperstone
CFD/FX Choose Pepperstone if you want a CFD and forex broker with the MetaTrader platforms and cTrader.
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 Interactive Brokers or Pepperstone, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
