VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

Head-to-head

Cash App vs Interactive Brokers comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

Cash App adds Downloadable Tax Reports coverage that Interactive Brokers skips.

Interactive Brokers includes Paper Trading, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, Order Book / Level II, APIs & SDKs, Data APIs, Watchlist, Risk Metrics (VaR/ES/Drawdown), Scenario & Stress Tests, Performance Attribution, and Options & Derivatives categories that Cash App omits.

Cash App highlights: Commission-free stock and ETF trading with fractional shares; investing starts at $1., Coverage includes more than 1,800 U.S. stocks and ETFs., and Auto Invest lets users schedule recurring purchases of selected stocks or ETFs..

Interactive Brokers is known for: Single universal account providing access to around 160 markets across 36 countries and 28 currencies., More than 100 order types and algos, including Bracket, OCO, and OCA, with either SMART routing or direct exchange routing., and Market depth (Level II) and full order book views via Trader Workstation (TWS)..

Cash App has a free tier, while Interactive Brokers requires a paid plan.

Cash App logo

Cash App

cash.app

A U.S.-only brokerage (18+) offering $0-commission stock and ETF trading with fractional shares, plus integrated Bitcoin trading and Lightning transfers. Custom trigger-based orders are supported for both stocks and Bitcoin, though they are not traditional limit orders. Tax documents can be downloaded directly from the web Documents portal.

Platforms

Mobile
Web

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

  • Commission-free stock and ETF trading with fractional shares; investing starts at $1.
  • Coverage includes more than 1,800 U.S. stocks and ETFs.
  • Auto Invest lets users schedule recurring purchases of selected stocks or ETFs.
  • Round Ups automatically invest spare change from Cash App Card purchases into a chosen stock, Bitcoin, or savings balance.
  • Custom price-triggered orders for stocks and Bitcoin; these are not limit orders or guaranteed executions.

Community votes (overall)

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Interactive Brokers logo

Interactive Brokers

interactivebrokers.co.uk

Editor’s pick Hands-on review

A global, multi-asset direct-access broker with coverage across 160 markets in 36 countries and 28 currencies. Crypto trading and some services vary by region (IBKR Crypto is powered by Paxos or Zero Hash where supported). Client APIs include the Client Portal Web API and TWS API; retail users authenticate via the local Client Portal Gateway, while OAuth2 applies to approved web integrations.

Platforms

Web
Mobile
Desktop
API

Pricing

Other

Quick highlights

  • Single universal account providing access to around 160 markets across 36 countries and 28 currencies.
  • More than 100 order types and algos, including Bracket, OCO, and OCA, with either SMART routing or direct exchange routing.
  • Market depth (Level II) and full order book views via Trader Workstation (TWS).
  • Advanced options analytics with Greeks, implied volatility curves, and a 3D volatility surface viewer.
  • Risk Navigator for real-time portfolio risk, Value-at-Risk, and what-if scenario analysis.

Community votes (overall)

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

2 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Brokerage, and Portfolio.

Where they differ

Cash App

Distinct strengths include:

  • Commission-free stock and ETF trading with fractional shares; investing starts at $1.
  • Coverage includes more than 1,800 U.S. stocks and ETFs.
  • Auto Invest lets users schedule recurring purchases of selected stocks or ETFs.
  • Round Ups automatically invest spare change from Cash App Card purchases into a chosen stock, Bitcoin, or savings balance.

Interactive Brokers

Distinct strengths include:

  • Single universal account providing access to around 160 markets across 36 countries and 28 currencies.
  • More than 100 order types and algos, including Bracket, OCO, and OCA, with either SMART routing or direct exchange routing.
  • Market depth (Level II) and full order book views via Trader Workstation (TWS).
  • Advanced options analytics with Greeks, implied volatility curves, and a 3D volatility surface viewer.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeCash AppInteractive Brokers
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Brokerage, Portfolio

Unique: Downloadable Tax Reports

Shared: Brokerage, Portfolio

Unique: Paper Trading, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, Order Book / Level II, APIs & SDKs, Data APIs, Watchlist, Risk Metrics (VaR/ES/Drawdown), Scenario & Stress Tests, Performance Attribution, Options & Derivatives

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Stocks, ETFs, Cryptos

Stocks, ETFs, Options, Futures, Bonds, Mutual Funds, Currencies, Commodities, Cryptos

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Beginner, Intermediate

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Platforms

Where you can access the product

Mobile, Web

Web, Mobile, Desktop, API

Pricing

High-level pricing models

Free

Other

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • Commission-free stock and ETF trading with fractional shares; investing starts at $1.
  • Coverage includes more than 1,800 U.S. stocks and ETFs.
  • Auto Invest lets users schedule recurring purchases of selected stocks or ETFs.
  • Round Ups automatically invest spare change from Cash App Card purchases into a chosen stock, Bitcoin, or savings balance.
  • Custom price-triggered orders for stocks and Bitcoin; these are not limit orders or guaranteed executions.
  • Bitcoin trading is fully integrated, with send/receive support via the Lightning Network — typically instant and free during trading hours.

Unique

  • Single universal account providing access to around 160 markets across 36 countries and 28 currencies.
  • More than 100 order types and algos, including Bracket, OCO, and OCA, with either SMART routing or direct exchange routing.
  • Market depth (Level II) and full order book views via Trader Workstation (TWS).
  • Advanced options analytics with Greeks, implied volatility curves, and a 3D volatility surface viewer.
  • Risk Navigator for real-time portfolio risk, Value-at-Risk, and what-if scenario analysis.
  • Portfolio Rebalancer tool to realign or target allocation weights across accounts.
Tested

Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat

Not yet

Yes

Editor pick

Featured inside curated shortlists

Standard listing

Highlighted

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Cash App and Interactive Brokers both support?

Both platforms cover Brokerage, and Portfolio workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Which tool offers a free plan?

Cash App offers a free entry point, while Interactive Brokers requires a paid subscription. Review the pricing table to see how the paid tiers compare.

How can you access Cash App and Interactive Brokers?

Both Cash App and Interactive Brokers support web and mobile access, making it easy to keep tabs on research away from the desk.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Cash App differentiates itself with Commission-free stock and ETF trading with fractional shares; investing starts at $1., Coverage includes more than 1,800 U.S. stocks and ETFs., and Auto Invest lets users schedule recurring purchases of selected stocks or ETFs., whereas Interactive Brokers stands out for Single universal account providing access to around 160 markets across 36 countries and 28 currencies., More than 100 order types and algos, including Bracket, OCO, and OCA, with either SMART routing or direct exchange routing., and Market depth (Level II) and full order book views via Trader Workstation (TWS)..

Curation & Accuracy

This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).

Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.