Plain-English forex education. No hype, no signals.فارسی
BrokerCutForex Academy

Head to head

Axi vs Interactive Brokers

Axi is licensed by ASIC in Australia; FCA in the United Kingdom; CySEC in the European Union and DFSA in Dubai (DIFC), UAE. Interactive Brokers is licensed by CFTC / NFA in the United States; CIRO in Canada; FCA in the United Kingdom; Central Bank of Ireland in the European Union; ASIC in Australia; MAS in Singapore and DFSA in Dubai (DIFC), UAE. The licence that applies to you depends on where you live, so check which company you would contract with before comparing anything else.

Minimum deposits start at $0 at Axi and $0 at Interactive Brokers. Neither offers negative balance protection. Both offer segregated client money.

Facts last checked: Axi on 20 October 2026, Interactive Brokers on 20 October 2026.

Axi profileInteractive Brokers profile
Broker 1
Broker 2
Broker 3

Monthly cost uses the account chosen in each slot: cost per lot × your lots. Swap and other fees are extra. The lowest monthly cost is highlighted only as a fact about cost, not as a recommendation.

Broker
AxiStrictly regulatedRead the profile
Interactive BrokersStrictly regulatedRead the profile
Comparing
AxiAustralia
Interactive BrokersUnited States

Overview

Founded
2007
Not yet checked
Headquarters
Sydney, Australia
Greenwich, Connecticut, United States
Official websites
  • axi.com
  • axi-solaris.com
  • interactivebrokers.com
  • interactivebrokers.co.uk
  • interactivebrokers.ie
  • interactivebrokers.com.au
  • interactivebrokers.ca
  • interactivebrokers.com.sg
  • ibkr.com
Facts last checked
20 October 2026
20 October 2026

Regulation and protection

Company you would contract with
AxiCorp Financial Services Pty Ltd
Interactive Brokers LLC
Regulator
ASIC
Australia
CFTC / NFA
United States
Regulation level
Strictly regulated
Strictly regulated
Licence number
AFSL 318232
Check the register
NFA ID 0258600 (futures commission merchant)
Check the register
Clients this company serves
Australian residents
US residents; also clears and carries many accounts opened through the UK company
All licences held
  • ASIC (Australia)
  • FCA (United Kingdom)
  • CySEC (European Union)
  • DFSA (Dubai (DIFC), UAE)
  • CFTC / NFA (United States)
  • CIRO (Canada)
  • FCA (United Kingdom)
  • Central Bank of Ireland (European Union)
  • ASIC (Australia)
  • MAS (Singapore)
  • DFSA (Dubai (DIFC), UAE)
Segregated client money
Yes
Yes
Negative balance protection
No
No
Compensation scheme
FSCS up to £85,000 (UK); ICF up to €20,000 (Cyprus); none for the St Vincent company
SIPC (US, securities only); FSCS in limited circumstances (UK); Irish Investor Compensation Scheme (Ireland); CIPF (Canada)

Costs

Your monthly cost
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Cost per lot (EUR/USD)
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Spread from
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Typical EUR/USD spread
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Commission per lot (round turn)
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Typical GBP/USD spread
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Typical USD/JPY spread
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Typical XAU/USD spread
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Swap-free account
Yes
Not yet checked

Leverage and margin

Maximum retail leverage
1:30 on major pairs (UK, EU, Australia); up to 1:1000 at the St Vincent company
1:30 on major pairs for CFDs (UK, EU, Australia)
Retail leverage by asset class
  • Major currency pairs (UK: 1:30
  • Currency pairs (St Vincent company): up to 1:1000
  • Major currency pair CFDs: 1:30
  • Non-major currency pair: 1:20
  • Share CFDs: 1:5
Margin call level
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Stop-out level
20% (liquidation level, St Vincent company)
Not yet checked

Account

Minimum deposit (this account)
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Base currencies
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Execution
No accounts listed
No accounts listed

Platforms and features

Platforms
  • Axi Trading Platform
  • MetaTrader 4
  • MetaTrader 5
  • Trader Workstation (TWS)
  • IBKR Desktop
  • Client Portal
  • IBKR Mobile
  • IBKR APIs
Markets
Forex, metals, commodities, indices, share CFDs, crypto CFDs and perpetual futures CFDs
Spot forex, plus forex, index, metal and share CFDs (CFDs not offered to US or Canadian residents)
Demo account
Yes
Yes
Copy trading
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Expert advisors (automated trading)
Yes
Not yet checked
News trading allowed
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Guaranteed stops
Not yet checked
Not yet checked

Deposits and withdrawals

Deposit methods
  • Bank transfer
  • Debit or credit card
  • Bank transfer
Withdrawal fee
Free above US$50 or for the full balance; otherwise an administration fee of US$25 may apply (St Vincent company)
Not yet checked
Inactivity fee
10 a month in USD, EUR, GBP and most other account currencies after 12 months without trading (St Vincent company)
None

Support

Customer support
Not yet checked
Phone, chat and secure message support, by region

Our notes

Strengths
  • Licensed by ASIC, the FCA and CySEC, all strict regulators
  • Published commissions per currency on the Premium account (for example $4.50 or €4.00 per standard contract)
  • Bank transfers and payments under US$50,000 a month are free to deposit
  • Licensed in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and Singapore, all strict regulators
  • Spot forex priced at the quoted interbank spread plus a published commission (0.20 basis points of trade value at the first tier)
  • No account minimum and no inactivity fee
Watch out for
  • International clients join AxiTrader LLC, a St Vincent and the Grenadines company (4303 LLC 2025) that is registered, not licensed; its risk warning says you can lose substantially more than your initial investment.
  • Axi publishes minimum spreads only, not typical spreads
  • The St Vincent company charges a monthly inactivity fee after 12 months and may charge US$25 for withdrawals under US$50
  • The FSCA's OTC derivative provider list shows AxiCorp Financial Services Pty Ltd's application as Withdrawn, so Axi has no South African licence we could confirm.
  • Spot forex commission has a minimum of USD 2.00 per order, so very small trades cost more in percentage terms.
  • UK accounts are cleared and carried by Interactive Brokers LLC in the US for most products; IBKR says products are only covered by the UK FSCS in limited circumstances.
  • Margin accounts can go negative; IBKR's own disclosures say losses may exceed your original investment
  • IBKR also names companies in Hong Kong, Japan and India; we did not confirm those licences on 2026-10-20 and this profile does not cover them.

Risk warnings

The buttons to a broker’s website above the table are partner links: we may earn a commission if you open an account through them. That never changes the facts shown here. Trading leveraged products such as forex and CFDs carries a high risk of losing money rapidly, and most retail accounts lose money. Each broker’s own warning:

  • Axi: Over-the-counter derivatives are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing substantially more than your initial investment rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how over-the-counter derivatives work and whether you can afford to take the high level of risk to your capital.
  • Interactive Brokers: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 58.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with IBKR. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Open this comparison in the full tool to share a link with your own accounts and companies chosen.

Other head-to-head pages

Cost per lot is the typical EUR/USD spread in busy hours × $10, plus any round-turn commission, for one standard lot. “Not yet checked” means we have not confirmed that fact yet. This page compares facts; it does not rank the brokers or recommend either. Confirm costs and licences on each broker’s site and the regulator’s public register before opening an account: see how we review brokers and check a broker yourself.

Nothing on this page is financial advice. Read the full disclaimer.

BrokerCut on Telegram

Get the latest forex news and market analysis.

Join the channel