Interactive brokers vs. ActivTrades

Interactive brokers
90%
Deposit 10 EUR/USD
Spreads 1 EUR/USD
*The value is indicative from the broker's website. The spread amount is variable.
Established 1978
Currency Pairs (Total Forex pairs) 22
Country: UK
Regulation:
Authorised in the European Union (EU)
Trading app:
Desktop Platform (Windows)
Web Platform
Number of CFD asset classes: 5
Broker type: ECN, STP
Support:
Phone
Mail
Chat
Funding methods:
Visa/Mastercard
Bank Wire
* Some of the payment methods may not be available in your country.
Real Stocks and ETFs:
ActivTrades
46%
Deposit 10 EUR/USD
Spreads 0.72 EUR/USD
*The value is indicative from the broker's website. The spread amount is variable.
Established 2001
Currency Pairs (Total Forex pairs) 48
Country: UK
Regulation:
FCA (UK)
Authorised in the European Union (EU)
Trading app:
MetaTrader 4 (MT4)
Desktop Platform (Windows)
Web Platform
MetaTrader 5 (MT5)
Number of CFD asset classes: 4
Broker type: MM
Support:
Phone
Mail
Chat
Funding methods:
Skrill
PayPal
Visa/Mastercard
Bank Wire
* Some of the payment methods may not be available in your country.
Real Stocks and ETFs:

Winner of the comparison

50%
Interactive brokers
Winner
46%
ActivTrades
In terms of overall rating, both brokers are equal – both have 50%. Interactive brokers requires a minimum deposit of 10 EUR/USD, while ActivTrades sets it at 10 EUR/USD. The entry amount is the same for both. For Interactive brokers, the spread is 1 EUR/USD, while for ActivTrades it is 0.72 EUR/USD. Lower spreads at ActivTrades give it the edge. Interactive brokers offers 22 forex pairs, while ActivTrades provides 48. More options come with ActivTrades. Interactive brokers was founded in 1978, while ActivTrades has been operating since 2001. The longer tradition of Interactive brokers means greater experience. A big plus for Interactive brokers is the ability to trade real stocks, which ActivTrades doesn’t offer. Interactive brokers is overseen by 1 regulatory bodies, while ActivTrades has 2. Stricter oversight at ActivTrades gives it an advantage. Interactive brokers supports 2 platforms, while ActivTrades offers 4. More options are provided by ActivTrades.

Comprehensive Comparison: Interactive brokers vs ActivTrades

A detailed look at two popular brokers from our portfolio

Comparison Result
Winner of this comparison: Interactive brokers with an overall rating of 50%
Interactive brokers
Min. Deposit
10
EUR/USD Spread
1
Currency Pairs
22
Year Established
1978
ActivTrades
Min. Deposit
10
EUR/USD Spread
0.72
Currency Pairs
48
Year Established
2001

Key Strengths

Interactive brokers

    Broker Interactive brokers boasts a long and trouble-free history. Moreover, there is no minimum deposit required, which makes it easy to start trading even with smaller amounts. The broker also allows the purchase of fractional shares.

    The availability of a demo account will offer testing of strategies without the risk of losses. Another advantage is the wide range of assets available for trading.

    • Extremely low fees
    • Wide range of products
    • Many great research tools
    • Low margin rates
    • No inactivity fee and no withdrawal fee
ActivTrades
    • Long-term experience and reliability: ActivTrades has over 20 years of market experience and is regulated by several significant regulatory bodies (FCA, SCB, CSSF, BACEN, CMVM).
    • High-quality trading platforms: Offers a wide range of trading platforms, including MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView, and its own ActivTrader platform.
    • Low spreads and fast execution: Spreads start from 0.5 pips and the average execution time is 0.004 seconds, which is advantageous for day traders.
    • Security and fund protection: ActivTrades offers fund insurance up to 1 million dollars and uses secure encryption protocols.
    • Education and tools: The broker provides free webinars, educational materials, and advanced trading tools such as SmartCalculator, SmartPattern, and more.

Comparison by Categories

Trading Tools
Interactive brokers
100%
ActivTrades
70%
Trading Platforms
Interactive brokers
29%
ActivTrades
57%
Trading Costs
Interactive brokers
80%
ActivTrades
80%
Educational Materials
Interactive brokers
100%
ActivTrades
50%
Customer Support
Interactive brokers
100%
ActivTrades
100%
Overall Rating
Interactive brokers
50%
ActivTrades
46%

Our Recommendations

Best for Beginners
Thanks to comprehensive educational materials and a user-friendly platform, Interactive brokers is an ideal choice for new traders.
Best Platform
The trading platform of broker ActivTrades offers an intuitive interface and advanced features for efficient trading.
Lowest Costs
Both brokers have comparable fee structures and spreads.
Investments
# Interactive brokers ActivTrades
Currency Pairs (Total Forex pairs) 22 48
CFDs – Total Offered 100+ 1000+
Options CFD
Share CFDs
Forex CFD
Commodities CFD
ETF CFD
Indicies CFD
Cryptocurrency traded as actual
Cryptocurrency traded as CFD
Investments rating 62% 50%
Winner
Cost
# Interactive brokers ActivTrades
Average Spread EUR/USD *The value is indicative from the broker's website. The spread amount is variable. 1 0.72
Deposit from 10 10
Account fee
Inactivity fee
Active Trader or VIP Discounts
Withdrawal fees
Deposit fees
Cost rating 80% 80%
Winner
Trading app
# Interactive brokers ActivTrades
Desktop Platform (Windows)
Web Platform
Social Trading / Copy-Trading
MetaTrader 4 (MT4)
MetaTrader 5 (MT5)
Currenex
cTrader
Trading Platforms rating 29% 57%
Winner
Trading Tools
# Interactive brokers ActivTrades
Financial leverage
Virtual Trading (Demo)
Alerts – Basic Fields
Charting – Indicators / Studies (Total)
Charting – Drawing Tools (Total)
Charting – Trade From Chart
Stop-Loss
Finacial Calendar
Daily financial news
Order Type – Trailing Stop
Trading Tools rating 100% 70%
Winner
Research
# Interactive brokers ActivTrades
Daily Market Commentary
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources)
Weekly Webinars
Social Sentiment – Currency Pairs
Economic Calendar
Research
Research rating 83% 50%
Winner
Education
# Interactive brokers ActivTrades
Has Education – Forex
Has Education – CFDs
Client Webinars
Videos – Advanced Trading Videos
Investor Dictionary (Glossary)
Education
Education rating 100% 50%
Winner
Forex
# Interactive brokers ActivTrades
GBP/USD
USD/JPY
EUR/USD
USD/CHF
USD/CAD
NZD/USD
AUD/USD
Major Forex Pairs rating 100% 86%
Winner
Commodities
# Interactive brokers ActivTrades
Gold
Silver
WIT Oil
Brent Oil
Coffee
Cocoa
Soybeans
Rice
Corn
Platinum
Palladium
Commodities rating 100% 55%
Winner
Indicies
# Interactive brokers ActivTrades
DAX 40
S&P 500
Nasdaq
Dow Jones
Nikkei
Indices rating 100% 100%
Winner
Cryptocurrencies
# Interactive brokers ActivTrades
Bitcoin
Litecoin
Ethereum
Ripple
Neo
Stellar
Cardano
Tron
Monero
EOS
Cryptocurrencies rating 0% 70%
Winner
Regulations
# Interactive brokers ActivTrades
Cysec
ASIC (Australia)
FCA (UK)
Authorised in the European Union (EU)
CFTC Registered (USA)
FINMA (Switzerland)
Regulations rating 17% 33%
Winner
Support
# Interactive brokers ActivTrades
Chat
Phone
Mail
Support rating 100% 100%
Winner
Overall
# Interactive brokers ActivTrades
Go to the full broker review Interactive brokers ActivTrades
Win / Loss % 50% 46%
Winner