Side-by-side regulation, cost, platforms, and score -- generated from the same disclosed data and methodology behind our rankings.
| Interactive Brokers | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 4.08 / 5 | 4.01 / 5 |
| Regulation | FCA No. 208159 | CySEC No. 215/13 + FCA No. 629628 + FSA Seychelles No. SD060 All of these are held by separate TF Global Markets group entities, not by TF Global Markets (Europe) Ltd (the CySEC entity): FCA by the UK entity, ASIC by the Australian entity, FSCA by the South African entity, DFSA by a Dubai entity, and FMA by a New Zealand entity. The group also holds non-Tier-1 licences in the Cayman Islands, Mauritius and Seychelles. |
| Entity | Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited | TF Global Markets (Europe) Ltd |
| Founded | 1978 | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Greenwich, Connecticut, USA | Melbourne, Australia / London, UK (group); European entity based in Cyprus |
| Minimum deposit | Not independently confirmed | $0 (Standard account); $500 for ThinkZero account |
| Avg. spread (EUR/USD) | Not independently confirmed | 1.1 pips |
| Platforms | TWS (Trader Workstation), IBKR Desktop, IBKR Mobile, Client Portal (WebTrader) | MT4, MT5, TradingView, Proprietary (ThinkTrader) |
| Other Tier-1 regulators | NFA/CFTC (US), ASIC, CIRO, MAS, DFSA | ASIC, FSCA, DFSA, FMA |
| 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. | Up to 4,000 CFD instruments across forex (40+ pairs), indices, shares, commodities and crypto, varying by platform. |
| Visit | Visit Interactive Brokers | Visit ThinkMarkets |
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