Read this side by side comparison of Interactive Brokers vs TD Ameritrade to learn about their fees, popularity, security, trading platforms and mobile apps. All the important data in the tables below.
Interactive Brokers vs TD Ameritrade: Popularity
| Query | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade |
| Number of users (approximate) | 913K | 12m+ |
| Website traffic (estimated) | 4.11m | 25.2m |
| # results on web | 37.7m | 7.3m |
| Search volume Google | 60K | 673K |
| Twitter followers | 228K | 141K |
| FB followers | 148K | 375K |
| How popular on mainstream media? | Medium | High |
| Negative media? | Medium | Medium |
| Notable awards | Best Online Broker, Best for International Traders, 5-Star Rating for Outstanding Value, Online Share Trading – Casual Investor | Best Broker for Stock Trading Platform and Research |
As far as the number of existing clients go, TD Ameritrade is the clear winner. A bigger brand highly featured in the mainstream media with over 12 miilion active accounts.
Interactive Brokers vs TD Ameritrade: User Rating
| Query | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade |
| # users rated on user platforms | 605 on TrustPilot, 0 on SiteJabber | 69 on TrustPilot, 17 on SiteJabber |
| Percentage of positive reviews out of user reviews | 62% | 20% |
| Common compliments | Reliable broker, many features, and access to most international markets. | Easy to use platform, great interface, good tools. |
| Common complaints | Not great for non US residents. Looks outdated. | Bad customer service, long wait to speak to support |
| Positive feedback on Twitter? | Great platform with a lot of features. | Great features and powerful tools. |
| Negative feedback on Twitter? | Slow responding customer support. | Complaints about the thinkorswim platform. |
| App rating (summary) | An average rating of 3.55 / 5 from 8K reviews | Over 45K ratings and 4.5 / 5 score on Apple store |
Interactive Brokers has a bigger percentage of positive reviews compare to TD Ameritrade (62% vs 20%) and a lot more reviews on Trustpilot. So, in this category, the winner is Interactive Brokers.
Interactive Brokers vs TD Ameritrade: Background Information
| Query | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade |
| Company public/private | Public | Public |
| Revenue Data | 539m for Q2 2020 | $1.48 billion on Q2 of 2020 |
| CEO and bio | Milan Galik – served as Senior Vice President, Software Development of IBG LLC from October 2003 to October 2014. | Steve Boyle, He is a professional member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants that worked previously for Banknorth and Barnett Banks. |
| Number of employees | 1,643 | 9,183 |
| Notable investors (private companies) | None | None |
Considering the big difference in the numbers of customers, it came to no surprise that the revenue data will reflect the same differences. TD Ameritrade boost numbers three times more than its competitor, for the same period of 2020.
Interactive Brokers vs TD Ameritrade: Security
| Query | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade |
| HTTPS Certificate | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA ? | Yes | Yes |
| Device monitoring? | Yes | Yes |
| New device extra security? | Yes | Yes |
Both brokers are public companies so you know that the security is taken very seriously. Keeping its customers, assets but also the company’s overall image safe from hackers and intruders.
Interactive Brokers vs TD Ameritrade: Fees & Offering
| Query | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade |
| Account minimum | None | None |
| Account fixed fees | None | None |
| Fractional shares? | Yes | No |
| Margin costs | Varies | Varies |
| ETF buying fees | None | None |
| Stock buying fees | None | None |
| Option buying fees | Varies | $0.65 per contract |
| Short selling fees | 0.002%* Face Value (0.2 bps) | None |
| Futures buying fees | $0.85 per contract | $2.25 fee per contract |
| Future options buying fees | $0.85 per contract | $2.25 fee per contract |
| Cryptocurrency fees | $10 per contract | Not available yet |
| Fixed income fees | Varies | $1 per bond or CD on secondary transactions |
| Mutual funds fees | None | $49.99 per trade for no-load mutual funds and $0 for load mutual funds. |
Interactive Brokers is the best firm when it comes to the invest tools diversity. Two of the highly appreciated investing avenues for the younger generation are available here: fractional shares and cryptocurrencies. Neither of the two are on the trading platform of TD Ameritrade, and that’s why the winner is Interactive Brokers.
Interactive Brokers vs TD Ameritrade: Trading App
| Query | Interactive Brokers | TD Ameritrade |
| Android app # installs | 500K+ | 1m+ |
| Android app # reviews | 4K+ | 7K |
| iPhone app # reviews | 744 | 47.6K |
| Android app rating | 3.6 / 5 | 3.4 / 5 |
| iPhone app rating | 3.5 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Common compliments on app | Quick access, easy to use and lots of functionalities. | Easy to understand and operate, lots of useful functions |
| Common complaints on app | Login problems and bugs. | Laggy, buggy platform |
| Weighted average app rating | 3.55 / 5 | 4 / 5 |
Surprisingly, the appetite for innovation and new technologies, is not translated in the mobile trading app of Interactive Brokers. It seems they don’t actively focus on the app and, because of that, TD Ameritrade has to be declared the winner in this category. The numbers say so.
Final conclusions:
Interactive Brokers and TD Ameritrade are both well known players in the market and you can go with either one and be safe. But we have to choose Interactive Brokers as the winner of this comparison because of the wide range of investment possibilities that are available.