Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Vantage, 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 and Vantage are both highly trusted online brokers, according to ForexBrokers.com. Interactive Brokers, founded in 1977, is publicly traded, while Vantage, founded in 2009, is not; neither is a bank. On the ForexBrokers.com Trust Score scale—where 90–99 is highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and under 59 not trusted—Interactive Brokers scores 99/99 and Vantage scores 91/99, placing both in the highly trusted range.
Regulation tilts in Interactive Brokers’ favor: it holds 8 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses, compared to Vantage’s 2 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-2 licenses. If maximum regulatory coverage and a listed parent company matter most, Interactive Brokers stands out; if you want a younger broker that still lands in the highly trusted bracket, Vantage is a viable alternative.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2009 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
Interactive Brokers comes out ahead on commissions and fees, earning 5 stars and ranking #2 out of 36 brokers for this category. Its forex pricing is especially competitive for larger or more active traders, with commission-based pricing that can be very low and an example EUR/USD all-in cost of about 0.59 pips in Q3 2024 after commission. One thing to keep in mind is the $2 minimum per side, which can make smaller forex trades less cost-effective.
Vantage also offers fair pricing, but it is generally not as cheap as the top low-cost brokers. It earns 4.5 stars and ranks #12 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees. Vantage has three main account types: a Standard STP account with spread-only pricing, plus RAW ECN and PRO ECN accounts that use commissions. On its Raw account, the EUR/USD example cost was about 0.75 pips including commission, while the PRO account is the best-priced choice for eligible traders.
In simple terms, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick if low trading costs are your main goal, especially for frequent forex trading. Vantage can still be a good option, particularly if you qualify for its lower-cost PRO account, but its overall pricing is more in line with the industry average. Both brokers offer ways for active traders to lower costs, though Interactive Brokers has the edge on overall commissions and fees.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $50 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 1.32 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 0.72 |
| 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.
When it comes to range of investments, Interactive Brokers offers a far wider choice than Vantage. Interactive Brokers supports 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, while Vantage offers 1,000 symbols and 61 forex pairs. Both brokers offer forex trading as a CFD or spot contract, but Interactive Brokers also gives clients access to exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, such as U.S.-listed shares and overseas stocks. Vantage does not offer these non-CFD exchange-traded securities.
The difference continues in other asset classes. Interactive Brokers lets clients buy actual cryptocurrency, while Vantage offers cryptocurrency CFDs instead. Vantage does offer copy trading, which Interactive Brokers does not. Overall, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks #1 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, compared with Vantage’s 3.5-star rating and #32 ranking.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 1000 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 61 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| 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). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
Interactive Brokers and Vantage both give traders a wide range of platform choices, including a free paper trading demo, a proprietary platform, a Windows desktop app, and a web-based platform. Both also let you place trades directly from a chart, which is helpful for active trading. In ForexBrokers.com’s Trading Platforms and Tools category, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars and ranked #2 out of 36 brokers, while Vantage is rated 4 stars and ranked #20.
The main difference is that Vantage supports copy trading plus MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, which may appeal to traders who want familiar third-party tools or to follow other traders’ strategies. Interactive Brokers does not offer copy trading, MT4, or MT5, but it still stands out for its in-house platform and overall platform quality. If you want more built-in platform options, Vantage has the edge; if you want a top-rated trading experience with strong web and desktop tools, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Interactive Brokers has an iPhone app and an Android app, and Vantage does too, so both brokers give mobile traders access on the two main smartphone platforms. Each app also supports stock or forex price alerts, and both let users draw trendlines on charts. The bigger differences show up in the details: Interactive Brokers offers watchlist symbol syncing between its mobile app and online account, while Vantage does not. Interactive Brokers also gives traders 155 technical studies in its mobile charting tools, compared with 30 at Vantage.
For overall mobile trading app quality, Interactive Brokers comes out ahead with a 5-star rating and a #4 ranking out of 36 brokers from ForexBrokers.com. Vantage is rated 4 stars and ranks #24 out of 36. Vantage does have one convenience advantage, since its mobile app auto saves chart drawings, while Interactive Brokers does not. Even so, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice for mobile charting, account syncing, and overall app experience.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Interactive Brokers and Vantage both give traders useful market research tools, including daily market commentary, forex news from top sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, a sentiment tool, and an economic calendar. Both also include Trading Central research, which can help users spot possible trade ideas and market trends.
Where Interactive Brokers pulls ahead is in the extra research sources it offers. It includes TipRanks and Acuity Trading, while Vantage does not offer those tools. Vantage, however, does provide Autochartist, which Interactive Brokers does not. Overall, Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars for research and ranks #3 out of 36 brokers, while Vantage is rated 4 stars and ranks #20.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| 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 looking to learn forex or CFDs, Interactive Brokers and Vantage both provide a solid range of learning tools. Each broker offers at least 10 education pieces focused on forex or CFDs, monthly online webinars, and plenty of video content for both new and more experienced traders. This means either platform can help a beginner get started with basic trading concepts and keep learning as skills grow.
That said, Interactive Brokers comes out ahead overall on education. It is rated 5 stars for Education and ranks #1 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while Vantage is rated 4 stars and ranks #23. If you want the broker with the stronger educational offering for beginners, Interactive Brokers has the edge, though Vantage still gives traders a helpful set of learning resources.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vantage
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Vantage. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Vantage finished with an overall rank of #24.
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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Vantage
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| Trust Score | 99 | 91 |
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Interactive Brokers vs Vantage: Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency but does not offer crypto CFDs, while Vantage provides cryptocurrency CFDs but does not support buying the actual delivered coins.
Compared to Vantage, Interactive Brokers supports ACH/SEPA and bank wire transfers but not PayPal or Skrill, whereas Vantage offers PayPal, Skrill, and bank wires but not ACH/SEPA; Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either broker.
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 | Vantage | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 91 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Vantage Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
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| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 91 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2009 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 1000 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 61 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| 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). |
| Cost | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 1.32 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 0.72 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Vantage Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | Vantage | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 91 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Vantage Review |
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