Side-by-side regulation, cost, platforms, and score -- generated from the same disclosed data and methodology behind our rankings.
| Interactive Brokers | HF Markets | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 4.08 / 5 | 3.73 / 5 |
| Regulation | FCA No. 208159 | CySEC No. 183/12 + FCA No. 801701 + FSA Seychelles No. SD015 FCA held by HF Markets (UK) Ltd, DFSA by HF Markets (DIFC) Ltd, and FSCA by HF Markets SA (PTY) Ltd -- separate group entities from the CySEC-licensed HF Markets (Europe) Ltd. |
| Entity | Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited | HF Markets (Europe) Ltd |
| Founded | 1978 | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Greenwich, Connecticut, USA | Limassol, Cyprus |
| Minimum deposit | Not independently confirmed | $5 (Premium account); Pro account requires $100/€100 |
| Avg. spread (EUR/USD) | Not independently confirmed | 1.2 pips |
| Platforms | TWS (Trader Workstation), IBKR Desktop, IBKR Mobile, Client Portal (WebTrader) | MT4, MT5, Proprietary (HFM App) |
| Other Tier-1 regulators | NFA/CFTC (US), ASIC, CIRO, MAS, DFSA | DFSA, FSCA |
| Instruments | No single total-instrument count published by the broker; stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds (1,000,000+ bonds), and mutual funds (500+ fund families) across 170+ markets in roughly 40 countries, per IBKR's own fact sheet. | 500+ CFDs across forex, metals, indices, stocks, bonds, energies, commodities and cryptocurrencies. |
| Visit | Visit Interactive Brokers | Visit HF Markets |
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