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Risk warning: CFDs and leveraged products carry a high risk of rapid loss. The majority of retail investor accounts lose money trading them. Futures brokers are priced by commission per contract, not spreads, so “pips” and “commission-based” are not directly comparable — and a 0.0-pip raw spread never includes the commission charged on top. Minimum deposits, leverage caps, product availability and investor protection depend on the entity that serves your country, and several brokers listed do not accept clients from every jurisdiction. Educational information only — not financial advice.
Interactive Brokers review
Rating is our editorial assessment — not an aggregate of user reviews.
Multi-asset broker giving direct access to global futures, stocks and forex.
Key facts
| Regulation | SEC, FINRA, CFTC/NFA, FCA, CBI, ASIC, MAS, SFC — You are onboarded to a local IBKR entity (IBKR LLC, IBUK, IBIE, IB Australia…). Your regulator, protections and product access follow that entity, not the group list. |
|---|---|
| Client eligibility | Available in most countries via local entities; product access varies by country of residence. |
| Min deposit | $0 |
| Pricing | Commission-based — Futures from $0.85/contract ($0.25 micros); FX priced by commission |
| Platforms | TWS, IBKR Desktop, IBKR Mobile, Client Portal, API |
| Instruments | Futures, Forex, Indices, Metals, Crypto, Stocks, Options, Bonds |
| Founded | 1978 |
Indicative figures — spreads are variable, commissions and minimum deposits vary by account type and by the regional entity serving you. Confirm current terms on Interactive Brokers’s website. Last reviewed: 2026-07.
Our verdict on Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers offers one of the broadest asset-class mixes here: futures, stocks, options, bonds and commission-priced FX in one place, with US futures from $0.85 per contract and e-micros from $0.25 on Fixed pricing. The trade-off is complexity and structure — Trader Workstation rewards time spent learning it, and what you can trade depends entirely on which local IBKR entity onboards you.
Best for
- ✓Traders who want direct exchange access to ES, NQ, YM and GC at a low per-contract cost
- ✓Traders who want futures, equities, options and FX settled in one multi-asset account
Look elsewhere if
- ✕Traders who want a simple platform on day one — TWS has a steep learning curve
- ✕Traders who want protected spot crypto: it is limited to eligible clients and is not SIPC-protected
Watch out:The group regulator list is not your regulator. You are onboarded to a single local entity — IBKR LLC, IBUK, IBIE, IB Australia and so on — and your protections and product access follow that entity alone, not the eight-regulator headline.
What it actually costs to trade here
Interactive Brokers charges commission rather than folding its cost into the spread, which makes the number easy to model in advance. US futures start at $0.85 per contract on Fixed pricing and e-micro contracts at $0.25, so a round turn on MES or MNQ costs fifty cents in commission. Spot FX is quoted as tight as 0.1 pip and billed separately by commission rather than marked up. There is no account minimum and no inactivity fee, so an account left dormant between setups does not quietly erode.
Against the other futures routes here IBKR sits mid-table on headline cost. NinjaTrader and Tradovate quote from $0.09 per side on micros, but only on a $1,499 one-time Lifetime licence, and they are the same underlying FCM. AMP Futures starts at $0.15 per side while billing platform, data-feed and exchange fees separately. TradeStation starts at $1.75 per contract per side, $0.50 on micros. What IBKR adds for its price is everything that is not futures, on the same balance.
Regulation and who actually holds your account
IBKR appears under SEC, FINRA, CFTC/NFA, FCA, CBI, ASIC, MAS and SFC oversight, but no single client sits under all of them. Onboarding routes you to one local entity, and that entity determines your regulator, your compensation arrangements and which products you are allowed to open. Two traders using the same platform in different countries can have materially different leverage, instrument access and recourse. Before funding, confirm in writing which entity your client agreement names and treat that as the only regulatory fact that applies to you.
Product scope follows the same logic. Availability spans most countries through those local entities, but the instrument list is filtered by country of residence, so a menu shown in marketing is not a menu you are guaranteed. Spot crypto is a clear case: it is limited to eligible clients and sits outside SIPC coverage, so it should not be treated as equivalent in protection to a securities position. If BTC, ETH or SOL exposure is central to your plan, check eligibility first rather than after funding.
Pros
- + US futures at $0.85/contract, e-micros at $0.25 (Fixed pricing)
- + No account minimum and no inactivity fee
- + Spot FX quotes as tight as 0.1 pip with separate commission
Cons
- − Trader Workstation has a steep learning curve for new traders
- − Spot crypto is limited to eligible clients and is not SIPC-protected
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