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Interactive Brokers vs Swissquote 2026

ForexBrokers.com

Written by ForexBrokers.com

February 05, 2025

In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Swissquote, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.

Interactive Brokers
5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0
  • Trust Score: 99
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 8500
Swissquote
4.5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $1000
  • Trust Score: 99
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 472

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.

Regulation

Interactive Brokers vs. Swissquote: Both are long-standing, publicly traded online brokers. Interactive Brokers was founded in 1977, while Swissquote began in 1996. According to ForexBrokers.com, each earns a 99/99 Trust Score—placing them in the highly trusted 90–99 range. Swissquote is a bank; Interactive Brokers is not.

Regulation and licenses: Interactive Brokers holds 8 Tier-1 and 2 Tier-2 licenses; Swissquote holds 5 Tier-1 and 2 Tier-2. ForexBrokers.com classifies Tier-1 regulators as highly trusted and Tier-2 as trusted, so both offer strong oversight. Interactive Brokers covers more top-tier jurisdictions, while Swissquote pairs top-tier regulation with bank status.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Swissquote logoSwissquote
Year Founded info 1977 1996
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes Yes
Bank info No Yes
Tier-1 Licenses info 8 5
Tier-2 Licenses info 2 2
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 0

Fees

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) runs a true commission-based forex model with no spread markups, aggregating prices from 17 major banks. While IBKR doesn’t publish average spreads, in Q3 2024 we observed an average EUR/USD spread of 0.19 pips, translating to about 0.59 pips all-in after commission. Commissions start at 0.00002 of the U.S. dollar trade value per side with a $2 minimum per order ($4 round turn), which works out to roughly 0.40 pips on a $100,000 EUR/USD round trip. The fee range is $16–$40 per million round turn ($8–$20 per side), with volume discounts that can cut the minimum to $1.50 per order above $1 billion in monthly volume and to $1 at $5 billion. Note: the $2-per-side minimum makes trades under 100,000 units proportionally pricier. IBKR’s commissions and fees rating: 5/5 stars; category rank: #2 of 63.

Swissquote’s pricing varies by region and account tier, and generally carries a premium. In the U.K., the Elite account (for deposits of at least $10,000) pairs reduced spreads with a $5 round-turn commission and is the most cost-effective option for active traders. The Standard account’s EUR/USD spread starts at 1.3 pips, while Prime starts from 0.6 pips—but that figure is a minimum, not an average. Luxembourg accounts show similar patterns: Standard ($1,000 min), Premium ($5,000), and Prime ($50,000) with minimum spreads from 0.8 to 1.5 pips. In Switzerland, forex spreads start at 1.7 pips (Standard, $1,000 min), 1.4 pips (Premium, $10,000), and 1.1 pips (Prime, $50,000), with custom pricing negotiated for high-volume clients. Swissquote’s commissions and fees rating: 3.5/5 stars; category rank: #35 of 63.

Bottom line on fees: Interactive Brokers typically delivers lower all-in trading costs—especially for standard-lot or larger forex trades and for high-volume clients who qualify for reduced minimums—while Swissquote tends to be pricier unless you use its Elite setup and trade actively. If minimizing spreads and per-million commissions is the priority, IBKR holds the edge; if banking with Swissquote’s network matters more and you accept higher spreads (often quoted as minimums), Swissquote can still fit the bill.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Swissquote logoSwissquote
Minimum Deposit info $0 $1000
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info 0.226 info N/A info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.226 info N/A info
Non-wire bank transfer info Yes Yes
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Featured Offers


Range of investments

Interactive Brokers vs Swissquote: when it comes to range of investments, Interactive Brokers offers far more markets, with 8,500 tradeable symbols versus Swissquote’s 472, and 90 forex pairs versus 80. Both support forex trading (spot and/or CFDs) and give access to exchange‑traded stocks on U.S. and international exchanges (think Apple on NASDAQ and Vodafone in London). Both also let you buy actual cryptocurrency; only Swissquote adds cryptocurrency CFDs.

Feature-wise, Swissquote offers copy trading, while Interactive Brokers does not. Despite their different strengths, each earns 5 stars for range of investments; according to ForexBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers ranks #1 out of 63 brokers and Swissquote ranks #2. If you want the widest market selection, Interactive Brokers leads; if you value copy trading or crypto CFDs alongside shares and forex, Swissquote may suit you better.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Swissquote logoSwissquote
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 8500 472
Forex Pairs (Total) info 90 80
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info Yes Yes
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info Yes Yes
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info 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).

Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.

Trading platforms and tools

Interactive Brokers and Swissquote both check the key boxes for trading platforms and tools: each offers a free paper (simulated) trading account, an in-house proprietary platform, a Windows desktop download, a web-based platform, and the ability to place trades directly from charts. These shared features make it easy to practice, then trade from either a browser or a full desktop setup.

The biggest differences: Swissquote supports copy trading and also offers MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, while Interactive Brokers does not. For overall platform and tool quality, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers at 5 stars (ranked #2 of 63) and Swissquote at 4.5 stars (ranked #12 of 63). In short, choose Interactive Brokers if you want a top-rated, in-house platform experience, or go with Swissquote if you prefer copy trading and the MetaTrader suite.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Swissquote logoSwissquote
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes Yes
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 155 86
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.

Forex trading apps

Interactive Brokers and Swissquote both check the basics for mobile traders: each offers iPhone and Android apps and supports stock and forex price alerts. Where they differ is watchlist convenience. Interactive Brokers syncs watchlists between the mobile app and your online account, so changes carry over automatically. Swissquote does not offer watchlist syncing.

If charting depth matters, Interactive Brokers delivers 155 technical studies in its mobile app versus Swissquote’s 30. Both let you draw trendlines, but only Swissquote auto-saves chart drawings; Interactive Brokers does not. For overall quality, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps at ForexBrokers.com, while Swissquote scores 4.5 stars and ranks #12.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Swissquote logoSwissquote
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info Yes No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 155 30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info No Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

Interactive Brokers and Swissquote both deliver daily market commentary, an economic calendar, and forex news from top sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones. Traders at either broker can follow key events and read timely updates to stay on top of market moves.

The difference shows up in the extra research tools. Interactive Brokers includes Trading Central, TipRanks, Acuity Trading’s Signal Centre, and a sentiment tool that shows the share of long vs. short positions. Swissquote offers Autochartist for chart pattern ideas but does not include Trading Central, TipRanks, Acuity, or a sentiment gauge. Reflecting these lineups, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 out of 5 stars for Research (ranked #3 of 63), while Swissquote earns 4.5 out of 5 stars (ranked #15 of 63).

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Swissquote logoSwissquote
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Yes
Autochartist info No Yes
Trading Central info Yes No
Client sentiment data info Yes No
TipRanks info Yes No
Acuity Trading info Yes No
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

In this Interactive Brokers vs Swissquote comparison for beginner education, both brokers make it simple to get started. Each runs monthly online webinars and offers big video libraries, including at least 10 beginner-focused videos and another 10+ for advanced traders as you progress. Their content spans trading basics, platform tutorials, and topics such as forex and CFDs, letting you learn at your own pace through videos and other materials.

For overall education quality, Interactive Brokers takes the lead with a 5-star rating and a #1 ranking out of 63 brokers from ForexBrokers.com. Swissquote also performs well, earning 4.5 stars and ranking #19 out of 63. If you want the widest, top-rated learning experience, Interactive Brokers stands out; if you choose Swissquote, you’ll still find a strong lineup of webinars and videos to build your skills.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Swissquote logoSwissquote
Webinars info Yes Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.

Winner

After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Interactive Brokers is better than Swissquote. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Swissquote finished with an overall rank of #11.

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 logoInteractive Brokers
Swissquote logoSwissquote
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 99
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or Swissquote?

Both Interactive Brokers and Swissquote let you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but only Swissquote also offers cryptocurrency CFDs, while Interactive Brokers does not.

What funding options does each broker offer?

Interactive Brokers and Swissquote both support ACH/SEPA and bank wire transfers for deposits and withdrawals, while Swissquote additionally accepts PayPal and Skrill and Interactive Brokers does not; card (Visa/Mastercard) availability is not specified for either.

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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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Overall Rating Interactive Brokers Swissquote
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 99
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review Swissquote Review
Broker Screenshots Interactive Brokers Swissquote
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info
IBKR mobile watchlist. IBKR Desktop platform charts. Interactive Brokers research Traders Insight daily analysis article detail Interactive Brokers IBKR Podcast video.
Swissquote CFXD mobile app watchlist light mode. Swissquote CFXD web platform dark mode. Swissquote YouTube videos market analysis research. Swissquote educational course learning center
Regulation Interactive Brokers Swissquote
Trust Score info 99 99
Year Founded info 1977 1996
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes Yes
Bank info No Yes
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info Yes info
Tier-1 Licenses info 8 5
Tier-2 Licenses info 2 2
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) Interactive Brokers Swissquote
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info Yes No
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info Yes No
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info Yes Yes
Japan (FSA Authorised) info Yes No
Singapore (MAS Authorised) info Yes Yes
Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) info Yes Yes
United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) info Yes Yes
USA (CFTC Authorized) info Yes No
New Zealand (FMA Authorised) info No No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info Yes info
Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) Interactive Brokers Swissquote
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info
Israel (ISA Authorised) info No No
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info No Yes
UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) info Yes Yes
India (SEBI Authorised) info Yes No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info
Investments Interactive Brokers Swissquote
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 8500 472
Forex Pairs (Total) info 90 80
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info Yes Yes
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info Yes Yes
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info 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).
Cost Interactive Brokers Swissquote
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info 0.226 info N/A info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.226 info N/A info
Inactivity Fee info No Yes
Order execution: Agency info Yes Yes
Order execution: Market Maker info No Yes
Funding Interactive Brokers Swissquote
Minimum Deposit info $0 $1000
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes
Non-wire bank transfer info Yes Yes
Trading Platforms Interactive Brokers Swissquote
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes Yes
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No Yes
cTrader info No No
Trading Tools Interactive Brokers Swissquote
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 155 86
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes
Charts can be saved info Yes Yes
Mobile Trading Interactive Brokers Swissquote
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] info
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info Yes No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 155 30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info No Yes
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Research Interactive Brokers Swissquote
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Yes
Autochartist info No Yes
Trading Central info Yes No
TipRanks info Yes No
Client sentiment data info Yes No
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Education Interactive Brokers Swissquote
Webinars info Yes Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Major Forex Pairs Interactive Brokers Swissquote
GBP/USD [DELETED] info
USD/JPY [DELETED] info
EUR/USD info Yes Yes
USD/CHF [DELETED] info
USD/CAD [DELETED] info
NZD/USD [DELETED] info
AUD/USD [DELETED] info
Review Interactive Brokers Review Swissquote Review
Overall Interactive Brokers Swissquote
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 99
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review Swissquote Review
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