Interactive Brokers vs Coinjar: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Interactive Brokers and Coinjar This side-by-side comparison reveals total cost (fees + spreads), security & licenses, coins/derivatives, deposits/withdrawals, and app quality. In 2 minutes you’ll see who wins for beginners, active traders, and long-term holders. Clear pros/cons, a quick verdict, and safe links to get started.

Last updated on August 29, 2025

Interactive Brokers

Coinjar

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Available Countries

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Yes

Europe

Latin America

India

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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Interactive Brokers is ideal if:

Perfect for global-active traders: Ideal if you want deep, real-time access to dozens of international markets and advanced trade execution tools.
Great for portfolio diversifiers: Excellent choice if you aim to build a diversified, multi-asset portfolio using an all-in-one platform.
Strong for research-driven investors: Tailored for those who rely on rich analytics, extensive market data, and customizable tools to inform their decisions.

Coinjar is ideal if:

Best for beginners: Its intuitive interface and built-in wallet features make buying, holding, and sending crypto simple—even if you’re new to the space
Great mobile experience: The sleek iOS and Android apps let you manage crypto conveniently on the go, with dependable support and solid security
Option for power users: The CoinJar Exchange platform delivers advanced, customizable trading layouts and tools for those who need greater control

Interactive Brokers isn’t ideal if:

Not ideal for new investors: The platform’s advanced tools and steep learning curve can feel overwhelming to beginners.
Not ideal if you rely on high cash interest yields: Smaller account balances typically don’t earn meaningful interest on idle cash.
Not ideal if you need highly responsive support: Some users report challenges with support responsiveness and personalized assistance.

Coinjar isn’t ideal if:

Not for advanced traders: It lacks sophisticated tools like margin trading, futures, lending, or staking that power users often look for.
Limited crypto variety & regions: Offers fewer coin options and full functionality only in Australia and the UK, so global reach is constrained.
Suitable only for simpler needs: No demo accounts, investment advice, or educational overlays—so beginners seeking guided learning might not find that support.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

IBKR charges between 0.18% and 0.12% of trade value depending on your monthly crypto trading volume—fees decrease at higher tiers (≤ $100k = 0.18%, $100k–$1M = 0.15%, > $1M = 0.12%)—no additional discounts for holding a native token.

CoinJar Exchange charges tiered maker/taker fees for fiat-to-crypto pairs—starting around 0.10% for both and reaching as low as approximately 0.02% maker / 0.06% taker at high volume—with zero maker fees on crypto-to-crypto and very low taker fees; there is no native-token discount system.

Futures/Derivatives

For CME cryptocurrency futures like Bitcoin or Ethereum, fees are fixed per contract (e.g., Bitcoin Micro Futures range from $0.20 to $5 per contract depending on type and volume), with no explicit maker/taker split or funding fee details disclosed for crypto derivatives.

CoinJar does not support futures or derivative trading, so there are no associated maker/taker or funding costs.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

IBKR applies no added spreads or markups on crypto spot pairs, so spreads reflect raw market pricing without hidden cost.

Spreads aren’t published explicitly, but CoinJar Exchange advertises razor-thin spreads on liquid pairs backed by deep liquidity, catering especially to institutional traders.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

Fiat funding supports standard bank methods (ACH, wire transfers), with typical timing of same or next business day, and IBKR does not tack on extra fees beyond those charged by your bank or processor.

Fiat deposits and withdrawals via common routes (such as Faster Payments, SEPA, PayID) are typically free and fairly fast (ranging from minutes to a few business days), though wire transfers (especially USD via Fedwire) may incur a fixed fee (e.g., around USD 10/20) with processing times of several business days.

On-chain Withdrawals

Crypto withdrawals incur network-based miner (gas) fees, dynamically set per blockchain network (e.g., BTC, ETH, TRX)—IBKR does not apply fixed withdrawal fees, only pass-through transaction costs.

External crypto withdrawals are charged a dynamic network fee, recalculated every ~15 minutes based on blockchain congestion and transaction size, differing per coin (e.g. BTC, ETH, TRX), rather than a flat fixed fee.

Hidden Costs

There are no inactivity fees or express-KYC surcharges, but costs may arise from currency conversion when trading non-USD balances, and VAT or GST may apply depending on your jurisdiction.

CoinJar applies straightforward conversion fees (e.g., converting between fiat and crypto typically carries a flat 1%), and while there are no inactivity or express KYC fees, dispute or investigation requests can incur extra charges; currency conversion rates may also implicitly impact cost.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

You’d incur a fee of approximately ~0.18% (about €0.90) plus the market spread, and if you then withdrew on-chain you’d pay the dynamic network fee—so total cost is fee + spread + blockchain cost.

Suppose you use €500 to buy BTC

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

Interactive Brokers currently enables trading in up to 11 cryptocurrencies (including BTC, ETH, LTC, BCH, ADA, SOL, XRP, DOGE, AVAX, LINK, SUI), but does not provide a full list of trading pairs by volume; generally, the highest-volume pairs are BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT given their market prevalence.

CoinJar supports around 60 to 70 cryptocurrencies on the main platform, while the CoinJar Exchange offers roughly 380 to 390 trading pairs—many of which involve top-volume coins like BTC, ETH, ADA, DOT, LINK, SOL, and XRP depending on market dynamics.

Product Range

The platform supports spot trading, crypto futures via CME, and access to crypto-based ETPs, but does not currently offer margin crypto trading, perpetual swaps, crypto options, staking/earn, loans, copy trading, grid bots, or auto-DCA features.

CoinJar provides spot trading, recurring buys (DCA), and thematic crypto bundles, plus a crypto-linked Mastercard; however, it does not support derivatives like margin, futures, options, ETFs, copy trading, grid bots, or lending—staking isn’t yet officially offered via the platform.

Liquidity

IBKR doesn’t publish specific liquidity metrics, though their access to major global markets and professional counterparties ensures deep liquidity and tight order book depth for Bitcoin and Ethereum, aligning with institutional-grade execution standards.

CoinJar Exchange handles moderate daily trading volume in the low-millions of USD, and touts “ultra-deep liquidity” and a low-latency matching engine for its top pairs, ensuring narrow spreads and reliable order execution.

Tools

The platform integrates limit, stop, and OCO orders, real-time alerts, and advanced charting with analytics; it offers full API and WebSocket access for automation, but does not currently feature native TradingView integration within its interface.

The platform supports standard order types—limit, market, stop, and OCO-style (time-enforced)—alongside customizable dashboards with chart overlays; it also offers documented APIs and WebSocket feeds for integration, though there’s no built-in TradingView interface.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Certain products are restricted by jurisdiction—for instance, crypto spot trading is unavailable to residents of the EU and UK under specific subsidiaries, and crypto derivatives are outright prohibited for UK retail clients.

CoinJar’s advanced trading tools (like CoinJar Exchange) are fully available only in supported jurisdictions (e.g. Australia, UK, select European countries), while derivative products are not offered anywhere—restricting professionals to spot and bundle offerings.

Innovation

Currently, the platform does not offer launchpad or launchpool programs, nor differentiated flexible or locked crypto-earn/yield products, though it is exploring innovations such as stablecoin funding and prediction-market tools for future updates.

CoinJar continues innovating with features like auto-DCA via recurring buys and themed crypto bundles, but does not currently offer offerings such as launchpads, launchpools, or both flexible and locked earn programs.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. operates under U.S. jurisdiction, was founded in the late 1970s, and is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, with regional offices globally to serve a multi-national client base.

CoinJar was founded in 2013 in Melbourne, Australia, and operates under CoinJar Australia Pty Ltd; it also maintains a registered presence in the UK through its London-based subsidiary.

Licenses/Registration

Crypto execution and custody are provided via Paxos Trust Company or Zero Hash LLC, both regulated entities (for example, Paxos is overseen by the New York Department of Financial Services); IBKR does not self-custody crypto assets.

CoinJar is officially registered with AUSTRAC in Australia and is also recognized by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority as both a Cryptoasset Exchange Provider and Custodian Wallet Provider.

Custody

Custody is handled by Paxos or Zero Hash, not IBKR directly, and while there’s no public proof-of-reserves or cold storage ratio published, custody is managed through regulated third parties with institutional-grade controls.

Customer assets are held via trusted third-party custodians (BitGo and Fireblocks), with over 90% stored in cold, multi-sig or MPC wallets; CoinJar maintains full backing of customer balances and undergoes regular security audits.

Insurance & Protection Funds

There are no specific crypto insurance or protection funds advertised by IBKR; instead, asset protection relies on the compliance and safeguards offered by the regulated custodians (Paxos/Zero Hash).

Institutional-level custody solutions include optional insurance coverage up to US $250 million for eligible clients; retail customer protection is built through secure infrastructure and audit readiness.

Incident History

The platform has not experienced major crypto-related hacks, but it has faced regulatory issues such as fines in Hong Kong over securities lending and U.S. sanctions violations—though these pertain to broader operations rather than crypto custody per se.

CoinJar has a strong safety track record with no known major hacks, system-wide suspensions, or regulatory fines, and has provided uninterrupted service since its founding.

Risk Controls

IBKR supports strong risk controls including two-factor authentication, whitelisting, anti-phishing measures, sub-accounts, and granular API permissions to help safeguard client accounts.

The platform enforces robust security measures—mandatory 2FA, machine-learning based fraud detection, whitelists for trusted devices, encrypted API access with granular permission settings, and anti-phishing safeguards.

Transparency

Public transparency on crypto custody is limited—there are no monthly reports, open wallet addresses, or service level agreements (SLAs) disclosed for crypto—but overall regulatory reporting follows standard broker-dealer and custodian requirements.

CoinJar offers real-time system status updates, maintains customer-friendly incident reporting, and operates with clear internal infrastructure processes—but does not publish public wallet addresses or monthly reserve reports.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

IBKR accepts fiat deposits via ACH, bank wire, check (mail-in), direct debit, and bill-pay depending on your region; setup times and limits vary by method and your bank, typically ranging from same day to a few business days, with no universal minimum or maximum beyond what your bank imposes

CoinJar accepts deposits via bank transfer (wire in the US, PayID, FPS, or SEPA in supported regions), credit/debit card in some countries, and e-wallets where enabled; minimums and maximums vary by region and identity-verified status, and processing times range from near-instant (e.g. PayID, Faster Payments) to a few business days for standard transfers.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

IBKR requires full standard KYC before allowing any fiat or crypto activity; there are no “limited” or “basic” tiers — only fully verified accounts can deposit, trade, or withdraw, as per their global customer identification protocols

Accounts must complete identity verification to unlock any transaction limits; before verification, deposit, withdrawal, and trading capabilities are restricted to zero, while verified accounts gain rolling daily and monthly limits tailored to their region.

Withdrawals

Fiat withdrawal limits are tied to your 2FA method (ranging from $50K/day without 2FA up to unlimited with advanced devices); ACH, wire, SEPA, BACS, etc., are supported, with processing times from same-day to a few business days

Crypto withdrawals are subject to dynamic network fees varying by blockchain; withdrawal limits and processing speeds align with verification status, and supported networks align with each coin (e.g., ERC-20, TRC-20) as shown post-login under account limits.

Customer Support

Support is available via email and a ticket system, with access to a comprehensive knowledge base and FAQs; while 24/7 live chat may not be universally offered, response times are generally within a few business hours depending on region and inquiry type

CoinJar provides support via email and a detailed self-help knowledge base, with availability during extended hours (typically local business hours into late evening), and generally responds within a business day—no 24/7 live chat, but clear help articles for common questions.

Languages & Localization

The platform supports multiple languages including native Spanish in some regions; fiat balances and fees are displayed in your account’s base currency (e.g., € for European accounts), and localized regulatory disclosures are provided based on your residency

The platform operates in English (with localized versions like US, UK, AU), displays fees in local fiat (e.g. EUR, USD, GBP), and tailors regulatory compliance messaging according to jurisdictions.

App Quality & Stability

IBKR’s mobile and desktop apps are known for their professional-grade stability and frequent updates, with rare crashes; while exact crash rates aren’t published, ongoing improvements and strong infrastructure ensure a smooth user experience.

The CoinJar mobile app is stable and regularly updated across iOS and Android, with few reported crashes; although exact crash rates aren’t published, user feedback indicates a smooth experience and frequent updates for performance and UI enhancements.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

The platform offers two distinct experiences—IBKR Lite with a simplified, intuitive interface ideal for casual investors, and IBKR Pro providing a richer, more sophisticated layout for seasoned users; this creates a steeper entry curve for Pro but delivers far greater customization once you acclimate.

CoinJar offers a polished and intuitive interface that scales from beginner to professional use—while there’s no formal “Lite/Pro” toggle, the platform’s clean design adapts seamlessly from simple recurring buys to a fully customizable trading dashboard tailored for advanced users.

Performance

Execution speed is highly efficient under normal conditions, yet during intense market swings, order latency may increase slightly; KYC processing can be slower during bull market surges due to high volume, though platform infrastructure remains stable with few interruptions.

The platform’s upgraded matching engine ensures swift order execution and noticeably smoother performance during volatile periods, without documented service interruptions or KYC backlog issues—even during high-traffic bull markets.

Education

There’s a rich learning ecosystem via IBKR Campus with structured lessons, webinars, and quizzes, alongside a paper trading simulator mirroring real market conditions; while most materials are in English, some Spanish-language content is progressively added.

CoinJar does not currently offer a dedicated academy, trading simulator, or demo mode, and educational materials remain primarily in English—Spanish-language support and interactive learning tools are not yet incorporated.

Community

The platform supports a structured referral program (with eligibility criteria), but lacks official social media groups like Discord or Telegram, and instead relies on educational forums and support channels to foster user interactions.

While CoinJar lacks public forums or an official Discord/Telegram community, it does support engagement through its blog, in-app news feed, and a referral program that encourages users to invite friends—though direct peer-to-peer community hubs are limited.

Integrations

Powerful integration options exist via IBKR APIs, TWS, Web API, and FIX, enabling seamless connectivity with external platforms for execution, tax reporting, or accounting, even if native TradingView embedding isn’t available.

The mobile app now features integrated TradingView charts for enhanced technical analysis; additionally, CoinJar supports external tax and portfolio tools like CoinTracker, Koinly, and CryptoTaxCalculator via API or CSV integration—but there’s no formal marketplace for trading bots or accounting plugins.

Who Each One Is Best For

The setup shines for active, research-driven traders and institutional users who value automation and deep tools, while the Lite mode serves casual or cost-conscious investors who want straightforward access without complexity.

CoinJar excels for casual investors and beginners who appreciate recurring buys, clean design, and mobile-friendly tools, while also meeting the needs of intermediate traders through its adjustable interface and integrated charting—though it may feel limited to users seeking demo accounts, Spanish-based learning, or vibrant community forums.