Compare brokers side by side before you choose.

Compare trust, fees, platforms, and withdrawals. See the trade-offs and details worth checking before you choose.

Choose brokers

Pick 2-4 brokers to compare

The comparison reads the same evidence fields used by broker profiles, so users can scan scores, regulation, costs, platforms, withdrawals, and caveats side by side.

Broker 1

Broker 2

VS field	CMC Markets cmcmarkets.com CFD BrokerForex BrokerCommodity CFD	Interactive Brokers interactivebrokers.com Stock BrokerETF BrokerOption
Decision summary

Trust score	87	94

Cost score	78	88

Platform score	92	93

Withdrawal score	77	80

Best for	Best suited to active traders and investors wanting a well-regulated, multi-asset platform with strong proprietary tools and broad CFD/forex coverage; publish with prominent regio…	Active traders · Advanced investors · International-market investors

Watch out	Needs verification	Fee schedule is complex and varies by product, plan, market and entity · Country availability/restrictions need entity-specific review · No single universal max leverage figure fo…

Trust & regulation
Regulators	CMC Markets group entities are regulated by FCA, ASIC, MAS, CIRO, BaFin, DFSA, and BMA, depending on client jurisdiction/entity. Source	Regulated by SEC/FINRA/CFTC/NYSE in the US and by FCA, Central Bank of Ireland, ASIC, Hong Kong SFC, SEBI, Kanto Local Finance Bureau and MAS for regional affiliates. Source
License numbers	Known official registration/licence references include FCA 173730, FCA 948126, AFSL 238054, AFSL 246381, UEN 200605050E, BaFin 154814, DFSA f002740, Bermuda company 202302718, and CIRO/CIPF membership. Source	US CRD 36418 / SEC 8-47257; UK FCA 208159; AU AFSL 453554; India SEBI INZ000217730 and NSDL IN-DP-602-2021; Singapore MAS CMS100917; Japan Kanto Local Finance Bureau No.187. Source
Regulated entities	Multiple local CMC Markets entities are disclosed; client entity depends on jurisdiction and product. Source	Major regulated entities include Interactive Brokers LLC plus UK, Ireland, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan and Singapore affiliates. Source
Negative balance protection	Retail negative balance protection is disclosed for UK leveraged accounts and Bermuda retail clients; not available to professional clients; not applicable to cash equities. Source	No universal negative-balance-protection promise found for Interactive Brokers LLC; IBKR describes real-time margin requirements and protective liquidations to return accounts to margin compliance. Source
Investor compensation	UK eligible clients: FSCS up to £85,000. Canada: CIPF membership. Other jurisdictions reviewed disclose segregation but no comparable amount in sources checked. Source	Interactive Brokers LLC securities accounts are protected by SIPC up to $500,000, including $250,000 cash sublimit, plus excess SIPC coverage up to an additional $30 million per account with $900,000 cash sublimit, subject to $150 million aggregate; futures/options on futures are excluded. Regional schemes vary. Source
Restricted countries	CMC states CFD services are not available to US residents; iOS app access is limited to listed permitted regions; broader availability depends on local law and entity. Source	Official available-countries page lists countries/territories where applications are available rather than a concise restricted-country list. Treat unsupported/sanctioned-country restrictions as country/entity-dependent and requiring manual review. Source

Trust & regulation

Regulators

CMC Markets group entities are regulated by FCA, ASIC, MAS, CIRO, BaFin, DFSA, and BMA, depending on client jurisdiction/entity.

Source

Regulated by SEC/FINRA/CFTC/NYSE in the US and by FCA, Central Bank of Ireland, ASIC, Hong Kong SFC, SEBI, Kanto Local Finance Bureau and MAS for regional affiliates.

Source

License numbers

Known official registration/licence references include FCA 173730, FCA 948126, AFSL 238054, AFSL 246381, UEN 200605050E, BaFin 154814, DFSA f002740, Bermuda company 202302718, and CIRO/CIPF membership.

Source

US CRD 36418 / SEC 8-47257; UK FCA 208159; AU AFSL 453554; India SEBI INZ000217730 and NSDL IN-DP-602-2021; Singapore MAS CMS100917; Japan Kanto Local Finance Bureau No.187.

Source

Regulated entities

Multiple local CMC Markets entities are disclosed; client entity depends on jurisdiction and product.

Source

Major regulated entities include Interactive Brokers LLC plus UK, Ireland, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan and Singapore affiliates.

Source

Negative balance protection

Retail negative balance protection is disclosed for UK leveraged accounts and Bermuda retail clients; not available to professional clients; not applicable to cash equities.

Source

No universal negative-balance-protection promise found for Interactive Brokers LLC; IBKR describes real-time margin requirements and protective liquidations to return accounts to margin compliance.

Source

Investor compensation

UK eligible clients: FSCS up to £85,000. Canada: CIPF membership. Other jurisdictions reviewed disclose segregation but no comparable amount in sources checked.

Source

Interactive Brokers LLC securities accounts are protected by SIPC up to $500,000, including $250,000 cash sublimit, plus excess SIPC coverage up to an additional $30 million per account with $900,000 cash sublimit, subject to $150 million aggregate; futures/options on futures are excluded. Regional schemes vary.

Source

Restricted countries

CMC states CFD services are not available to US residents; iOS app access is limited to listed permitted regions; broader availability depends on local law and entity.

Source

Official available-countries page lists countries/territories where applications are available rather than a concise restricted-country list. Treat unsupported/sanctioned-country restrictions as country/entity-dependent and requiring manual review.

Source

Costs & account conditions
Minimum deposit	No minimum deposit for UK/international trading accounts; UK equities page states minimum deposit amount £1 for share/ETF investing. Source	USD 0 account minimum for IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite; broker accounts can require a USD 10,000 up-front deposit applied against commissions. Source
Spread from	Spreads from 0.2 points on UK spread betting/CFD account comparison; FX Active from 0.0 pips on six major FX pairs; international advertises 0.0 pips FX minimum spread. Source	Spot currency spreads advertised as narrow as 1/10 pip on Interactive Brokers Australia pricing overview; spreads vary by product/entity/market. Source
Commission	Commission varies by account/product: UK equities 0%; FX Active 0.0025% per transaction ($2.50 per $100k); share/ETF CFD commissions vary by market/account table. Source	IBKR Lite offers $0 commissions on US stocks and ETFs; IBKR Pro uses fixed/tiered commissions and third-party/exchange/regulatory fees may apply by market/product. Source
Maximum leverage	Maximum leverage is entity/jurisdiction dependent: UK retail table shows 30:1; international page shows 1:200 maximum retail leverage; ASIC rules impose product-specific caps. Source	Not expressed as a single max leverage figure; margin requirements are product-, account-, entity- and regulation-dependent and IBKR applies real-time risk margin. Source
Deposit fee	UK deposits are free from CMC; external card issuer/bank charges may apply. Other regions require review of platform/client portal or local fee schedules. Source	Most standard bank/security deposit methods show no IBKR deposit fee in the extracted official fee table, but physical currency deposits incur a special handling fee of 1% of deposit amount, minimum $50; third-party/bank fees may apply. Source
Withdrawal fee	UK card and standard bank transfer withdrawals: no CMC charge; international transfers may carry fees displayed on platform. Source	Two free withdrawal requests per calendar month; after the second withdrawal IBKR charges listed fees by currency/method (example USD: wire 10.00, check 4.00, ACH/EFT/SEPA 1.00). Source
Inactivity fee	UK leveraged accounts: £10/month after one year of inactivity if funds are available; no negative balance from dormancy; equities marked N/A in account comparison. Source	USD 0 inactivity fee for IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite account minimums page. Source

Costs & account conditions

Minimum deposit

No minimum deposit for UK/international trading accounts; UK equities page states minimum deposit amount £1 for share/ETF investing.

Source

USD 0 account minimum for IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite; broker accounts can require a USD 10,000 up-front deposit applied against commissions.

Source

Spread from

Spreads from 0.2 points on UK spread betting/CFD account comparison; FX Active from 0.0 pips on six major FX pairs; international advertises 0.0 pips FX minimum spread.

Source

Spot currency spreads advertised as narrow as 1/10 pip on Interactive Brokers Australia pricing overview; spreads vary by product/entity/market.

Source

Commission

Commission varies by account/product: UK equities 0%; FX Active 0.0025% per transaction ($2.50 per $100k); share/ETF CFD commissions vary by market/account table.

Source

IBKR Lite offers $0 commissions on US stocks and ETFs; IBKR Pro uses fixed/tiered commissions and third-party/exchange/regulatory fees may apply by market/product.

Source

Maximum leverage

Maximum leverage is entity/jurisdiction dependent: UK retail table shows 30:1; international page shows 1:200 maximum retail leverage; ASIC rules impose product-specific caps.

Source

Not expressed as a single max leverage figure; margin requirements are product-, account-, entity- and regulation-dependent and IBKR applies real-time risk margin.

Source

Deposit fee

UK deposits are free from CMC; external card issuer/bank charges may apply. Other regions require review of platform/client portal or local fee schedules.

Source

Most standard bank/security deposit methods show no IBKR deposit fee in the extracted official fee table, but physical currency deposits incur a special handling fee of 1% of deposit amount, minimum $50; third-party/bank fees may apply.

Source

Withdrawal fee

UK card and standard bank transfer withdrawals: no CMC charge; international transfers may carry fees displayed on platform.

Source

Two free withdrawal requests per calendar month; after the second withdrawal IBKR charges listed fees by currency/method (example USD: wire 10.00, check 4.00, ACH/EFT/SEPA 1.00).

Source

Inactivity fee

UK leveraged accounts: £10/month after one year of inactivity if funds are available; no negative balance from dormancy; equities marked N/A in account comparison.

Source

USD 0 inactivity fee for IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite account minimums page.

Source

Markets, platforms & payments
Tradable assets	Tradable universe includes forex, indices, commodities, shares, ETFs, rates/bonds/treasuries, options and some crypto CFDs, with counts varying by jurisdiction and platform. Source	Stocks, ETFs, options, futures, spot currencies, bonds, mutual funds and cash-balance services, with availability varying by entity/country/account permission. Source
Trading platforms	CMC proprietary web/mobile platforms, MT4, MT5 (international/Canada), and TradingView integration; exact availability varies by region/account. Source	IBKR Desktop, Trader Workstation, IB Gateway, IBKR Mobile and web/client portal tools. Source
Account types	Official account types include equities, CFD trading, options, FX Active, spread betting, corporate CFD, and CMC Invest plans depending on jurisdiction. Source	Supports individual and institutional accounts; official minimums page also distinguishes advisor, family office, hedge fund and broker account structures. Source
Deposit methods	Deposit methods vary by region: UK card/online banking/bank transfer; international card/bank transfer/crypto via Binance Pay/Neteller/Skrill; Canada CAD/USD credit card and wire transfer. Source	Wire transfer, check, direct bank transfer/ACH, SEPA/regional bank transfers where available, and securities transfer methods such as ACATS; physical cash deposits are against policy. Source
Withdrawal methods	UK withdrawals by card or bank transfer; international page advertises nominated bank account, card, cryptocurrency or digital wallet; third-party payments rejected/not supported. Source	Bank wire/transfer, checks and regional transfer rails such as BACS/GIRO/ACH/EFT/SEPA where available; securities transfer methods such as ACATS may also apply. Source
Withdrawal processing time	UK: same-day internal processing before cut-off for registered bank details; card issuer timing within an hour to five working days; domestic bank 1-2 working days; international bank 3-5 working days. Source	Not captured as a single verified processing-time SLA; varies by withdrawal method, currency, region and receiving bank. Source

Markets, platforms & payments

Tradable assets

Tradable universe includes forex, indices, commodities, shares, ETFs, rates/bonds/treasuries, options and some crypto CFDs, with counts varying by jurisdiction and platform.

Source

Stocks, ETFs, options, futures, spot currencies, bonds, mutual funds and cash-balance services, with availability varying by entity/country/account permission.

Source

Trading platforms

CMC proprietary web/mobile platforms, MT4, MT5 (international/Canada), and TradingView integration; exact availability varies by region/account.

Source

IBKR Desktop, Trader Workstation, IB Gateway, IBKR Mobile and web/client portal tools.

Source

Account types

Official account types include equities, CFD trading, options, FX Active, spread betting, corporate CFD, and CMC Invest plans depending on jurisdiction.

Source

Supports individual and institutional accounts; official minimums page also distinguishes advisor, family office, hedge fund and broker account structures.

Source

Deposit methods

Deposit methods vary by region: UK card/online banking/bank transfer; international card/bank transfer/crypto via Binance Pay/Neteller/Skrill; Canada CAD/USD credit card and wire transfer.

Source

Wire transfer, check, direct bank transfer/ACH, SEPA/regional bank transfers where available, and securities transfer methods such as ACATS; physical cash deposits are against policy.

Source

Withdrawal methods

UK withdrawals by card or bank transfer; international page advertises nominated bank account, card, cryptocurrency or digital wallet; third-party payments rejected/not supported.

Source

Bank wire/transfer, checks and regional transfer rails such as BACS/GIRO/ACH/EFT/SEPA where available; securities transfer methods such as ACATS may also apply.

Source

Withdrawal processing time

UK: same-day internal processing before cut-off for registered bank details; card issuer timing within an hour to five working days; domestic bank 1-2 working days; international bank 3-5 working days.

Source

Not captured as a single verified processing-time SLA; varies by withdrawal method, currency, region and receiving bank.

Source

Loading broker comparison

Compare brokers side by side before you choose.

Pick 2-4 brokers to compare