Interactive brokers vs. ActivTrades
Comparison: Interactive brokers vs. ActivTrades – Which broker is better? A quick comparison based on the trading platform, fees, deposit or withdrawal options, and regulation in 2026.
Winner of this comparison: Interactive brokers with an overall rating of 50%
Basic information
| Basic information |  Interactive brokers |  ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | 10 EUR/USD | 10 EUR/USD |
| Spreads | 1 EUR/USD | 0.72 EUR/USD |
| Established | 1978 | 2001 |
| Currency Pairs (Total Forex pairs) | 22 | 48 |
| Country | UK | UK |
| Regulation | Authorised in the European Union (EU) | FCA (UK), Authorised in the European Union (EU) |
| Trading app | Desktop Platform (Windows), Web Platform | MetaTrader 4 (MT4), Desktop Platform (Windows), Web Platform, MetaTrader 5 (MT5) |
| Number of CFD asset classes | 5 | 4 |
| Broker type | ECN, STP | MM |
| Support | Phone, Mail, Chat | Phone, Mail, Chat |
| Funding methods | * Some of the payment methods may not be available in your country. Visa/Mastercard, Bank Wire | * Some of the payment methods may not be available in your country. Skrill, PayPal, Visa/Mastercard, Bank Wire |
| Real Stocks and ETFs | Yes | Yes |
*The value is indicative from the broker's website. The spread amount is variable.
Comparison Result
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.
50%
Interactive brokers
46%
ActivTrades
Key Strengths
Interactive brokers
- 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
Comprehensive Comparison: Interactive brokers vs ActivTrades
Interactive brokers ActivTrades Investments
62 % 50 %| Investments | Interactive brokers | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Currency Pairs (Total Forex pairs) | 22 | 48 |
| CFDs – Total Offered | 100+ | 1000+ |
| Options CFD | Yes | No |
| Share CFDs | No | No |
| Forex CFD | Yes | Yes |
| Commodities CFD | Yes | Yes |
| ETF CFD | Yes | Yes |
| Indicies CFD | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency traded as actual | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency traded as CFD | No | No |
Cost
80 % 80 %| 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 | No | No |
| Inactivity fee | Yes | Yes |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No |
| Withdrawal fees | No | No |
| Deposit fees | No | No |
Trading app
29 % 57 %| Trading app | Interactive brokers | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy-Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Currenex | No | No |
| cTrader | No | No |
Trading Tools
100 % 70 %| Trading Tools | Interactive brokers | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Financial leverage | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Alerts – Basic Fields | Yes | No |
| Charting – Indicators / Studies (Total) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting – Drawing Tools (Total) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting – Trade From Chart | Yes | No |
| Stop-Loss | Yes | Yes |
| Finacial Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Daily financial news | Yes | Yes |
| Order Type – Trailing Stop | Yes | No |
Research
83 % 50 %| Research | Interactive brokers | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Weekly Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Social Sentiment – Currency Pairs | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Yes | No |
Education
100 % 50 %| Education | Interactive brokers | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Has Education – Forex | Yes | Yes |
| Has Education – CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Videos – Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Yes | No |
Forex
100 % 86 %| Forex | Interactive brokers | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes |
| EUR/USD | Yes | No |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes |
Commodities
100 % 55 %| Commodities | Interactive brokers | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Yes | Yes |
| Silver | Yes | Yes |
| WIT Oil | Yes | Yes |
| Brent Oil | Yes | Yes |
| Coffee | Yes | No |
| Cocoa | Yes | No |
| Soybeans | Yes | No |
| Rice | Yes | No |
| Corn | Yes | No |
| Platinum | Yes | Yes |
| Palladium | Yes | Yes |
Indicies
100 % 100 %| Indicies | Interactive brokers | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| DAX 40 | Yes | Yes |
| S&P 500 | Yes | Yes |
| Nasdaq | Yes | Yes |
| Dow Jones | Yes | Yes |
| Nikkei | Yes | Yes |
Cryptocurrencies
0 % 70 %| Cryptocurrencies | Interactive brokers | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin | No | Yes |
| Litecoin | No | Yes |
| Ethereum | No | No |
| Ripple | No | Yes |
| Neo | No | Yes |
| Stellar | No | Yes |
| Cardano | No | Yes |
| Tron | No | No |
| Monero | No | No |
| EOS | No | Yes |
Regulations
17 % 33 %| Regulations | Interactive brokers | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Cysec | No | No |
| ASIC (Australia) | No | No |
| FCA (UK) | No | Yes |
| Authorised in the European Union (EU) | Yes | Yes |
| CFTC Registered (USA) | No | No |
| FINMA (Switzerland) | No | No |
Support
100 % 100 %| Support | Interactive brokers | ActivTrades |
|---|---|---|
| Chat | Yes | Yes |
| Phone | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes |
Overall
50 % 46 %| Overall | Interactive brokers | ActivTrades |
|---|
Our Recommendations
Best for Interactive brokers
Thanks to comprehensive educational materials and a user-friendly platform, Interactive brokers is an ideal choice for new traders.
Best Platform ActivTrades
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.
Interactive brokers ActivTrades