Interactive Brokers vs FOREX.com 2023

Interactive Brokers has a trust score of 99, giving it a "Highly Trusted" trust label. Here's what each trust score label means:

• "Highly Trusted" (90-99) - These brokers are considered the most trustworthy firms in the industry. Simply put, we would not hesitate to open and fund an account with a Highly Trusted broker.
• "Trusted" (80-89) - These brokers are reliable and trustworthy. "Trusted" firms are a solid choice, and may simply hold fewer regulatory licences or feature different corporate structures than those brokers that have earned our top Trust Score rating.
• "Average Risk" (70-79) - Average Risk brokers are firms we generally consider to be safe, but that may warrant a closer inspection before you open and fund a live trading account. At the least, we always encourage traders to check the regulatory licenses for Average Risk firms to verify that they are regulated in their own country of residence.
• "High Risk" (60-69) - High-risk firms should be scrutinized and carefully reviewed before opening an account. These forex brokers are – in most cases – operating without credible regulatory licensing, and likely have a history of legal or financial issues. Before considering an account with a high-risk firm, we recommend checking our country guides for your country of residence to see if a more trusted broker is available.
• "Do Not Trust" (<59) - We do not recommend opening an account of any kind with a broker that earns a “Do Not Trust” rating.

FOREX.com has a trust score of 99, giving it a "Highly Trusted" trust label.

Interactive Brokers is a long-standing and highly-trusted broker that holds numerous regulatory licenses across the globe. We've rated IBKR as the best broker for professional traders, and it provides traders with access to over 100 markets, including forex and CFDs. IBKR's recently introduced web-based platform caters well to beginners, and its powerful research and extensive educational content makes for a balanced experience for newcomers and professionals alike.

FOREX.com, part of the StoneX Group, is a trusted brand with a long history of offering forex in the U.S. and internationally. CFD markets are available within its proprietary platform, though fewer are available on MetaTrader. While great for active traders, FOREX.com's pricing is not its best feature. Overall, the broker is a great, well-balanced choice – regardless of your experience level.

Tier-1 regulators go above and beyond by requiring additional capital requirements, checking in on brokers more frequently, and putting brokers through a tougher screening process. Interactive Brokers is Australia (ASIC Authorised), Canada (SRO Authorised), Hong Kong (SFC Authorised), CBI Authorised (Ireland), Japan (SFC Authorised), Singapore (MAS Authorised), United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) and USA (CFTC Authorized), while FOREX.com is Canada (SRO Authorised), Japan (SFC Authorised), United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) and USA (CFTC Authorized).. Neither have New Zealand (FMA Authorised) and Switzerland (FINMA Authorised)

Tier-2 and tier-3 licenses are still important in evaluating the overall trustworthiness of forex brokers. As far as tier-2 licenses go, Interactive Brokers is India (SEBI Authorised), while FOREX.com is Cyprus (CySEC Authorised) and UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised).. Neither have China (CBRC Authorised), Israel (ISA Authorised), Russia (CBR Authorised), South Africa (FSCA Authorised) and Thailand (SEC Authorised). When comparing tier-3 licenses Interactive Brokers is none, while FOREX.com is Cayman Islands (CIMA Authorised).. Neither have Bahamas (SCB Authorised), Belize (FSC Authorised), Bermuda (BMA Authorised), British Virgin Islands (FSC Authorised), Mauritius (FSC Authorised) and Vanuatu (VFSC Authorised).

Both Interactive Brokers and FOREX.com offer a Proprietary Platform and Desktop Platform (Windows).. Neither have cTrader, DupliTrade and ZuluTrade

For MetaTrader Interactive Brokers provides neither of these, while FOREX.com provides MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). If MetaTrader is a must for you, read our guides on the best MT4 brokers or best MT5 brokers.

Interactive Brokers requires a minimum deposit of $0, while FOREX.com requires a minimum deposit of $100. From our testing we found Interactive Brokers offers spreads of 0.6, while FOREX.com offers spreads of 1.0. Interactive Brokers supports Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) for popular funding options, where FOREX.com supports Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw), Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) and PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw).. Neither have Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw)

Both Interactive Brokers and FOREX.com allow you to trade Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs), Metals, Energies, Agriculturals, ETF and U.S. Stocks (CFD).. Neither have Spread Betting and Social Trading / Copy Trading Looking at total tradeable symbols, Interactive Brokers has 8500, compared to 5500 from FOREX.com.

Crypto trading is popular with forex traders. Most crypto assets are offered either as the underlying physical asset or as a CFD or other derivative — including spot forex contracts. In terms of trading physical cryptocurrency neither Interactive Brokers nor FOREX.com allow you to trade physical cryptocurrencies.

Both Interactive Brokers and FOREX.com offer a complete suite of research, providing traders with these tools: Daily Market Commentary, Stock Charts, Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) and Trading Central (Recognia).. Neither have Autochartist and Social Trading / Copy Trading

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