Home
Brokers

ActivTrades vs Interactive Brokers

ActivTrades or Interactive Brokers – which is better for UK traders 2025? Compare ActivTrades and Interactive Brokers in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.

ActivTrades vs Interactive Brokers Comparison Table 2025
ActivTrades	Interactive Brokers

4	4.3
ActivTrades is ranked #56 among CFD brokers.	Interactive Brokers is ranked #33 among CFD brokers.
Review	Review
ActivTrades, a UK-based CFD and forex broker since 2001, is renowned for its award-winning services. It holds licences from esteemed regulators, including the UK’s FCA. The firm offers trading on more than 1,000 instruments across seven asset classes, with an impressive 93.60% of trades executed at the desired price.	Interactive Brokers (IBKR), a leading brokerage, offers access to 150 markets across 33 countries and provides extensive investment services. With more than 40 years of experience, this Nasdaq-listed company complies with strict regulations from the SEC, FCA, CIRO, and SFC. It is among the most reliable brokers worldwide for traders.
Pros
ActivTrades provides competitive spreads, especially for forex trading, starting at 0.5 pips on major currency pairs without extra commissions. Additionally, the €/£10 inactivity fee is only applied after 52 weeks, benefiting active traders. While cTrader isn't supported, MT4, MT5, TradingView, and the broker's ActivTrader platform accommodate various trading requirements. The firm's web-based platform has proven user-friendly and visually appealing for novices during testing. ActivTrades is a reputable firm with over 20 years in the financial sector. It holds authorizations from three top-tier regulatory bodies, according to DayTrading.com's Regulation & Trust Rating. For UK traders, it offers enhanced protection with £1 million in investor compensation, surpassing the £85,000 provided by the FSCS, should the firm face insolvency. Based on our tests, ActivTrades offers swift and reliable support via live chat, email, and phone in multiple languages. This makes it an excellent choice for both traders and newcomers seeking quality assistance. With execution speeds averaging 4ms and an order completion rate of 93.6%, ActivTrades provides an outstanding platform for traders. It supports rapid strategies without imposing limits on short-term approaches.	IBKR is a highly respected brokerage, regulated by top-tier authorities, ensuring the integrity and security of your trading account. The TWS platform is tailored for intermediate and advanced traders, featuring over 100 order types and a dependable real-time market data feed with exceptional uptime. Interactive Brokers has been awarded Best US Broker for 2025 by DayTrading.com. This accolade highlights its dedication to traders in the US, offering exceptionally low margin rates and access to global markets at minimal expense. The new IBKR Desktop platform combines the top features of TWS with customised tools such as Option Lattice and MultiSort Screeners, providing an impressive trading experience for traders of all skill levels. A wide range of third-party research subscriptions, both free and paid, are available for traders. Additionally, by subscribing to Toggle AI, traders can receive commission rebates from IBKR. IBKR consistently offers unparalleled access to global equities, with thousands of shares available across over 100 market centres in 24 countries, including the recently added Saudi Stock Exchange. While initially targeting seasoned traders, IBKR has recently widened its appeal by eliminating its $10,000 minimum deposit requirement. IBKR offers an economical environment for traders, featuring low commissions, narrow spreads, and a clear fee structure.
Cons
The platform lacks features for copy or social trading, which is a disadvantage for traders interested in passive investing or replicating the trades of seasoned traders. This is particularly evident when compared to eToro and Vantage. The selection of over 1,000 markets includes forex, commodities, indices, and ETFs. However, the overall choice of asset classes is limited, with no stocks available outside the US, UK, and Europe. In comparison, BlackBull provides access to more than 26,000 markets. Its research tools are decent, although somewhat lacking. The expanding 'Analysis' hub is useful, but the absence of Trading Central or Autochartist means advanced technical insights are missing. This limitation may hinder traders seeking to spot opportunities in volatile markets. ActivTrades needs improvement in educational resources to compete with firms like XTB and CMC Markets. While it offers well-presented and informative webinars, the selection of courses and quizzes remains limited, hindering a more comprehensive and engaging learning experience for traders.	The learning curve for TWS is quite steep, making it tough for novice traders to navigate and grasp all its features. In contrast, Plus500's web platform is far more accessible for those new to trading. IBKR offers a variety of research tools, but their inconsistent placement across trading platforms and the 'Account Management' webpage creates a confusing experience for users. Support can be sluggish and frustrating. Tests reveal that you may face challenges reaching customer service quickly, which could result in delays in issue resolution. You are limited to a single active session per account, meaning you cannot use both your desktop programme and mobile app at the same time. This restriction can occasionally lead to a frustrating experience for traders.
Awards
Safest Global Broker 2023 - International Investor Magazine Best Online Trading Services 2023 - ADVFN International Financial Awards Best Forex Broker Europe 2022 - Forex-Awards.com Most Trusted Global FX Broker 2022 - International Investor Magazine Best CFD Broker 2021 - Rankia Safest Global Broker 2021 - International Investor Award Winners Best FX Broker 2021 - Le Fonti Award	Best US Broker 2025 - DayTrading.com
FCA Regulated
Yes	Yes
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Bonds, ETFs, Futures, Cryptos (location dependent)	Stocks, Options, Futures, Forex, Funds, Bonds, ETFs, Mutual Funds, CFDs, Cryptocurrencies
Demo Account
Yes	Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0	$0
Payment Methods
AstroPay Credit Cards Debit Card Mastercard Neteller PayPal Skrill Sofort Visa Wire Transfer	ACH Transfer Cheque Debit Card Wire Transfer
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots	$100
Regulator
FCA, CMVM, CSSF, SCB	FCA, SEC, FINRA, CFTC, CBI, CIRO, SFC, MAS, MNB, FINMA, AFM
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android	iOS & Android
Trading App
ActivTrades offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, including its own ActivTrader app, MT4, MT5, and TradingView. These provide real-time data, advanced charting, and customisable features. All apps enable intuitive trading and account management, but ActivTrader excels with its seamless experience, fast execution, and robust research tools.	The IBKR Mobile app, for iOS and Android, transforms your phone into a robust portal to access your IBKR accounts. It allows users to monitor portfolios, execute trades, view real-time quotes and charts, and manage account activities seamlessly. With its intuitive design, the app is particularly user-friendly for novices, offering a simpler experience compared to the advanced TWS platform.
iOS App Rating
4.9	4.3
Android App Rating
3.8	4.5
Margin Trading
Yes	Yes
Margin Rate
	1.55 - 2.59%
MetaTrader 4
Yes	No
MetaTrader 5
Yes	No
cTrader
No	No
AlgoTrader
No	Yes
OmniTrader
No	Yes
TradingView
Yes	Yes
Autochartist
No	No
eSignal
No	Yes
Trading Central
No	Yes
STP Account
Yes	Yes
ECN Account
No	No
DMA Account
No	Yes
MAM Account
No	Yes
PAMM Account
No	No
LAMM Account
No	No
Demat Account
No	No
AI / Machine Learning
No	Yes
Robo Advisor
No	Yes
Negative Balance Protection
Yes	Yes
Market Maker
Yes	No
P2P Trading
No	No
Spot Trading
No	Yes
Auto Trading
Yes (APIs), Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader	Capitalise.ai & TWS API
Copy Trading
No	No
Social Trading
No	No
Trade Signals
Yes
VPS Hosting
No	No
Tournaments
No	No
Demo Competitions
No	No
Ethical Investing
No	Yes
Custodial Account
No	No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No	No
Inactivity Fee
€/£10	$0
Islamic Account
Yes	No
Account Currencies
USD EUR GBP CHF	USD EUR GBP CAD AUD INR JPY SEK NOK DKK CHF AED HUF
Commodities
Gold Oil Natural Gas Wheat Copper Cocoa Coffee Corn Orange Juice Palladium Platinum Silver Soybeans Sugar	Gold Zinc Aluminium Natural Gas Soybeans Lead Precious Metals Lean Hogs
CFD
ActivTrades specialises in CFD trading, providing access to over 1,000 instruments, including currencies, shares, indices, and commodities. Renowned for its award-winning trading environment, the broker ensures swift and dependable order execution, coupled with clear margin requirements for traders.	The platform provides access to over 8,000 CFDs across stocks, indices, forex, and commodities. Suited for experienced traders, the TWS platform includes more than 100 order types and algorithms. It also delivers top-tier market data from trusted sources like Reuters and Dow Jones.
Leverage
1:30 (UK and EU), 1:400 (Global & Pro)	1:50
FTSE Spread
0.6	0.005% (£1 Min)
GBPUSD Spread<
0.8	0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
Oil Spread
0.03	0.25-0.85
Stocks Spread
Variable	0.003
Forex
ActivTrades provides competitive fees in forex, offering excellent spreads on major pairs like EUR/USD starting from 0.5 pips, with no commission charges. The enhanced ActivTrades platform, along with the renowned MetaTrader 4, equips traders with essential tools to navigate the FX market with confidence.	IBKR offers a vast range of over 100 forex pairs, including major, minor, and exotic currencies, outstripping most competitors except CMC Markets. Trading is available across multiple platforms with institutional-grade spreads beginning at 0.1 pips. There are also 20 sophisticated order types, such as brackets, scale, and one-cancels-all (OCA) orders, enhancing trading strategies.
Assets
50+	100+
GBPUSD Spread
0.8	0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
EURUSD Spread
0.5	0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
EURGBP Spread
0.8	0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
Currency Indices
USD
Cryptocurrency
Trade over 15 popular cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Engage in trading these digital assets 24/7, with transparent fees. Access up to 1:10 leverage on leading tokens like BTC.	IBKR offers access to Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and Litecoin at attractive commission rates without the need for a crypto wallet. Furthermore, traders can explore a variety of assets, including crypto indices like the NYSE Bitcoin Index, and futures contracts such as BAKKT Bitcoin Futures.
Spread
Variable	0.12%-0.18%
Coins
BTC ETH LTC BCH DOT EOS LINK XLM NEO ADA SOL XRP BNB XMR AVAX DOGE	BTC LTC ETH XRP
Crypto Lending
No	No
Crypto Mining
No	No
Crypto Staking
No	No
Auto Market Maker
No	No

ActivTrades	Interactive Brokers
Review	Review
More Comparisons
ActivTrades vs	Interactive Brokers vs