Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Plus500, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Interactive Brokers (founded 1977) and Plus500 (founded 2008) are both publicly traded online brokers and are not banks. Each earns a 99/99 Trust Score from ForexBrokers.com, which places them in the highly trusted range (90–99); by comparison, 80–89 is trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and under 59 not trusted.
Regulation-wise, Interactive Brokers holds 8 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses, while Plus500 holds 7 Tier-1 and 4 Tier-2 licenses. In simple terms, both are overseen by many top-tier regulators worldwide; Interactive Brokers has one more Tier-1 authorization, and Plus500 adds more Tier-2 coverage.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2008 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 7 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 4 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
When it comes to commissions and fees, Interactive Brokers comes out ahead of Plus500 for forex traders. Interactive Brokers charges a commission instead of marking up spreads, and its EUR/USD pricing was very low in Q3 2024, with an average spread of 0.19 pips and an estimated all-in cost of 0.59 pips after commission. Its forex commissions start at $2 per order per side, which can make smaller trades less cost-effective, but the pricing is strong for active traders and larger trade sizes.
Plus500’s pricing is simpler but less competitive overall. In April 2024, its average EUR/USD spread was 1.5 pips, which is above the industry average and noticeably higher than Interactive Brokers. Plus500 does not offer discounts to regular retail clients, though professional clients may qualify for cash rebates. For commissions and fees, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars and ranked #2 out of 36 brokers, while Plus500 is rated 4.0 stars and ranked #24 out of 36.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | €50 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 1.3 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 1.3 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Interactive Brokers and Plus500 both give traders access to forex, U.S. exchange-listed shares, and international stocks, so each platform covers the basics for investing across markets. The main difference is in range: Interactive Brokers lists about 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, while Plus500 offers around 5,500 symbols and 65 forex pairs. Neither broker offers copy trading, but if you want a wider selection of markets and currency pairs, Interactive Brokers has the edge.
There are also important differences in crypto access. Interactive Brokers lets clients buy actual cryptocurrency, but it does not offer cryptocurrency CFDs, while Plus500 is the opposite: it offers cryptocurrency CFDs but not delivered crypto. Reflecting this broader selection, Interactive Brokers earns 5 out of 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks #1 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, compared with Plus500’s 4.5-star rating and #16 ranking.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 5500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 65 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | No | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account. |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
Interactive Brokers and Plus500 both give traders a free paper trading account, a built-in platform created by the broker, and a web-based trading platform that works in a browser. Neither broker supports copy trading, MetaTrader 4, or MetaTrader 5. Interactive Brokers also offers a Windows desktop platform, while Plus500 does not.
When it comes to trading tools, Interactive Brokers has the edge for active traders because it lets users trade directly from stock charts, a feature Plus500 does not offer. That stronger toolkit is reflected in its higher ratings: Interactive Brokers earns 5 out of 5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools and ranks #2 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Plus500 scores 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #14.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 115 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Interactive Brokers and Plus500 both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, and each app includes stock or forex price alerts, watchlist syncing with the online account, and the ability to draw trendlines on charts. Neither app automatically saves chart drawings, so traders will need to add them again if they are lost or refreshed. For everyday mobile trading, both platforms cover the core features most users expect.
Where Interactive Brokers stands out is charting depth and overall mobile app quality. Its app offers 155 technical studies compared with 115 at Plus500, and it earns a higher Mobile Trading Apps rating of 5 stars versus 4.5 stars for Plus500. That stronger feature set is reflected in ForexBrokers.com’s rankings as well, with Interactive Brokers placed #4 out of 36 brokers and Plus500 at #14. For traders who want more charting tools and a higher-rated mobile experience, Interactive Brokers has the edge.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 115 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Interactive Brokers and Plus500 both give traders useful market research features, including daily market commentary, Trading Central tools, sentiment data showing long vs. short positions, and an economic calendar with upcoming global events. That said, Interactive Brokers goes further with forex news from top sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, plus added research from TipRanks and Acuity Trading. Neither broker offers Autochartist tools.
Overall, Interactive Brokers has the edge for market research, earning 5 out of 5 stars and ranking #3 out of 36 brokers for Research on ForexBrokers.com. Plus500 is still a solid option, with a 4.5-star Research rating and a #16 ranking, but it offers fewer third-party news and research sources than Interactive Brokers.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners who want to learn before they trade, Interactive Brokers stands out as the stronger choice for education. It offers forex and CFD learning materials, monthly educational webinars, and plenty of beginner-focused videos, along with advanced content for traders who want to go further. ForexBrokers.com gives Interactive Brokers a 5-star Education rating and ranks it #1 out of 36 brokers in this category, which points to a wide range of useful learning tools for new and more experienced traders alike.
Plus500 also gives beginners access to forex and CFD education, monthly webinars, and a solid set of beginner and advanced videos. That said, its education offering is not rated as highly as Interactive Brokers’. Plus500 earns 4.5 stars for Education and ranks #26 out of 36 brokers, so while it still provides helpful learning content, it appears better suited as a basic learning option rather than the top pick for educational depth.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Interactive Brokers is better than Plus500. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Plus500 finished with an overall rank of #14.
Interactive Brokers is a highly trusted multi-asset broker with an extensive offering of tradeable global markets. It delivers competitive fees and high-quality research and education, as well as a modern, institutional-grade trading platform suite.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
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Plus500
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 |
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In an Interactive Brokers vs Plus500 comparison for cryptocurrency trading, Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual (delivered) crypto but does not offer crypto CFDs, while Plus500 provides cryptocurrency CFDs but does not allow purchasing actual delivered crypto.
Interactive Brokers vs Plus500: for deposits and withdrawals, Interactive Brokers supports ACH/SEPA and bank wire transfers but not PayPal or Skrill, while Plus500 offers PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire transfers but not ACH/SEPA.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | Plus500 | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Plus500 Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Plus500 | |
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| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2008 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 7 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 4 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 5500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 65 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | No | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account. |
| Cost | Interactive Brokers | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 1.3 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 1.3 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | €50 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 115 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 115 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Plus500 Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | Plus500 | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Plus500 Review |
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