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Pepperstone vs Interactive Brokers

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

Pepperstone vs Interactive Brokers Comparison Table 2025
Pepperstone	Interactive Brokers

4.8	4.3
Pepperstone is ranked #1 among CFD brokers.	Interactive Brokers is ranked #33 among CFD brokers.
Review	Review
Founded in Australia in 2010, Pepperstone is a highly regarded broker specialising in forex and CFDs. Serving more than 400,000 clients globally, it provides access to over 1,300 financial instruments through popular platforms like MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView. Its fee structure is both low and transparent. With regulation by reputable bodies such as the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC, Pepperstone guarantees a safe trading environment for traders at every level.	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.
CFDs and FX are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75.1% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.
Pros
Pepperstone offers rapid execution speeds of approximately 30ms, enabling swift order processing and execution, making it ideal for traders. We provide support for top-tier charting platforms such as MT4, MT5, TradingView, and cTrader. These tools accommodate different short-term trading methods, including algorithmic trading. In recent years, Pepperstone has significantly enhanced the deposit and withdrawal process. By 2025, clients can use Apple Pay and Google Pay, while 2024 saw the introduction of PIX and SPEI for customers in Brazil and Mexico. Pepperstone presents itself as an economical choice for traders, offering spreads as low as 0.0 in its Razor account. The Active Trader programme provides rebates up to 30% on indices and commodities, plus $3 per lot on forex. Over the years, Pepperstone has consistently garnered recognition from DayTrading.com’s annual awards. Recently, it was honoured as the 'Best Overall Broker' in 2025 and was the 'Best Forex Broker' runner-up the same year. Our award-winning customer support can be accessed through phone, email, or live chat. During tests, response times have consistently been under 5 minutes. Pepperstone now offers spread betting via TradingView, delivering a streamlined and tax-efficient trading experience with sophisticated analytical tools.	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
Pepperstone's demo accounts expire after 30 days, which may not provide sufficient time to explore various platforms and evaluate trading strategies. Pepperstone doesn't offer cTrader Copy, a favoured feature for copying trades found in the cTrader platform, which is available on other platforms such as IC Markets. However, Pepperstone has launched its own user-friendly copy trading app. Despite broadening its market range, the crypto options remain limited compared to brokers like eToro, and there is no facility for investing in actual coins.	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
Best Overall Broker - DayTrading.com 2025 Best Forex Broker Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025 Best Trading App Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025 Best MT4/MT5 Broker Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025 Best TradingView Broker Runner Up - DayTrading.com 2025 Best Forex Broker - DayTrading.com 2024 Best Overall Broker - DayTrading.com 2023 Best Trading App - DayTrading.com 2022 Best Forex Broker - DayTrading.com 2021	Best US Broker 2025 - DayTrading.com
FCA Regulated
Yes	Yes
Instruments
CFDs, Forex, Currency Indices, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Crypto (only Pro clients), Spread Betting	Stocks, Options, Futures, Forex, Funds, Bonds, ETFs, Mutual Funds, CFDs, Cryptocurrencies
Demo Account
Yes	Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0	$0
Payment Methods
Apple Pay Credit Cards Debit Card Google Pay Mastercard Neteller PayPal Skrill Visa Wire Transfer	ACH Transfer Cheque Debit Card Wire Transfer
Minimum Trade
0.01 Lots	$100
Regulator
FCA, ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, CMA, BaFin, SCB	FCA, SEC, FINRA, CFTC, CBI, CIRO, SFC, MAS, MNB, FINMA, AFM
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android	iOS & Android
Trading App
Pepperstone shines with top-tier integration with MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView, ideal for traders using these major platforms. They offer stable mobile trading, boosted by Pepperstone's rapid execution speeds and extensive asset variety. It recently achieved second place in DayTrading.com's 2025 'Best Trading App' award.	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
4.4	4.3
Android App Rating
4.1	4.5
Margin Trading
Yes	Yes
Margin Rate
	1.55 - 2.59%
MetaTrader 4
Yes	No
MetaTrader 5
Yes	No
cTrader
Yes	No
AlgoTrader
No	Yes
OmniTrader
No	Yes
TradingView
Yes	Yes
Autochartist
Yes	No
eSignal
No	Yes
Trading Central
No	Yes
STP Account
Yes	Yes
ECN Account
Yes	No
DMA Account
Yes	Yes
MAM Account
Yes	Yes
PAMM Account
No	No
LAMM Account
No	No
Demat Account
No	No
AI / Machine Learning
Yes	Yes
Robo Advisor
No	Yes
Negative Balance Protection
Yes	Yes
Market Maker
No	No
P2P Trading
No	No
Spot Trading
Yes	Yes
Auto Trading
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader	Capitalise.ai & TWS API
Copy Trading
Yes	No
Copy Trading Platform
Pepperstone offers the replication of skilled traders' strategies via MetaTrader Signals, DupliTrade, and its new proprietary copy trading app, in collaboration with Pelican Trading. This service, available in select regions, grants access to numerous experienced traders and customized risk settings. However, it does not support cTrader Copy, which might discourage traders who prefer Spotware's platform.
Social Trading
No	No
Trade Signals
Yes (Via Chartist Software)
VPS Hosting
Yes	No
Tournaments
No	No
Demo Competitions
No	No
Ethical Investing
No	Yes
Custodial Account
No	No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No	No
Inactivity Fee
$0	$0
Islamic Account
Yes	No
Account Currencies
USD EUR GBP CAD AUD NZD JPY CHF HKD SGD	USD EUR GBP CAD AUD INR JPY SEK NOK DKK CHF AED HUF
Commodities
Gold Silver Oil Corn Palladium Precious Metals Platinum Copper Gasoline Cocoa Coffee Cotton Livestock Sugar Wheat Natural Gas Soybeans Orange Juice Aluminium Nickel Zinc	Gold Zinc Aluminium Natural Gas Soybeans Lead Precious Metals Lean Hogs
CFD
In our recent assessment, Pepperstone remains a top-tier CFD broker, renowned for its speed and reliability. With execution times averaging 30ms and a remarkable 99.90% fill rate, traders benefit from a smooth experience free from requotes and dealing desk disruptions. Additionally, it offers extensive opportunities with access to more than 1,300 assets.	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 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro)	1:50
FTSE Spread
1.0	0.005% (£1 Min)
GBPUSD Spread<
0.4	0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
Oil Spread
2.5	0.25-0.85
Stocks Spread
0.02	0.003
Forex
Pepperstone provides forex spreads on the EUR/USD averaging just 0.12 pips with their Razor account. This is highly competitive. Their extensive portfolio includes over 100 currency pairs, which exceeds what most rivals offer. Furthermore, Pepperstone stands out by offering three unique currency indices: USDX, EURX, and JPYX, which are rare on other platforms. They have been recognised with our 'Best Forex Broker' award twice.	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
100+	100+
GBPUSD Spread
0.4	0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
EURUSD Spread
0.1	0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
EURGBP Spread
0.4	0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
Currency Indices
USD EUR JPY
Cryptocurrency
Pepperstone remains a highly reputable crypto broker. Despite an average range of digital currencies, traders can access popular options like Bitcoin and altcoins such as Ripple with leverage up to 1:10. Its crypto indices offer comprehensive insights into digital currency markets, a feature unmatched by many other platforms.	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
BTC 30, ETH 0	0.12%-0.18%
Coins
BCH BTC ETH LTC DASH ADA LINK DOGE EOS DOT XRP XLM XTZ UNI BNB	BTC LTC ETH XRP
Crypto Lending
No	No
Crypto Mining
No	No
Crypto Staking
No	No
Auto Market Maker
No	No

Pepperstone	Interactive Brokers
Review	Review
CFDs and FX are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75.1% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.
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