Interactive Brokers review: Is it worth it in 2026?
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Key takeaways
- Charles Schwab reported $13.41 trillion in total client assets at the end of August 2026, up 19% from a year earlier, and 424,000 new brokerage accounts that month.1
- An Interactive Brokers account on IBKR Lite charges $0 commission on US stock trades and $0.65 per options contract, and pays no interest on the first $10,000 of idle cash.
- Interactive Brokers is best for an active trader or an investor with a large cash balance who wants to choose how they pay, while Charles Schwab is best for an investor who wants mutual funds and a robo-advisor with no advisory fee.
In this article
- Who is Interactive Brokers for?
- Interactive Brokers pros and cons
- Interactive Brokers Lite vs Pro
- Interactive Brokers fees and features
- What does it cost to leave Interactive Brokers?
- Is Interactive Brokers worth it?
- Interactive Brokers vs alternatives
- Price your own year before you open an IBKR account
- Frequently asked questions about Interactive Brokers
Key takeaways
- Charles Schwab reported $13.41 trillion in total client assets at the end of August 2026, up 19% from a year earlier, and 424,000 new brokerage accounts that month.1
- An Interactive Brokers account on IBKR Lite charges $0 commission on US stock trades and $0.65 per options contract, and pays no interest on the first $10,000 of idle cash.
- Interactive Brokers is best for an active trader or an investor with a large cash balance who wants to choose how they pay, while Charles Schwab is best for an investor who wants mutual funds and a robo-advisor with no advisory fee.
Interactive Brokers is worth it for an investor who will use its pricing choices, because IBKR Lite charges $0 on US stock trades and IBKR Pro charges half a cent a share in exchange for a higher rate on idle cash.2This review weighs Lite vs Pro alongside an options fee of $0.65 per contract and a cash rate that starts only after the first $10,000. This review covers IBKR's fees, Lite vs Pro, cash interest, the cost to leave, and how IBKR compares with Charles Schwab and Fidelity.
Who is Interactive Brokers for?
Interactive Brokers is for an investor who wants to pick a pricing plan instead of accepting one. Three readers fit Interactive Brokers best.
Active stock traders who trade in size
IBKR Pro's Tiered schedule charges a per-share rate that falls as monthly volume rises, starting at $0.0035 a share. The Tiered schedule is built for a trader moving hundreds of thousands of shares a month.
Investors who keep a large cash balance
IBKR Pro pays 3.380% on idle USD cash above the first $10,000, and the full rate goes to accounts with $100,000 or more in net asset value. For smaller accounts, IBKR scales the rate down by NAV divided by $100,000. The rate pays off only for an account well above both $10,000 in idle cash and $100,000 in NAV.
Cost-conscious stock investors on IBKR Lite
IBKR Lite charges $0 on US stock trades, which matches the app brokers on the trade most people make. In exchange, you'll earn a cash rate a full point below Pro's.
Interactive Brokers pros and cons
Interactive Brokers pros
- $0 commission on US stock trades with IBKR Lite
- A choice of $0 trades or a higher cash rate
- A per-share rate on Pro that falls as monthly volume rises
- 3.380% on idle cash above $10,000 with IBKR Pro, for accounts with $100,000+ in net asset value
- Pro Fixed commissions capped at 1% of trade value
Interactive Brokers cons
- $0.65 per options contract, with a $1.00 minimum per order
- 0% interest on the first $10,000 of idle cash
- Lite pays a full point less on cash than Pro
- No IRA contribution match shown
- Margin rates, IRA types, and the transfer-out fee not confirmed on IBKR's pages
If the $0.65 options fee is the dealbreaker, Robinhood charges $0 per contract on stock and ETF options (see our Robinhood review).
Interactive Brokers Lite vs Pro
IBKR Lite vs Pro comes down to commissions vs cash interest. Lite charges nothing on US stock trades, while Pro charges by the share but pays a full point more on idle cash.3Options cost the same on both.
| IBKR Lite | IBKR Pro Fixed | IBKR Pro Tiered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock commission | $0 | $0.005 per share | $0.0035 per share up to 300,000 shares a month, stepping down to $0.0005 above 100 million |
| Minimum per order | $0 | $1.00 | Not priced in this review |
| Maximum per order | $0 | 1% of trade value | Not priced in this review |
| Interest on the first $10,000 of idle cash | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Interest above $10,000 | 2.380% (benchmark minus 1.5%) | 3.380% (benchmark minus 0.5%) | 3.380% (benchmark minus 0.5%) |
| US options | $0.65 per contract | $0.65 per contract | $0.65 per contract |
The break-even is your idle cash, not your trade count. In an account worth $100,000 or more, each extra $10,000 of idle cash earns $100 more a year on Pro. That $100 covers a hundred small Fixed-rate orders at the $1.00 minimum. Lite suits a frequent trader with little idle cash, while Pro suits an investor with more idle cash who trades less.
Interactive Brokers fees and features
The table lists each figure as IBKR's pricing pages showed it on October 6, 2026.
| Fee or feature | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|
| US stock trades, IBKR Lite | $0 |
| US stock trades, IBKR Pro Fixed | $0.005 per share, $1.00 minimum, 1% of trade value maximum |
| US stock trades, IBKR Pro Tiered | From $0.0035 per share, falling with monthly volume |
| US options, Lite and Pro | $0.65 per contract up to 10,000 contracts a month, $1.00 minimum per order |
| Interest on the first $10,000 of idle USD cash | 0% |
| Interest above $10,000, IBKR Pro | 3.380% |
| Interest above $10,000, IBKR Lite | 2.380% |
| Margin rates | Not confirmed on IBKR's pages |
Stock commissions on IBKR Pro
IBKR Pro charges by the share, so order size decides what you'll pay more than trade count does. The Fixed schedule's $1.00 minimum covers any order up to 200 shares. The Tiered column below shows the per-share rate alone, the only part of the Tiered schedule this review priced. Lite charges no stock commission.
| Order size | IBKR Pro Fixed | IBKR Pro Tiered, per-share rate only | IBKR Lite |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 shares | $1.00 | $0.35 | $0 |
| 1,000 shares | $5.00 | $3.50 | $0 |
| 10,000 shares | $50.00 | $35.00 | $0 |
Options commissions
Options cost $0.65 per contract on both plans, with a $1.00 minimum per order.4A one-contract order therefore costs $1.00, not $0.65. Robinhood charges $0 per contract on stock and ETF options.
Interest on idle cash
IBKR pays 0% on the first $10,000 of idle USD cash and its plan rate above $10,000. It then scales the result by net asset value divided by $100,000 for any account below $100,000. A $50,000 cash-only account earns half the posted rate, not all of it. The table assumes the October 6, 2026 rates hold for a full year, with a cash-only account (NAV equals cash) next to an account holding $100,000 or more.
| Idle cash | Lite, cash-only account | Pro, cash-only account | Lite, NAV $100,000+ | Pro, NAV $100,000+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| $25,000 | $89.25 | $126.75 | $357 | $507 |
| $50,000 | $476 | $676 | $952 | $1,352 |
| $100,000 | $2,142 | $3,042 | $2,142 | $3,042 |
Interactive Brokers IRAs
Interactive Brokers IRAs run on the same commission and interest schedules as its taxable accounts. None of the pricing pages read for this review lists a contribution match, and IBKR's IRA types weren't confirmed on those pages. The Interactive Brokers IRA review compares IBKR's lack of a match with Robinhood, SoFi, Public, and Webull.
What does it cost to leave Interactive Brokers?
Leaving Interactive Brokers costs whatever IBKR charges for an outgoing account transfer. That fee wasn't confirmed on IBKR's pricing pages on October 6, 2026, so look it up before you move. There is no match to forfeit, because none of the IBKR pages read for this review shows one.
| Exit cost | Interactive Brokers | Fidelity | Robinhood | Webull |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outgoing account transfer | Not confirmed; see IBKR's pricing pages | $0 | $100 | $75 for an outgoing stock transfer |
| Match taken back if you leave early | None shown | None, no match paid | Match on money held under 5 years | Holding period not stated |
Fidelity's $0 comes from its own pricing page,5and Robinhood's and Webull's figures come from their own fee pages. The two brokers in the table that pay a match, Robinhood and Webull, both charge to transfer out.
Is Interactive Brokers worth it?
Interactive Brokers is worth it for an investor whose costs depend on cash and share count. Lite matches the app brokers at $0 per stock trade, while Pro offers a higher cash rate in exchange for a per-share fee. The two figures that decide the cost for most accounts are the $0.65 options fee and the $10,000 of cash that earns nothing. Calling IBKR a broker "for professionals" describes its reputation, not the Lite price list.
IBKR competes on pricing control, not perks. It fits a trader moving thousands of shares a month and an investor holding well above $100,000. An options trader or an IRA saver who wants a match will keep more at Robinhood. Interactive Brokers vs Robinhood prices both brokers for a full year.
Interactive Brokers vs alternatives
Interactive Brokers' closest alternatives are Charles Schwab and Fidelity, which add more for long-term investors, and Robinhood, which beats IBKR on options. Clear Street also charges active traders by the share, as our Clear Street review covers.
| Interactive Brokers | Charles Schwab | Fidelity | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US stock trades | $0 on Lite; per share on Pro | $0 online | $0 online | $0 |
| Options per contract | $0.65, $1.00 minimum per order | $0.65 | $0.65 | $0 on stock and ETF options; $0.50 on index options ($0.35 with Gold) |
| Cash interest | 0% on the first $10,000; 2.380% on Lite or 3.380% on Pro above it | Not confirmed | SPAXX seven-day yield 3.49% on October 5, 2026 | 3.6% APY on eligible cash with Gold, $5 a month |
| IRA contribution match | None shown | None | None | 1%, or a "3% boost on annual IRA contributions" with Gold; no end date stated (October 6, 2026) |
| Transfer out | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $0 | $100 |
Which is better, Charles Schwab or Interactive Brokers?
Charles Schwab is better for a long-term investor who wants mutual funds and a managed portfolio, because it offers thousands of OneSource funds with no transaction fee and Intelligent Portfolios with no advisory fee from $5,000. Interactive Brokers is better for a trader who wants per-share pricing or a confirmed rate on a large cash balance, which Schwab's pages didn't show. The Interactive Brokers vs Schwab comparison and the Charles Schwab review cover the rest.
Is Interactive Brokers better than Fidelity?
Fidelity is better than Interactive Brokers for a buy-and-hold investor, because it charges $0 to transfer out and its SPAXX money market fund pays from the first dollar, while IBKR pays nothing on the first $10,000. Interactive Brokers is better for a trader who wants Pro's per-share pricing. Both brokers charge $0.65 per options contract. The Interactive Brokers vs Fidelity comparison prices both brokers for several kinds of investor.
Price your own year before you open an IBKR account
Run the Tweed retirement calculator with your real contributions first, because commissions and cash yield compound over the same years your savings do. The best brokerage accounts list compares Interactive Brokers with four other brokers. If Interactive Brokers fits, you can open an Interactive Brokers account through Tweed's referral link.
Frequently asked questions about Interactive Brokers
Is Interactive Brokers safe?
Yes, Interactive Brokers is safe by the standard that applies to any brokerage. SIPC protects securities at a member broker up to $500,000, including $250,000 for cash claims, if the firm fails. SIPC doesn't cover market losses. IBKR's membership and any coverage above the SIPC limits weren't confirmed for this review, so check its account-protection page.
Does Interactive Brokers have a minimum deposit?
No, Interactive Brokers doesn't have a minimum deposit, and its options pricing page says it charges no account minimums. You can open with a small balance. Expect that balance to earn nothing in cash interest, because IBKR pays 0% on the first $10,000 and scales the rate down for accounts under $100,000.
Why can't I withdraw all my money from IBKR?
You usually can't withdraw all your money from IBKR because part of it hasn't settled yet or a recent deposit is still on hold. Both holds are standard at most brokers. Check the account's withdrawable balance, not its total value, before you request a transfer.
Is Interactive Brokers FDIC insured?
No, an Interactive Brokers brokerage account is not FDIC insured, because stocks, ETFs, and options are securities, not bank deposits. SIPC covers those instead, and only against the broker failing. Uninvested cash is the part to check, because IBKR's pages didn't confirm whether any bank program extends FDIC coverage to that cash.
Can I transfer my Interactive Brokers account to Robinhood?
Yes, you can transfer an Interactive Brokers account to Robinhood through an ACATS request started at Robinhood. Check IBKR's outgoing fee first, since its pages didn't confirm one. An IRA moved to Robinhood earns its 1% transfer match with no cap and no Gold required. The matched money has to stay in the account for 5 years.
Is Interactive Brokers or Vanguard better?
Whether Interactive Brokers or Vanguard is better depends on how you invest. Vanguard charges $0 for online stock and ETF trades and sells its own mutual funds, with a $25 annual account fee that e-delivery waives. IBKR suits a trader who wants per-share pricing or a cash rate on large balances, so compare both fee pages first.
Is Interactive Brokers good for day trading?
Interactive Brokers can work for day trading, because IBKR Lite charges $0 on US stock trades and Pro's per-share rate falls as monthly volume rises. Margin rates matter most to a day trader. IBKR's margin rates weren't confirmed on its pages for this review. The same pattern day trader rules apply at every US broker, IBKR included.
Sources
- https://pressroom.aboutschwab.com/press-releases/press-release/2026/Schwab-Reports-Monthly-Activity-Highlights-7c5bb81a9/default.aspx
- https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/pricing/commissions-stocks.php
- https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/accounts/fees/pricing-interest-rates.php
- https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/pricing/commissions-options.php
- https://www.fidelity.com/why-fidelity/pricing-fees
Personal finance writer, former Forbes contributor and This Week in Fintech writer. He isn't a financial advisor or a CPA.
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