FBS vs Interactive Brokers - Fees Review included
Which broker is better FBS or Interactive Brokers? Our expert assessment conducted according to TU’s own methodology showed that FBS is one of the top brokers in the financial market with the TU Overall Score of 8.98 out of 10. Interactive Brokers is one of the top brokers in the financial market with the TU Overall Score of 7.45 out of 10. Find out more about TU Overall Score.
| Feature | FBS | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|
Overall |
4.3 |
4.9 |
4.6 |
5 |
|
3.9 |
4.9 |
|
4.1 |
5 |
|
Investment Instruments |
4.7 |
4.2 |
Platforms and Charting Tools |
4.5 |
5 |
Deposit and Withdrawal |
4.2 |
4.1 |
Research |
3.9 |
4.7 |
Education |
4.2 |
4.5 |
Support |
3.9 |
4.2 |
Bonuses |
5 |
3.1 |
|
|
FBS vs Interactive Brokers: Pros and Cons
FBS (fbs.com) is an international broker operating in 190 countries. The brokerage company has been on the market for over 10 years, and during this time it has earned about 40 international awards. It is regulated by the CySEC under license number 331/17 and provides flexible conditions for Forex trading. FBS is especially popular in Asian countries such as India, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The biggest international broker
| FBS | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Pros | A large selection of trading instruments | Access to 135 markets in 33 countries |
| Copyt trading platform | 30.000+ trading instruments | |
| $140 no-deposit bonus (not available for EU clients) | Regulated in the US, UK and 8 other countries | |
| Crypto account | Advanced trading platform | |
| Free stocks for registration | ||
| Low fees | ||
| Low margin rates | ||
| Nasdaq Listed company | ||
| 25 supported account currencies | ||
| Overall Cons | Hihg trading fees | long and complex registration procedure |
| Slow exacution speed |
FBS vs Interactive Brokers: Safety and Regulation
| Regulated By: | FBS | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|
US Regulation |
No |
Yes |
FCA (Great Britain) |
No |
Yes |
CySec (Cyprus, EU) |
Yes |
No |
ASIC (Australia) |
Yes |
No |
Other Regulators |
Belize IFSC, license IFSC/000102/310, South Africa - FSCA |
Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), Central Bank of Ireland (CBI, reference number C423427), Central Bank of Hungary (Magyar Nemzeti Bank), Australian Securities and Investments Commission (AFSL: 453554) and is a participant of ASX, ASX 24 and Cboe Australia, Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, and is a member of the SEHK and the HKFE, India SEBI Registration No. INZ000217730, Japan - Kanto Local Finance Bureau (Registration No.187) and is a member of Japan Securities Dealers Association and The Commodity Futures Association of Japan, Monetary Authority of Singapore (Licence No. CMS100917) |
FBS vs Interactive Brokers: Trading Conditions
| Trading Conditions | FBS | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|
Minimum Deposit |
$1 |
$0 |
Trading Platforms |
MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, FBS Trader |
IB Trader Workstation, IBKR GlobalTrader, Client Portal |
Max Leverage (Futures) |
401769 |
1-50 |
Supported Markets |
Forex, CFDs on stocks, indices, metals, energies, crypto |
Stocks, Forex, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Bonds, Stock options, Commodity Futures, Currency futures, Cryptocurrencies, Robo-portfolios, hedge funds |
Trading assets |
200+ |
30000+ |
Trading Accounts |
Standard, Cent, ECN, Micro, Zero Spread, Copy Trade |
Cash account, margin account |
Base Account Currencies |
EUR, USD |
USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD, CZK, DKK, HKD, HUF, ILS, JPY, MXN, NZD, NOK, PLN, SGD, SEK, CHF, CNH |
FBS vs Interactive Brokers: Fees
Forex Trading Fees
| Fee | FBS | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|
Standard Account EURUSD Average Spread |
0.8 pips |
0.1 pips |
Standard Account Fee |
$0 |
0.08 to 0.20 bps times trade size |
ECN/STP Account Fee |
$6 per lot |
0.08 to 0.20 bps times trade size |
ECN Account EUR Average Spread |
0.2 pips |
0.1 pips |
CFD Trading Fees
| Fee | FBS | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|
CFD Trading Fee |
US Shares - 0.7%, other markets - folating spread above the average |
0.05% on all share CFDs |
Non-Trading Fees
| Fee | FBS | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|
Account Fee |
No |
No |
Deposit Fee |
No |
No |
Withdrawal Fee |
1$ Visa, Neteller 2%, min - 1$, max - 30$ fee, Skrill - 1% + 0.32$, PerfectMoney - 0.5% |
$10 per wire transfer, $1 per BACS/GIRO/ACH/EFT/SEPA |
Inactivity Fee |
No |
No |
A conversion fee may be applied as withdrawals and deposits are conducted in USD. Any other currency will have to be converted.
FBS vs Interactive Brokers: Trading Assets
| Asset Name | FBS | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|
Overall |
200+ |
30000+ |
Forex |
Yes |
Yes |
Stocks |
Yes (CFD) |
Yes |
Metals |
Yes (CFD) |
Yes |
Cryptocurrencies |
Yes (CFD) |
Yes |
Energy |
Yes (CFD) |
Yes |
Indices |
Yes (CFD) |
Yes |
ETFs |
No |
Yes |
Bonds |
No |
Yes |
Mutual funds |
No |
Yes |
Stock options |
No |
Yes |
Futures Trading |
No |
Yes |
Binary Options |
No |
No |
FBS or Interactive Brokers: Investment Programs
| Asset Name | FBS | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|
Copy Trading |
Yes |
No |
MAM/PAMM |
Yes |
No |
Managed Accounts |
No |
No |
Other |
No |
Robo-portfolios, hedge funds, Bonds |
Trading Platforms: Interactive Brokers or FBS
| FBS | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|
MT4 |
Yes |
No |
MT5 |
Yes |
No |
cTrader |
No |
No |
Appropriate platform |
FBSTrader |
IB Trader Workstation, IBKR GlobalTrader, Client Portal |
Others |
No |
No |
|
|
FBS vs Interactive Brokers: Deposit and Withdrawal Methods
| Deposit and Withdrawal Method | FBS | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|
Bank Transfer |
No |
Yes |
Debit Card |
Yes |
No |
Electronic Wallets |
Yes |
No |
Crypto |
No |
No |
FBS vs Interactive Brokers: Research
| Research Type | FBS | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|
News Feed |
Yes |
Yes |
Fundamental Data |
Yes |
Yes |
Chart Analysis |
Yes |
Yes |
Trading Ideas |
Yes |
No |
E-Mail Reports |
Yes |
Yes |
FBS vs Interactive Brokers: Education
| Education Type | FBS | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|
Demo-account/Paper Trading |
Yes |
Yes |
Webinars |
Yes |
Yes |
Articles |
Yes |
Yes |
Videos |
Yes |
Yes |
Cent account |
Yes |
No |
Interactive Brokers vs FBS: Support
| Support Features | FBS | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|
Working Days |
24/5 |
24/5 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Phone |
Yes |
Yes |
Online chat |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
FB Messenger |
Community forum, Software bug reports |
FBS vs Interactive Brokers: Forex Bonuses and Promo
| Promo | FBS | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|
Forex Bonus |
$140 no deposit bonus, up to 100% deposit bonus (Bonuses are not available for EU and UK clients) |
No |
Affiliate Program |
As Referrer you can earn up to USD 1000 of IBKR stock. The Refer a Friend program allows eligible IBKR clients to refer people to IBKR for a flat fee payment. Residents of Japan, Spain and Israel are not eligible to participate in the program. |
|
Other Promos |
By activating the option in the personal account, a trader can receive a cashback of up to $15 per lot |
|
|
|
Top 5 Reviews on Interactive Brokers
-
Comment
I am very glad that I found Interactive Brokers, because it is convenient to work with — the service is well made and streamlined, the user account is convenient, and you can trade on different platforms and use robots. There are a lot of tools for traders. In general, their approach to work is serious.
-
Comment
I recently started trading with interactive brokers, but I am already trading on a live account. There is no delay in withdrawing money, the execution is excellent, and they make life easier for traders, as they allow you to trade with different strategies. You can try whatever you want and the choice of platforms is amazing, so there is a space for experiments.
-
Comment
There are no problems with Interactive Brokers. All trading operations are carried out as needed. There is a license and regulators, and that definitely says a lot.
-
Comment
Attempts to successfully invest funds haven’t always brought me the positive results that were promised to me by the brokers with whom I worked. I had to start searching, and those who search always find. I found interactive brokers. As a result, in six months, I doubled the money invested. I hope that I will stay here for a long time.
-
Comment
No worries with Interactive Brokers. I know for sure that the company will not let you down. How many years here and only a positive opinion about Interactive Brokers. Always, on all thematic resources, I advise this company.
Top 5 Reviews on FBS
-
Comment
Verifying an account on FBS is fast and easy if you have the recommended documents. This includes a government passport or ID issued the authorities. Make sure you upload both the front and back side of it then enter your accurate date of birth used on your official documents. Mine took time because my documents seem a bit old and some parts are no longer clear. I have to get another document to complete the verification. I would have saved myself the stress and trying over again with the verification process if i tried the first time with the updated documents that has an identifiable images of me.
-
Comment
FBS leverage is one of the features traders with low deposits can use to open larger positions but it is important to use them with caution. I needed to understand how leverage works and a demo account is ideal for this to avoid losing my funds. The FBS demo account is a useful tool which i am using to learn how to trade with leverages which is what i really want to fully understand how to use before trade again in my real account. Opening a demo account on FBS is a straightforward process just that you must sign up on the platform to access the personal area where you can get the options to open a demo account starting with an initial balance of $20000. Leverage is up to 1:3000. Guy, my parctical advise. Please, don’t exceed leverage of more than 1 to 10/ Yes, you will need a higher minimum deposit, but trading with higher leverage is crazy.
-
Comment
Opening an account on FBS is simple. The first step required me to enter my details but I have the option to sign up using my Gmail address. The next step demanded I select a trading platform, account currency and leverage, when I completed the process I realized I had a standard account opened for me. From the personal area I went ahead to open a demo account which was what I needed at the moment to practice. Opening a demo account is quite easy, from the personal area, you can click on add account, select the trading platform, account currency and initial balance. You can download the trading platform app or trade with FBS mt4 webtrader terminal. The web trader terminal interface is friendly and features simple trad
-
Comment
I like this company. I almost doubled my deposit in six months. This is a very good result for me. But the most important thing is that FBS withdraws money without any problems. That is, the company fulfills all agreements with a client. Therefore, I believe that FBS can be trusted.
-
Comment
For me, FBS was one of the first brokers I started trading with; earlier, they used to advertise more online. They had contests, and I even won one of them. Overall, I traded with FBS for a couple of years, and everything suited me. They had a separate blog with analytics, where there were some good materials. Now, many things are no longer available, although the broker continues to operate in the Forex market.
- MTrading vs FBS
- Eightcap vs FBS
- Trading 212 vs FBS
- Alpari vs FBS
- Pepperstone vs FBS
- Capital.com vs FBS
- FBS vs AMP Global
- FBS vs Spreadex
- FBS vs Vantage
- FBS vs BlackBull Markets
- FBS vs SimpleFX
- FBS vs FXCC
- FBS vs XBTFX
- FBS vs BDSwiss
- FBS vs NAGA
- FBS vs ETX Capital
- FBS vs FXOpen
- FBS vs City Index
- FBS vs Swissquote
- FBS vs IG
- FBS vs Saxo Bank
- FBS vs Dukascopy
- FBS vs LiteForex
- FBS vs WelTrade
- FBS vs HYCM
- FBS vs CMC Markets
- FBS vs FP Markets
- FBS vs OctaFX
- FBS vs HotForex
- FBS vs Fusion Markets
- FBS vs Plus500
- FBS vs Forex.com
- FBS vs Libertex
- FBS vs Admiral Markets
- FBS vs Tickmill
- FBS vs InstaForex
- FBS vs Forex4You
- FBS vs RoboForex
- AvaTrade vs FBS
- XM vs FBS
- IC Markets vs FBS
- Exness vs FBS
- FXTM vs FBS
FAQs
What should I start Forex trading with?
It is desirable for novice traders to explore trading using a demo account to learn the market and how to work on the trading platform without the risk of suffering losses. At the same time, it is advisable to review the educational materials of the broker, learn trading basics. Then you can deposit the minimum required amount to perform a small number of transactions. If you manage to close several months in a row in the black, without substantial drawdowns on the account, then you can try increasing your deposit. Also trying to copy trades automatically is a good option for a start.
What amount should I start trading with?
The minimum deposit of $10 may be enough to trade on the cent account. However, for trading on Standard/ECT accounts, experts recommend starting with at least $200-500. With this amount, you can use not a very big leverage. Remember, getting carried away with the margin is the main cause of losses among beginners.
What should I take into consideration when choosing a broker?
Experts recommend looking at the broker’s reliability first and foremost. The other important features include basic trading conditions, commissions and fees, customer reviews. If brokers are approximately the same in terms of basic criteria, you need to choose based on your experience and tasks. One broker may be good for professionals and another – for novice traders.
Is it possible to be scammed by a broker with a license from a reputable regulator?
In theory, yes. But in practice, it takes so much time and money to comply with the requirements of reputable regulators that it is not worth it for scammers to bother obtaining a legitimate license.
Team that worked on the article
Mikhail Vnuchkov joined Traders Union as an author in 2020. He began his professional career as a journalist-observer at a small online financial publication, where he covered global economic events and discussed their impact on the segment of financial investment, including investor income. With five years of experience in finance, Mikhail joined Traders Union team, where he is in charge of forming the pool of latest news for traders, who trade stocks, cryptocurrencies, Forex instruments and fixed income.