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Interactive Brokers vs Plus500

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. Plus500 is licensed by FCA in the United Kingdom, CySEC in the European Union, EFSA (Estonia) in the European Union, ASIC in Australia, FMA (New Zealand) in New Zealand, FSCA in South Africa, MAS in Singapore, JFSA in Japan, CFTC / NFA in the United States, DFSA in the United Arab Emirates (DIFC), CMA (UAE) in the United Arab Emirates and SCB in the Bahamas, and also has an offshore registration. 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 Interactive Brokers and $0 at Plus500. Only Plus500 offers negative balance protection. Both offer segregated client money.

Facts last checked: Interactive Brokers on 20 October 2026, Plus500 on 20 October 2026.

Interactive Brokers profilePlus500 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
Interactive BrokersStrictly regulatedRead the profile
Plus500Strictly regulatedRead the profile
Comparing
Interactive BrokersUnited States
Plus500United Kingdom

Overview

Founded
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Headquarters
Greenwich, Connecticut, United States
Not yet checked
Official websites
  • interactivebrokers.com
  • interactivebrokers.co.uk
  • interactivebrokers.ie
  • interactivebrokers.com.au
  • interactivebrokers.ca
  • interactivebrokers.com.sg
  • ibkr.com
  • plus500.com
  • plus500.com.cy
  • plus500.com.sg
  • plus500.com.sc
Facts last checked
20 October 2026
20 October 2026

Regulation and protection

Company you would contract with
Interactive Brokers LLC
Plus500UK Ltd
Regulator
CFTC / NFA
United States
FCA
United Kingdom
Regulation level
Strictly regulated
Strictly regulated
Licence number
NFA ID 0258600 (futures commission merchant)
Check the register
509909
Check the register
Clients this company serves
US residents; also clears and carries many accounts opened through the UK company
UK residents
All licences held
  • CFTC / NFA (United States)
  • CIRO (Canada)
  • FCA (United Kingdom)
  • Central Bank of Ireland (European Union)
  • ASIC (Australia)
  • MAS (Singapore)
  • DFSA (Dubai (DIFC), UAE)
  • FCA (United Kingdom)
  • CySEC (European Union)
  • EFSA (Estonia) (European Union)
  • ASIC (Australia)
  • FMA (New Zealand) (New Zealand)
  • FSCA (South Africa)
  • MAS (Singapore)
  • JFSA (Japan)
  • CFTC / NFA (United States)
  • DFSA (United Arab Emirates (DIFC))
  • CMA (UAE) (United Arab Emirates)
  • SCB (Bahamas)
  • FSA Seychelles (Seychelles)
Segregated client money
Yes
Yes
Negative balance protection
No
Yes
Compensation scheme
SIPC (US, securities only); FSCS in limited circumstances (UK); Irish Investor Compensation Scheme (Ireland); CIPF (Canada)
FSCS (UK, Plus500UK Ltd clients); other countries differ

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
Not yet checked
Not yet checked

Leverage and margin

Maximum retail leverage
1:30 on major pairs for CFDs (UK, EU, Australia)
1:30 on major currency pairs (UK, EU and Australian retail clients)
Retail leverage by asset class
  • Major currency pair CFDs: 1:30
  • Non-major currency pair: 1:20
  • Share CFDs: 1:5
  • Major currency pairs: 1:30
  • Other currency pairs: 1:20
  • Other commodities and non-major indices: 1:10
  • Share CFDs: 1:5
Margin call level
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Stop-out level
Not yet checked
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
  • Trader Workstation (TWS)
  • IBKR Desktop
  • Client Portal
  • IBKR Mobile
  • IBKR APIs
  • Plus500 web platform
  • Plus500 mobile app
Markets
Spot forex, plus forex, index, metal and share CFDs (CFDs not offered to US or Canadian residents)
CFDs on currency pairs, indices, commodities, shares and ETFs; futures in the US
Demo account
Yes
Yes
Copy trading
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Expert advisors (automated trading)
Not yet checked
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
Not yet checked
Withdrawal fee
Not yet checked
No deposit or withdrawal fees from Plus500 (UK site)
Inactivity fee
None
Not yet checked

Support

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

Our notes

Strengths
  • 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
  • Licensed by strict regulators in the UK, EU, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan and the US
  • UK client money is held in segregated accounts under FCA client money rules
  • No deposit or withdrawal fees and no fees for opening or closing trades on the UK site; costs are in the spread
Watch out for
  • 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.
  • Plus500 says Plus500CA Ltd is a CIRO investment dealer and Plus500IL is regulated by Israel's ISA. We could not find Plus500CA on CIRO's dealer list or reach the ISA register on 2026-10-20.
  • Only Plus500's own platform; no MetaTrader or TradingView accounts
  • The FCA has warned about clone sites using Plus500's name, including plus500un.com, plus500v.com, p500.io and p500.online
  • No minimum deposit we could confirm on the current UK site; check it in the app before you fund

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:

  • 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.

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