Oanda and Interactive Brokers are online forex brokers that offer their trading services to traders and investors. Oanda is a highly regulated and trusted forex broker. It is regulated by multiple regulatory authorities including ASIC, CFTC, IIROC, FCA, PFSA, MAS in Singapore, FSA in Japan, FSC in BVI. Similarly, Interactive Brokers is also a regulated forex broker. Interactive Brokers is regulated by multiple regulatory bodies around the world including SEC, CFTC, FCA, FSCS, FINRA, FCM, IIROC, MAS, FSA. Both brokers have their own strengths and weaknesses.
In this article, we will review and compare the brokerage services offered by Oanda and Interactive Brokers. We will explore options such as regulations, reputations, fees, features, leverage, and more. Additionally, we will analyze and rate the brokers based on macro and micro categories and options. By reviewing these aspects, you will get a clear idea of which broker suits you best for your trading journey.
Oanda vs Interactive Broker: In a Nutshell
Oanda
Founded by Drs. Stumm and Olsen in the USA in 1996, Oanda is one of the oldest and most experienced forex brokers in the world. The broker expanded into Asia in 2007, opened its London office in 2011, and its Sydney office in 2014. On its platforms, you can trade over 3,000 forex pairs, CFDs, and even real stocks. The broker is regulated by top regulatory authorities including ASIC, CFTC, IIROC, FCA, PFSA, MAS in Singapore, FSA in Japan, and FSC in BVI. Oanda offers multiple trading platforms such as MT4, MT5, the fxTrade app, and TradingView. Oanda is also known for its currency transfer services as well as its MarketPlus trading analytics. To learn more, you can read our review on Oanda, where we cover features, pros, cons, and more
Oanda Overview
- Founded In: 1996
- Founder: Dr. Stumm (a computer scientist), and Dr. Olsen (an economist)
- Headquarters: New York, United States
- Trading Instruments: 100+ trading Instruments including forex, indices, shares, commodities, metals, cryptocurrencies, metals
- Minimum Deposit: No minimum Deposit is required. You may deposit as low as $1
- Maximum Leverage: 1:50 (US), 1:30 (EU), 1:200 (other regions)
- Regulations: ASIC, CFTC, IIROC, FCA, PFSA, MAS in Singapore, FSA in Japan, FSC in BVI
- Trading platform: MT4, MT5, fxTrade app, Tradingview
- Account Types: Standard, Elitetrader
- Trading Fees: Spreads starting from 0.6 pips (EUR/USD pair)
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), VISA, MasterCard, ACH Payments (echeck), BPAY, CHAPS, Check, DBS Bill Payment, Local Bank Deposits, Local Bank Transfers, Neteller, Payment Asia, PayNow, PayPal, SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT), Skrill
- US Traders: 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
Oanda vs : Interactive Brokers Features
Oanda:
- Trading Instruments: CFD trading is not allowed for US clients; however, non-US clients can trade CFDs
- Maximum leverage: The maximum leverage of Oanda is 1:200 (global), 1:50 (US), 1:30 (EU)
- Minimum Deposit: No Minimum Deposit.
- Account Types: Two (Standard, Elitetrader)
- Trading Fees: Spreads range from 0.1 to 0.6, and commissions range from 3.5 to 4 per lot (depending on account type).
- PAMM/ MAM:
- 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
Oanda vs Interactive Broker: Pros and Cons
Oanda
- Regulated by the CySEC, FCA, CFTC, JFSA, IIROC, ASIC, MAS and FSC BVI
- Clients can trade over 1800 forex/CFDs and over 2000 real stocks.
- Platforms: MT4, MT5, and Oanda mobile apps on iOS and Android.
- Trading tools provided are MetaTrader premium tools, Autochartist, Market pulse analysis, etc.
- Customer support is provided in multiple languages and via different channels.
- Fast and user-friendly account opening
- The TradingView platform is available, alongside several VPS services for MT4 hosting.
- Bank withdrawals incur a fee which is transferred to the trader.
- Premium core accounts require a minimum balance of $20,000
- Inactivity fees are charged from dormant accounts.
- No account protection for U.S. clients
- No guaranteed stop-losses for U.S. or U.K. clients
- Traders in the U.S. cannot access single-stock CFDs
- No cent accounts, bonus programme for beginner traders
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
Oanda vs Interactive Broker: Side-by-Side Comparison
Oanda Vs Interactive Broker: Our Scores and Ratings
We rated both brokers, Oanda 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.
Oanda :
Interactive Broker
Final Verdict :
Both OANDA and Interactive Brokers offer similar trading services worldwide. Both brokers are regulated in the USA and accept US clients. The minimum lot size for both is as low as 0.1.
However, there are some differences. For example, OANDA is regulated by 8 regulatory authorities including ASIC, CFTC, IIROC, FCA, PFSA, MAS in Singapore, FSA in Japan, FSC in BVI while Interactive Brokers is regulated by 9 regulatory authorities including SEC, CFTC, FCA, FSCS, FINRA, FCM, IIROC, MAS, FSA. The trading cost for OANDA is Spread starting from 0.2 pips or commission $5, while the trading cost for Interactive Brokers is Spread starting from 1 pips. Our score for OANDA is 8.8, and for Interactive Brokers, it is 9.1 (according to our expert ratings, brokers that achieve a score of 8.00 or higher are considered safe and trustworthy).
So, if you are looking for a low-cost broker for forex trading, you can choose OANDA. If you want to use a widely recognized broker, you may consider Interactive Brokers.
