Interactive Brokers Review 2026
Interactive Brokers is the professional-grade choice: no percentage platform fee, dealing from £3, access to more than 150 markets, and a 0.03% currency conversion charge that is an order of magnitude below every UK platform. The trade-off is complexity — the platform and its statements assume you know what you are doing.
Reviewed by Yaniv Barshaf, CPA · Fees verified 6 October 2026 · Our methodology
Disclosure: FeesWizard may earn a commission if you open an account through links on this page. This never affects our fee data or rankings — how we make money.
Interactive Brokers fees at a glance
- Stock commission
- UK shares 0.05% of trade value, minimum £3; European shares 0.05%, minimum €3; US shares from $0.005 per share, minimum $1 (Fixed pricing)
- Currency conversion
- 0.03% currency conversion, minimum $2 per conversion — the lowest available
- Withdrawal fee
- Two free withdrawal requests per calendar month; after that GBP 7.00 by bank transfer or GBP 1.00 by BACS/GIRO (EUR 8.00 / EUR 1.00; USD 10.00 / USD 1.00)
- Inactivity fee
- None on the standard account (the inactivity fee was removed in 2021)
- Minimum deposit
- none
- Regulated by
- FCA, SEC
Fees verified 6 October 2026 against Interactive Brokers's own pricing pages. How we verify
Our verdict on Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers: The cheapest FX and the widest market access, for confident investors.
Visit the Interactive Brokers website →We earn no commission from Interactive Brokers.
Fees
- Stock commission: UK shares 0.05% of trade value, minimum £3; European shares 0.05%, minimum €3; US shares from $0.005 per share, minimum $1 (Fixed pricing)
- Withdrawal: Two free withdrawal requests per calendar month; after that GBP 7.00 by bank transfer or GBP 1.00 by BACS/GIRO (EUR 8.00 / EUR 1.00; USD 10.00 / USD 1.00)
- Inactivity: None on the standard account (the inactivity fee was removed in 2021)
- Currency conversion: 0.03% currency conversion, minimum $2 per conversion — the lowest available
- Custody and spreads: No percentage platform or custody fee
Wondering how your money is protected? Read what happens if a broker goes bust →
Our Interactive Brokers score: 4.5/5
How this is calculated →Computed from the fee data on this page, not assigned by hand. Our commercial relationships are not an input.
- Cost (45% of the score)70/100
Averages 0.14% of the portfolio a year in charges across our three benchmark investors.
- Regulation & protection (20% of the score)100/100
Regulated by FCA, SEC. Tier-one regulators (FCA, BaFin, SEC and equivalents) carry the most weight.
- Market & account breadth (15% of the score)100/100
Covers 5 of the asset classes we price and 2 account types.
- Accessibility (10% of the score)100/100
Minimum deposit none; supports fractional shares; has mobile app.
- Fee transparency (10% of the score)100/100
Publishes a schedule complete enough to model every charge and charges no inactivity fee.
Pros and cons
Interactive Brokers
Pros
- +0.03% FX charge — around 25 times cheaper than a typical UK platform
- +No percentage-of-portfolio platform or custody fee
- +Access to 150+ markets and almost every asset class
- +Dealing from £3, with genuinely institutional execution
Cons
- −The platform is complex and unforgiving for beginners
- −£3 minimum per UK deal makes very small trades relatively costly
- −Reporting and statements assume a degree of financial literacy
- −The UK ISA carries a £3 monthly minimum activity fee
Interactive Brokers
The cheapest FX and the widest market access, for confident investors
Visit the Interactive Brokers website →We earn no commission from Interactive Brokers. It is listed here because a fee comparison that leaves out the market leaders is not a fee comparison.
Interactive Brokersfees & safety, in depth
Interactive Brokers vs alternatives
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | Lightyear | Trading 212 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 |
| Stock commission | UK shares 0.05% of trade value, minimum £3; European shares 0.05%, minimum €3; US shares from $0.005 per share, minimum $1 (Fixed pricing) | UK personal accounts (GIA and ISA): no execution fee on UK, US and European stocks or ETFs. EU accounts: GBP 1 per order on UK stocks, EUR 1 per order on EUR-denominated stocks, 0.1% on other European stocks, and 0.10% (min $0.10, max $1) on US stocks. ETFs are execution-fee-free on both. | 0% |
| Withdrawal fee | Two free withdrawal requests per calendar month; after that GBP 7.00 by bank transfer or GBP 1.00 by BACS/GIRO (EUR 8.00 / EUR 1.00; USD 10.00 / USD 1.00) | Free by local bank transfer. USD wire payments are charged (up to $8.50 UK, $6.11 EU). | Free |
| Inactivity fee | None on the standard account (the inactivity fee was removed in 2021) | None | None |
| Min deposit | None | None | £1 |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Demo account | Yes | No | Yes |
| Regulators | FCA, SEC | FCA, EFSA | FCA, CySEC |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Interactive Brokers safe and legit?
Interactive Brokers is regulated by FCA, SEC and has operated since 1978. All investing carries risk of loss.
What are Interactive Brokers's fees?
Stock commission: UK shares 0.05% of trade value, minimum £3; European shares 0.05%, minimum €3; US shares from $0.005 per share, minimum $1 (Fixed pricing). Withdrawal: Two free withdrawal requests per calendar month; after that GBP 7.00 by bank transfer or GBP 1.00 by BACS/GIRO (EUR 8.00 / EUR 1.00; USD 10.00 / USD 1.00). Inactivity: None on the standard account (the inactivity fee was removed in 2021).
Is Interactive Brokers FCA regulated?
Yes. Interactive Brokers is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, and also by SEC in other regions. FCA regulation brings client-money rules and oversight; it does not protect you against investment losses.
Does Interactive Brokers charge a currency conversion fee?
0.03% currency conversion, minimum $2 per conversion — the lowest available.
What is the minimum deposit for Interactive Brokers?
The minimum deposit is none.
Interactive Brokers
The cheapest FX and the widest market access, for confident investors
Visit the Interactive Brokers website →We earn no commission from Interactive Brokers. It is listed here because a fee comparison that leaves out the market leaders is not a fee comparison.