Traders consistently seek trusted and reliable trading platforms that suit their trading styles and preferences. FP Markets and Interactive Brokers are top-tier regulated brokers providing online trading services worldwide. FP Markets is known for its social trading and multi-asset platform, regulated in two Tier-1 jurisdictions, one Tier-2 jurisdictions and one tier -4 jurisdictions including ASIC, CySEC, SVGFSA, FSCA. On the other hand, Interactive Brokers specializes in online forex trading, regulated by eight Tier-1 jurisdictions and two Tier-2 jurisdictions including ASIC,IIROC , MNB,SFC,SEBI,, CBI,,FSA-Japan, MAS,FCA , FINRA,SEC. While these brokers offer similar services, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses.
In this article, I have compared FP Markets and Interactive Brokers in terms of trading platforms, Pros, Cons, regulations, tradable assets, fees, customer support, and overall trading experience score. This analysis aims to help you determine which broker better suits your trading style and preferences.
FP Markets vs Interactive Broker: In a Nutshell
FP Markets
Established in 2005, FP Markets is an Australian-based forex and CFD broker that offers online trading services worldwide. It is a global brand regulated by multiple authorities, including ASIC, CySEC, SVG, FSA, and FSCA. The broker provides traders access to more than 10,000 trading instruments on its four platforms: MT4, MT5, IREAA, and cTrader. It also provides access to tools like Autochartist, Trading Central, free VPS, social trading, and more. FP Markets is a low-cost forex broker with spreads as low as 0.0 pips. To learn more, you can read our review about FP Markets.
FP Markets Overview
- Founded In: 2005
- Founder: Matthew Murphy
- Headquarters: Sydney, Australia
- Minimum Deposit: 100 AUD or equivalent.
- Maximum Leverage: 500:1
- Regulations: ASIC, CySEC, FSCA, FSA
- Trading platform: MT4, MT5 and Ctrader
- Account Types: Islamic, Account Funding, Fund withdraw
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), VISA, MasterCard, BPAY, Dragonpay, FasaPay, Klarna, Neteller, Ngan Luong, PayPal, PayTrust88, PerfectMoney, Poli, Rapid Transfer, Skrill, SticPay, Transfer from Existing Broker, UnionPay
- US Clients: Not Accepted
Interactive Broker
Founded in New York, USA in 1978 by Thomas Peterffy, Interactive Brokers has grown into a global brand with over 2.1 million clients. It is an American Multinational brokerage firm headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut. It has become one of the leading online trading solutions for traders, investors, and advisors. The brokers give access to over 5000+ tradable assets including forex, CFDs, warrants, ETFs Options, Futures, Mutual Funds, and Bonds. To trade online, IBKR offers WebTrader, FIX API, MobileTrader (MobileApp), and TWS trading platforms. To learn more about IBKR, you can read our review of Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers Overview
- Founded In: 1978
- Founder: Chairman Thomas Peterffy
- Headquarters: Greenwich, Connecticut, United States
- Minimum Deposit: None
- Maximum Leverage: 500:1
- Regulations: SEC , CFTC ,FCA, FSCS, ASIC , IIROC , FSA
- Trading platform: WebTrader, FIX API, MobileTrader
- Account Types: Family Office Account ,UGMA/UTMA, IRA, Trust ,Joint, Individuals
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), ACH (Automated Clearing House), BPAY, Check, Direct Debit, Local Bank Deposits, Transfer from Existing Broker
- US Traders: Accepted
FP Markets vs : Interactive Brokers Features
FP Markets:
- Trading Instruments: 10000+ trading instruments including Forex, Crypto CFDs, Indices CFDs, Commodities CFDs, Stocks CFDs,
- Maximum leverage: up to 1:500
- Minimum Deposit: 100 AUS or equivalent.
- Account Types: Offers 2 account types: Standard, Raw
- Fees: starting from 1.0 pips for a standard account, $3.5 commission on Raw account per side
- PAMM/ MAM: Yes,
- Zulutrade: Yes
- Scalping: Allowed
- News Trading: Allowed
- EA/ Robot Trading: Allowed
Interactive Brokers
- Trading Instruments: 5000+Trading instruments including forex, CFDs, warrants, ETFs Options, Futures, Mutual Funds, stocks, options, and Bonds
- Maximum leverage: 50:1 for US Clients, 30:1 for EU clients, and 400:1 for global clients.
- Minimum Deposit: The Interactive Brokers minimum deposit is $0 for a cash account, $2,000 for a T Reg margin account, and $110,000 for a portfolio margin account. The minimum deposit is subject to change depending on the trading account opened and the base currency selected.
- Trading Fees: spreads starting from as low as 0.1 pips, Stock fees USD 0.005 per share.
- PAMM/ MAM: Not Available
- Scalping: Allowed
- News Trading: Allowed
- EA/ Robot Trading: Allowed with Capitalise.ai
FP Markets vs Interactive Broker: Pros and Cons
FP Markets
- Regulated by ASIC, CySEC, FSCA, SVGFSA, AFS, FSP
- The Maximum leverage is 1:500
- Offers popular trading platforms like MT4, MT5, cTrader, WebTrader, IRESS
- Hedging, Scalping, EA/Robot, and Copy trading are allowed
- Easy, Fast and Digital account opening
- Offers passive investment programs like MAM, PAMM Accounts
- Faster order execution (40ms)
- FP Markets offers consistently tighter spreads from 0.0 pips
- No FCA regulation.
- The Minimum deposit is $100, which might be high for a beginner
- High Stock CFD fees
- US traders are not accepted
- Only two types of accounts ( Standard, Raw)
Interactive Broker
- IBK is a Forex and Stock Broker
- Excellent reputation (founded in 1978)
- Regulated by top regulators like ASIC, FCA, FSA, SFC, IIROC
- A wide range of products offered warrants, ETFs, Options, Futures, Mutual Funds, Bonds
- Over 18,000 no-transaction-fee mutual funds.
- No monthly inactivity fee
- Low trading fees and high interest (up to 4.58% for USD) on cash balances
- Access to international markets and exchanges
- Mobile apps are convenient for individual investors.
- Complicated account opening
- Learning Curve for Beginners
- The maximum leverage is only 1:40
- No Metatrader platforms (MT4, MT5) offered
- High minimum deposit requirements for some account types
- Interactive Advisors (Robo-advisor feature) is only available for US customers
- No fixed spread is available
FP Markets vs Interactive Broker: Side-by-Side Comparison
FP Markets Vs Interactive Broker: Our Scores and Ratings
We rated both brokers, FP Markets and Interactive Broker, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 0.1 increments. To achieve a comprehensive rating, we broadly grouped all services offered by brokers into 6 macro categories and assigned percentage weights to them. Each macro category is subdivided into several data points which contributes to the total score of 1.0-10.0 assigned to each macro category. Since all categories are not equally important, our weight percentage plays a significant role in assessing the broker accurately. For example, Regulation and Security contributes a total weight of 40% to the whole ratings because this is the most important rating category. To learn more, read our methodology.
FP Markets :
Interactive Broker
Final Verdict :
Both FP Markets and Interactive Brokers are regulated online trading platforms in the industry, offering services to traders and investors. However, there are some differences between them. FP Markets is a multi-asset and social trading platform, providing trading instruments, including forex, indices, shares, commodities, metals, digital currencies, bonds & ETFs. It offers both leverage and non-leverage tradable assets. On the other hand, Interactive Brokers is a forex and CFD broker offers Stocks, options, futures, futures options, SSFs, ETFs, EFPs, currencies, fixed income, warrants and funds.
Our score for FP Markets is 9.2, and for Interactive Brokers, it is 9.1 (based on our research; a score above 8 is considered safe and trustworthy). If you are seeking a social trading platform where you can copy other successful traders and have a one-stop solution for various types of trading, you may choose FP Markets. However, if you prefer online forex and CFD brokers, you may choose Interactive Brokers.
