Interactive Brokers Review 2026
Interactive Brokers is a US listed multi asset broker with very low fees, but Trustpilot and BBB reviewers often report frozen accounts and slow support replies.
Min Deposit
$0
Spreads From
Institutional
Max Leverage
1:40
Platforms
4
Pros
- Regulated by top tier bodies in the US, UK, Ireland, and Australia
- EUR/USD spreads run near 0.6 pips all in, tighter than most brokers
- No deposit, withdrawal, or inactivity fees on any account
- Access to stocks, options, futures, bonds, and forex in one account
- IBKR Mobile app rated above 4.4 out of 5 on major app stores
Cons
- FINRA fined Interactive Brokers five times from October 2024 to November 2025
- A 2020 FINRA, SEC, and CFTC action fined the firm 38 million dollars over weak AML checks
- Trustpilot and BBB reviewers report accounts frozen with little warning
- No MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, or cTrader support
- Trader Workstation has a steep learning curve for new traders
- Small forex trades cost more per lot under the commission model
Interactive Brokers started in 1978 in the United States, built by Thomas Peterffy from a small market making firm. The parent company, Interactive Brokers Group, trades on Nasdaq as IBKR. FINRA fined the firm five times between October 2024 and November 2025, including 2.25 million dollars for failing to stop free riding in client accounts.
The broker offers forex, stocks, options, futures, bonds, and funds from one account, with access to over 170 markets in 29 currencies. EUR/USD spreads run near 0.6 pips all in, and there is no inactivity or withdrawal fee. There is no MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, or cTrader, only its own Trader Workstation, Client Portal, and mobile app.
On Trustpilot, Interactive Brokers scores about 3.2 out of 5 from close to 5,000 reviews, and roughly one in four reviews give just 1 star. Reviewers there and on the Better Business Bureau site often describe accounts frozen or closed with little warning.
Min. Deposit
USD 0
Max Leverage
1:30 for retail forex in the UK and EU, up to 1:50 on major pairs for US retail clients under NFA rules
Spreads From
About 0.6 pips all in on EUR/USD
Platforms
Interactive Brokers is one of the world's largest and most respected electronic brokerages, founded in 1977 and publicly listed on NASDAQ. Regulated by the SEC, FCA, ASIC, and multiple other top-tier authorities, IBKR is the gold standard for regulatory compliance and financial transparency in the retail brokerage industry.
With access to 150 markets in 33 countries and over 1 million tradeable instruments — including stocks, bonds, options, futures, forex, funds, and cryptocurrencies — Interactive Brokers offers the broadest product range of any retail broker by a significant margin. The broker's tiered pricing model gives active traders access to institutional-grade commissions starting from $0.00005 per share for equities.
Interactive Brokers' IBKR Pro platform (via Trader Workstation) is considered the most advanced retail trading terminal available, offering professional-grade tools, algorithms, and market access. The broker also offers IBKR Lite with zero-commission stock trading for casual investors. IBKR clients hold over $400 billion in assets globally.
IBKR Lite
IBKR Pro
100+ currency pairs available for trading
Regulation, fund safety, track record
Spreads, execution, leverage
Platform quality, charting, features
Analysis, webinars, learning materials
Support quality, responsiveness
Mobile app quality, features
Regulators
Platforms
- SEC (USA)
- FCA (UK)
- ASIC (Australia)
- MAS (Singapore)
- SFC (Hong Kong)
