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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.

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VS field	IG ig.com CFD BrokerForex BrokerOption	Interactive Brokers interactivebrokers.com Stock BrokerETF BrokerOption
Decision summary
Overall score

Trust score	100	94

Cost score	84	88

Platform score	94	93

Withdrawal score	89	80

Best for	Experienced CFD and forex traders seeking broad market access · UK clients wanting both leveraged trading and commission-free eligible share/ETF investing · Traders who value plat…	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	Authorised/supervised by FCA, BaFin/Deutsche Bundesbank, ASIC, FINMA, FSCA, MAS, FMA, DFSA, Japanese authorities, CFTC/NFA, and BMA depending region/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	FCA register numbers: 195355, 114059, 944492; DFSA reference F001780; IG Europe register 148759; IG Asia company registration 200510021K. 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	IG contracting entities vary by region, including UK IG Markets/IG Index/IG Trading and Investments, IG International Limited, IG Limited Dubai, IG Bank S.A., IG Asia Pte Ltd, IG Europe GmbH and others. Source	Major regulated entities include Interactive Brokers LLC plus UK, Ireland, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan and Singapore affiliates. Source
Negative balance protection	Negative balance protection applies to UK/ESMA/DFSA retail leveraged accounts; professional traders are excluded; some regional tables show ability to lose more than deposits for certain accounts. 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	Investor/deposit compensation depends on entity: FSCS UK, EdW Europe, esisuisse Switzerland; no compensation scheme disclosed for several other IG regions in comparison table. 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	Official IG international and UK pages state the information is not directed at residents of the United States and Belgium; country availability is region/entity-dependent. 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

Authorised/supervised by FCA, BaFin/Deutsche Bundesbank, ASIC, FINMA, FSCA, MAS, FMA, DFSA, Japanese authorities, CFTC/NFA, and BMA depending region/entity.

Costs & account conditions
Minimum deposit	Minimum deposit varies substantially by region, from $50 card/no minimum bank transfer for IG International to CHF 2500 for Switzerland. 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	Selected UK trading spreads: EUR/USD 0.6, S&P 500 0.4, Spot Gold 0.3; spreads are variable and selected examples only. 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 product: commission-free UK investing in eligible stocks/ETFs; share CFD commissions include 0.10% UK/Euro and 2 cents/share US; manual currency conversion commissions also apply in UK investing. 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	Leverage/margin is region- and product-dependent; IG International CFD page shows up to 1:200 for forex and indices, 1:143 commodities, 1:10 share/crypto CFDs; UAE page cites indices up to 20:1. 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	Deposit fees vary by region; UK bank/debit/credit card funding free; other regions differ. 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 withdrawals are listed as free for bank/debit/credit card methods; Dubai comparison table notes wire withdrawal $25; other regions vary. 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	Inactivity/admin fee is region/product-specific: UK charges page currently lists inactivity fee free; IG Bank Switzerland charges CHF 18/month after 2+ years inactivity with a balance. Source	USD 0 inactivity fee for IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite account minimums page. Source

Markets, platforms & payments
Tradable assets	IG offers a broad range of tradable products by region, including CFDs on forex, indices, shares, commodities, crypto, ETFs, options, futures, bonds, rates and volatility; UK also has share dealing and selected options/futures; products vary by region. 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	IG supports proprietary web/mobile platforms plus MT4, MT5 in some regions, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer, TradingView and institutional/API/FIX access. Source	IBKR Desktop, Trader Workstation, IB Gateway, IBKR Mobile and web/client portal tools. Source
Account types	Account types differ by region; examples include IG trading/professional, limited risk, share dealing, options, turbo24 and swap-free accounts. 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; official pages mention bank transfer, debit/credit card, Wise, and Singapore PayNow. 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	Withdrawal methods vary by region; UK charges list bank/debit/credit card deposits/withdrawals; comparison table lists US ACH/wire/check deposit and ACH/wire withdrawal details; help pages mention Card/ApplePay withdrawals. 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	Withdrawal timing is not a single global value; UK help articles indicate same-day processing for eligible card/ApplePay requests, up to 5 working days to receive, and 1-3 business days for bank transfers after approval. Source	Not captured as a single verified processing-time SLA; varies by withdrawal method, currency, region and receiving bank. Source

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