Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs XTB, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, investment options, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
Your capital is at risk.
Alongside the cost per trade, most UK online brokers also charge a monthly, quarterly, or annual management fee, which varies based on the account type and balance. Based on our thorough review, XTB offers better pricing than Interactive Brokers for share dealing.
Assuming a £30,000 portfolio size, here are the total annual costs for share dealing with both brokers, given different monthly activity scenarios.
5 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £15 per year, while XTB would cost £0 per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £36 per year, while XTB would cost £0 per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £108 per year, while XTB would cost £0 per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £360 per year, while XTB would cost £0 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £0 per year, while XTB would cost £0 per year.
What type of trader are you?
New to the world of investing? See our picks for the Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners. More experienced traders should read our guide to the Best UK Trading Platforms for Active Traders.
When comparing investment options with Interactive Brokers and XTB, UK investors will find notable differences in available asset types. Interactive Brokers stands out by offering an extensive array of choices, including share trading, cryptocurrency, ETFs, CFD trading, funds, corporate and government bonds, and investment trusts. This variety has earned it a top rating of 5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com, making it a strong choice for those who value a wide range of investment possibilities.
Meanwhile, XTB offers share trading, ETF trading, and CFDs, which cater to many common trading needs. However, it misses out on some options, such as cryptocurrency and bond trading, which might be significant for diversified investors. Despite this, XTB holds a respectable 4.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, ranking #13 out of 21 brokers for investment choices, reflecting its competitive, though slightly narrower, offering.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
XTB
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|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | Yes | |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | |
| Advisor Services | ||
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
When comparing the charting capabilities of Interactive Brokers and XTB, both brokers offer essential features like displaying corporate events such as earnings, splits, and dividends on charts. Additionally, users of both platforms can add notes to charts and set up price alerts. However, Interactive Brokers provides a wider array of drawing tools, boasting 80 compared to XTB's 20, and offers 96 technical indicators versus XTB's 39. Interactive Brokers also supports stock and index overlays on charts, a feature not present on XTB's platform.
In terms of accessibility, both Interactive Brokers and XTB provide a browser-based trading platform, ensuring ease of use across devices. While XTB offers real-time market data, Interactive Brokers does not explicitly mention this feature, which could be a consideration for traders needing immediate market updates. Overall, Interactive Brokers excels in advanced charting functionalities, while XTB provides a straightforward, real-time trading experience. UK traders should weigh these differences based on their trading needs and strategies.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
XTB
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 39 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 20 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes |
When it comes to choosing an online broker for retirement accounts in the UK, both Interactive Brokers and XTB offer appealing options. Interactive Brokers provides a diverse array of services including both ISA and SIPP accounts, catering to those looking to invest through tax-efficient routes. On the other hand, XTB supports ISA accounts but doesn't provide SIPP options, potentially limiting choices for those specifically interested in self-invested personal pensions. With ISA options available at both brokers, Interactive Brokers stands out with its broader range of retirement account offerings, giving UK investors more flexibility in their planning.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing mobile apps for online trading, both Interactive Brokers and XTB offer iPhone and Android apps, making them accessible options for UK traders. Interactive Brokers excels with a 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, ranking 4th out of 21 brokers for its mobile app offering. Meanwhile, XTB also provides a competitive mobile experience, earning a 4.5-star rating and ranking 6th. Both platforms ensure easy access to trading on the go, but Interactive Brokers edges out with slightly higher ratings, suggesting a slightly better user experience.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
In comparing educational resources for beginner investors offered by Interactive Brokers and XTB, there's a slight distinction in offerings to consider for UK readers. Interactive Brokers provides a comprehensive range of topics, including share trading, funds, and retirement, supplemented by educational client webinars that can be accessed on-demand. In contrast, while XTB also covers share trading, it does not delve into funds or retirement education, and its client webinars offering is less clear. Both brokers boast strong ratings of 4.5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com, with Interactive Brokers narrowly edging out XTB in rankings, standing at #8 compared to XTB’s #9 out of 21 brokers. This suggests that Interactive Brokers may offer a slightly more extensive educational suite for novices.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
XTB
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When considering market research features, Interactive Brokers and XTB cater to different needs for UK investors. Interactive Brokers provides comprehensive research capabilities, including detailed reports for funds, as well as insights into portfolio allocations by asset class. It also covers a wide range of asset classes, offering research on shares, ETFs, funds, CFDs, and bonds. In comparison, XTB matches Interactive Brokers in offering research on shares, ETFs, and CFDs, along with the ability to view portfolio allocations by asset class. However, XTB lacks in providing specific research reports for funds and bonds, making Interactive Brokers a more extensive choice for those seeking in-depth analysis across diverse investment types.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
XTB
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Interactive Brokers or XTB? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Interactive Brokers to be a better trading platform overall.
Interactive Brokers is a sophisticated trading platform aimed at confident and institutional-grade investors. For newer investors, Interactive Brokers is more intimidating, though it's worth exploring the platform to see if you could save money or access more investments compared to other brokers.
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XTB
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Interactive Brokers offers crypto trading, while XTB does not, positioning Interactive Brokers as a more versatile option for investors interested in cryptocurrency assets.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | XTB | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | XTB Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | ||
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Funds | Yes | ||
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | ||
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | ||
| Investment Trusts | Yes | ||
| Spread Betting | Yes | ||
| Crypto Trading | Yes | ||
| Advisor Services |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Brokers | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3 | £0 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £15 | £0 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £36 | £0 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £108 | £0 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £360 | £0 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 / £14.85 | N/A | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 | 0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 | 0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 | 0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 | 0 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3 | £0 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | XTB | |
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| Platforms & Tools | Interactive Brokers | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 39 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 20 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | ||
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | ||
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | ||
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | ||
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | ||
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | ||
| Client Webinars | Yes | ||
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Brokers | XTB | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | XTB Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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