Interactive Brokers vs Ally Invest Comparison: Fees, Features, and More (2026)

Interactive Brokers and Ally Invest are two leading discount brokerages offering commission-free stock and ETF trading. Use this head-to-head comparison table to evaluate fees, features, trading tools, and account options to help you decide which broker is right for you in 2026.

Head-to-Head Comparison: Interactive Brokers vs Ally Invest (2026)
Feature Interactive Brokers Ally Invest
Website https://www.interactivebrokers.com/ https://www.ally.com/invest/
Broker Type Self-directed online discount broker Discount (online self-directed brokerage)
Trading: Stock & ETF? Yes Yes
ETF & Stock commission IBKR Lite: $0 US-listed stocks/ETFs (US residents); IBKR Pro: $0.005/share fixed (min $1) or $0.0005–$0.0035/share tiered (min $0.35) $0 eligible US stocks/ETFs ($2+); $4.95 + $0.01/share if <$2
Fractional Shares? Yes (eligible US/CA/EU stocks & ETFs, from $1) No
Percent Allocations? Yes (TWS Rebalance Portfolio sets custom target %) No
Crypto Trading? Yes (spot crypto via Paxos/Zero Hash for eligible US IB LLC clients; permissions required; also futures/ETPs) No
Crypto Fees 0.12%–0.18% of trade value (monthly volume tiers), USD 1.75 min/order (capped at 1% of value); no added spreads/markups/custody fees; possible $0.15/mo Paxos fee N/A
Options Trading? Yes Yes
Options Fee US: Lite $0.65/contract ($1 min; Pro rates after 1k contracts/mo); Pro $0.15–$0.65/contract (volume/premium tiers), $1 min/order + exchange/reg/clearing fees $0 commission + $0.50 per contract
Bond Trading Available? Yes (US Treasuries, corporates, munis, CDs, 1M+ global bonds) Yes
Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? Sometimes (Lite receives PFOF on US stocks/options; Pro generally avoids via SmartRouting) Yes
Interface: Web trading? Yes (Client Portal web; IBKR Mobile and GlobalTrader apps) Yes
Desktop trading? Yes; Trader Workstation (TWS) and IBKR Desktop. No
API Trading? Yes; TWS API and Web API for retail algorithmic trading. No
Mutual Funds: Offered? Yes Yes
Total Mutual Funds 50,000+ Thousands (500+ fund families)
NTF Mutual Funds 20,000+ Over 5,400
Non-NTF Fund Fee Lesser of 3% of trade value or USD 14.95 per transaction (US). $0 (no-load); fund loads otherwise
Early Redemption Fee? Yes (no IBKR fee); fund companies may charge per prospectus. Yes (no Ally fee)
Redemption Hold (Days) None by IBKR (0 days); fund prospectus may impose. Varies by fund (prospectus); no Ally broker hold period listed
Early Redemption Fee $0 from IBKR; funds may charge per prospectus. Fund-specific (often 0–2%); Ally $0 for no-load sales
Accounts: Margin Accounts? Yes (Cash, Margin, or Portfolio Margin; typically $2,000 equity for margin). Yes ($2,000 minimum equity required)
IRAs Offered? Yes (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, Inherited, Rollover). Yes (Traditional/Roth/Rollover at Invest; SEP at Ally Bank)
HSAs Offered? No No
Money Market Sweep? Yes (Insured Bank Deposit Sweep Program). Yes (Apex FDIC bank sweep; 0% interest)
CDs Offered? Yes (brokered CDs). Yes (brokered CDs; $24.95 per transaction)
Robo-Advisor: Offered Yes Yes
Robo-Advisor Service Interactive Advisors Robo Portfolios
Robo-Advisor Fees 0.10%–0.75% AUM/year (varies by portfolio; IA 0.10%–0.20%, managers 0.25%–0.75%); no commissions 0% cash-enhanced (30% cash buffer) or 0.30% market-focused; ETF expenses extra
Basics: Headquarters Greenwich, CT Charlotte, NC
Year Founded 1977 2017
Clearing Firm Self-clearing Apex Clearing Corporation
Local Branches? No No
New Account Minimum $0 $0

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