Interactive Brokers vs OANDA (2026): regulation, platforms and costs compared
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Data refreshed 25 Aug 2026 · Compiled by David Ispiryan
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…
OANDA is a well-regarded, regulated forex broker offering broad access to major currency pairs through intuitive web and mobile trading platforms. It provides order execution, research, charting, and educational resources, with products…
Interactive 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. OANDA (Canada, founded 1996) holds 13 regulatory licences (ASIC, BVI FSC, CFTC, CIRO, FCA…), 7 of them tier-1, offers MT4, Proprietary, TradingView and sits in our low-fee bracket. The two overlap in 53 countries; Interactive Brokers is available in 165 countries where OANDA is not, and OANDA in 0 where Interactive Brokers is not.
Verdict at a glance
Interactive Brokers leads on trust rank, track record, regulatory coverage, instrument range, country coverage and tier-1 licences.
OANDA leads on platform choice.
Level on fee level.
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.
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.
Pros
Interactive Brokers
Transparent commission-based FX pricing with tight spreads
Aggregated multi-bank liquidity (IDEALPRO)
Professional platforms (TWS) and institutional APIs (FIX/REST)
Advanced risk management with real-time margin analytics
Universal multi-asset account for FX hedging and settlement
No minimum deposit; flexible position sizing (1-unit trades)
Core Pricing + Commission option
Free REST/Streaming API; TradingView integration
Cons
Interactive Brokers
No MT4/MT5 support
Steep learning curve
Commission-based FX pricing
25k IDEALPRO minimum order size
Limited funding methods
OANDA
Higher average spreads than ECN brokers
No MetaTrader 5 support
No guaranteed stop-loss orders
Inactivity fee after 12 months
CFDs not available in the US
Key features
Interactive Brokers
Agency model with direct market access to multiple liquidity providers
Spot forex and forex CFDs across major and minor pairs
Trader Workstation FXTrader with advanced order types and depth of market
Smart order routing and transparent interbank pricing with commissions
FIX and REST API support for algorithmic forex trading
Two factor authentication IB Key and top tier global regulation
OANDA
Forex and CFD Trading
Top Tier Regulation
MT4 and TradingView Platforms
REST API and Algorithmic Trading
Client Sentiment and Order Book Tools
Flexible Unit Based Position Sizing
Country availability: Interactive Brokers vs OANDA
Available at both (53): American Samoa, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guam, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico and 13 more.
Only Interactive Brokers (165): Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bonaire, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso and 140 more.
Which has lower fees, Interactive Brokers or OANDA?
Both sit in the same fee bracket (low) in our catalogue; compare the spreads and commission rows above for detail.
Which is older, Interactive Brokers or OANDA?
Interactive Brokers is the older of the two, founded in 1977; OANDA was founded in 1996.
Are Interactive Brokers and OANDA available in the same countries?
They overlap in 53 countries. Interactive Brokers is additionally available in 165 countries (Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda and 159 more) and OANDA in 0 countries ().
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.