Interactive Brokers review
- Stock Trading Fee
- min $1.00, max 0.5%
- Account Fee
- $0
- FX Fee
- 0.2 bps trade value, min $2.00
- Min. Deposit
- $0
- Available Asset Types
- Stocks, Bonds, Options, Index Funds, ETFs, Currencies, Futures
Our verdict
Interactive Brokers offers low fees and greater access to international investing than any other Canadian trading platform.
Consider Interactive Brokers if you want access to global markets and many types of investments and orders. Look elsewhere if you want a simple, beginner-friendly platform for basic stock trading.
Best for: Active, self-directed investors.
Pros
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Access 155 exchanges globally
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Fund your account in 27 currencies
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Offers access to stocks, ETFs, bonds, options, futures, forex, index funds, warrants and hedge funds
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Trade on the margin, make purchases and earn interest with the Interactive Brokers Prepaid Mastercard. Offers low rates, flex payments and no late fees.
Cons
-
New investors may be overwhelmed by the platform's advanced features and functionality
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Subscription fee for real-time market data
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Mutual fund and crypto trading not supported in Canada
How we rated Interactive Broker’s features
| Fees | ★★★★★ | Low-fee stock and ETF trades. 1 free withdrawal per month ($2 CAD per EFT afterwards). Zero minimum balance. |
| Available securities | ★★★★★ | Trade stocks, ETFs, index funds, bonds, options, futures, forex, warrants and hedge funds. |
| Customer support | ★★★★★ | Support available by phone (5 days/week during business hours), chat (24 hours 5 days/week + Sundays), email or mail. |
| Mobile app | ★★★★★ | IBKR GlobalTrader users like the app’s simple, easy interface, but criticize the app’s limited functionality. IBKR Mobile app users like the interface but report problems with speed and complexity. |
| Research and tools | ★★★★★ | Wide range of research tools, and analysis from Morningstar, Zacks and Seeking Alpha. |
| Reliability | ★★★★★ | Little/no reports of downtime, and no major outages have been reported. |
To learn how our star ratings are calculated, read our methodology at the bottom of the page.
Interactive Brokers is best for active, self-directed investors
Interactive Brokers is best suited to active or professional traders and those interested in day-trading. Experienced traders will enjoy features like low fees, tiered pricing based on trade volume, access to many investment platforms, portfolio tracking, live updates and company notifications.Where Interactive Brokers shines
Interactive Brokers offers almost unparalleled access to global investing. Customers can invest in more than 150 exchanges in over 30 countries. You can also choose between many different accounts (individual, joint, trust and registered) and order types (market, limit and stop, to name a few).The platform further distinguishes itself from the competition with the Interactive Brokers Canada Prepaid Mastercard, which offers a different way to trade on the margin. The card lets you borrow funds to invest with no minimum monthly payments, no late fees and low rates of around 5.36% – 6.36%. You can also make ATM withdrawals, pay for purchases and earn interest on your balance.
More pros of Interactive Brokers
- Versatile. Trade on desktop and mobile, and choose between apps for regular and active traders.
- Many order types. Supports over 75 different order types, including market, limit and stop orders.
- ESG investing. Choose from among 13 impact values around which to centre your investments with the Interactive Brokers IMPACT app.
- Fractional share trading. Trade fractional shares in Canadian, US and European markets.
Where Interactive Brokers falls short
Interactive Brokers‘s biggest advantage—its extensive features and vast array of tools—could be its greatest drawback for some investors. If you’re looking for a basic, uncomplicated trading platform with a simple fee structure to buy and sell stocks, then Interactive Brokers may not be right for you.IBKR Lite is not available in Canada.You can’t take advantage of unlimited, commission-free stock and ETF trades if you live in Canada. (IBKR Pro is available in Canada.)
Additionally, you’ll have to pay an extra monthly subscription fee ranging from a few dollars to over $60 to stream real-time market data.
Interactive Brokers fees
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Annual fee | $0 |
| Stock and ETF trade fee | min $1.00, max 0.5% |
| Interest on margin trading | Around 4.83% |
| Inactivity fee | $0 |
| Deposit and withdrawal fee | $0 deposits, 1 free withdrawal per month (then $2 CAD per EFT or $12 per wire transfer) |
Is Interactive Brokers legit?
Yes, Interactive Brokers Group is authorized and regulated by the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and the SEC in the United States as well as other international regulatory institutions.
Interactive Brokers offers many ways to trade
Interactive Brokers definitely lets you trade the way you want with multiple desktop apps, two mobile apps and APIs for advanced users who want to customize their own interfaces.Client Portal is the primary basic desktop app that lets you get quotes, make trades, view performance data and more. Active traders and experienced investors can use Trader Workstation, which offers a more complex, powerful interface and more market data.
Interactive Broker’s mobile apps
Interactive Brokers offers 2 mobile apps: IBKR GlobalTrader, a simplified app for beginners, and IBKR Mobile, a more complex app for experienced investors.Users praise IBKR GlobalTrader for being simple and easy-to-use but criticize its limited features. IBKR Mobile gets good feedback for its design but draws criticism for being complex and sometimes slow.
Interactive Broker’s desktop tools
Desktop TWS
With Interactive Broker’s advanced TWS platform, you can access news and research from sources like Morningstar Equity Ownership, Zacks Investment Research and Seeking Alpha. Fundamentals Explorer lets you access comprehensive, worldwide fundamentals data including historical trends, industry comparisons, key ratios, forecasts, ratings, ownership information and more.
Use IBot, a voice-activated chatbot, to place orders and get answers to market and company queries. All traders in Canada have access to Trader Workstation (TWS), a powerful trading platform with advanced tools for more experienced and active investors.
With Portfolio Builder, you can create custom portfolio strategies using historical data and research. GlobalAnalyst makes it easy to compare stocks by region, country and industry.
IBKR Desktop
More user-friendly than TWS, IBKR Desktop offers a streamlined platform on which you can trade stocks, options and futures. Features you won’t find on any other IB platform include multisort, which lets you filter data using multiple factors, and an option lattice, which shows historical stock prices for the last 30 days with metrics like option volume, open interest and implied volatility.
The idea is to help you visualize current options activity on the market and make educated decisions about how this activity will develop in the future.
Other features of IBKR Desktop include custom layouts, screeners, market news and research, watchlists, Fundamentals Explorer and advanced charting tools.
Interactive Broker’s app store reviews
| Google Play app reviews | IBKR GlobalTrader: 3.8/5 stars based on 536 reviews IBKR Mobile: |
| Apple App Store app reviews | IBKR GlobalTrader: 2.5/5 stars based on 20 ratings IBKR Mobile: |
Interactive Broker’s customer support
You can contact the Interactive Brokers Canada helpdesk by phone, chat or email. Service is available Monday through Friday from 6:00am to 3:30pm EST.
- Phone
- Online chat
- Email support
How to open an account with Interactive Brokers
- Select the Sign up now button below. Use the QR code to download the Interactive Brokers mobile app. Open the app and select Sign up.
- Enter your email address, username and country and make a password to create an account.
- Verify your email address, and complete the online application with details such as your personal and employment information, Social Insurance Number (SIN), your base currency and the type of account you want to open.
- After submitting the application and any required documents, wait 1-2 days for approval.
- Deposit funds to begin trading.
Eligibility and required information
- At least the age of majority your province or territory
- Basic personal information like your legal name, citizenship, residential address and email
- Social Insurance Number (SIN)
- Existing bank account to fund your account
- Employer’s name and address
- Identification like your passport, driver’s license or provincial ID card
- Proof of address like a recent utility bill or government document
- Basic financial info like your assets and income
How safe is Interactive Brokers?
Interactive Brokers follows industry-standard best practices for protecting users’ information and money including data encryption, automatics logoff, multi-factor authentication and IBKR Mobile Authentication for an added layer of security when logging into mobile devices. Trader Workstation users can restrict access based on IP address.The platform is regularly monitored for suspicious activity. Additionally, funds held in eligible accounts are protected by the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF).
Canadian investors preferred online stock trading platforms to working with a financial advisor in 2023
According to results from the Finder: Consumer Sentiment Survey Q1 (CSTQ1), almost three quarters (72%) bought or sold stock through an online stock platform or app(1) and 29% of respondents in the Finder: Consumer Sentiment Survey Q2 (CSTQ2) stated they had never worked with and had no plans to use the services of a financial advisor.(2)
Compare Interactive Brokers with other platforms
Interactive Brokers
★★★★★
Finder rating 4.2 / 5
Available Asset Types
Stocks, Bonds, Options, Index Funds, ETFs, Currencies, Futures
Stock Trading Fee
min $1.00, max 0.5%
Min. Deposit
$0
Signup Offer
CIBC Investor's Edge
★★★★★
Finder rating 3.7 / 5
Available Asset Types
Stocks, Bonds, Options, Mutual Funds, ETFs, GICs, Precious Metals, IPOs
Stock Trading Fee
$6.95
Min. Deposit
$0
Signup Offer
Get 100 free trades when you open a CIBC Investor’s Edge account using promo code EDGE2425. Plus, get $200 or more cash back. Valid until March 31, 2025.
Questrade
★★★★★
Finder rating 3.9 / 5
Available Asset Types
Stocks, Bonds, Options, Mutual Funds, ETFs, Forex, GICs, Precious Metals, IPOs
Stock Trading Fee
$4.95 - $9.95
Min. Deposit
$1,000
Signup Offer
How we rate trading platforms
★★★★★ 5/5 — Excellent
★★★★★ 4/5 — Good
★★★★★ 3/5 — Average
★★★★★ 2/5 — Subpar
★★★★★ 1/5 — Poor
We analyze top online trading platforms and rate them one to five stars based on factors that are most important to you. These factors include fees, securities available for trade, customer support, customer feedback, platform resources and overall reliability.
For a complete breakdown of how we score each category, read the full methodology of how we rate trading platforms.
Frequently asked questions
Your reviews
Stacie Finder
Associate editor
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