Share Trading comparison
IG Australia vs Interactive Brokers Australia
The biggest difference between IG Australia and Interactive Brokers comes down to cost structure versus market access. IG charges zero brokerage on ASX trades (with a 0.25% p.a. platform fee on holdings), while IBKR charges a minimum of $6 per ASX trade but offers vastly cheaper FX and access to dozens of global markets. Which one suits you depends on whether you trade mostly ASX or want a true international brokerage.
Choose
IG Australia
if…
- ›You trade ASX shares and ETFs frequently — IG charges $0 brokerage on all ASX trades, no minimums or conditions attached.
- ›You want a simple, all-in-one cost structure — the 0.25% p.a. platform fee replaces per-trade costs, making it predictable for buy-and-hold investors.
- ›You want to deposit via PayPal, Apple Pay or credit card — IG offers more payment methods than IBKR's bank-transfer-only approach.
- ›You want IPO access — IG lets you participate in new ASX listings; IBKR does not offer this.
- ›You prefer a cleaner, less complex interface without needing to navigate tiered pricing or multiple account types.
Choose
Interactive Brokers Australia
if…
- ›You trade US or international shares — IBKR's FX spread is 0.00002% vs IG's 0.7% FX fee, a massive saving on currency conversion.
- ›You want access to 30+ global markets — IBKR covers everything from Hong Kong to India to South Africa; IG only covers AU, US, UK, Germany and Ireland.
- ›You trade options or bonds — IBKR supports both; IG does not offer options or bond trading.
- ›You want to automate regular investments — IBKR has a proper auto-invest/DCA feature with multiple configuration options; IG has none.
- ›You trade in high volume — IBKR's per-share pricing (0.0008% on ASX, 0.0005% on US) gets extremely cheap at scale, whereas IG's platform fee grows with your portfolio size.
Where they differ
| Fact | IG Australia | Interactive Brokers Australia |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage | $0 per trade | $6 minimum (0.0008% of trade) |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.7% FX fee | 0.00002% FX spread |
| Global markets | 5 countries (AU, US, UK, Germany, Ireland) | 30+ countries including Asia, Europe, Africa |
| Options trading | Not supported | Supported |
| CHESS sponsorship | Custodial (no individual HIN) | Custodial (no individual HIN) |
Verdict
Choose IG for free ASX trading and simplicity; choose IBKR for global markets, cheap FX and advanced trading tools.
Cost calculator
What would IG Australia vs Interactive Brokers Australia actually cost you?
Punch in your trade size and frequency. We'll do the full brokerage + FX + fees maths.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | IG Australia | Interactive Brokers Australia |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | custodian | custodian |
| Individual HIN | No | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | — | No |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| US shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| Other markets supported | United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland | US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Israel, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, China (Stock Connect), South Korea, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | No | Yes |
| CFDs supported | Yes | Yes |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | Yes |
| IPO access | Yes | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.7% | 0.002% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 0.7% | 0.002% |
| Holds USD account | Yes | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| Market data fees | $0/month | — |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | Corporate actions (dividends, splits, rights issues, takeovers) for shares held in custody are processed by IG via Citicorp Nominees; cash dividends are credited net of withholding to client ledger. SPP/rights elections are limited under the custodial model and detailed fees are disclosed in the IG Share Trading Customer Agreement / FSG. | Corporate action processing is generally fee-free for standard events (dividends, splits, mergers). Some voluntary corporate actions and ADR pass-through fees apply per the published fee schedule. Mandatory reorganisations are processed at no charge. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $0 | $6 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0% | 0.08% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $10,000 | — |
| ASX free trade conditions | $0 commission on all ASX shares and ETFs on the IG Share Trading account (no conditions/minimum trade count). A 0.25% p.a. platform fee on holdings value applies; 0.7% FX fee applies to international trades. | — |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | US$1 |
| US brokerage percentage | 0% | 0.05% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | — | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | IG Australia Pty Ltd | Interactive Brokers Australia Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 515,106 | 453,554 |
| Year founded | 2,002 | 1,978 |
| Parent / ownership | IG Group Holdings plc (LSE: IGG) | Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBKR) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $0 | $0 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $0 |
| Deposit methods | bank transfer, BPAY, debit card, credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay | Bank transfer (EFT), BPAY, International wire (SWIFT) |
| Settlement period | T+2 (ASX), T+1 (US) | T+2 for ASX, T+1 for US equities |
| Withdrawal time | 1-3 business days | 1-3 business days for AUD EFT; same day possible for AUD instant transfers within Australia |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | Yes |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | No | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | authenticator app | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live chat, social media | phone, email, live chat, in-app secure message |
| Support hours (AU time) | 24/5 Monday to Friday (closed weekends) | 24 hours, Monday to Friday (Sydney) — local AU phone support during business hours; global desks cover overnight |
| Education content | video + courses | video + courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | — | No |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | — | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | Yes |