Best Alternatives to Interactive Brokers in 2026
People look for Interactive Brokers alternatives for different reasons — fees, missing features, or a simpler experience. Here are the closest options, ranked.
Risk warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. The majority of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
1. Lightyear
Lightyear is a UK- and EU-available investing app offering commission-free stocks and ETFs, a very low currency-conversion fee, and interest on uninvested cash. UK personal accounts (GIA and Stocks & Shares ISA) pay just 0.10% FX; EU accounts pay 0.35%. There are no account, withdrawal or inactivity fees, and no minimum deposit — making it one of the cheapest ways to hold a global portfolio.
Compare Interactive Brokers and Lightyear side by side →Visit LightyearLightyear
Best low-FX investing app for the UK and EU with interest on cash
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
2. Trading 212
Trading 212 offers genuinely commission-free investing with no withdrawal fee and an Invest/ISA account for UK users. A strong low-cost pick, though product depth is narrower than full-service brokers.
Compare Interactive Brokers and Trading 212 side by side →Visit Trading 212Trading 212
Best for low fees and UK investors
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
3. Robinhood
Robinhood pioneered commission-free trading in the US and now offers UK investors commission-free US shares with a very low 0.10% FX fee and a free Stocks & Shares ISA. It trades US-listed stocks, ETFs and options — no UK-listed shares, and no crypto in the UK. A clean app that is light on research; note the $100 account-transfer-out fee.
Compare Interactive Brokers and Robinhood side by side →Visit RobinhoodRobinhood
Best for commission-free US-stock investing in the US and UK
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
4. Webull
Webull pairs commission-free stocks, ETFs and options with surprisingly advanced charting and analysis tools. Strong for active US traders; available in the UK with a 0.50% FX fee (0.35% on its paid Meridian plan). Only regulatory fees apply on sells.
Compare Interactive Brokers and Webull side by side →Visit WebullWebull
Best for active traders who want advanced tools free
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
5. XTB
XTB offers commission-free real stocks and ETFs up to €100,000 monthly turnover, a polished platform, and strong regulation. A low-cost choice for EU and UK investors, with a 0.5% FX fee being the main cost to watch.
Compare Interactive Brokers and XTB side by side →Visit XTBXTB
Best for low-cost stock and ETF investing in the EU/UK
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
6. InvestEngine
InvestEngine is a UK ETF-only investment platform with no platform fee, no dealing commission and no FX fee on its DIY portfolios, across ISA, SIPP and General accounts. All ETFs are GBP-denominated, so you pay only the underlying ETF's ongoing charge. ETFs only — no individual stocks.
Compare Interactive Brokers and InvestEngine side by side →Visit InvestEngineInvestEngine
Best for zero-fee DIY ETF investing with a free ISA and SIPP
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
7. Trade Republic
Trade Republic is a German neobroker and licensed bank offering stocks, ETFs, bonds and crypto at a flat €1 external-settlement fee per trade, with completely free ETF savings-plan executions. It also pays interest on uninvested cash (linked to ECB rates) and runs a Saveback card scheme. Available across most of the eurozone; a mobile-first, no-frills platform.
Compare Interactive Brokers and Trade Republic side by side →Visit Trade RepublicTrade Republic
Best €1-flat neobroker for low-cost investing in the eurozone
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
8. Scalable Capital
Scalable Capital is a German neobroker offering real stocks and ETFs on two plans. The FREE Broker charges €0.99 per trade (free for €250+ purchases of Prime ETFs) with no account fee, while PRIME+ Broker (€4.99/month) gives a trading flat rate with €0 per-trade commission. ETF savings-plan executions are free on both plans. Trades run via gettex and Xetra.
Compare Interactive Brokers and Scalable Capital side by side →Visit Scalable CapitalScalable Capital
Best broker with a free savings-plan tier and an optional flat-rate plan
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
9. Freetrade
Freetrade is a UK mobile-first investing app offering commission-free trading on stocks, ETFs and investment trusts, with a genuinely free Stocks & Shares ISA and SIPP on its Basic plan. The main cost for most users is the FX fee on non-GBP trades: 0.99% on the free plan, dropping to 0.59% (Standard, £5.99/mo) and 0.39% (Plus, £11.99/mo).
Compare Interactive Brokers and Freetrade side by side →Visit FreetradeFreetrade
Best free ISA and SIPP for commission-free UK investing
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
10. DEGIRO
DEGIRO (part of flatexDEGIRO Bank, BaFin-regulated) is one of Europe's cheapest brokers for real stocks and ETFs. A €1 handling fee applies to most trades, and its Core Selection ETFs can be traded commission-free (just the €1 handling fee) under a fair-use policy. The costs to watch are the 0.25% AutoFX currency-conversion mark-up and a €2.50 per-exchange, per-year connectivity fee.
Compare Interactive Brokers and DEGIRO side by side →Visit DEGIRODEGIRO
Best low-cost broker for buy-and-hold ETF investors in the EU
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
11. Vanguard UK
Vanguard's UK platform charges 0.15% a year capped at £375, with no dealing charges on its funds. It is one of the cheapest ways to hold a simple index portfolio, with two significant caveats: you can only buy Vanguard's own funds and ETFs, and accounts below £32,000 now pay a £4 monthly minimum fee, which is expensive on a small pot.
Compare Interactive Brokers and Vanguard UK side by side →Vanguard UK
Cheap index investing, but only in Vanguard's own funds
Visit the Vanguard UK website →We earn no commission from Vanguard UK. It is listed here because a fee comparison that leaves out the market leaders is not a fee comparison.
12. Capital.com
Capital.com is a CFD broker with tight spreads (from 0.6 pips on EUR/USD), no commission, and no inactivity or withdrawal fees. A low-cost, well-regulated choice for CFD traders — but it is CFD-only, not a share-ownership investing platform.
Compare Interactive Brokers and Capital.com side by side →Visit Capital.comCapital.com
Best for low-cost CFD trading with tight spreads
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
13. AJ Bell
AJ Bell is a long-established UK platform that repriced on 1 May 2026. Its custody charge is 0.25%, tiering down on funds above £250,000, and — crucially — capped at just £3.50 a month on shares, ETFs and investment trusts. That cap makes it one of the cheapest mainstream platforms for a large ETF or share portfolio held in an ISA.
Compare Interactive Brokers and AJ Bell side by side →AJ Bell
Cheaper than HL on shares, with a low monthly cap
Visit the AJ Bell website →We earn no commission from AJ Bell. It is listed here because a fee comparison that leaves out the market leaders is not a fee comparison.
Compare alternatives
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | Lightyear | Trading 212 | Robinhood | Webull | XTB | InvestEngine | Trade Republic | Scalable Capital | Freetrade | DEGIRO | Vanguard UK | Capital.comCFD | AJ Bell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 | 3.8 / 5 | 3.6 / 5 | 3.4 / 5 |
| Stock commission | UK shares 0.05% of trade value, minimum £3; European shares 0.05%, minimum €3; US shares from $0.005 per share, minimum $1 (Fixed pricing) | UK personal accounts (GIA and ISA): no execution fee on UK, US and European stocks or ETFs. EU accounts: GBP 1 per order on UK stocks, EUR 1 per order on EUR-denominated stocks, 0.1% on other European stocks, and 0.10% (min $0.10, max $1) on US stocks. ETFs are execution-fee-free on both. | 0% | $0 / £0 commission on US stocks, ETFs and options (crypto in the US only) | $0 on stocks, ETFs and options (regulatory fees on sells) | 0% up to €100k monthly turnover, then 0.2% (min €10) | £0 dealing commission on all ETFs (DIY portfolios); no platform fee | €1 flat per trade (Best Price execution); €2 per order for Direct Price routing to a chosen exchange (Xetra, NYSE, etc., since July 2026) | FREE Broker: €0.99 per trade (€0 on €250+ Prime ETF purchases). PRIME+ Broker (€4.99/mo): €0 per trade on €250+, else €0.99. Xetra trades €3.99 on both plans | £0 commission on all UK & US stocks, ETFs and investment trusts (all plans) | Commission plus a EUR 1 handling fee per trade: EUR 2 total on US exchanges, EUR 3 on the Irish home market, EUR 4.90 on London, Euronext, XETRA, Swiss and Nordic exchanges, EUR 6 on Australia, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo. ETFs EUR 3, or EUR 1 handling only for the Core Selection (fair-use policy applies) | No dealing charge on Vanguard funds and ETFs at the scheduled daily trade; £7.50 for optional live 'quote and deal' ETF trades | No commission; cost is in the spread (from 0.6 pips on EUR/USD) | £5.00 per online share deal (£3.50 if you made 10+ share deals in the previous month); regular investing is free |
| Withdrawal fee | One free withdrawal per calendar month; charges apply beyond that | Free by local bank transfer. USD wire payments are charged (up to $8.50 UK, $6.11 EU). | Free | Free (bank/ACH); instant withdrawal 1.75% (US); account transfer out $100 | Free (ACH); wires $25 to send; account transfer out $75 | Free above €100 (some entities charge €10 below €100) | Free — no withdrawal fee | Free to a linked bank account | Free to a linked bank account | Free standard withdrawals; £5 for same-day withdrawal | Free to a linked bank account | Free to a linked UK bank account | Free | Free to a linked UK bank account |
| Inactivity fee | None on the standard account (the inactivity fee was removed in 2021) | None | None | None | None | EUR 10/month, only after 365 days with no trade AND no deposit in the previous 90 days. Not charged on ISA accounts, where open positions are held, or on a zero balance. | None | None | None | None | None (DEGIRO publishes EUR 0 inactivity, custody, deposit and withdrawal fees) | None | None | None |
| Min deposit | $0 | $0 | $1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $100 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $500 | $10 | $500 |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Demo account | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Regulators | FCA, SEC | FCA, EFSA | FCA, CySEC | SEC, FINRA, SIPC, FCA | SEC, FINRA, SIPC, FCA | FCA, CySEC, KNF | FCA | BaFin, Bundesbank | BaFin, Bundesbank | FCA | BaFin, AFM, DNB | FCA | FCA, CySEC, ASIC, SCB | FCA |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best alternative to Interactive Brokers?
Lightyear is the strongest alternative for most users — best low-fx investing app for the uk and eu with interest on cash.
Why switch from Interactive Brokers?
Common reasons include lower fees, different account types, or a simpler interface. Compare the options above against what matters to you.