Interactive Brokers Review: What You Need to Know Before You Start

Interactive Brokers, also known by the acronym IBKR, is an online broker of American origin that is present worldwide. Interactive Brokers is one of the largest brokers in the world. Interactive Brokers provides access to virtually all stock exchanges and all types of financial products in existence. It is also known for being one of the few stockbrokers that probably counts as many private clients as institutional ones. Discover in this article our comprehensive Interactive Brokers review for 2026. Interactive Brokers, what is it? History and key figures 2026 Interactive Brokers was founded in 1994 by Thomas Peterffy. It is one of the pioneers in online trading services and in the digitization of brokerage activity. The IBKR share is listed on Nasdaq, and Interactive Brokers’ market capitalization exceeds $128 billion. The IBKR stock is included in the “S&P 400 Midcap component” index. The broker serves clients in more than 200 countries. Its headquarters are located in Greenwich, Connecticut, less than 50 km from Wall Street. IBKR has offices in the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Hungary, India, Hong Kong and Shanghai, Japan, Singapore and Australia. The financial group employs roughly 3,100 people in total. Every day, more than 3.62 million transactions are executed on Interactive Brokers’ platforms. Throughout the year 2025, Interactive Brokers recorded approximately $5.9 billion in revenue, and a net income precisely set at $984 million, with solid performance largely driven by higher trading volumes on the platform. In 2026, the broker IBKR serves more than 4.13 million clients worldwide, and more than $750 billion in assets are deposited by clients with the broker. Interactive Brokers has over $19.5 billion in equity, which represents more than $12.4 billion of capital above regulatory requirements. In 2025, Interactive Brokers was ranked No. 1 as Prime Broker by Preqin (best for smaller hedge funds and overall very good) and received multiple first places in StockBrokers.com rankings for key categories such as active traders, international trading, ethical investing, platforms and tools, as well as similar distinctions from ForexBrokers.com and BrokerChooser as the best online broker in several categories, reflecting international recognition of its service quality and technological offering. In 2025, IBKR extended trading hours to almost 24/7 from Sunday to Friday, allowing clients to adjust their positions in real time. Review Interactive Brokers: how good is Interactive Brokers’ offering? We will begin this Interactive Brokers review by detailing the offering, all the more since Interactive Brokers’ offering is one of the most comprehensive brokerage offerings in the world. It is possible to trade on virtually all markets and on all stock exchanges. Thus, you can buy stocks, ETFs, bonds and shares of mutual funds or other types of funds (UCITS, SICAV, and FCP). For trading, traders will have access to CFDs, futures contracts, options, and currencies. It is also possible to trade stocks and ETFs with margin to benefit from leverage. Market products such as warrants and turbo certificates are also tradable on IBKR. Among the 170 exchanges available, investors will of course have access to the most well-known exchanges, but also to less-known exchanges such as the Lithuanian Stock Exchange, Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, the Polish stock exchange, etc. IBKR’s stock offering covers more than 36 countries worldwide. Interactive Brokers also offers interest on uninvested deposits at rates among the most competitive of the moment. Deposits in currencies are possible in 29 different currencies. Interactive Brokers also offers French investors the ability to invest on the stock market in a tax-advantaged way with the possibility of opening a PEA (Plan d’Épargne en Actions), excellent news for French clients of the stockbroker. It was a missing point in IBKR’s offering, and they have resolved the issue. Interactive Brokers recently launched Forecast Trader, a platform specialized for trading Forecast Contracts (simple yes/no products based on economic, political or climate events). These contracts are priced from 0.02 USD to 0.99 USD, closing at 1 USD in case of a good prediction and at 0 in case of an error. Review Interactive Brokers: what are Interactive Brokers’ fees? Regarding fees, Interactive Brokers is known for offering competitive pricing. However, the pricing grid is as broad as the product range, so it is difficult to detail all stock market fees and commissions in a single article whose aim is to provide a concise Interactive Brokers review. We will therefore give you a few examples: To buy shares or ETFs on the Paris exchange (France), expect between 0.05% and 0.015% of the order value with a minimum ranging from 1.25 EUR to 4 EUR depending on the type of order chosen. To buy a stock on the American markets, expect a commission from 0.0035 USD to 0.0005 USD with a minimum of 0.35 USD to 1 USD per order. For options trading, commissions range from 0.25 USD to 0.65 USD per contract. For futures, commissions range from 0.25 USD to 0.85 USD per contract. On cryptos, it’s 0.18% of the trade amount. It is notably possible to choose between a fixed-fee plan and a tiered-fee plan based on monthly trading volume. In conclusion, there is a 99% chance you can find the stock or ETF you are interested in on Interactive Brokers, given that their offering is probably one of the broadest in the brokerage world. However, pricing, while inexpensive, is often quite difficult to understand due to its complexity. Please note that IBKR offers fractional shares and therefore allows the purchase of fractions of shares. Thus, you can buy €1 worth of a stock, even if that stock costs €80 or €120. However, be careful as the brokerage commission will not be fractional. We also want to highlight that uninvested USD funds can generate interest up to 3.14% per year. Uninvested EUR funds can generate interest up to 1.48% per year. If you open a PEA with Interactive Brokers, brokerage fees will be capped (as provided by the Pacte law) at 0.50% of the amount of each transaction. There will be no additional account maintenance or other fees. Review Interactive Brokers: how good is Interactive Brokers’ PEA? For a long time, one of the main drawbacks of Interactive Brokers was the absence of a PEA (Plan d’Épargne en Actions) in its offering; a gap that has now been filled, and which we can only celebrate as this development allows French clients of this internationally renowned broker to finally benefit from this popular tax envelope. If the rules and conditions of the PEA are the same for Interactive Brokers as for other stockbrokers in terms of tax relief and maximum ceiling, the Interactive Brokers PEA offering is distinguished by its unique positioning, combining IBKR’s very broad range of investment products with favorable taxation for French investors. Thus, with Interactive Brokers’ PEA, it is possible to access more than 4,000 stocks, more than 320 ETFs and other UCITS, while enjoying the tax advantages of the Plan d’Épargne en Actions (PEA). With competitive fees, powerful tools, and an intuitive trading platform, Interactive Brokers perfectly meets the needs of investors seeking a global solution to diversify their stock portfolio while optimizing their long-term tax situation. Moreover, Interactive Brokers commits to providing an IFU (single tax form) to their PEA clients, thereby simplifying French investors’ tax declarations. Review Interactive Brokers: what is stock lending for earning more? The stock lending program at Interactive Brokers allows clients to increase the income generated by their equity portfolio by lending their shares to other investors. This program is accessible to clients with a stock portfolio valued above €50,000. You earn interest on the value of the lent shares, calculated based on the market rate. Interactive Brokers pays you 50% of this interest rate (shared 50/50 between the client and Interactive Brokers). There is a small risk that the borrower may not return the shares, which would require Interactive Brokers to buy them back on the market. Review Interactive Brokers: testing Interactive Brokers’ trading platforms Discovering the Interactive Brokers platform is arguably one of the most important aspects of our Interactive Brokers review, especially for a stockbroker whose trading platform is a subject of much debate. Interactive Brokers essentially offers three trading platforms for its clients. We will briefly introduce them below. Testing Interactive Brokers Client Portal The client portal is of course the web interface from which you can monitor your account, request withdrawals or make deposits, and obtain permissions to trade leveraged products. It is also the interface from which you can search for all available financial products and place orders. Relatively easy to use, this interface is perfect for investors who want to buy stocks and ETFs. You can buy at market price or place your stock orders and then monitor your portfolio allocation. Investors who attach importance to socially responsible investing can monitor the portfolio’s environmental and social impact using an advanced ESG analysis tool that will take into account the criteria that matter most to you. Testing the Trader Workstation (TWS) platform by Interactive Brokers The TWS platform is completely different and targets seasoned traders. It is on TWS that traders can negotiate futures contracts or options. It is a professional, very comprehensive and high-performance tool. However, the TWS platform is not ergonomic and is very difficult to master. Beginners should therefore steer toward simpler software, and experienced traders will likely spend several hours before being able to place an order without error. Knowing that you will almost certainly not receive help from Interactive Brokers’ customer support, choosing this platform should be carefully considered. Trading being already quite challenging in itself, we recommend using this platform only if you are an experienced trader, and after spending sufficient time in a demo (paper trading) to practice placing orders. Since its last update, the TWS platform supports multi-monitor usage, a feature that will please traders who work on setups with multiple screens. Testing IBKR Mobile: Interactive Brokers’ mobile app Finally, there is also a mobile version of the IBKR platform, a hybrid between the web platform and the TWS platform. The mobile platform is perfect for tracking your stock portfolio and placing a few orders for stocks and ETFs. The IBKR Mobile platform also includes trading features and tools, which are easier to use than on the TWS platform. The IBKR Mobile platform can also be used as a digital key to securely log in to the web platform. How to open an account with Interactive Brokers? With Interactive Brokers, you can open an account in one of 27 different currencies. Opening an Interactive Brokers account is done by clicking the red button at the top right of the website. You will then choose whether you want to open a margin account (allowing leverage) or a cash account (to invest without leverage). You will start by entering your personal information and contact details, after which questions about your tax information and income will be asked. Next, you will have to answer many questions to test your market knowledge. There may even be a questionnaire to fill out if you request to activate products such as leveraged ETFs. Finally, your banking details as well as identity proof and proof of address will be required to validate your account opening. Review Interactive Brokers: what are the advantages and disadvantages of Interactive Brokers? Although Interactive Brokers is one of the largest brokers in the world, likely enjoying one of the best reputations among professional investors, it remains true that this stockbroker has both advantages and drawbacks. What are the advantages of Interactive Brokers? Access to international markets: more than 170 markets in 40 countries, with the ability to invest in stocks, ETFs, options, futures, currencies, bonds, etc. Very competitive brokerage fees: particularly attractive for active investors or those trading on the U.S. markets. Professional platform: with Trader Workstation (TWS), access to advanced trading tools, sophisticated technical analyses, interactive charts and a very complete order-entry system. Native multi-currency management: ability to hold cash in different currencies and to exchange at very favorable rates, which is ideal for international trading. What are the drawbacks of Interactive Brokers Complex interface for stock beginners: the wealth of features can be confusing for a novice or occasional investor. Potential inactivity fees (depending on account type and balance): although eased in recent years, some fees may apply if activity is too low. Customer service to improve: although generally responsive, some French-speaking Interactive Brokers clients regret slower or less tailored assistance to their needs. Reviews from Interactive Brokers clients Overall, 5,065 Interactive Brokers clients left a Trustpilot review about the stockbroker, a relatively small figure given the actual number of users this internationally renowned broker must count. The average rating of 3.6 out of 5 suggests that Interactive Brokers clients are generally satisfied. Among positive Interactive Brokers client reviews, many users praise the quality of the Interactive Brokers trading platform, often described as one of the most complete on the market. Some clients also highlight the efficiency of the customer service, but it should be noted that these reviews predominantly come from English-speaking users, whereas French-speaking Interactive Brokers clients report a very different experience, often due to less accessible or responsive French-language support. That said, many agree that it is probably the most competitive brokerage offering in terms of asset diversity and pricing. On the negative Interactive Brokers reviews, which still represent 28% of feedback with the lowest score, several clients criticize a referral system deemed unclear, as well as customer support that is difficult to reach, notably due to the ticket system which does not allow talking to a advisor by phone. Finally, document verification procedures and legal requirements are frequently described as too complex or tedious, especially for individual investors not familiar with such formalities. Our take on Interactive Brokers Interactive Brokers is an excellent stock broker, serious and recognized at the institutional level worldwide. The strength of Interactive Brokers’ offering is access to virtually all stocks, all ETFs, all bonds, and a very wide range of brokerage products. The ability to invest in fractional shares is also an asset of IBKR’s offering. We believe that for investing in stocks and ETFs, Interactive Brokers cannot be a bad choice, although it is possible to find more competitive brokerage fees with neo-brokers. The fact that IBKR now offers the option to open a PEA is a factor that propels this stockbroker to the top of the list of online brokers most interesting for French investors. For trading, our view is more mixed due to difficulties using the TWS platform. Interactive Brokers is therefore a good choice provided you are an experienced trader. Review Interactive Brokers: who is Interactive Brokers for? The IBKR offering with the TWS platform is primarily aimed at active and experienced traders who want to trade futures contracts, warrants, options, or use margin on stocks and ETFs. It is better for beginners or casual traders to head toward a simpler platform or toward a broker that offers MetaTrader 5, for example. As for the web platform “client portal” or the IBKR mobile platform, it could suit a large number of investors. However, please take into account the fees, for which a larger amount of capital may be necessary to amortize costs, compared with a neo-broker that charges no brokerage fees. A Few Questions about Interactive Brokers? Interactive Brokers is it regulated? Interactive Brokers is regulated by numerous legal entities around the world, notably by the SEC and the CFTC in the USA. In Europe, clients are under Luxembourg regulation or Hungarian regulation, both members of the EEA and complying with MiFID II. What are the advantages of Interactive Brokers? The biggest advantage of Interactive Brokers is that it offers virtually all existing financial assets on a single platform. Since August 2024, Interactive Brokers has offered the possibility to open a PEA account, an advantage that completes an almost perfect offering. Where are Interactive Brokers’ clients’ funds held? For European clients, funds are deposited in Germany with JP Morgan Chase Bank. Other depository banks exist for Interactive Brokers’ clients, such as CitiBank, Barclays Bank or BMO Harris Bank. *Risque de perte en capital. Voir conditions sur le site Article Sponsorisé Toutes nos informations sont, par nature, génériques. Elles ne tiennent pas compte de votre situation personnelle et ne constituent en aucune façon des recommandations personnalisées en vue de la réalisation de transactions et ne peuvent être assimilées à une prestation de conseil en investissement financier, ni à une incitation quelconque à acheter ou vendre des instruments financiers. 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