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.
Saxo
Regulated in your country Saxo operates in Australia through Totality Wealth, which 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 Saxo are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in Australia.Saxo is better than Interactive Brokers for crypto traders. Day traders, long-term investors and professional traders can choose either Saxo or Interactive Brokers.
| Overall score | Interactive Brokers 83 -1 83 -1 | Saxo 84 84 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Saxo.Interactive Brokers and Saxo are both regulated in Australia, by ASIC.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 100 100 | Saxo 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 Interactive Brokers and Saxo have in place to protect your money in Australia.Both Interactive Brokers and Saxo offer segregated client funds and two-factor authentication.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 73 Best 73 Best | Saxo 66 -7 66 -7 |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 1978 | 1992 |
| Parent company i | Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. | DMA Pty Ltd |
| CEO i | Milan Galik | Kim Fournais |
| 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 | Citi Bank, HSBC Bank Australia, NAB |
| Brand power | ||
| Number of customers worldwide i | 3,337,000 | 1,200,000 |
| Annual revenue i | US$6,205,000,000 | US$727,595,340 |
| Monthly website search traffic i | 1.7M monthly visits | |
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with Interactive Brokers and with Saxo in Australia, both on each trade and on holding the account.Interactive Brokers is better than Saxo for CFD/FX costs, given that Interactive Brokers is cheaper on EUR/USD, at US$2 per lot (against Saxo's US$7), and charges lower US stock CFD fees, at US$0.01 (against Saxo's US$0.08). Neither Interactive Brokers nor Saxo charges inactivity fees or account maintenance fees.
Interactive Brokers is better than Saxo for real stock costs, since Interactive Brokers charges lower futures fees, at US$0.85 per contract (against Saxo's US$3), and charges lower options fees, at US$0.65 per contract (against Saxo's US$2). Neither Interactive Brokers nor Saxo charges inactivity fees or account maintenance fees.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 91 Best 79 Best | Saxo 81 -10 68 -11 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Free |
| 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$7 |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 0.4 points | |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.13 points | |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | US$308 | |
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | US$0.005 | US$0.08 |
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Commission, Percentage | Commission, Percentage |
| US stocks fees (real) i | US$2.1 | US$2 |
| ETF fees (real) i | US$2.1 | US$2 |
| Management costs i | ||
| Connection costs i | ||
| Fees on futures | ||
| Futures fees per contract i | US$0.85 | US$3 |
| Platform fees i | ||
| Fees on options | ||
| Options fees per contract i | US$0.65 | US$2 |
| 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 Saxo in Australia, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.Interactive Brokers and Saxo are equally good for CFD/FX markets, as Interactive Brokers lets you own crypto and forex outright, and offers options on stocks. On the other hand, Saxo gives access to 47,000 tradable symbols (against Interactive Brokers' 15,000), and offers futures on forex. Both Interactive Brokers and Saxo offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, forex, indices and stocks, and let you own bonds, ETFs, funds and stocks outright.
Interactive Brokers and Saxo are equally good for real stock markets, as Interactive Brokers lets you own crypto and forex outright, and offers options on stocks. On the other hand, Saxo gives access to 47,000 tradable symbols (against Interactive Brokers' 15,000), and offers futures on forex. Both Interactive Brokers and Saxo let you own bonds, ETFs, funds and stocks outright, and offer futures on indices and commodities.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 100 100 | Saxo 100 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 15,000 | 47,000 |
| Currency pairs i | ||
| Indices i | ||
| Commodities i | ||
| Stocks i | ||
| ETF i | ||
| Cryptocurrencies i | ||
| Bonds i | ||
| Interest rates i | ||
| Portfolios i | ||
| CFDs i | Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices, Stocks | Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices, Stocks |
| Futures i | Indices, Commodities | Commodities, Forex, Indices |
| Options i | Stocks, Indices | Commodities, Forex, Indices |
| Assets you can own i | Bonds, Crypto, ETF, Funds, Forex, Stocks | Bonds, ETF, Funds, Stocks |
Platform
What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that Interactive Brokers and Saxo make available to their clients in Australia.Interactive Brokers is better than Saxo for platforms, because Interactive Brokers offers TradingView, which Saxo does not. Interactive Brokers and Saxo both offer a proprietary platform and one-click trading.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 80 Best 80 Best | Saxo 75 -5 75 -5 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Saxo in Australia, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.Saxo is better than Interactive Brokers for mobile trading, since Saxo offers mobile trading signals, which Interactive Brokers does not. Interactive Brokers and Saxo both offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 80 -7 80 -7 | Saxo 87 Best 87 Best |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Saxo allow on their platforms in Australia.Saxo is better than Interactive Brokers for CFD/FX trading features, because Saxo offers VPS hosting, which Interactive Brokers does not. Interactive Brokers and Saxo both offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.
Interactive Brokers and Saxo are equally good for real stock trading features, since Interactive Brokers offers fractional shares. On the other hand, Saxo has no minimum trade size on stocks (against Interactive Brokers' US$1). Both Interactive Brokers and Saxo offer trailing stops and tier-1 liquidity providers.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 75 -10 85 | Saxo 85 Best 85 |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | NDD | Hybrid |
| Average execution time i | 12 ms | |
| Slippage occurrence i | 20.7% | |
| Requotes occurrence i | ||
| 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$0 |
| 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 Saxo in Australia, and of who each one is meant for.Interactive Brokers and Saxo are equally good for CFD/FX account types, since Interactive Brokers offers a micro account and a raw spread account while Saxo offers a corporate account. Both Interactive Brokers and Saxo offer a demo account and a professional traders account.
Saxo is better than Interactive Brokers for real stock account types, since Saxo offers a corporate account and a savings account, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both Interactive Brokers and Saxo offer a stock investing account and a demo account.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 41 -1 63 -15 | Saxo 42 78 Best |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Saxo in Australia.Saxo is better than Interactive Brokers for account opening, because Saxo offers 11 account base currencies (against Interactive Brokers' 5), and offers debit cards, which Interactive Brokers does not. Neither Interactive Brokers nor Saxo requires a minimum deposit.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 60 -20 60 -20 | Saxo 80 Best 80 Best |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Local payment methods i | ||
| Account base currencies i | AUD, EUR, GBP, HKD, USD | AUD, CAD, CHF, CNH, EUR, GBP, HKD, JPY, NZD, SGD, USD |
| Deposit waiting time i | up to 1 business days | up to 2 business days |
| Withdrawal waiting time i | up to 1 business days | up to 5 business days |
| Bonus program i |
Customer care
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of Interactive Brokers and Saxo in Australia, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.Saxo is better than Interactive Brokers for customer care, because Saxo has a website in 12 languages (against Interactive Brokers' 8), and offers a dedicated account manager and priority support, which Interactive Brokers does not. Both Interactive Brokers and Saxo offer phone support and email support.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 58 -20 58 -20 | Saxo 78 Best 78 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 8 | 12 |
| Website languages i | German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese | Arabic, Danish, English, French, Hungarian, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Russian, Slovenian, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese | English |
| 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 Saxo provide to their clients in Australia.Interactive Brokers and Saxo are equally good for learning, as both offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
| Section score | Interactive Brokers 100 100 | Saxo 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 | ||
Interactive Brokers vs Saxo: which one should you choose?
Interactive Brokers
CFD/FX Choose Interactive Brokers if you want an online CFD broker with low trading costs and TradingView.
Stocks Choose Interactive Brokers if you want a broker for securities investing with crypto and forex to own.
Open Account CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
Saxo
CFD/FX Choose Saxo if you want a CFD and forex broker with a wide choice of markets and conditions for high-volume trading.
Stocks Choose Saxo if you want a share dealing service for high-volume trading.
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 Saxo, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
