Cobra Trading vs Interactive Brokers

Cobra Trading vs Interactive Brokers Comparison Table 2024
Cobra Trading	Interactive Brokers
Review 3.3 Cobra Trading is #31 in our broker rankings.	Review 4.3 Interactive Brokers is #1 in our CFD broker rankings.
Traders from US accepted	Traders from US accepted
Established in 2003, Cobra Trading is a US-based brokerage specializing in equities and options contracts. The firm offers 3 powerful platforms and is aimed at professional clients or those looking for retirement accounts. Cobra Trading is regulated by the NFA and SIPC and is a member of FINRA.	Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is a premier brokerage, providing access to 150 markets in 33 countries, along with a suite of comprehensive investment services. With over 40 years of experience, this Nasdaq-listed firm adheres to stringent regulations by the SEC, FCA, CIRO, and SFC, amongst others, and is one of the most trusted brokers for trading around the globe.
Customer Reviews
	4 Based on 2 Interactive Brokers customer reviews
Comment by Reviewer
"After exploring this popular US brokerage, I think experienced stock traders who can deposit at least $30,000 to open an account with appreciate the broker’s low trading fees of $0.0015 per share."	"Interactive Brokers is one of the best brokers for advanced day traders, providing powerful charting platforms, real-time data, and customizable layouts, notably through the new IBKR Desktop application. Its superb pricing and advanced order options also make it highly attractive for day traders, while its diverse range of equities is still among the best in the industry."
Pros
I’m happy with the broker’s regulatory status in the US, with oversight from reputable bodies including the SIPC, NFA and FINRA. This, coupled, with the broker’s strong reputation since 2003 is a great sign of a trustworthy firm I think the choice of 3 platforms means all strategies and trading styles are catered to. All platforms offer comprehensive charting packages, with sophisticated analysis tools and advanced order types I found some reasonably low fees at Cobra Trading, including shares from $0.0015, options from $0.30 and margin rates as low as 8% Cobra Trading offers a good range of account types, including traditional and Roth IRA’s, plus joint, corporate and trust accounts I like that Cobra Trading doesn’t enforce any minimums on trades and there are also no locate fees	IBKR is one of the most respected and trusted brokerages and is regulated by top-tier authorities, so you can have confidence in the integrity and security of your trading account. The TWS platform has clearly been built for intermediate and advanced traders and comes with over 100 order types and a reliable real-time market data feed that rarely goes offline. The new IBKR Desktop platform takes the best of TWS while adding bespoke tools like Option Lattice and Screeners with MultiSort to create a genuinely impressive trading experience for day traders at every level. There's a vast library of free or paid third-party research subscriptions catering to all types of traders, plus you can enjoy commission reimbursements from IBKR if you subscribe to Toggle AI. IBKR continues to deliver unmatched access to global stocks with tens of thousands of equities available from 100+ market centres in 24 countries, most recently the Saudi Stock Exchange. While primarily geared towards experienced traders, IBKR has made moves to broaden its appeal in recent years, reducing its minimum deposit from $10,000 to $0. With low commissions, tight spreads and a transparent fee structure, IBKR delivers a cost-effective environment for short-term traders.
Cons
Despite the low trading fees, this broker does charge several other platform and admin fees which will soon add up, including monthly software fees from $100 and market data packages from $18 per month Unfortunately, Cobra Trading isn’t going to be suitable for novices, as the minimum deposit to open an account is $30,000. I think it’s a shame that there are no beginner-friendly accounts at this broker I did find that pattern day trading (PDT) restrictions will apply, though this is expected from a US brokerage	TWS’s learning curve is steep, and beginners may find it challenging to navigate the platform and understand all the features. Plus500's web platform is much better suited to new traders. IBKR provides a wide range of research tools, but their distribution across trading platforms and the web-based 'Account Management' page lacks consistency, leading to a confusing user experience. Support can be slow and frustrating based on tests, so you might find it challenging to reach customer service representatives promptly or encounter delays in resolving issues. You can only have one active session per account, so you can’t have your desktop program and mobile app running simultaneously, making for a sometimes frustrating trading experience.
Instruments
Stocks, options	Stocks, Options, Futures, Forex, Funds, Bonds, ETFs, Mutual Funds, CFDs, Cryptocurrencies
Demo Account
Yes	Yes
Minimum Deposit
$27,000	$0
Trading Platforms
Own	Trader Workstation (TWS) IBKR Desktop GlobalTrader Mobile Client Portal AlgoTrader OmniTrader eSignal TradingCentral
Payment Methods
Cheque Wire Transfer	ACH Transfer Automated Customer Account Transfer Service Cheque Debit Card TransferWise Wire Transfer
Minimum Trade
$1	$100
Regulator
FINRA	FCA, SEC, FINRA, CFTC, CBI, CIRO, SFC, MAS, MNB, FINMA, AFM
Margin Trading
No	Yes
Margin Rate
8%	1.55 - 2.59%
STP Account
No	Yes
ECN Account
No	No
DMA Account
No	Yes
MAM Account
No	Yes
PAMM Account
No	No
LAMM Account
No	No
Demat Account
No	No
AI / Machine Learning
No	Yes
Robo Advisor
No	Yes
Negative Balance Protection
No	Yes
Market Maker
No	No
P2P Trading
No	No
Spot Trading
No	Yes
Mobile Apps
Yes	iOS & Android
App Review
	The IBKR Mobile app, available on both iOS and Android devices, makes your phone a powerful gateway to your IBKR accounts, offering you the freedom to keep an eye on portfolios, initiate trades, and dive into real-time quotes and charts, all while managing your account activities on the fly. This app stands out for its intuitive design, making it especially welcoming for those just starting their trading journey, providing a smoother and more accessible experience than the more complex TWS platform.
Android App Rating
	4.5
iOS App Rating
	4.3
Auto Trading
Yes	Capitalise.ai & TWS API
Copy Trading
No	No
Social Trading
No	No
Trade Signals
Yes
VPS Hosting
No	No
Tournaments
No	No
Demo Competitions
No	No
Ethical Investing
No	Yes
Custodial Account
No	No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No	No
Inactivity Fee
	$0
Islamic Account
No	No
Account Currencies
	USD EUR GBP CAD AUD INR JPY SEK NOK DKK CHF AED HUF
Stock Exchanges
	Borsa Italiana CAC 40 Index France Chicago Mercantile Exchange Euronext IBEX 35 Japan Exchange Group Korean Stock Exchange London Metal Exchange London Stock Exchange Nasdaq Nasdaq Nordic & Baltics New York Stock Exchange Russell 2000 Shenzhen Stock Exchange Tadawul Toronto Stock Exchange
Commodities
	Aluminium Gold Lead Lean Hogs Natural Gas Precious Metals Soybeans Zinc
CFD Trading
CFD trading not offered	Over 8,000 CFDs are offered on a vast array of instruments, encompassing stocks, indices, forex, and commodities. Moreover, the TWS platform lends itself to seasoned day traders, offering a comprehensive selection of over 100 order types and algorithms, alongside premium market data sourced from reputable sources such as Reuters and Dow Jones.
Leverage
	1:50
FTSE Spread
	0.005% (£1 Min)
GBPUSD Spread
	0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
Oil Spread
	0.25-0.85
Stocks Spread
	0.003
Forex Trading
Forex trading not offered	IBKR presents an extensive range of over 100 major, minor, and exotic forex pairs, surpassing the offerings of nearly all leading alternatives, though not CMC Markets. Forex trading occurs over multiple platforms and boasts institutional-grade spreads starting from 0.1 pips and 20 complex order types, including brackets, scale, and one-cancels-all (OCA) orders.
GBPUSD Spread
	0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
EURUSD Spread
	0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
EURGBP Spread
	0.08-0.20 bps x trade value
Assets
	100+
Cryptocurrency
Crypto trading not offered	IBKR lets you purchase and hold Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and Litecoin at competitive commission rates and without needing a crypto wallet. Additionally, there is a range of other diverse assets to explore, such as crypto indices like the NYSE Bitcoin Index, as well as futures contracts like the BAKKT Bitcoin Futures.
Spread
	0.12%-0.18%
Coins
	BTC LTC ETH XRP
Crypto Lending
No	No
Crypto Mining
No	No
Crypto Staking
No	No
Auto Market Maker
No	No

Review	Review