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

Tradier and Interactive Brokers 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: Tradier vs Interactive Brokers (2026)
Feature Tradier Interactive Brokers
Website https://tradier.com/ https://www.interactivebrokers.com/
Broker Type API/Discount Self-directed online discount broker
Trading: Stock & ETF? Yes Yes
ETF & Stock commission $0.35/trade Lite; $0 Pro/Pro Plus 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)
Fractional Shares? No Yes (eligible US/CA/EU stocks & ETFs, from $1)
Percent Allocations? No Yes (TWS Rebalance Portfolio sets custom target %)
Crypto Trading? No Yes (spot crypto via Paxos/Zero Hash for eligible US IB LLC clients; permissions required; also futures/ETPs)
Crypto Fees Not applicable 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
Options Trading? Yes Yes
Options Fee $0.35/contract Lite; $0 Pro; $0.10 Pro Plus (index options) 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
Bond Trading Available? No Yes (US Treasuries, corporates, munis, CDs, 1M+ global bonds)
Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? Yes Sometimes (Lite receives PFOF on US stocks/options; Pro generally avoids via SmartRouting)
Interface: Web trading? Yes Yes (Client Portal web; IBKR Mobile and GlobalTrader apps)
Desktop trading? Yes; Tradier Desktop Yes; Trader Workstation (TWS) and IBKR Desktop.
API Trading? Yes; Tradier Brokerage API Yes; TWS API and Web API for retail algorithmic trading.
Mutual Funds: Offered? Yes Yes
Total Mutual Funds Not publicly stated 50,000+
NTF Mutual Funds Not publicly stated 20,000+
Non-NTF Fund Fee $30 transaction; $10 NTF ticket Lesser of 3% of trade value or USD 14.95 per transaction (US).
Early Redemption Fee? Varies by fund Yes (no IBKR fee); fund companies may charge per prospectus.
Redemption Hold (Days) Fund-specific None by IBKR (0 days); fund prospectus may impose.
Early Redemption Fee Fund-specific $0 from IBKR; funds may charge per prospectus.
Accounts: Margin Accounts? Yes Yes (Cash, Margin, or Portfolio Margin; typically $2,000 equity for margin).
IRAs Offered? Yes; Traditional and Roth Yes (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, Inherited, Rollover).
HSAs Offered? No No
Money Market Sweep? No Yes (Insured Bank Deposit Sweep Program).
CDs Offered? No Yes (brokered CDs).
Robo-Advisor: Offered No Yes
Robo-Advisor Service None Interactive Advisors
Robo-Advisor Fees Not applicable 0.10%–0.75% AUM/year (varies by portfolio; IA 0.10%–0.20%, managers 0.25%–0.75%); no commissions
Basics: Headquarters Charlotte, NC Greenwich, CT
Year Founded 2012 1977
Clearing Firm Apex Clearing Inc. Self-clearing
Local Branches? No No
New Account Minimum $0

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