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Head to head
tastytrade or Interactive Brokers? Fees, regulation, platform and product range compared side by side — with a verdict drawn from the data.
Risk warning: CFDs and leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly. Investments can fall in value. Past performance is not an indicator of future results.
The cheapest serious options broker in the US — built by people who trade premium for a living.
The cheapest serious route to almost every market on earth — if you can live with the learning curve.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
Four decision axes, each derived from the recorded data.
Overall Interactive Brokers takes it, 4.5 against 4.2 out of 5. tastytrade is the cheaper of the two: a reference EUR 5,000 stock order costs €0.00 there against €2.50. Interactive Brokers scores 90 against 82 out of 100 on the group index. Your account's protection depends on its legal entity. Interactive Brokers covers more ground with 12 of 14 asset classes against 9. We rate platform and app at 4.6 out of 5 for both. Which one is right depends on which of these axes matters for your trading profile.
tastytradeInteractive BrokerstastytradeInteractive BrokerstastytradeInteractive BrokerstastytradeInteractive BrokerstastytradeInteractive BrokersUp to four brokers at once — every row a decision point.
Data as of: 30 Aug 2026
| Criterion | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 4.2 | 4.5 — Better |
| Group index | 82 of 100 | 90 of 100 |
| Best for | Options premium sellersHigh-volume multi-leg tradersSmall-account futures tradersActive US derivatives traders | Active and professional tradersMulti-currency investorsOptions and futures tradersAlgorithmic and API tradingGlobal stock pickers |
| Regulation | FINRASECNFA | SECFCACBIASICMAS |
| Top-tier licences | 3 | 5 — Better |
| Investor protection | US$500,000 | US$500,000 |
| Listed group | Yes | Yes |
| Banking licence | No | No |
| Segregated client accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Negative balance protection | No | Yes |
| Audited financials | Yes | Yes |
| Disclosed regulatory actions | 1 | 2 |
| Founded | 2015 | 1977 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, IL, US | Greenwich, Connecticut, US |
| Fees | 4.6 | 4.9 — Better |
| Safety & regulation | 4.2 | 4.8 — Better |
| Trading platform | 4.6 | 4.8 — Better |
| Product range | 3.6 | 5.0 — Better |
| Mobile app | 4.5 — Better | 4.3 |
| Research | 3.8 | 4.4 — Better |
| Customer support | 3.8 — Better | 3.2 |
| Deposit & withdrawal | 3.8 | 4.0 — Better |
| Account opening | 4.3 — Better | 3.5 |
| Education | 4.4 — Better | 4.0 |
| Reference order EUR 5,000 | €0.00 — Better | €2.50 |
| Minimum deposit | None | None |
| Stocks (per order) | Free — Better | 0.05 % |
| US stocks | Free — Better | US$0.0035/share |
| ETFs | Free — Better | 0.05 % |
| Options | US$1 | US$0.65 — Better |
| Futures | US$1 | US$0.85 — Better |
| Crypto | 1 % | n/a |
| Bonds (order) | US$25 | n/a |
| Funds (order) | Not offered | n/a |
| EUR/USD spread | n/a | 0.1 pips |
| Index CFD spread | n/a | n/a |
| FX conversion | n/a | 0.002 % |
| Inactivity fee | None | None |
| Custody fee | None | None |
| Withdrawal fee | free — Better | €1 |
| Deposit fee | free | free |
| Overnight financing | n/a | n/a |
| Other fees |
|
|
| Asset classes (of 14) | 9 | 12 — Better |
| Exchanges | n/a | 160 |
| Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Options | Yes | Yes |
| Futures | Yes | Yes |
| Forex | No | Yes |
| CFDs | No | Yes |
| Crypto | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | No | Yes |
| Commodities | Yes | Yes |
| Indices | Yes | Yes |
| Warrants | Yes | Yes |
| Spread betting | No | No |
| Social trading | No | No |
| Platforms | tastytrade desktoptastytrade webtastytrade mobile (iOS / Android)TradingView integrationOpen API | Trader Workstation (TWS)IBKR DesktopClient PortalIBKR MobileIBKR GlobalTraderTWS API / Web API / FIXTradingView and other third-party front ends |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum leverage | US Regulation T margin: 2:1 overnight and 4:1 intraday on marginable equities for pattern day traders. | 1:30 · Pro 1:200 |
| Account opening | Same day for US residents; 1–3 business days for international applicants | Fully online; typically 1–3 business days, longer if documents need manual review |
| Account types | Cash accountMargin accountPortfolio marginTraditional / Roth / SEP IRAInternational individual or joint | IBKR ProIBKR LiteMargin account |
| Payment methods | Bank transferChequeCrypto | Bank transferSEPACheque |
| Account currencies | USD | USDEURGBPCHFAUDCADJPYHKDSGDSEK+8 |
| Deposit time | ACH same day to 1 business day; wire same day | SEPA 1–2 business days; international wire 1–4 business days |
| Withdrawal time | 1–3 business days | 1–3 business days |
| Free withdrawals | n/a | 2/month |
| Languages | English | EnglishGermanFrenchSpanishItalianDutchPortugueseRussianChineseJapanese+1 |
| Channels | PhoneEmailLive chat | PhoneEmailLive chatTicket system |
| Availability | Mon–Fri, extended US market hours; 24/5 trade desk for futures | 24/5, from Sunday evening to Friday evening US time |
Editorial assessment based on the recorded data.
tastytrade
The cheapest serious options broker in the US — built by people who trade premium for a living.
Pros
Cons
Best for
Interactive Brokers
The cheapest serious route to almost every market on earth — if you can live with the learning curve.
Pros
Cons
Best for
Open an account with either
A demo account costs nothing and answers the platform question in ten minutes.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
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