VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★
PRICE: 5 CENTS
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Investors comparing Interactive Brokers and QuantConnect will find that Both Interactive Brokers and QuantConnect concentrate on Paper Trading, APIs & SDKs, and Options & Derivatives workflows, making them natural alternatives for similar investment research jobs. Interactive Brokers leans into Brokerage, Advanced Order Types, and Smart/Direct Routing, which can be decisive for teams that need depth over breadth. QuantConnect stands out with Quant, Backtesting, and Auto-Trading & Bots that the competition lacks. Use the feature-by-feature table to inspect unique capabilities and confirm which roadmap best maps to your process.
Head-to-head
Interactive Brokers vs QuantConnect
Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.
Quick takeaways
- Interactive Brokers adds Brokerage, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, Order Book / Level II, Data APIs, Portfolio, Watchlist, Risk Metrics (VaR/ES/Drawdown), Scenario & Stress Tests, and Performance Attribution coverage that QuantConnect skips.
- QuantConnect includes Quant, Backtesting, and Auto-Trading & Bots categories that Interactive Brokers omits.
- Interactive Brokers 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., and Market depth (Level II) and full order book views via Trader Workstation (TWS)..
- QuantConnect is known for: Seamless environment that connects research, backtests, and live trading on institutional-grade co-located servers., Powered by the open-source LEAN engine (Python 3.11 and C#), with the flexibility to run locally or in the cloud., and Multi-asset coverage across equities, ETFs, options, futures, FX, and crypto, with a long list of broker and data integrations including Interactive Brokers, Schwab, TradeStation, Tastytrade, Alpaca, OANDA, Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, Bybit, and Bloomberg EMSX..
- QuantConnect keeps a free entry point that Interactive Brokers lacks.
- Interactive Brokers ships a mobile app. QuantConnect is web/desktop only.
Interactive Brokers
interactivebrokers.co.uk
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.
Categories
Platforms
Pricing
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.
QuantConnect
quantconnect.com
QuantConnect runs on the open-source LEAN engine, giving quants and systematic traders a unified workflow from research to backtesting to live deployment. You can run everything locally or in the cloud. Historical data down to tick and second resolution is available on paid tiers, and live-trading notifications scale by plan (from a handful per hour to thousands). Some broker and data feeds—like Trading Technologies futures or premium vendors—are only unlocked at higher tiers.
Platforms
Pricing
Quick highlights
- Seamless environment that connects research, backtests, and live trading on institutional-grade co-located servers.
- Powered by the open-source LEAN engine (Python 3.11 and C#), with the flexibility to run locally or in the cloud.
- Multi-asset coverage across equities, ETFs, options, futures, FX, and crypto, with a long list of broker and data integrations including Interactive Brokers, Schwab, TradeStation, Tastytrade, Alpaca, OANDA, Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, Bybit, and Bloomberg EMSX.
- Robust options support with Greeks, implied volatility, and helpers for building multi-leg strategies such as iron condors.
- Generates detailed backtest reports you can download as PDFs and raw results exportable as CSV or JSON.
Shared focus areas
Both platforms align on these research themes, so you can stay within one workflow when your use case involves them.
Where they differ
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.
QuantConnect
Distinct strengths include:
- Seamless environment that connects research, backtests, and live trading on institutional-grade co-located servers.
- Powered by the open-source LEAN engine (Python 3.11 and C#), with the flexibility to run locally or in the cloud.
- Multi-asset coverage across equities, ETFs, options, futures, FX, and crypto, with a long list of broker and data integrations including Interactive Brokers, Schwab, TradeStation, Tastytrade, Alpaca, OANDA, Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, Bybit, and Bloomberg EMSX.
- Robust options support with Greeks, implied volatility, and helpers for building multi-leg strategies such as iron condors.
Feature-by-feature breakdown
| Attribute | Interactive Brokers | QuantConnect |
|---|---|---|
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets | Shared: Paper Trading, APIs & SDKs, Options & Derivatives Unique: Brokerage, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, Order Book / Level II, Data APIs, Portfolio, Watchlist, Risk Metrics (VaR/ES/Drawdown), Scenario & Stress Tests, Performance Attribution | Shared: Paper Trading, APIs & SDKs, Options & Derivatives Unique: Quant, Backtesting, Auto-Trading & Bots |
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes | Stocks, ETFs, Options, Futures, Bonds, Mutual Funds, Currencies, Commodities, Cryptos | Stocks, ETFs, Options, Futures, Currencies, Cryptos |
Experience levels Who each product is built for | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Platforms Where you can access the product | Web, Mobile, Desktop, API | Web, Desktop, API |
Pricing High-level pricing models | Other | Free, Subscription |
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor | Unique
| Unique
|
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat | Yes | Not yet |
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists | Highlighted | Standard listing |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which workflows do Interactive Brokers and QuantConnect both support?
Both platforms cover Paper Trading, APIs & SDKs, and Options & Derivatives workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.
Which tool offers a free plan?
QuantConnect offers a free entry point, while Interactive Brokers requires a paid subscription. Review the pricing table to see how the paid tiers compare.
Which tool has mobile access?
Interactive Brokers ships a dedicated mobile experience, while QuantConnect focuses on web or desktop access.
What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?
Interactive Brokers differentiates itself with 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)., whereas QuantConnect stands out for Seamless environment that connects research, backtests, and live trading on institutional-grade co-located servers., Powered by the open-source LEAN engine (Python 3.11 and C#), with the flexibility to run locally or in the cloud., and Multi-asset coverage across equities, ETFs, options, futures, FX, and crypto, with a long list of broker and data integrations including Interactive Brokers, Schwab, TradeStation, Tastytrade, Alpaca, OANDA, Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, Bybit, and Bloomberg EMSX..
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.