United States
United Kingdom
Germany
Netherlands
Australia
United Arab Emirates
Canada
Italy
Spain
Austria
Croatia
Serbia
Portugal
CyprusTradeStation vs Interactive Brokers
What each one charges, who licenses it, and how they rank against each other country by country.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
The short version
The United States is the one country where we rank both for stocks, and Interactive Brokers comes out ahead there.
We score each country separately, based on the company that would actually hold your account there, so check your own country in the table below.
On fees it's a draw: each is cheaper on 1 of the 2 we could check for both.
Both hold top-tier (tier-1) licences: TradeStation from SEC / FINRA, Interactive Brokers from SEC / FINRA, FCA, CBI, ASIC, CIRO, SFC, MAS and JFSA.
- TradeStation is cheaper for US stock orders: $0 per order, compared with $1 per order at Interactive Brokers.Edge: TradeStation
- Interactive Brokers doesn't charge an inactivity fee; TradeStation charges $10/month.Edge: Interactive Brokers
- We list TradeStation in 1 of the 14 countries we cover and Interactive Brokers in 12. They overlap in 1.Edge: Interactive Brokers
- Only Interactive Brokers offers forex and CFDs.
- Only TradeStation supports TradingView.
- Interactive Brokers gets more search attention than TradeStation (Market Signal 61 vs 41). That tells you how well known it is, not how good it is.
Where you can use each one
Where each one ranks on our list in every country we cover, its Coinish Score there, and the company that would hold your account. If a broker isn't allowed to take clients from a country, it isn't on that country's list.
Stock brokers & investing apps
| Country | TradeStation | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|
| United States | #8 of 960/100Locally licensed TradeStation Securities, Inc. · SEC / FINRA | #6 of 971/100Locally licensed Interactive Brokers LLC · SEC / FINRA |
| Australia | Not listed | #5 of 871/100Locally licensed Interactive Brokers Australia Pty. Ltd. · ASIC |
| Austria | Not listed | #2 of 871/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI |
| Canada | Not listed | #3 of 571/100Locally licensed Interactive Brokers Canada Inc. · CIRO |
| Croatia | Not listed | #2 of 871/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI |
| Cyprus | Not listed | #2 of 971/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI |
| Germany | Not listed | #2 of 1271/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI |
| Italy | Not listed | #2 of 1171/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI |
| Netherlands | Not listed | #3 of 1071/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI |
| Portugal | Not listed | #2 of 971/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI |
| Spain | Not listed | #2 of 971/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI |
| United Kingdom | Not listed | #4 of 771/100Locally licensed Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited · FCA |
Fees and features side by side
| TradeStation | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Stocks & ETFs, Options, Futures, Crypto | Stocks & ETFs, Forex, CFDs, Options, Futures, Crypto |
| Owner | TradeStation Group, Inc. | IBG LLC |
| EUR/USD all-in cost | Not verified yet | 0.6 pips, IBKR Pro (0.20 bps commission + spread from 0.1 pip) |
| US stock commission | $0 per order | $1 per order |
| Crypto trading fee | Not verified yet | Not verified yet |
| Currency conversion fee | Not verified yet | Not verified yet |
| Inactivity fee | $10/month | None |
| Withdrawal fee | $25, outgoing wire from an equities account | Up to $10 |
| Minimum deposit | $0 (TradeStation Securities, Inc.) | $0 (Interactive Brokers LLC) |
| Instruments | Not verified yet | Not verified yet |
| Fractional shares | Not verified yet | Yes |
| Platforms | TradeStation Desktop, TradeStation Web Trading, TradeStation Mobile, TITAN X, FuturesPlus, TradingView | Client Portal, IBKR Desktop, Trader Workstation (TWS) |
| Deposit methods | Not verified yet | Wire transfer, Electronic funds transfer (SEPA, ACH, BACS), Check (US only) |
| Withdrawal time (stated) | Not verified yet | same day or next day (SEPA and bank wire) |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Support | live chat, email, phone | live chat, email, phone |
Every figure comes from the broker's own pages or its regulator. You'll find the sources in each review (TradeStation, Interactive Brokers).
Licences
TradeStation
- TradeStation Securities, Inc.: SEC / FINRA (Tier 1)
Interactive Brokers
- Interactive Brokers LLC: SEC / FINRA (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited: FCA (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited: CBI (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers Australia Pty. Ltd.: ASIC (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers Canada Inc.: CIRO (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers Hong Kong Limited: SFC (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers Singapore Pte. Ltd.: MAS (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers Securities Japan Inc.: JFSA (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers India Pvt. Ltd.: SEBI (Tier 2)
TradeStation vs Interactive Brokers: common questions
Which is better, TradeStation or Interactive Brokers?
The United States is the one country where we rank both for stocks, and Interactive Brokers comes out ahead there. For reference, TradeStation's best ranking is #8 of 9 stock brokers & investing apps in the United States, and Interactive Brokers' best ranking is #2 of 12 stock brokers & investing apps in Germany.
Is TradeStation cheaper than Interactive Brokers?
TradeStation is cheaper for US stock orders: $0 per order, compared with $1 per order at Interactive Brokers. Interactive Brokers doesn't charge an inactivity fee; TradeStation charges $10/month.
Is TradeStation or Interactive Brokers better regulated?
Both hold top-tier (tier-1) licences: TradeStation from SEC / FINRA, Interactive Brokers from SEC / FINRA, FCA, CBI, ASIC, CIRO, SFC, MAS and JFSA. Which company you actually sign up with depends on where you live; the country table on this page names it for each one.
Can I use both TradeStation and Interactive Brokers where I live?
We list TradeStation in 1 of the 14 countries we cover and Interactive Brokers in 12. They overlap in 1. For stocks, you'll find both on our lists in United States.