59.7% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider
- Good Money Guide experts commend Interactive Brokers (IBKR) for its robust CFD trading capabilities, highlighting its low-cost structure and direct market access, which allows traders to place orders directly on the exchange. The platform is particularly suited for experienced traders, with advanced tools and features that cater to high-volume trading, though some users may find the desktop interface complex.
- Across 1375 user reviews on Good Money Guide, averaging 4.6/5, customers frequently praise the platform's low fees, extensive market access, and efficient trade execution. Many users appreciate the comprehensive tools available for both novice and experienced traders, while some express concerns about the complexity of the platform and slower customer support response times.
Interactive Brokers (IBKR) CFD Trading Expert rating
Our expert rating is the average of the areas listed here, each scored out of 5 by our team.Our experts have rated Interactive Brokers (IBKR) CFD Trading across five key areas of our review framework.
- Pricing5.0
- Market Access4.5
- App & Platform5.0
- Customer Service4.0
- Research & Analysis5.0
Pros
- Low-cost CFD trading
- Wide market range of CFD markets
- DMA CFD trading
Cons
- Better for advanced CFD traders
- Complex desktop platform
See full expert review
Our verdict
IBKR offers CFD trading on around 8,500 markets including 100 forex pairs, 20 commodities, 13 indices, and thousands of international stocks. I’ve traded through IBKR a fair bit and there is no doubt that Interactive Brokers CFD offering is one of the best around.
59.7% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider
Can you trade CFDs with Interactive Brokers (IBKR)?
Yes, you can trade CFDs or contracts for difference with Interactive Brokers, but you have to go through some quite arduous suitability tests to ensure that you understand the risks involved.
But once you are in, I found Interactive Brokers to be one of the best CFD brokers, most appropriate for experienced and sophisticated CFD traders. However, it also has lighter versions of its Workstation downloadable trading platform on the portal for newer traders who may want to stick with one platform as they become more experienced.
Trading Platforms: There are two different platforms, which I tested by short-selling Travis Perkins as a CFD. We discussed TPK in our podcast, and the general consensus in the comments on TikTok was that everyone hates them and that it's too expensive. You can see below examples of both trading platforms and how different they look.
The downloadable platform Workstation lets you trade CFDs with the most types of order execution with IBKR, for instance, VWAP, pairs trading, time and price-sensitive order entry. These tools are most suited to professional and very high-volume traders, or hedge funds that are working very large orders and don’t want to scare the market. Most retail CFD traders will have no need for them, but it is representative of IBKRs overall service in that it provides an exceptional institutional-grade CFD platform to retail clients.
There is also an excellent pairs trading feature where you can simultaneously trade one CFD stock against another as a percentage. IBKR is the only CFD broker that lets you do this. With other trading platforms you have to do two separate orders.
As you can see from when I shorted TPK on the Portal web-based version it is much simpler. But you still get some good order execution types, but it's very much for retail CFD traders compared to IBKR Workstation which is for professionals.
Market Access: Whilst Interactive Brokers does not offer the most CFD markets, they do offer one of the best ways to trade them. With IBKR CFDs you can trade with direct market access (DMA) on the exchange so you can place your orders directly on the order book at better prices than the bid/offer.
In reality, CFD brokers with the most markets are those that offer access to small or illiquid stocks which are probably not suitable for CFD trading anyway. But, IBKR offers access to the majority of stocks and markets most traders could need.
CFD Fees: The commission is charged post-trade so you get clean prices with no mark-up and IBKRs commission rates (added post trade) are the best around. Commission on UK stocks is 0.02% and 0.003% on US stocks.
Out-of-hours Trading: IBKR lets you trade CFDs on US stocks, indices, commodities and currencies overnight and on some parts of the weekend. Overnight trading starts from 8pm US ET time on Sundays and for those with US stock trading permission you get access to free overnight data.
CFDs on restricted ETFs: You can also trade ETFs as a CFD that you otherwise would not be able to invest in if based in the UK. One of the major drawbacks of ETFs listed in the US is they do not provide a Key Information Document (which tells you what is in them and how risky they are), so the UK regulators won't let UK investors buy them as they are not transparent. However, with IBKR you can trade these as a CFD (which is an OTC product).
Customer reviews for Interactive Brokers
Customer ratings come from reviews left on this site. Every review is read and approved before it is published.Based on 1,375 reviews
- Excellent74%
- Very good14%
- Basic7%
- Poor2%
- Bad2%
What customers like
- Low fees and competitive pricing
- User-friendly platform
- Fast execution and reliability
What customers dislike
- Poor customer service
- Confusing account management
- Slow response times
Read customer reviews
Fast, professional and innovative
Amazing investment place, trustful IBKR.
Above all
IBKR stands far above all other mainstream trading apps; it’s in a league of its own and simply cannot be compared.
Investing Platform Of Choice
It is undoubtedly one of the best if not the best investing platforms. It offers vide range of securities to invest acroos major geographies with best technology platform at very competitive charges. I feel it should be the first choice for an investor.
Best broker
Great platform, great team! Best in class
Best Trading Platform.
It is a secure and easy to use platform which is quite powerful. The mobile app is quite convenient.
International Markets
Easy to use and fractional stocks with low fees
Best Retail Broker
best broker for product offerings and price offering. Best platform.
IBKR has made investing easy and affordable..
IBKR has made investing easy and affordable..
Fantastic platform i recommend to all my friends
Interactive Brokers has been absolutely fantastic to use. From the start, I was impressed by how simple and intuitive their platform is — everything is laid out clearly, making it easy to navigate whether you’re new to investing or more experienced.
What really stands out is the transparency. There are no hidden costs or sneaky fees, which immediately builds trust and makes me feel confident in every trade. The pricing structure is straightforward, and it’s refreshing to use a broker that values honesty and fairness.
On top of that, their customer support and overall user experience are genuinely friendly and approachable. It feels like they’ve designed the service with the user in mind at every step.
Overall, Interactive Brokers is a reliable, user-friendly, and trustworthy platform that I would recommend to anyone looking for a smooth and cost-effective trading experience.
My review
I have used interactive brokers for 10 years to trade stocks, options, and futures. Very comprehensive and professional platform.
Lovely company
I am using IBKR for more than 3 years now, its amazing and lovely trustworthy platform
Fast, easy and excellent filling
The app has almost no spread and razor thin trading fees.
It is responsive, stable and just works. 10/10.
Far more robust than anything else I tried.
Reliable and Efficient
Wide range of trading and investing markets, easy to use platform and competitive pricing/fee.
Best investing platform
Love using it because of its easy of money transfer
Variety of products and low fees
Super clear on fees, it has a lot of helpful information. Big fan
Top Gun
The efficiency, speed and low cost of the IBKR platform make it a pleasure to work with and me a dedicated supporter.
Personal Financial Growth
IB set standards as a personal financial growth platform, offering competitive trading rates, financial literacy, and support throughout the investment journey
Best overall
Cheapest platform on the market and with the new AED account available, unbeatable.
IBKR is the top
Amazing platform
IBKR all the way
Most recognized and safest platform
Compare Interactive Brokers to other CFD trading platforms below:
| CFD Broker | CFD Markets | Overnight Fees | Customer Reviews | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 13,500 | 2.5% +/- SONIA | (Based on 125 reviews) | See Platform 69% of retail investor accounts lose money |
 | 5,000 | 2.5% +/- SONIA | (Based on 21 reviews) | See Platform 74% of retail CFD accounts lose money. |
 | 1,200 | 2.5% +/- SONIA | (Based on 110 reviews) | See Platform 73% of retail investor accounts lose money |
 | 2,000 | 20% Long / 10% Short | (Based on 146 reviews) | See Platform 76% of retail investor accounts lose money |
 | 8,500 | 1.5% +/- SONIA | (Based on 1,375 reviews) | See Platform 59.7% of retail investor accounts lose money |
 | 10,000 | 3% +/- SONIA | (Based on 272 reviews) | See Platform 61% of retail investor accounts lose money |
 | 17,000 | 2.5% +/- SONIA | (Based on 746 reviews) | See Platform 70% of retail investor accounts lose money |
 | 12,000 | 2.9% +/- SONIA | (Based on 237 reviews) | See Platform 69% of retail investor accounts lose money |
 | 9,000 | 2.5% +/- SAXO RATE | (Based on 137 reviews) | See Platform 62% of retail investor accounts lose money |
 | 2,976 | 6.4% +/- SONIA | (Based on 283 reviews) | See Platform 61% of retail investor accounts lose money |
 | 2,100 | 9% Long / 0.4% Short | (Based on 139 reviews) | See Platform 74% of retail investor accounts lose money |
Richard is the founder of the Good Money Guide (formerly Good Broker Guide), one of the original investment comparison sites established in 2015. With a career spanning two decades as a broker, he brings extensive expertise and knowledge to the financial landscape.
Having worked as a broker at Investors Intelligence and a multi-asset derivatives broker at MF Global (Man Financial), Richard has acquired substantial experience in the industry. His career began as a private client stockbroker at Walker Crips and Phillip Securities (now King and Shaxson), following internships on the NYMEX oil trading floor in New York and London IPE in 2001 and 2000.
Richard’s contributions and expertise have been recognized by respected publications such as The Sunday Times, BusinessInsider, Yahoo Finance, BusinessNews.org.uk, Master Investor, Wealth Briefing, iNews, and The FT, among many others.
Under Richard’s leadership, the Good Money Guide has evolved into a valuable destination for comprehensive information and expert guidance, specialising in trading, investment, and currency exchange. His commitment to delivering high-quality insights has solidified the Good Money Guide’s standing as a well-respected resource for both customers and industry colleagues.
