VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★
PRICE: 5 CENTS
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Investors comparing Interactive Brokers and Robinhood will find that Both Interactive Brokers and Robinhood concentrate on Brokerage, Advanced Order Types, and Order Book / Level II workflows, making them natural alternatives for similar investment research jobs. Interactive Brokers leans into Paper Trading, Smart/Direct Routing, and APIs & SDKs, which can be decisive for teams that need depth over breadth. Robinhood stands out with News, and Downloadable Tax Reports 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 Robinhood
Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.
Quick takeaways
- Interactive Brokers adds Paper Trading, Smart/Direct Routing, APIs & SDKs, Data APIs, Risk Metrics (VaR/ES/Drawdown), Scenario & Stress Tests, and Performance Attribution coverage that Robinhood skips.
- Robinhood includes News, and Downloadable Tax Reports 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)..
- Robinhood is known for: Commission-free trading on US stocks, ETFs, and options (with per-contract fees: $0.50 standard, $0.35 with Gold)., Fractional share investing starting from $1 across most eligible US stocks and ETFs., and Advanced order types including stop, stop-limit, and trailing stop orders..
- Robinhood keeps a free entry point that Interactive Brokers lacks.
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.
Robinhood
robinhood.com
Robinhood is a US and UK brokerage offering commission-free trading in stocks, ETFs, and options, plus access to futures and crypto. Options carry per-contract fees. Robinhood Gold ($5/month after a 30-day trial) unlocks Nasdaq TotalView Level II, Morningstar research, larger instant deposits, and a 3% IRA match for eligible customers. The platform also offers 24-Hour Market trading on select symbols, real crypto wallets with deposits/withdrawals, and an accessible mobile-first design.
Categories
Platforms
Pricing
Quick highlights
- Commission-free trading on US stocks, ETFs, and options (with per-contract fees: $0.50 standard, $0.35 with Gold).
- Fractional share investing starting from $1 across most eligible US stocks and ETFs.
- Advanced order types including stop, stop-limit, and trailing stop orders.
- 24-Hour Market on select symbols, running Sunday evening through Friday evening ET, alongside extended trading hours.
- Options support includes multi-leg strategies such as spreads and iron condors, with a Strategy Builder tool and Greeks displayed in the chain.
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.
Robinhood
Distinct strengths include:
- Commission-free trading on US stocks, ETFs, and options (with per-contract fees: $0.50 standard, $0.35 with Gold).
- Fractional share investing starting from $1 across most eligible US stocks and ETFs.
- Advanced order types including stop, stop-limit, and trailing stop orders.
- 24-Hour Market on select symbols, running Sunday evening through Friday evening ET, alongside extended trading hours.
Feature-by-feature breakdown
| Attribute | Interactive Brokers | Robinhood |
|---|---|---|
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets | Shared: Brokerage, Advanced Order Types, Order Book / Level II, Portfolio, Watchlist, Options & Derivatives Unique: Paper Trading, Smart/Direct Routing, APIs & SDKs, Data APIs, Risk Metrics (VaR/ES/Drawdown), Scenario & Stress Tests, Performance Attribution | Shared: Brokerage, Advanced Order Types, Order Book / Level II, Portfolio, Watchlist, Options & Derivatives Unique: News, Downloadable Tax Reports |
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes | Stocks, ETFs, Options, Futures, Bonds, Mutual Funds, Currencies, Commodities, Cryptos | Stocks, ETFs, Options, Futures, 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, Mobile |
Pricing High-level pricing models | Other | Free, Subscription, Other |
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 Robinhood both support?
Both platforms cover Brokerage, Advanced Order Types, Order Book / Level II, Portfolio, Watchlist, 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?
Robinhood 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 Interactive Brokers and Robinhood?
Both Interactive Brokers and Robinhood 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?
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 Robinhood stands out for Commission-free trading on US stocks, ETFs, and options (with per-contract fees: $0.50 standard, $0.35 with Gold)., Fractional share investing starting from $1 across most eligible US stocks and ETFs., and Advanced order types including stop, stop-limit, and trailing stop orders..
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.