Interactive Brokers vs AMarkets

Interactive Brokers or AMarkets – which is better for UK traders 2024? Compare Interactive Brokers and AMarkets in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.

Interactive Brokers vs AMarkets Comparison Table 2024
Interactive Brokers AMarkets
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4.3
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2.8
Interactive Brokers is ranked #8 among CFD brokers. AMarkets is ranked #97 among CFD brokers.
Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is a premier brokerage for experienced traders, providing access to 150 markets in 33 countries, along with a suite of comprehensive investment services. With over 40 years of experience, this Nasdaq-listed firm adheres to stringent regulations by the SEC, FCA, CIRO, and SFC, amongst others, and is one of the most trusted brokers for trading around the globe. AMarkets is an established forex and CFD broker registered in the Cook Islands. Founded in 2007, the brokerage has over 1 million clients and is regulated in several offshore jurisdictions, including St Vincent and the Grenadines and Mwali. Over 1400 instruments are available on the popular MT4 and MT5 platforms.
Pros
  • IBKR is one of the most respected and trusted brokerages and is regulated by top-tier authorities, so you can have confidence in the integrity and security of your trading account.
  • The TWS platform has clearly been built for intermediate and advanced traders and comes with over 100 order types and a reliable real-time market data feed that rarely goes offline.
  • The new IBKR Desktop platform takes the best of TWS while adding bespoke tools like Option Lattice and Screeners with MultiSort to create a genuinely impressive trading experience for traders at every level.
  • There's a vast library of free or paid third-party research subscriptions catering to all types of traders, plus you can enjoy commission reimbursements from IBKR if you subscribe to Toggle AI.
  • IBKR continues to deliver unmatched access to global stocks with tens of thousands of equities available from 100+ market centres in 24 countries.
  • While primarily geared towards experienced traders, IBKR has made moves to broaden its appeal in recent years, reducing its minimum deposit from $10,000 to $0.
  • With low commissions, tight spreads and a transparent fee structure, IBKR delivers a cost-effective environment for short-term traders.
  • Cashback program with up to $17 rewarded for every lot traded, plus a VIP program with better trading conditions
  • A range of trading tools including a calculator, economic calendar, and sentiment indicators
  • Copy trading USD account with a $100 minimum deposit, leverage up to 1:500 and hedging
  • Regular trading news, forex analysis and trading ideas in the broker's Telegram channel
  • Micro Bitcoin (MBT) account available for beginners with a low 0.001 BTC deposit
  • No fees for deposits and a range of fast methods, including crypto transfers
  • Access to Autochartist analysis with signals and automated position entry
Cons
  • TWS’s learning curve is steep, and beginners may find it challenging to navigate the platform and understand all the features. Plus500's web platform is much better suited to new traders.
  • IBKR provides a wide range of research tools, but their distribution across trading platforms and the web-based 'Account Management' page lacks consistency, leading to a confusing user experience.
  • Support can be slow and frustrating based on tests, so you might find it challenging to reach customer service representatives promptly or encounter delays in resolving issues.
  • You can only have one active session per account, so you can’t have your desktop program and mobile app running simultaneously, making for a sometimes frustrating trading experience.
  • There are wider standard spreads than many competitors
  • We found that educational materials trail alternatives
  • No top-tier regulation reduces the trust score
  • Withdrawal fees up to 1.8%
Awards
  • Best Value Broker Middle East 2020 - Global Forex Awards
  • Fastest Growing Forex Broker in the Middle East 2019 - Egypt Investment Expo
  • Best Execution Speed Highest Client Success Rate 2014 - IAFT Awards
  • Fastest Growing Broker 2013 - STP Broker Asia
  • Best Educational Program 2011 - Show FX
FCA Regulated
Yes No

List of FCA Regulated Brokers

Instruments
Stocks, Options, Futures, Forex, Funds, Bonds, ETFs, Mutual Funds, CFDs, Cryptocurrencies Forex, CFDs, indices, shares, commodities, cryptocurrencies, bonds
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0 $100
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
$100 0.01 Lots
Regulator
FCA, SEC, FINRA, CBI, CIRO, SFC, MAS, MNB FSA SVG
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android Yes
Trading App

The IBKR Mobile app, available on both iOS and Android devices, makes your phone a powerful gateway to your IBKR accounts, offering you the freedom to keep an eye on portfolios, initiate trades, and dive into real-time quotes and charts, all while managing your account activities on the fly. This app stands out for its intuitive design, making it especially welcoming for those just starting their trading journey, providing a smoother and more accessible experience than the more complex TWS platform.

iOS App Rating
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4.3
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Android App Rating
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4.5
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Margin Trading
Yes No
Margin Rate
1.55 - 2.59%
MetaTrader 4
No Yes
MetaTrader 5
No Yes
cTrader
No No
AlgoTrader
Yes No
OmniTrader
Yes No
TradingView
No No
Autochartist
No No
eSignal
Yes No
Trading Central
Yes No
STP Account
Yes No
ECN Account
No No
DMA Account
Yes No
MAM Account
Yes No
PAMM Account
No No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
Yes No
Robo Advisor
Yes No
Negative Balance Protection
Yes No
Market Maker
No No
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
Yes No
Auto Trading
Capitalise.ai & TWS API Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
No Yes
Copy Trading Platform
The copy trading service is a good option for newer traders and you can pick investors to follow based on their profitability, fees, number of followers and more. The $100 starting deposit is also accessible for beginners.
Social Trading
No Yes
Trade Signals
Yes
VPS Hosting
No No
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
Yes No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No No
Inactivity Fee
$0
Islamic Account
No Yes
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
  • CAD
  • AUD
  • INR
  • JPY
  • SEK
  • NOK
  • DKK
  • CHF
  • AED
  • HUF
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Zinc
  • Aluminium
  • Natural Gas
  • Soybeans
  • Lead
  • Precious Metals
  • Gold
  • Silver
CFD
Over 8,000 CFDs are offered on a vast array of instruments, encompassing stocks, indices, forex, and commodities. Moreover, the TWS platform lends itself to seasoned traders, offering a comprehensive selection of over 100 order types and algorithms, alongside premium market data sourced from reputable sources such as Reuters and Dow Jones. Experienced traders can access leverage up to 1:1000 on a range of CFDs across metals, energies, indices and more. Beginners can also follow and copy successful CFD trades in the copy trading account.
Leverage
1:50 1:1000
FTSE Spread
0.005% (£1 Min) 64
GBPUSD Spread<
0.08-0.20 bps x trade value 0.6
Oil Spread
0.25-0.85 3
Stocks Spread
0.003 Variable
Forex
IBKR presents an extensive range of over 100 major, minor, and exotic forex pairs, surpassing the offerings of nearly all leading alternatives, though not CMC Markets. Forex trading occurs over multiple platforms and boasts institutional-grade spreads starting from 0.1 pips and 20 complex order types, including brackets, scale, and one-cancels-all (OCA) orders. AMarkets offers a decent range of 42 majors, minors and exotics with low spreads from 0.2 pips in the ECN account. With that said, Standard account spreads come in at around 1.5 pips for EUR/USD, which is higher than the best forex brokers.
Assets
100+ 42
GBPUSD Spread
0.08-0.20 bps x trade value 0.6
EURUSD Spread
0.08-0.20 bps x trade value 0.3
EURGBP Spread
0.08-0.20 bps x trade value 1.5
Cryptocurrency
IBKR lets you purchase and hold Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and Litecoin at competitive commission rates and without needing a crypto wallet. Additionally, there is a range of other diverse assets to explore, such as crypto indices like the NYSE Bitcoin Index, as well as futures contracts like the BAKKT Bitcoin Futures. Access a decent range of crypto pairs against USD and deposit just 10 MBT to access the broker's Micro Bitcoin account. Deposit methods include Bitcoin, Binance Coin and Ethereum.
Spread
0.12%-0.18% From 30
Coins
  • BTC
  • LTC
  • ETH
  • XRP
  • BTC
  • BCH
  • DSH
  • ETC
  • ETH
  • LTC
  • XRP
Crypto Lending
No No
Crypto Mining
No No
Crypto Staking
No No
Auto Market Maker
No No
Interactive Brokers AMarkets
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