Side-by-side regulation, cost, platforms, and score -- generated from the same disclosed data and methodology behind our rankings.
| ThinkMarkets | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 4.01 / 5 | 4.08 / 5 |
| Regulation | 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. |
FCA No. 208159 |
| Entity | TF Global Markets (Europe) Ltd | Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited |
| Founded | 2010 | 1978 |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Australia / London, UK (group); European entity based in Cyprus | Greenwich, Connecticut, USA |
| Minimum deposit | $0 (Standard account); $500 for ThinkZero account | Not independently confirmed |
| Avg. spread (EUR/USD) | 1.1 pips | Not independently confirmed |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5, TradingView, Proprietary (ThinkTrader) | TWS (Trader Workstation), IBKR Desktop, IBKR Mobile, Client Portal (WebTrader) |
| Other Tier-1 regulators | ASIC, FSCA, DFSA, FMA | NFA/CFTC (US), ASIC, CIRO, MAS, DFSA |
| Instruments | Up to 4,000 CFD instruments across forex (40+ pairs), indices, shares, commodities and crypto, varying by platform. | 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. |
| Visit | Visit ThinkMarkets | Visit Interactive Brokers |
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