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Data refreshed 25 Aug 2026 · Compiled by David Ispiryan
Trust rank #2 · Editorial rating 10 / 10 · Founded 1977
Interactive Brokers is a well-regarded forex broker providing broad access to currency pairs, advanced trading platforms, and research and risk management tools. It supports multi-asset trading and a wide range of order…
Read the Interactive Brokers review
Trust rank #18 · Founded 2008
Markets.com is a well‐regarded forex and CFD broker offering broad access to currency pairs and multi‐asset CFDs on intuitive web and mobile platforms. It provides built‐in research, education, and risk management tools…
Read the Markets.com reviewInteractive Brokers (United States, founded 1977) holds 15 regulatory licences (ASIC, CBI, CFTC, CIRO, CSSF…), 10 of them tier-1, offers Proprietary and sits in our low-fee bracket. Markets.com (Cyprus, founded 2008) holds 5 regulatory licences (ASIC, BVI FSC, CySEC, FCA, FSCA), 2 of them tier-1, offers MT4, MT5, Proprietary and sits in our low-fee bracket. The two overlap in 166 countries; Interactive Brokers is available in 52 countries where Markets.com is not, and Markets.com in 9 where Interactive Brokers is not.
Scored on 8 measurable dimensions where both brokers have verified data. Dimensions missing for either side are excluded rather than guessed. This is a data summary, not a recommendation.
| Criteria | Interactive Brokers | Markets.com |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial rating | 10 / 10 | Not verified |
| Trust rank | #2 | #18 |
| Founded | 1977 | 2008 |
| Headquarters | United States | Cyprus |
| Regulators | ASIC, CBI, CFTC, CIRO, CSSF, DFSA, FCA, FINRA, JFSA, MAS, MNB, NFA, SEBI, SEC, SFC | ASIC, BVI FSC, CySEC, FCA, FSCA |
| Broker type | DMA | Market Maker |
| Platforms | Proprietary | MT4, MT5, Proprietary |
| Instruments | Commodities, Cryptocurrencies, Forex, Indices, Metals | Commodities, Cryptocurrencies, Forex, Indices, Metals |
| Countries accepted | 218 countries | 175 countries |
| Fee level | Low | Low |
| Trading types | CFD Trading, Spot Trading | CFD Trading |
| Best-for use cases | Professional Trading, Retail Trading | Retail Trading |
Highlighted cells mark the stronger value where a direction is objectively better (e.g. more licences, lower fees). "Not verified" means the field is not yet in our catalogue for that broker — we never fill gaps with estimates.
Available at both (166): Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Benin, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bonaire, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Chad, Chile, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czechia, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic and 126 more.
Only Interactive Brokers (52): American Samoa, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, Cook Islands, Guam, Haiti, Hong Kong, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macao, Maldives, Mali, Micronesia and 27 more.
Only Markets.com (9): Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Iraq, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Yemen, Zimbabwe.
Availability reflects the countries each broker declares it serves. Local rules change; confirm on the broker's own site before signing up.
Interactive Brokers holds more regulatory licences: Interactive Brokers (ASIC, CBI, CFTC, CIRO, CSSF, DFSA, FCA, FINRA, JFSA, MAS, MNB, NFA, SEBI, SEC, SFC) versus Markets.com (ASIC, BVI FSC, CySEC, FCA, FSCA). Tier-1 licences: Interactive Brokers 10, Markets.com 2.
Interactive Brokers offers Proprietary; Markets.com offers MT4, MT5, Proprietary.
Both sit in the same fee bracket (low) in our catalogue; compare the spreads and commission rows above for detail.
Interactive Brokers is the older of the two, founded in 1977; Markets.com was founded in 2008.
They overlap in 166 countries. Interactive Brokers is additionally available in 52 countries (American Samoa, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium and 46 more) and Markets.com in 9 countries (Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Iraq, Nigeria and 3 more).
Risk warning: CFDs and forex are complex, leveraged instruments and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly. A majority of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. Nothing on this page is financial advice; verify licence status on the regulator's register before depositing. Full risk disclosure.