Head to head
Interactive Brokers vs Tiger Brokers — which broker is better?
Interactive Brokers or Tiger Brokers? Fees, regulation, platform and product range compared side by side — with a verdict drawn from the data.
Risk warning: CFDs and leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly. Investments can fall in value. Past performance is not an indicator of future results.
Interactive Brokers
The cheapest serious route to almost every market on earth — if you can live with the learning curve.
- Stocks (per order)
- 0.05 %
- Minimum deposit
- None
- 5,000 order
- €2.50
Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Tiger Brokers
A Nasdaq-listed multi-market app broker licensed in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia, with a long product list and a regulatory record in mainland China that belongs in the decision.
- Stocks (per order)
- 0.06 %
- Minimum deposit
- None
- 5,000 order
- €3
Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
The verdict in numbers
Four decision axes, each derived from the recorded data.
Overall Interactive Brokers takes it, 4.5 against 4.1 out of 5. Interactive Brokers is the cheaper of the two: a reference EUR 5,000 stock order costs €2.50 there against €3.00. Interactive Brokers scores 90 against 78 out of 100 on the group index. Your account's protection depends on its legal entity. Interactive Brokers covers more ground with 12 of 14 asset classes against 10. On platform and app Interactive Brokers is ahead, 4.6 against 4.4 out of 5. Which one is right depends on which of these axes matters for your trading profile.
- Interactive Brokers
- 4.5 — Better
- Tiger Brokers
- 4.1
- Interactive Brokers
- €2.50 — Better
- Tiger Brokers
- €3.00
- Interactive Brokers
- 90 of 100
- Tiger Brokers
- 78 of 100
- Interactive Brokers
- 12/14 — Better
- Tiger Brokers
- 10/14
- Interactive Brokers
- 4.6 — Better
- Tiger Brokers
- 4.4
Compare brokers side by side
Up to four brokers at once — every row a decision point.
Data as of: 02 Nov 2026
| Criterion | Visit broker Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. | Visit broker Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 4.5 — Better | 4.1 |
| Group index | 90 of 100 | 78 of 100 |
| Best for | Active and professional tradersMulti-currency investorsOptions and futures tradersAlgorithmic and API tradingGlobal stock pickers | Singapore investors using CDP, CPF or SRSMulti-market stock and options traders in Asia-PacificHong Kong residents who want stocks and crypto in one appFutures traders on CME, HKEX and SGX |
| Regulation | SECFCACBIASICMAS | MASSFCASIC |
| Top-tier licences | 5 — Better | 3 |
| Investor protection | US$500,000 | US$500,000 |
| Listed group | Yes | Yes |
| Banking licence | No | No |
| Segregated client accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Negative balance protection | Yes | No |
| Audited financials | Yes | Yes |
| Disclosed regulatory actions | 2 | 2 |
| Founded | 1977 | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Greenwich, Connecticut, US | Singapore, SG |
| Fees | 4.9 — Better | 4.0 |
| Safety & regulation | 4.8 — Better | 3.9 |
| Trading platform | 4.8 — Better | 4.3 |
| Product range | 5.0 — Better | 4.3 |
| Mobile app | 4.3 | 4.4 — Better |
| Research | 4.4 — Better | 4.0 |
| Customer support | 3.2 | 3.6 — Better |
| Deposit & withdrawal | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Account opening | 3.5 | 4.3 — Better |
| Education | 4.0 — Better | 3.6 |
| Reference order EUR 5,000 | €2.50 — Better | €3.00 |
| Minimum deposit | None | None |
| Stocks (per order) | 0.05 % — Better | 0.06 % |
| US stocks | US$0.0035/share — Better | US$0.01/share |
| ETFs | 0.05 % — Better | 0.06 % |
| Options | US$0.65 | US$0.65 |
| Futures | US$0.85 — Better | US$2.99 |
| Crypto | 0.18 % | 0.05 % — Better |
| Bonds (order) | 0.1 % — Better | 0.12 % |
| Funds (order) | €4.95 | Free |
| EUR/USD spread | 0.1 pips | n/a |
| Index CFD spread | n/a | n/a |
| FX conversion | 0.002 % | n/a |
| Inactivity fee | None | n/a |
| Custody fee | None | None |
| Withdrawal fee | €1 | free — Better |
| Deposit fee | free | free |
| Overnight financing | 1.5 % | n/a |
| Other fees |
|
|
| Asset classes (of 14) | 12 — Better | 10 |
| Exchanges | 175 | n/a |
| Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Options | Yes | Yes |
| Futures | Yes | Yes |
| Forex | Yes | No |
| CFDs | Yes | No |
| Crypto | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Commodities | Yes | Yes |
| Indices | Yes | Yes |
| Warrants | Yes | Yes |
| Spread betting | No | No |
| Social trading | No | No |
| Crypto access | Broker, real coins; coins to your own wallet: possible | Broker, real coins; coins to your own wallet: only for certain coins |
| Platforms | Trader Workstation (TWS)IBKR DesktopClient PortalIBKR MobileIBKR GlobalTraderTWS API / Web API / FIXTradingView and other third-party front ends | Tiger Trade appTiger Trade desktopTiger Open Platform (API) |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum leverage | 1:30 · Pro 1:200 | 1:4 |
| Account opening | Fully online; typically 1–3 business days, longer if documents need manual review | Fully online in the Tiger Trade app or on the website; Singpass in Singapore (accounts opened within 1–3 business days); in Hong Kong the initial deposit must come from a Hong Kong licensed bank account for verification |
| Account types | IBKR ProIBKR LiteMargin account | Cash account (Singapore)Margin account (Singapore)Cash Boost Account (Singapore)Demo accountVirtual asset account (Hong Kong) |
| Payment methods | Bank transferSEPACheque | Bank transferWise |
| Account currencies | USDEURGBPCHFAUDCADJPYHKDSGDSEK+8 | SGDUSDHKDAUDEUR |
| Deposit time | SEPA 1–2 business days; international wire 1–4 business days | Singapore: SGD by DDA from DBS/POSB in about 5 minutes; SGD by FAST from 15 minutes during business hours; other currencies 1–2 business days; from banks outside Singapore 1–3 business days |
| Withdrawal time | 1–3 business days | Singapore: review of 1–2 business days, then 1–3 business days by FAST, MEPS, FPS or telegraphic transfer |
| Free withdrawals | 2/month | n/a |
| Languages | EnglishGermanFrenchSpanishItalianDutchPortugueseRussianChineseJapanese+1 | EnglishChinese |
| Channels | PhoneEmailLive chatTicket system | PhoneEmailLive chatWhatsApp |
| Availability | 24/5, from Sunday evening to Friday evening US time | Singapore: phone weekdays 08:30–18:30 SGT, online chat and WhatsApp weekdays 08:30 to 05:00 the next day. Hong Kong: phone weekdays 09:30–18:30 HKT, online chat weekdays 09:30 to 05:00 the next day |
Strengths and weaknesses side by side
Editorial assessment based on the recorded data.
Interactive Brokers
The cheapest serious route to almost every market on earth — if you can live with the learning curve.
Pros
- US stocks from USD 0.0035 per share on the Tiered plan, minimum USD 0.35 per order and capped at 1% of trade value
- Currency conversion at 0.20 basis points (minimum USD 2) — an order of magnitude cheaper than most European brokers' 0.25%–1.5%
- Roughly 175 market centres in 40 countries and territories from a single multi-currency account, with 29 currencies
- No inactivity fee since 2021, plus no custody fee and no platform fee
- Trader Workstation offers over 100 order types plus a mature Python/Java/REST API used widely by retail algo traders
- Nasdaq-listed parent (IBKR) with published quarterly financials and around USD 23 billion of equity capital
- Top-tier licences in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong, with per-entity investor compensation disclosed
- Paper trading account mirrors the live platform, including the full API
Cons
- Customer support is the most common complaint: many requests go through the ticket system, and public reviews (e.g. on Trustpilot) often cite slow replies and template answers
- Trader Workstation has a genuinely steep learning curve; the first session is intimidating even for experienced traders
- The fee schedule is complicated: Fixed versus Tiered, pass-through exchange fees, and per-exchange minimums make cost prediction harder than it should be
- Real-time market data is a paid subscription per exchange, so the headline commissions understate the true monthly cost for active traders
- Account opening is longer and more document-heavy than at app-first brokers, and the website navigation is poor
- Spot crypto runs through partner firms (zerohash in the EEA, Paxos in the UK) rather than IBKR itself, and those holdings are outside the investor compensation schemes
Best for
Tiger Brokers
A Nasdaq-listed multi-market app broker licensed in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia, with a long product list and a regulatory record in mainland China that belongs in the decision.
Pros
- At Tiger Brokers Singapore, one Tiger Trade account reaches US, Hong Kong, Singapore, China A-share (Stock Connect) and Australian stocks, plus US and HK options, futures, US Treasuries and over 1,500 funds
- Low SGX pricing at Tiger Brokers Singapore: 0.03% commission plus a 0.03% platform fee (minimums SGD 0.99 and SGD 1), and the SGD 2 quarterly SGX custody fee is waived until further notice
- Licensed group companies in Singapore (MAS), Hong Kong (SFC, CE BMU940) and Australia (ASIC, AFSL 300767) under a Nasdaq-listed parent (TIGR)
- Singapore-specific features: the Cash Boost Account with CDP, CPF and SRS linkage, Singpass onboarding and no minimum deposit
- Free US Level 2 data (NYSE ArcaBook) and a free demo account with USD 1 million in virtual funds
- Auto-invest from USD 2 in US stocks and ETFs, HKD 500 in HK stocks and SGD 100 in SGX stocks, daily to monthly (SGX plans on the 1st and 15th of each month)
- Hong Kong clients can trade BTC, ETH, SOL, AVAX and LINK as retail investors under the SFC licence, with on-chain deposits and withdrawals for BTC and ETH (USDT for professional investors only)
Cons
- China's CSRC Beijing Bureau imposed penalties and confiscations of about RMB 411 million (about USD 59.7 million) on group subsidiaries on 22 May 2026, after an earlier CSRC finding of unlicensed cross-border business reported in January 2023
- US shares are not commission-free in Singapore: USD 0.005 per share commission plus USD 0.005 per share platform fee (minimums USD 0.99 and USD 1 per order) plus a USD 0.003 per share settlement fee
- The New Zealand company is registered as a client money and property service provider but states that it is not licensed by a New Zealand regulator
- Prices, products and protection differ by entity, and some advertised prices (the HK commissions for targeted participants, the US option coupon plan) are time-limited promotions or need activation
- Moving holdings out of Tiger Brokers (HK) costs USD 150 per US stock and HKD 500 per Hong Kong stock, and neither the Singapore nor the Hong Kong pages we read state what currency conversion costs
Best for
Open an account with either
A demo account costs nothing and answers the platform question in ten minutes.
Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
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