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Interactive Brokers vs Firstrade 2025

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

July 03, 2025

In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Firstrade, 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
Firstrade
4/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0.00
  • Stock Trades: $0.00
  • Options (Per Contract): $0.00

Range of investments

Interactive Brokers emerges as the top choice in the investment scene, particularly excelling in the sheer variety of trading options it presents to investors. Garnering a five-star rating for its wide-ranging investment portfolio, it outshines Firstrade, which, although commendable, maintains a slightly lower 4.5-star rating. When ranked by StockBrokers.com for Range of Investments, Interactive Brokers dominates the list at the number one spot out of 14 brokers. Firstrade also performs well, securing the sixth position, yet it falls short in offering some of the diverse investment opportunities that Interactive Brokers provides, especially in areas like forex, futures, and cryptocurrency trading.

Both Interactive Brokers and Firstrade offer a compelling array of standard investment options including stock, margin, and options trading, along with the opportunity to trade mutual funds and participate in the market with fractional shares. Another shared feature is the availability of OTC stock trading, providing investors with access to less traditional marketplaces. Additionally, both brokers support retirement planning through traditional and Roth IRA accounts, meeting the needs of long-term investors planning their financial futures.

Where these two brokers begin to differ significantly is in the realm of more specialized trading instruments. Interactive Brokers takes a clear lead by offering more advanced options such as forex trading, futures contracts, and an expansive selection of cryptocurrency investments with 11 different coins available. Conversely, Firstrade does not provide these options, which may limit investors looking for a broader investment strategy. While neither broker offers advisement services, the diverse array of investment opportunities at Interactive Brokers may suit those investors who don’t rely on financial advisors but still seek comprehensive market engagement.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Firstrade logoFirstrade
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 No
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 11 info 0
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 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

Interactive Brokers clearly stands out when comparing its trading platforms and tools to Firstrade. With superior ratings, including a five-star evaluation for trading platforms and tools, Interactive Brokers ranks as the second-best platform out of 14 brokers according to StockBrokers.com. Conversely, Firstrade receives a more modest three-star rating and is positioned 11th in the same category.

Interactive Brokers offers a comprehensive suite of trading platforms and tools, supporting both Windows and Mac with downloadable applications, while Firstrade lacks these desktop offerings. Both brokers provide browser-based trading, but Interactive Brokers provides a richer toolkit, including paper trading, a trading journal, and the ability to adjust orders on stock charts. With superior charting features, Interactive Brokers offers 155 technical indicators and 85 drawing tools compared to Firstrade's 102 indicators and 8 tools. Additionally, Interactive Brokers supports customization with options such as adding notes, showing historical trades, and corporate events on charts, whereas Firstrade does not.

When it comes to customizing watch lists, Interactive Brokers is far ahead with 659 columns available, while Firstrade offers only 50. Although both platforms allow automated technical analysis on charts, only Interactive Brokers offers advanced features like saving multiple chart profiles. While both brokers provide an equal number of customization fields for simple moving average studies on stock charts, neither offers the ability to create custom studies. Overall, for traders seeking a more advanced and feature-rich platform experience, Interactive Brokers is the clear choice.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Firstrade logoFirstrade
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Trading Platform info Yes No
Desktop Platform (Mac) info Yes No
Paper Trading info Yes No
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 659 50
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 155 102
Charting - Drawing Tools info 85 8
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 3/5 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 the educational resources for beginners and investors offered by Interactive Brokers and Firstrade, several key differences stand out. Interactive Brokers provides a comprehensive suite of educational tools covering stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, and bonds, whereas Firstrade focuses primarily on stocks and options, lacking ETF, mutual funds, and bonds education. Interactive Brokers also distinguishes itself with features like paper trading and educational quizzes to enhance learning, elements not offered by Firstrade. Both brokers provide educational videos and webinars, but only Interactive Brokers offers a feature to track your learning progress. These differences in educational offerings contribute to Interactive Brokers' higher educational rating of 5 stars compared to Firstrade's 3.5 stars.

In terms of rankings by StockBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers is positioned as the #3 broker out of 14 based on its educational capabilities, reflecting its extensive and varied educational content tailored for beginner and seasoned investors alike. Firstrade, while still providing valuable resources, ranks lower at #12, indicating a more limited range of educational materials compared to its competitor. Overall, Interactive Brokers provides a more extensive learning platform, making it a suitable choice for those seeking in-depth educational resources in their investing journey.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Firstrade logoFirstrade
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes No
Education (Options) info Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) info Yes No
Education (Fixed Income) info Yes No
Paper Trading info Yes No
Videos info Yes Yes
Webinars info Yes Yes
Education 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of 2025

Stock trading apps

Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick for mobile stock trading, earning 5 stars and ranking #2 out of 14 brokers for its app, while Firstrade scores 4.5 stars and ranks #9. IB pulls ahead with more advanced charting, extra media features, and Apple Watch support. Firstrade still covers the basics well, so it can be a good fit if you want a straightforward app without some of the extras.

Both brokers offer iPhone and Android apps, mobile options trading, streaming quotes, stock alerts, custom watchlists (including column customization), landscape charts, multiple time frames, and the ability to compare stocks on charts. Interactive Brokers supports mobile after-hours trading; Firstrade’s mobile after-hours trading status isn’t confirmed here. For wearables, Interactive Brokers has an Apple Watch app, while Firstrade does not.

For research and charting depth, Interactive Brokers offers streaming live TV and videos on demand, plus after-hours charting—features Firstrade lacks. IB also provides 97 technical indicators in its mobile charts versus 81 with Firstrade, giving traders more ways to analyze price action on the go.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Firstrade logoFirstrade
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple Watch App info Yes No
Stock Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - After-Hours info Yes No
Charting - Technical Studies info 97 81
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps for 2025

Fees

Bottom line: Interactive Brokers is generally cheaper for margin borrowing and for moving your account, while Firstrade can be the low-cost pick for options traders thanks to $0 per-contract pricing. Both brokers have $0 stock commissions, $0 minimum deposits, and no IRA fees. If you plan to use margin or might transfer your account, Interactive Brokers often comes out ahead; if you trade a lot of options without borrowing, Firstrade can lower your costs.

Trading fees are straightforward. Minimum deposit: Interactive Brokers $0; Firstrade $0. Online stock trades: both $0. Options pricing differs: Interactive Brokers charges $0.65 per contract, while Firstrade charges $0. Options exercise and assignment fees are $0 at both brokers.

Margin and other charges tilt toward Interactive Brokers. For margin balances under $100,000, Interactive Brokers lists 6.83%, while Firstrade shows 12.75% (under $25k), 12.50% ($25k–$49,999), and 12.00% ($50k–$99,999). Account transfers (ACAT) are $0 for partial and full at Interactive Brokers versus $55 partial and $75 full at Firstrade. IRA annual and closure fees are $0 at both. Pricing can change—check each broker’s site for the latest rates.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Firstrade logoFirstrade
Minimum Deposit info $0.00 $0.00
Stock Trades info $0.00 $0.00
Options (Per Contract) info $0.65 info $0.00
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

When it comes to day trading, Interactive Brokers stands out compared to Firstrade thanks to its comprehensive features that cater specifically to active traders. Interactive Brokers offers streaming time and sales data for stocks, providing real-time information that is crucial for making informed trading decisions. Additionally, users have access to streaming live TV, allowing them to stay updated on market news and events. The platform also supports direct market routing, ladder trading, and trading hotkeys for quick trade entries via keyboard, all essential tools for those looking to engage in rapid-fire trading.

Moreover, Interactive Brokers equips its users with level 2 quotes and both basic and advanced strategy backtesting capabilities, which enable traders to develop and refine their strategies over time. The platform offers a short locator tool for tracking the availability of shares to short, enhancing the trader's ability to act swiftly in dynamic markets. It also provides order liquidity rebates, rewarding traders for contributing to the market's liquidity. In comparison, Firstrade lacks these advanced day trading features, making it less suitable for traders who rely on sophisticated tools and real-time data.

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

Dive deeper: Best Day Trading Platforms for 2025

Market Research

Bottom line: both Interactive Brokers and Firstrade deliver broad, easy-to-use market research, but Interactive Brokers takes the lead for depth. It earns 5 stars and ranks #4 of 14 at StockBrokers.com, compared with Firstrade’s 4.5 stars and #6. The key edge is Interactive Brokers’ larger library of downloadable reports and wider coverage for mutual funds, making it a better fit for investors who lean on detailed analyst PDFs and multi-source viewpoints.

Coverage is strong on both platforms. Each offers research for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, Pink Sheets/OTCBB, and bonds. You can view portfolio allocation by asset class, tap social media sentiment for stock research, and access ESG research on both. Idea generation is also comparable: each provides screeners for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and bonds. For downloadable PDFs, both support ETF reports, and both provide stock reports—though the volume differs sharply.

The biggest difference is in report depth. Interactive Brokers lists 17 downloadable PDF stock research report sources, while Firstrade offers 1. Interactive Brokers also supplies downloadable PDFs for mutual funds; Firstrade does not. If you want many analyst opinions and detailed write-ups across more asset classes, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice. If you mainly need core research tools, screeners, and basic PDFs, Firstrade covers the essentials.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Firstrade logoFirstrade
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 4.5/5 Stars

Banking

When comparing the banking features of online brokers Interactive Brokers and Firstrade, there are notable differences. Interactive Brokers does not provide checking or savings accounts, debit cards, or credit cards, while Firstrade offers both checking accounts and debit cards, though neither broker offers credit cards. For mortgage loans, both brokers do not provide options. However, both Interactive Brokers and Firstrade offer Certificates of Deposit (CDs). These distinctions can be significant for users seeking additional banking services alongside their trading platform.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Firstrade logoFirstrade
Checking Accounts info No Yes
Savings Accounts info No No
Debit Cards info No Yes
Credit Cards info No No
Mortgage Loans info No No
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 Firstrade. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall score of 96.9%, while Firstrade finished with a score of 81.8%.

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 Firstrade?

Interactive Brokers offers crypto trading with access to 11 different coins, while Firstrade does not support any crypto trading options.

Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers for Crypto Trading in 2025

Does Interactive Brokers or Firstrade offer IRAs?

Both Interactive Brokers and Firstrade provide traditional and Roth IRA accounts with no annual fees or closure fees, making them cost-effective choices for investors seeking flexible retirement account options without hidden charges.

Dive deeper: Best IRA Accounts for 2025

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Compare

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Overall Rating Interactive Brokers Firstrade
Overall 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Customer Service 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review Firstrade Review
Broker Screenshots Interactive Brokers Firstrade
Broker Gallery (click to expand)
Trading Fees Interactive Brokers Firstrade
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 $0
Options (Per Contract) info $0.65 info $0.00
Futures (Per Contract) info $0.85 info (Not offered)
Broker Assisted Trade Fee info Varies info $19.95
Margin Rates Interactive Brokers Firstrade
Margin Rate Under $25,000 info 6.83% info 12.75%
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 info 6.83% info 12.50%
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 info 6.83% info 12.00%
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 info 6.83% info 11.50%
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 info 6.83% info 11.25%
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 info 6.83% info 9.35%
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 info 6.83% info 8.75%
Account Fees Interactive Brokers Firstrade
IRA Annual Fee info $0.00 $0.00
IRA Closure Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) info $0.00 $55.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) info $0.00 $75.00
Options Exercise Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Investment Options Interactive Brokers Firstrade
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 No
Crypto Trading info Yes info No
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 11 info 0
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 No
International Countries (Stocks) info 36 0
Order Types Interactive Brokers Firstrade
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 Firstrade
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes No
Education (Options) info Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) info Yes No
Education (Fixed Income) info Yes No
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 No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes info Yes No
Stock Trading Apps Interactive Brokers Firstrade
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple Watch App info Yes No
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 Firstrade
Market Movers (Top Gainers) info Yes Yes
Stream Live TV info Yes No
Videos on Demand info Yes No
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 Firstrade
Charting - After-Hours info Yes No
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally info Yes Yes
Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies info 97 81
Charting - Study Customizations info Yes Yes
Charting - Stock Comparisons info Yes Yes
Trading Platforms Interactive Brokers Firstrade
Active Trading Platform info Trader Workstation (TWS) N/A
Desktop Trading Platform info Yes No
Desktop Platform (Mac) info Yes No
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info Yes No
Trade Journal info Yes No
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 659 50
Stock Chart Features Interactive Brokers Firstrade
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart info Yes No
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 155 102
Charting - Drawing Tools info 85 8
Charting - Notes info Yes No
Charting - Historical Trades info Yes No
Charting - Corporate Events info Yes No
Charting - Custom Date Range info Yes No
Charting - Custom Time Bars info Yes No
Charting - Automated Analysis info Yes Yes
Charting - Save Profiles info Yes No
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis info Yes Yes
Charting - Study Customizations info 6 6
Charting - Custom Studies info No No
Day Trading Interactive Brokers Firstrade
Streaming Time & Sales info Yes No
Streaming TV info Yes No
Direct Market Routing - Equities info Yes No
Ladder Trading info Yes No
Trade Hot Keys info Yes No
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks info Yes No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting info Yes No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv info Yes No
Short Locator info Yes No
Order Liquidity Rebates info Yes No
Research Overview Interactive Brokers Firstrade
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 Firstrade
Stock Research - PDF Reports info 17 info 1
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 Firstrade
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 Firstrade
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 Firstrade
Option Chains - Total Greeks info 5 5
Option Analysis - P&L Charts info Yes Yes
Banking Interactive Brokers Firstrade
Bank (Member FDIC) info No No
Checking Accounts info No Yes
Savings Accounts info No No
Credit Cards info No No
Debit Cards info No Yes
Mortgage Loans info No No
Customer Service Interactive Brokers Firstrade
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 No
Overall Interactive Brokers Firstrade
Overall 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review Firstrade Review
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