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Interactive Brokers vs Fidelity 2025

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

July 03, 2025

In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Fidelity, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.

Interactive Brokers
5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0.00
  • Stock Trades: $0.00
  • Options (Per Contract): $0.65 info
Fidelity
5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0.00
  • Stock Trades: $0.00
  • Options (Per Contract): $0.65

Range of investments

When it comes to a diverse range of investment options, both Interactive Brokers and Fidelity excel, though there are some key differences that may influence an investor's choice. Interactive Brokers is praised for its wide array of offerings, including futures trading and a larger selection of cryptocurrencies, which may appeal to those looking for more variety in cryptocurrency trading. On the other hand, Fidelity provides strong advisory services, which is a crucial component for many investors seeking guidance on their investment journey. Both platforms receive top marks for their range of investments, but Interactive Brokers has an edge, securing the number one spot in rankings by StockBrokers.com, compared to Fidelity's third-place ranking.

Interactive Brokers and Fidelity both provide stock and margin trading, ensuring that investors have the flexibility to employ diverse strategies. Fractional shares trading is also available on both platforms, allowing you to invest in high-value stocks with smaller amounts of money. Additionally, investing in mutual funds, options, and OTC stocks is accessible through both brokers. While Forex trading is supported by both, Interactive Brokers offers the added benefit of futures trading, a feature not available with Fidelity. This distinction is vital for investors interested in hedging and speculative opportunities.

In the realm of retirement savings, both Interactive Brokers and Fidelity offer traditional and Roth IRA accounts, catering to investors planning for their financial futures. Furthermore, both firms have embraced the digital currency trend, offering crypto trading. However, Interactive Brokers stands out by providing a greater variety of cryptocurrencies to trade. If access to personalized guidance is paramount, Fidelity’s advisory services may be an attractive choice. In summary, the best platform for you will depend on the specific features and services you value most, whether it’s the breadth of investment options or the guidance for your financial strategy.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Fidelity logoFidelity
Stock Trading info Yes Yes
Account Feature - Margin Trading info Yes Yes
Fractional Shares (Stocks) info Yes Yes
OTC Stocks info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Options Trading info Yes Yes
Futures Trading info Yes No
Crypto Trading info Yes info Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 11 info 3
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Options Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Futures Trading Platforms for 2025: A Beginner-Friendly Guide to an Advanced Market

Trading platforms and tools

In comparing the trading platforms and tools of Interactive Brokers and Fidelity, Interactive Brokers stands out slightly more in certain aspects, receiving a 5-star rating compared to Fidelity's 4.5 stars according to StockBrokers.com. Ranked #2 out of 14 brokers, Interactive Brokers offers features that are agile and expansive, like a remarkable number of fields for watchlists and multiple customization options for technical analysis. Fidelity, on the other hand, ranks #4 and provides a solid, user-friendly platform with extensive features, but lacks some advanced capabilities like paper trading availability.

Both Interactive Brokers and Fidelity offer downloadable trading platforms for both Windows and Mac, and also include browser-based options, making them accessible across devices. While each supports the ability to adjust open orders directly on stock charts and save multiple chart profiles, Interactive Brokers excels with 155 technical indicators and 85 drawing tools, as compared to Fidelity's 129 indicators and 38 drawing tools. Additionally, Interactive Brokers allows traders to engage in paper trading, although both platforms support trading journals for meticulous record-keeping.

Chart analysis is straightforward on both platforms, with each offering the capability to show corporate events, historical trades, and custom date ranges. However, Interactive Brokers offers an edge with more customization fields for simple moving averages. While neither broker provides the option to create custom studies, both exhibit robust automated technical analysis to assist traders in recognizing patterns. Overall, both Interactive Brokers and Fidelity deliver powerful trading platforms, but Interactive Brokers offers more advanced features for traders seeking a highly customizable and feature-rich experience.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Fidelity logoFidelity
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Mac) info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info Yes No
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 659 92
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 155 129
Charting - Drawing Tools info 85 38
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers & Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Paper Trading Apps & Platforms for 2025

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Beginners and education

When comparing Interactive Brokers and Fidelity for beginner and investor education, both platforms offer comprehensive resources covering critical investment areas. Interactive Brokers and Fidelity provide educational content on stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, and bonds. Both brokers also offer engaging learning tools such as educational videos, webinars, and quizzes. Furthermore, they allow users to track their learning progress, helping beginners and seasoned investors alike to navigate their educational journeys effectively. However, one notable difference is that Interactive Brokers offers paper trading, an invaluable feature for beginners to practice investing without real financial risk, while Fidelity does not offer this option.

Despite minor differences, both Interactive Brokers and Fidelity receive high praise for their educational offerings, each earning a perfect five-star rating for education. According to the rankings by StockBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers is ranked third out of 14 brokers for educational prowess, while Fidelity slightly edges ahead, securing the second spot. This ranking reflects Fidelity's strong emphasis on investor education, although both brokers remain outstanding choices for investors seeking comprehensive educational support.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Fidelity logoFidelity
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes Yes
Education (Options) info Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) info Yes Yes
Education (Fixed Income) info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info Yes No
Videos info Yes Yes
Webinars info Yes Yes
Education 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of 2025

Stock trading apps

Interactive Brokers vs. Fidelity: both deliver excellent stock trading apps, each earning 5 stars from StockBrokers.com. Interactive Brokers is ranked #2 out of 14 brokers and Fidelity is #3. The biggest practical differences are in charting depth and one mobile extra: Fidelity offers more built‑in technical indicators (128 vs. 97), while Interactive Brokers is confirmed here to support after‑hours trading from its mobile app (Fidelity’s mobile after‑hours availability isn’t specified in this data). If you prioritize the largest indicator library, lean Fidelity; if you want confirmed after‑hours trading on the go, lean Interactive Brokers.

On core features, both apps check the same boxes: iPhone and Android apps are available, and each supports Apple Watch. You get streaming quotes, streaming live TV, videos on demand, mobile options trading, stock alerts, and the ability to create custom watchlists with customizable columns. In short, either app covers daily trading needs and real‑time monitoring across devices.

Charting is strong on both platforms: after‑hours charting, landscape view, multiple time frames, and the ability to compare stocks on the same chart are all available. The main split is total indicators—Interactive Brokers offers 97 technical studies, while Fidelity offers 128. If your workflow relies on a wide range of built‑in studies, Fidelity has the edge; otherwise, either app provides capable charts for research and execution.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Fidelity logoFidelity
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple Watch App info Yes Yes
Stock Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - After-Hours info Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies info 97 128
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps for 2025

Fees

Bottom line: Interactive Brokers and Fidelity look very similar on most everyday costs—both have a $0 minimum deposit, $0 commissions for online stock trades, and $0.65 per options contract. The big gap is margin interest. If you plan to use margin (borrowed funds), Interactive Brokers’ rates are much lower across balances under $100,000. If you don’t use margin, their fees are nearly a wash.

Head-to-head pricing: Minimum deposit is $0 at both brokers. Online stock trades are $0 at both. Options trades cost $0.65 per contract at both. Margin rates, however, differ a lot: Interactive Brokers lists 6.83% for balances below $25,000, $25,000–$49,999, and $50,000–$99,999. Fidelity lists 12.575% below $25,000, 12.075% for $25,000–$49,999, and 11.125% for $50,000–$99,999.

Other common fees are also aligned. Both brokers charge $0 for IRA annual fees and $0 for IRA closure. Account transfers (ACAT) are $0 whether partial or full at both firms. Options exercise and assignment fees are also $0. In short, transfers, IRAs, and routine stock and options activity won’t add extra costs at either place; margin interest is the main difference.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Fidelity logoFidelity
Minimum Deposit info $0.00 $0.00
Stock Trades info $0.00 $0.00
Options (Per Contract) info $0.65 info $0.65
Options Exercise Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee info $0.00 $0.00
IRA Annual Fee info $0.00 $0.00
IRA Closure Fee info $0.00 $0.00

Dive deeper: Best Free Trading Platforms for 2025

Day Trading

Interactive Brokers and Fidelity both provide essential tools and features for day traders, making them leading choices for active investors. Both platforms offer streaming time and sales data, live TV, direct market routing, level 2 quotes, and trading hotkeys, ensuring traders have real-time information and flexible trading options at their fingertips. While both allow for basic strategy backtesting and have a short locator tool to check real-time share availability for short selling, differences emerge when we look deeper into their offerings.

Interactive Brokers stands out with its advanced strategy backtesting capabilities, ladder trading, and order liquidity rebates, which can be crucial for sophisticated traders looking to refine their trading strategies and reduce costs. On the other hand, Fidelity, although lacking in these areas, still provides a solid platform for day trading with its comprehensive selection of core tools. Ultimately, the choice between the two will depend on the specific needs and preferences of traders seeking either simplified operations or more advanced trading functionalities.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Fidelity logoFidelity
Streaming Time & Sales info Yes Yes
Streaming TV info Yes Yes
Direct Market Routing - Equities info Yes Yes
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks info Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Backtesting info Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv info Yes No
Short Locator info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Day Trading Platforms for 2025

Market Research

Interactive Brokers and Fidelity both deliver excellent market research. Each earns 5 out of 5 stars, with StockBrokers.com ranking Fidelity #3 of 14 and Interactive Brokers #4. Choose Interactive Brokers if you want the most downloadable reports (17 stock PDFs and downloadable mutual fund PDFs). Choose Fidelity if that slightly higher independent ranking is your tie‑breaker.

Feature coverage is nearly identical. Both brokers offer research for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, Pink Sheets/OTC, and bonds. Each lets you see portfolio allocation by asset class, includes stock research with social media sentiment and ESG data, and provides screeners for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and bonds. Both also offer downloadable PDF research reports for ETFs.

The main differences are in downloadable research depth. Interactive Brokers provides 17 downloadable stock research reports versus Fidelity’s 7, and it offers downloadable mutual fund reports, which Fidelity does not. If saving and comparing analyst PDFs—especially for mutual funds—is important to you, Interactive Brokers has the edge; otherwise, both platforms deliver similar tools and coverage.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Fidelity logoFidelity
Research - Stocks info Yes Yes
Screener - Stocks info Yes Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Screener - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Screener - Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Research - Fixed Income info Yes Yes
Screener - Fixed Income info Yes Yes
Research 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars

Banking

When comparing the banking features of Interactive Brokers and Fidelity, there are some key differences to consider. Neither Interactive Brokers nor Fidelity provide checking or savings accounts, but Fidelity takes the lead in terms of other banking services. While Interactive Brokers does not offer debit or credit cards, Fidelity provides both, making it more versatile for everyday payment needs. Furthermore, Fidelity offers mortgage loans, an area where Interactive Brokers does not. However, both platforms offer Certificates of Deposit (CDs), a solid choice for savers looking to grow their money with a guaranteed return. For comprehensive financial services, especially in banking, Fidelity holds an advantage over Interactive Brokers.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Fidelity logoFidelity
Checking Accounts info No No
Savings Accounts info No No
Debit Cards info No Yes
Credit Cards info No Yes
Mortgage Loans info No Yes
Brokerage CDs info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokerage Checking Accounts for 2025

Winner

After opening live accounts and testing 14 of the best online brokers, our research and live account testing finds that Interactive Brokers is better than Fidelity. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall score of 96.9%, while Fidelity finished with a score of 96.2%.

Interactive Brokers is a go-to choice for professionals because of its institutional-grade desktop trading platform, high-quality trade executions and rock-bottom margin rates.

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or Fidelity?

Interactive Brokers provides crypto trading with access to 11 different coins, whereas Fidelity supports crypto trading with just 3 coins.

Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers for Crypto Trading in 2025

Does Interactive Brokers or Fidelity offer IRAs?

Both Interactive Brokers and Fidelity offer Traditional and Roth IRA accounts with no annual or closure fees, providing cost-effective investment options for retirement savings.

Dive deeper: Best IRA Accounts for 2025

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Compare

0 of 5
Overall Rating Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Overall 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Customer Service 4/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review Fidelity Review
Broker Screenshots Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Broker Gallery (click to expand)
Trading Fees Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Minimum Deposit info $0.00 $0.00
Stock Trades info $0.00 $0.00
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) info $0.01 $0.00
Mutual Fund Trade Fee info $14.95 info Varies info
Options (Per Contract) info $0.65 info $0.65
Futures (Per Contract) info $0.85 info (Not offered)
Broker Assisted Trade Fee info Varies info $32.95
Margin Rates Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Margin Rate Under $25,000 info 6.83% info 12.575%
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 info 6.83% info 12.075%
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 info 6.83% info 11.125%
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 info 6.83% info 11.075%
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 info 6.83% info 10.825%
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 info 6.83% info 8.500%
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 info 6.83% info 8.250%
Account Fees Interactive Brokers Fidelity
IRA Annual Fee info $0.00 $0.00
IRA Closure Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) info $0.00 $0.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) info $0.00 $0.00
Options Exercise Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Investment Options Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Stock Trading info Yes Yes
Account Feature - Margin Trading info Yes Yes
Fractional Shares (Stocks) info Yes Yes
OTC Stocks info Yes Yes
Options Trading info Yes Yes
Complex Options Max Legs info 6 4
Futures Trading info Yes No
Forex Trading info Yes Yes info
Crypto Trading info Yes info Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 11 info 3
Fixed Income (Treasurys) info Yes Yes
Fixed Income (Corporate Bonds) info Yes Yes
Fixed Income (Municipal Bonds) info Yes Yes
Traditional IRAs info Yes Yes
Roth IRAs info Yes Yes
Advisor Services info No Yes
International Countries (Stocks) info 36 25
Order Types Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Order Type - Market info Yes Yes
Order Type - Limit info Yes Yes
Order Type - After Hours info Yes Yes
Order Type - Stop info Yes Yes
Order Type - Trailing Stop info Yes Yes
Order Type - OCO info Yes Yes
Order Type - OTO info Yes Yes
Order Type - Broker Assisted info Yes Yes
Beginners Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes Yes
Education (Options) info Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) info Yes Yes
Education (Fixed Income) info Yes Yes
Education (Retirement) info Yes Yes
Retirement Calculator info Yes Yes
Investor Dictionary info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info Yes No
Videos info Yes Yes
Webinars info Yes Yes
Progress Tracking info Yes Yes
Interactive Learning - Quizzes info Yes Yes
Stock Trading Apps Interactive Brokers Fidelity
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple Watch App info Yes Yes
Trading - Stocks info Yes Yes
Trading - After-Hours info Yes Yes
Trading - Simple Options info Yes Yes
Trading - Complex Options info Yes Yes
Order Ticket RT Quotes info Yes Yes
Order Ticket SRT Quotes info Yes Yes
Stock App Features Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Market Movers (Top Gainers) info Yes Yes
Stream Live TV info Yes Yes
Videos on Demand info Yes Yes
Stock Alerts info Yes Yes
Option Chains Viewable info Yes Yes
Watch List (Real-time) info Yes Yes
Watch List (Streaming) info Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Create & Manage info Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Column Customization info Yes Yes
Stock App Charting Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Charting - After-Hours info Yes Yes
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally info Yes Yes
Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies info 97 128
Charting - Study Customizations info Yes Yes
Charting - Stock Comparisons info Yes Yes
Trading Platforms Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Active Trading Platform info Trader Workstation (TWS) Active Trader Pro
Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Mac) info Yes Yes
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info Yes No
Trade Journal info Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 659 92
Stock Chart Features Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 155 129
Charting - Drawing Tools info 85 38
Charting - Notes info Yes Yes
Charting - Historical Trades info Yes Yes
Charting - Corporate Events info Yes Yes
Charting - Custom Date Range info Yes Yes
Charting - Custom Time Bars info Yes Yes
Charting - Automated Analysis info Yes Yes
Charting - Save Profiles info Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis info Yes Yes
Charting - Study Customizations info 6 5
Charting - Custom Studies info No No
Day Trading Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Streaming Time & Sales info Yes Yes
Streaming TV info Yes Yes
Direct Market Routing - Equities info Yes Yes
Ladder Trading info Yes No
Trade Hot Keys info Yes Yes
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks info Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Backtesting info Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv info Yes No
Short Locator info Yes Yes
Order Liquidity Rebates info Yes No
Research Overview Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Research - Stocks info Yes Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB info Yes Yes
Research - Fixed Income info Yes Yes
Screener - Stocks info Yes Yes
Screener - ETFs info Yes Yes
Screener - Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Screener - Fixed Income info Yes Yes
Portfolio Asset Allocation info Yes Yes
Stock Research Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Stock Research - PDF Reports info 17 info 7
Stock Research - Earnings info Yes Yes
Stock Research - Insiders info Yes Yes
Stock Research - Social info Yes Yes
Stock Research - News info Yes Yes
Stock Research - ESG info Yes Yes
Stock Research - SEC Filings info Yes Yes
ETF Research Interactive Brokers Fidelity
ETFs - Investment Objective info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Total Assets info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings info Yes Yes
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings info Yes Yes
ETFs - Sector Exposure info Yes Yes
ETFs - Risk Analysis info Yes Yes
ETFs - Ratings info Yes Yes
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap info Yes Yes
ETFs - PDF Reports info Yes Yes
Mutual Fund Research Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Mutual Funds - Investment Objective info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Prospectus info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - StyleMap info Yes Yes
Options Trading Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Option Chains - Total Greeks info 5 5
Option Analysis - P&L Charts info Yes Yes
Banking Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Bank (Member FDIC) info No No
Checking Accounts info No No
Savings Accounts info No No
Credit Cards info No Yes
Debit Cards info No Yes
Mortgage Loans info No Yes
Customer Service Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Phone Support (Prospective Customers) info Yes Yes
Phone Support (Current Customers) info Yes Yes
Email Support info Yes Yes
Live Chat (Prospective Customers) info No Yes
Live Chat (Current Customers) info Yes Yes
24/7 Support info Yes Yes
Overall Interactive Brokers Fidelity
Overall 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review Fidelity Review
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