StockBrokers.com is committed to the highest ethical standards and reviews services independently. Learn how we make money.

TD Ameritrade vs Interactive Brokers 2023

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

August 29, 2023

Is TD Ameritrade better than Interactive Brokers? After testing 18 of the best online brokers, our analysis finds that Interactive Brokers (93.5%) is better than TD Ameritrade (N/A). 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.

Select Brokers

×
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxAlly Invest
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCharles Schwab
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxE*TRADE
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxeToro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFidelity
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFirstrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxInteractive Brokers
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxMerrill Edge
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxPublic.com
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxRobinhood
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSoFi Invest
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxtastytrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTD Ameritrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTradeStation
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTradier
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxVanguard
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxWebull

Compare

0 of 5
Overall Rating TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Overall 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Customer Service 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review TD Ameritrade Review Interactive Brokers Review
Broker Screenshots TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Trading Platform & Tools Gallery (click to expand)
Research Gallery (click to expand)
Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand)
Education Gallery (click to expand)
Trading Fees TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Minimum Deposit $0.00 $0.00
Stock Trades $0.00 $0.00
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) info $6.95 $0.00
Mutual Fund Trade Fee Varies $14.95
Options (Per Contract) $0.65 $0.65
Futures (Per Contract) $2.25 $0.85
Broker Assisted Trade Fee $25 $30
Margin Rates TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Margin Rate Under $25,000 14.75% info 7.83% info
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 14.25% 7.83% info
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 13.25% 7.83% info
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 13% 7.83% info
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 12.75% 7.83% info
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 Varies info 7.83% info
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 Varies info 7.83% info
Account Fees TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
IRA Annual Fee $0.00 $0.00
IRA Closure Fee $0.00 $0.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) info $0.00 $0.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) info $75.00 $0.00
Options Exercise Fee $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee $0.00 $0.00
Investment Options TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Stock Trading info Yes Yes
Margin Trading Yes Yes
Fractional Shares info No Yes
OTC Stocks info Yes Yes
Options Trading info Yes Yes
Complex Options Max Legs info 4 6
Futures Trading info Yes Yes
Forex Trading info Yes Yes
Crypto Trading info No Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 0 4
Mutual Funds (No Load) info 3698 10988
Mutual Funds (Total) info 5876 11456
Bonds (US Treasury) info Yes Yes
Bonds (Corporate) info Yes Yes
Bonds (Municipal) info Yes Yes
Advisor Services info Yes No
International Countries (Stocks) info 0 33
Order Types TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
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 TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes Yes
Education (Options) info Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) info Yes Yes
Education (Bonds) info Yes Yes
Education (Retirement) info Yes Yes
Retirement Calculator info Yes Yes
Investor Dictionary info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info Yes Yes
Videos info Yes Yes
Webinars info Yes Yes
Webinars (Archived) info Yes Yes
Progress Tracking info Yes Yes
Interactive Learning - Quizzes info Yes Yes
Stock Trading Apps TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
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 TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
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
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 514 659
Stock App Charting TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Charting - After-Hours info Yes Yes
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally info Yes Yes
Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies info 400 97
Charting - Study Customizations info Yes Yes
Charting - Stock Comparisons info Yes No
Trading Platforms TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Active Trading Platform info thinkorswim Trader Workstation (TWS)
Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Mac) info Yes Yes
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info Yes Yes
Trade Journal info Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 514 659
Stock Chart Features TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 429 155
Charting - Drawing Tools info 24 85
Charting - Notes info Yes Yes
Charting - Index Overlays 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 9 6
Charting - Custom Studies info Yes No
Day Trading TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Streaming Time & Sales info Yes Yes
Streaming TV info Yes Yes
Direct Market Routing - Stocks info Yes Yes
Ladder Trading info Yes Yes
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 Yes
Short Locator info No Yes
Order Liquidity Rebates info No Yes
Research Overview TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Research - Stocks info Yes Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB info Yes Yes
Research - Bonds info Yes Yes
Screener - Stocks info Yes Yes
Screener - ETFs info Yes Yes
Screener - Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Screener - Bonds info Yes Yes
Misc - Portfolio Allocation info Yes Yes
Stock Research TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Stock Research - PDF Reports info 6 17 info
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 No Yes
Stock Research - SEC Filings info Yes Yes
ETF Research TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
ETFs - Strategy Overview info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Net Assets info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings info No 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 TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview 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 No Yes
Mutual Funds - StyleMap info Yes Yes
Options Trading TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Option Chains - Basic View info Yes Yes
Option Chains - Strategy View info Yes Yes
Option Chains - Streaming info Yes Yes
Option Chains - Total Columns info 35 38
Option Chains - Greeks info 5 12
Option Chains - Quick Analysis info Yes Yes
Option Analysis - P&L Charts info Yes Yes
Option Probability Analysis info Yes Yes
Option Probability Analysis Adv info Yes Yes
Option Positions - Greeks info Yes Yes
Option Positions - Greeks Streaming info Yes Yes
Option Positions - Adv Analysis info Yes Yes
Option Positions - Rolling info Yes Yes
Option Positions - Grouping info Yes Yes
Banking TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Bank (Member FDIC) info No No
Checking Accounts info Yes No
Savings Accounts info No No
Credit Cards info Yes No
Debit Cards info Yes Yes
Mortgage Loans info No No
Customer Service TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) info Yes Yes
Phone Support (Current Customers) info Yes Yes
Email Support info Yes Yes
Live Chat (Prospect Customers) info Yes No
Live Chat (Current Customers) info Yes Yes
24/7 Support info Yes No
Overall TD Ameritrade Interactive Brokers
Overall 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review TD Ameritrade Review Interactive Brokers Review
arrow_upward

TD Ameritrade vs Interactive Brokers Comparison

Comparing brokers side by side is no easy task. We spend hundreds of hours each year testing the platforms, mobile apps, trading tools and general ease of use among online brokerages, as well as comparing commissions and fees, to find the best online broker.

Though many U.S. brokers offer basic trading features, such as an app, charting tools, stock research and educational content, the depth of those features can vary widely. Let's compare TD Ameritrade vs Interactive Brokers.

Is TD Ameritrade or Interactive Brokers better for beginners?

In stock trading, the more you know, the better you’ll do. Taking advantage of resources like articles, webinars, videos and interactive elements is a great way to shorten the learning curve. In our analysis, we examine the availability of several different types of educational materials.

For 2023, our review finds that Interactive Brokers offers more comprehensive new investor education for beginning investors than TD Ameritrade. Both TD Ameritrade and Interactive Brokers offer Paper Trading, Videos, Education (Stocks), Education (ETFs), Education (Options), Education (Mutual Funds), Education (Bonds) and Education (Retirement).

What about TD Ameritrade vs Interactive Brokers pricing?

TD Ameritrade and Interactive Brokers charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0.00. TD Ameritrade and Interactive Brokers both charge $0.65 per option contract. For futures, TD Ameritrade charges $2.25 per contract and Interactive Brokers charges $0.85 per contract. For a deeper dive, see our best brokers for free stock trading guide.

Does TD Ameritrade or Interactive Brokers offer a wider range of investment options?

Looking at a full range of investment options, including order types and international trading, our research has found that Interactive Brokers offers a more comprehensive offering than TD Ameritrade. TD Ameritrade ranks #N/A out of 18 brokers for our Investment Options category, while Interactive Brokers ranks #N/A.

TD Ameritrade offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds, Futures Trading, Forex Trading and Advisor Services, while Interactive Brokers offers investors access to Stock Trading, Fractional Shares, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds, Futures Trading and Forex Trading Looking at Mutual Funds, TD Ameritrade trails Interactive Brokers in its offering of no transaction fee (NTF) mutual funds, with Interactive Brokers offering 4782 and TD Ameritrade offering 3610.

Do TD Ameritrade and Interactive Brokers offer cryptocurrency?

In our analysis of top U.S. brokerages, we research whether each broker offers the ability to trade cash cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin and ethereum. Though crypto has risen steadily in popularity, availability still varies from broker to broker. Our review finds that neither TD Ameritrade and Interactive Brokers offer crypto trading.

Which trading platform is better: TD Ameritrade or Interactive Brokers?

To compare the day trading platforms of TD Ameritrade and Interactive Brokers, we focused on trading tools and functionality across both web and desktop-based platforms. Popular day trading platform tools include streaming real-time quotes, stock alerts, trading hotkeys, direct market routing, streaming time and sales, customizable watch lists, backtesting, and fully functional charting packages, among many others. For day trading, Interactive Brokers offers a better experience.

Does TD Ameritrade or Interactive Brokers offer a better stock trading app?

After testing 25 features across the stock trading apps of TD Ameritrade and Interactive Brokers, we found Interactive Brokers to be better overall. The best stock market apps are easy to use, have excellent design, and deliver a fully featured online trading experience. TD Ameritrade ranks #N/A out of 18 brokers, while Interactive Brokers ranks #N/A.

TD Ameritrade Trading App Gallery

Interactive Brokers Trading App Gallery

Which broker is better for researching stocks?

For research, Interactive Brokers offers superior market research than TD Ameritrade. TD Ameritrade ranks #N/A and Interactive Brokers ranks #2.

Over the years, we've found that the best brokers provide rich market commentary, a variety of third-party research reports, and thorough quote screens that are not just easy to navigate, but that also include a comprehensive selection of fundamental data. Robust stock, ETFs, and mutual fund screeners are also must-haves for trade idea generation.

How do TD Ameritrade and Interactive Brokers compare in terms of minimum deposit required?

TD Ameritrade requires a minimum deposit of $0.00, while Interactive Brokers requires a minimum deposit of $0.00. From our testing, we found that SoFi is the only broker that requires a minimum deposit.

Which broker offers better margin rates for accounts under $25,000?

TD Ameritrade charges 14.75% for accounts under $25,000 while Interactive Brokers charges a margin rate of 7.83%. The industry average of the 18 brokers we track is 9%.

Does TD Ameritrade offer fractional shares? Does Interactive Brokers?

Fractional shares are not offered by either broker. Our research has found that 41% of brokers offer fractional shares investing. Fractional shares allow traders to buy a part of a whole share of stock. For example, if Amazon is trading at $1,000, you could buy half a share for $500.

Can you trade penny stocks with TD Ameritrade or Interactive Brokers?

Both TD Ameritrade and Interactive Brokers allow you to trade penny stocks. TD Ameritrade charges $6.95 per trade while Interactive Brokers charges $0.00. Penny stocks are companies whose shares trade for under $5 and are listed over the counter (OTC). For brokers that do offer penny stock trades, the average commission is $3.

Does either broker offer banking?

Online banking can be a benefit for investors, and some brokerages do provide banking services to customers. Checking Accounts, Debit Cards and Credit Cards are offered by TD Ameritrade while Interactive Brokers offers Debit Cards. Neither have Savings Accounts and Mortgage Loans.

Which broker offers stronger customer service?

StockBrokers.com partners with customer experience research group Confero to conduct phone tests from locations across the United States to thoroughly evaluate the quality and speed of brokerage customer service. (Read more about How We Test.) Here are the results of our current testing.

TD Ameritrade was rated 1st out of 14 brokers, with an overall score of 9.3 out of 10.

Interactive Brokers was rated 8th out of 14 brokers, with an overall score of 7.7 out of 10.

Is TD Ameritrade good?

TD Ameritrade delivers $0 trades, fantastic trading platforms, excellent market research, industry-leading education for beginners and reliable customer service, making it one of our top overall brokers in 2023. Note, however, that TD Ameritrade was acquired in 2020 by Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade client accounts are currently being migrated in batches to Schwab, which has retained the standout thinkorswim platform.

In the 2023 StockBrokers.com Annual Review, TD Ameritrade was rated No. 1 for Platforms & Tools, Mobile Trading Apps, Ease of Use, Beginners, and Customer Service. It also ranked among Best in Class for Commissions & Fees, Research, Investment Options, Education, Active Trading and Overall. TD Ameritrade also won two StockBrokers.com Industry Awards: No. 1 for Phone Support and Trader App.

Is Interactive Brokers good?

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.

In the 2023 StockBrokers.com Annual Review, Interactive Brokers was rated No. 1 for Investment Options, Active Trading and Futures Trading. It also ranked among Best in Class for Commissions & Fees, Research, Platforms & Tools, Mobile Trading Apps, Investment Options, and Options Trading. Interactive Brokers also won five StockBrokers.com Industry Awards: No. 1 for ESG Investing, International Trading, Platform Technology, Professional Trading, and Sentiment Investing.

TD Ameritrade vs Interactive Brokers Winner

Overall winner: Interactive Brokers

Popular broker reviews

Popular trading guides


close