Interactive Brokers vs Plus500 Comparison
Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2023 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 39 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare Interactive Brokers vs Plus500.
Can I trust Interactive Brokers?
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.
Can I trust Plus500?
Plus500 has a trust score of 98, giving it a "Highly Trusted" trust label.
Is Interactive Brokers a good broker?
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.
Is Plus500 a good broker?
Plus500 is a highly-trusted broker offering a wide range of CFDs from within its user-friendly trading platforms. While its educational content and range of research trails category leaders, Plus500 is still a great choice for less demanding traders.
What tier-1 jurisdictions is each broker regulated in?
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 Plus500 is Australia (ASIC Authorised), Japan (SFC Authorised), Singapore (MAS Authorised), New Zealand (FMA Authorised) and United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised).. Neither have Switzerland (FINMA Authorised)
What tier-2 jurisdictions is each broker regulated in? What about tier-3?
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 Plus500 is Cyprus (CySEC Authorised), Israel (ISA Authorised), South Africa (FSCA Authorised) and UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised).. Neither have China (CBRC Authorised), Russia (CBR Authorised) and Thailand (SEC Authorised). When comparing tier-3 licenses unfortunately, neither Interactive Brokers nor Plus500 are Bahamas (SCB Authorised), Belize (FSC Authorised), Bermuda (BMA Authorised), British Virgin Islands (FSC Authorised), Cayman Islands (CIMA Authorised), Mauritius (FSC Authorised) and Vanuatu (VFSC Authorised).. Neither have Vanuatu (VFSC Authorised).
Which broker offers more trading platforms?
For trading platforms Interactive Brokers supports a Proprietary Platform and Desktop Platform (Windows), whereas Plus500 supports a Proprietary Platform.. Neither have cTrader, DupliTrade and ZuluTrade
Does Interactive Brokers offer MetaTrader? Does Plus500 offer MetaTrader?
Neither Interactive Brokers or Plus500 offer MT4 or MT5. If MetaTrader is a must for you, read our guides on the best MT4 brokers or best MT5 brokers.. Neither have MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5)
How do Interactive Brokers and Plus500 differ in terms of minimum deposit? What about average spreads and funding options?
Interactive Brokers requires a minimum deposit of $0, while Plus500 requires a minimum deposit of €100. From our testing we found Interactive Brokers offers spreads of 0.6, while Plus500 offers spreads of 0.8. Interactive Brokers supports Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) for popular funding options, where Plus500 supports Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw), Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) and PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw).. Neither have Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw)
Which brokers offers more tradeable asset classes, Interactive Brokers or Plus500?
Interactive Brokers offers a more diverse selection of investment options than Plus500 allowing 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 2800 from Plus500.
Can I trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or Plus500?
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 Plus500 allow you to trade physical cryptocurrencies.
Who offers more research tools, Interactive Brokers or Plus500?
In terms of research and research tools Interactive Brokers gives traders the following tools: Daily Market Commentary, Stock Charts, Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) and Trading Central (Recognia). In comparison Plus500 has the tools listed here: Daily Market Commentary, Stock Charts and Trading Central (Recognia).. Neither have Autochartist and Social Trading / Copy Trading
Broker Reviews
Overall winner: Interactive Brokers
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We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.