This comparison guide helps users who are confused about choosing between ActivTrades and Interactive Brokers to pick the perfect online broker for their trading and investment needs. It evaluates the main features of the two brokers shoulder to shoulder to help users compare their service and make an informed decision.
To help users pick the right broker between ActivTrades and Interactive Brokers to find the best-suited platform, below is a list of broker’s pros and cons, followed by a comparison of their main trading features, including trading platforms & tools, fees, mobile trading, deposit & withdrawal, assets, regulation, and customer support.
ActivTrades vs. Interactive Brokers: Summary
ActivTrades is a forex and CFD broker founded in 2001. The broker is licensed by the FCA and is considered safe. Users have access to a variety of assets including forex and CFDs on stocks, ETFs, cryptos, commodities and indices.
ActiveTrades has a proprietary platform (ActivTrader) and mobile app (ActiveTrades app) with an intuitive dashboard and trading features. Trading fees are below industry average, while research and educational resources are limited.
Account opening is fast and simple, while deposit & withdrawals are free of charge. The minimum deposit is $0.
ActiveTrade’s customer support is available through phone, email and live chat 24/5.
ActiveTrade is a common choice among forex and CFD traders with intermediate knowledge.
Interactive Brokers is a highly trusted global broker with a well-rounded offer of tradable markets, great educational content and sophisticated order type configuration. It is a high trusted and well capitalize company with an industry leading trading platform, a competitive fee structure and great global market access. Their low entry level and the Global Trader platform, which is intuitive and easy to use trading station, make this broker s great choice for beginners and advanced forex traders.
Professional and seasoned traders will appreciate the great selection of advanced trading tools and order type configurations available on their proprietary Trader Workstation desktop platform (TWS).
Pros
- Low minimum deposit ($0)
- Low spreads from 0.5 pips EUR/USD
- Proprietary web platform (ActiveTrader) and MetaTrader desktop integration
- Negative balance protection
- Fast account opening
Cons
- Inactivity fees
- Limited availability of assets (only CFD, forex, and cryptocurrencies)
Pros
- Low minimum deposit ($0)
- Industry lowest overall fees
- Professional trading platform suitable for different types of traders
- Intuitive and easy to use mobile trading app
- Compatible features for casual and professional traders
- Responsive customer support
Cons
- Few deposit and withdrawal options
- Research and education materials missing
Key features
- Access to forex, CFDs and cryptocurrencies
- Compatible with MetaTrader 4 and 5
- Extensive research tools (SmartOrder 2 and Pivot Points Indicator)
- Daily Market Analysis videos
- Free unlimited demo paper trading account
- One to One training available
Key features
- Margin loan rates on stocks of 1.3%
- Access to 135+ global markets
- Advanced order types, tools and features
- Access to frictional shares
- Lowest commissions in the industry
ActivTrades vs. Interactive Brokers Comparison
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ActivTrades
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 83% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Interactive Brokers
All trading involves risk. More than 80% of investors lose in spread bet and CFD trading. As these complex instruments allow for the use of leverage, there is a high risk of losing more money than you have deposited. Before attempting to participate in spread bets and CFDs, consider how well you understand them and if you can afford to lose your money.
BROKER COMPARISON
Trading Platform & Tools
| Automated Trading | ||
| Charting Tools | ||
| Conditional Orders | ||
| cTrader | ||
| Demo Account | ||
| Desktop Platform | ||
| Max Leverage | 1:400 | 1:20 |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | ||
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | ||
| Mobile Version | ||
| Mutual Fund Management | ||
| Proprietary Platform | ||
| Social/Copy Trading | ||
| Trading Alerts | ||
| Trading signals | ||
| Watchlist | ||
| Web Version |
Fees
| Withdrawal Fee | 0 | 0 |
| Deposit Fee | 0 | 1% |
| Inactivity Fee | 0 | |
| Cost Per Trade | 0 | 0 |
| Cost Per Month | £10 | 0 |
| Forex (EUR/USD) | 1 pip | 0.2 pips + 0.08 to 0.20 bps times trade size comission |
| Stocks & ETF | 0 | $ 0.005 per share |
| CFD (Gold) | 3.8 pips | 0.02% |
| Crypto | 0 | 0.12% to 0.18% of trade value |
| Options | 0 | |
| Conversion Fees | 0 | |
| Misc. Fees | 0 | 0 |
| Overnight Fees | 0 | Yes on CFD’s |
Deposit & Withdrawal
| Minimum deposit (in UAE) | $0.00 | $0 |
| Bank Wire | ||
| Credit/Debit Card | ||
| Cash | ||
| Check | YES from US bank account | |
| Islamic Account Transfer | ||
| E-payments | ||
| Paypal | ||
| Skrill | ||
| Neteller |
Assets
| Shares | 0 | 16.500 |
| ETF & Funds | 0 | 35.000 |
| Crypto | 0 | 4 |
| Commodities | 0 | 1 |
| Indices | 0 | 3052 |
| Options | 0 | 50.000 |
| Futures | 0 | 245 |
| Bonds | 0 | 1.000.000 |
| Forex Instruments | 48 | 115 |
| CFD Indices & Funds | 527 | 13 |
| CFD Stocks | 660 | 8.000 |
| CFD Commodities | 15 | 2 |
| CFD Crypto | 9 | 0 |
| CFD Bonds | 5 | 0 |
| Binary Options | 0 | 0 |
| SWAPS | 0 | 0 |
| Saving Plans | 0 | 0 |
Research & Education
| Webinars | ||
| Educational Resources | ||
| Daily News Updates | ||
| Market Indepth Analysis | ||
| Pers. Training & Room | ||
| Market Research |
Customer Support
| Phone | ||
| Live Chat | ||
| 24/7 support | ||
| Multilingual | ||
| Personal Account Manager |
Winner
ActivTrades vs. Interactive Brokers Comparison Conclusion
The results of our comparison of ActivTrades vs. Interactive Brokers are wrapped up in the table below.
| Broker: | Best For: |
| ActivTrades | Forex and CFD trading |
| Interactive Brokers | Stocks and ETFs |
Choosing between ActivTrades and Interactive Brokers can be a tough decision. Both online brokers have similarities but vary based on trading fees, platform selection, products, licenses, and trading features. Picking the best broker depends on users’ trading & investment goals, individual preferences, and experience level.
To make a better-informed decision, users can read our detailed broker reviews, comparison or use our broker selector to help them find the ideal broker.