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.
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 the investment options available at Interactive Brokers and XTB, both platforms offer robust opportunities for eager investors. Interactive Brokers shines with a broader array of choices, including share trading, ETF trading, and CFD trading. It uniquely provides access to funds, corporate bonds, government bonds, and investment trusts, setting it apart from XTB, which doesn't offer these options. Both brokers fall short in providing crypto trading and spread betting, maintaining a similar focus on more traditional forms of investment.
XTB, offering share, ETF, and CFD trading, is a reliable option for those seeking a more streamlined selection. However, it trails behind Interactive Brokers in terms of variety and depth of investment choices. With a slightly lower rating of 4.5 stars for investment options compared to Interactive Brokers' perfect 5-star rating on UK.StockBrokers.com, XTB ranks #14 out of 18 brokers, while Interactive Brokers holds an impressive #2 spot. This comparison highlights Interactive Brokers as a more versatile option for investors seeking comprehensive access to a range of financial instruments.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
XTB
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No |
| Spread Betting | No | Yes |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Investment Choices |
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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
When it comes to charting capabilities for traders, both Interactive Brokers and XTB provide a solid foundation, allowing users to display corporate events like earnings, splits, and dividends directly on their charts. However, Interactive Brokers takes the lead with an impressive array of 80 drawing tools and 96 technical indicators, compared to XTB’s offering of 20 drawing tools and 39 technical indicators. Traders using both platforms can add notes to their charts, but only Interactive Brokers lets you enrich your analysis with index and stock overlays, giving it an edge for those who seek detailed chart enhancements.
Both Interactive Brokers and XTB provide a browser-based trading platform for ease of access and allow users to set alerts for stock price updates, helping traders stay informed. Yet, traders prioritizing real-time market data access might lean towards XTB, as it offers this crucial feature, whereas Interactive Brokers does not. Whether you're looking for comprehensive technical analysis tools or real-time data, understanding these differences can help guide you to the platform that best meets your trading needs.
| 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 | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
When comparing online brokers Interactive Brokers and XTB, both platforms cater to UK investors by offering Individual Savings Accounts (ISA), providing tax-efficient ways to save and invest. However, when it comes to Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPP), ideal for retirement savings, Interactive Brokers stands out by offering this option, while XTB does not currently provide SIPP accounts. Whether you're focusing on immediate tax savings or planning for retirement, Interactive Brokers presents a more comprehensive range of account options suited for diverse financial goals.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When it comes to choosing a mobile trading platform, both Interactive Brokers and XTB offer reliable options with apps available for both iPhone and Android users. Interactive Brokers has received a full 5-star rating for its mobile app from UK.StockBrokers.com, ranking #2 out of 18 brokers in their mobile app evaluation. Meanwhile, XTB provides a competitive service with a 4.5-star rating, securing the #10 spot out of 18 brokers. Whether you're an experienced trader or a beginner, both brokers provide accessible and high-quality mobile trading experiences, with Interactive Brokers leading slightly in user satisfaction and rankings.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When it comes to educational resources for beginner investors, Interactive Brokers and XTB offer differing options. Interactive Brokers provides a robust selection of educational client webinars, which are archived for on-demand access. In contrast, XTB does not offer such webinars. Both brokers cover share trading as part of their educational content; however, Interactive Brokers extends its offerings to include topics like funds and retirement, whereas XTB does not. In terms of ratings, both brokers receive 4.5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com for beginner education. Despite this, XTB ranks slightly higher at #8 out of 18 brokers compared to Interactive Brokers, which is ranked #12.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
XTB
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
Interactive Brokers and XTB provide a range of market research features that cater to traders looking to make informed decisions. Both platforms allow users to view portfolio allocation by asset class and provide research on shares, ETFs, and CFDs. However, Interactive Brokers stands out by offering research reports for funds, including in-depth analysis on ETFs and bonds—something XTB does not provide. This makes Interactive Brokers a more comprehensive choice for those who value extensive market research, particularly in funds and bonds.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
XTB
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No |
| 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.
| Feature |
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XTB
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Both Interactive Brokers and XTB do not offer cryptocurrency trading, highlighting a key limitation for traders seeking digital asset investments through these online brokerage platforms.
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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 | No | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Funds | Yes | No | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No | |
| Spread Betting | No | Yes | |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| 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 | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Brokers | XTB | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | XTB Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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