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

Trying to choose between Interactive Brokers and Flipster 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

Flipster

⚠️ We look for what’s best for you.

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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

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

China

Yes

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.

Flipster is ideal if:

For active perp futures traders: Built for speed and precision, Flipster boasts ultra-fast execution, deep liquidity, and zero-fee perpetual contracts—ideal if you thrive in fast-moving markets.
If you value capital efficiency on the go: You can trade and earn simultaneously—your USDT balance works as margin and earns rewards—adding flexibility and impact to every trade.
Looking for a seamless, intuitive experience: With features like Instant Flip (one-click position reversal) and a clean, responsive interface across web and mobile, Flipster caters to both beginners and seasoned traders.

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.

Flipster isn’t ideal if:

You're looking for fiat convenience: Flipster doesn’t support fiat deposits or on-ramps—crypto-only funding may be inconvenient for new users or those transitioning from traditional banking.
Spot trading simplicity is your priority: Spot trading options are very limited—just half-a-dozen cryptocurrencies—making it less suitable for casual or passive traders.
You prefer anonymity or instant access: KYC (identity verification) is mandatory before accessing any trading features, which may be a barrier for privacy-conscious or speed-seeking users.

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.

Flipster applies a flat taker fee for both spot and perpetual futures, starting at around 0.05%, with tiered VIP discounts reducing rates further for high-volume or high-balance users—making its maker/taker model very cost-competitive across both markets.

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.

Perpetual futures follow the same fee structure as spot (starting ~0.05% with VIP reductions), and funding occurs roughly every eight hours—fees are simply exchanged between longs and shorts without additional platform markup, rewarding those who time entries well.

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.

Flipster offers zero spreads on major perpetual pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT, delivering highly efficient execution with minimal slippage for active 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.

The platform doesn’t support any fiat deposit or withdrawal methods, operating exclusively in crypto—so no fiat-related delays or costs, though that means a crypto-to-fiat conversion must happen elsewhere and externally.

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.

Crypto withdrawals incur fixed network-based fees—varying by network and token (for example, BTC or TRX)—reflecting actual blockchain costs rather than platform surcharges, with some networks even offering zero internal fees.

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.

Flipster is transparent with minimal hidden expenses—there’s no inactivity fee, no express-KYC cost, and no internal currency conversion charges; users only face standard blockchain network costs or any external exchange fees if they bridge between platforms.

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.

Let’s assume converting €500 via an external fiat gateway into USDT before buying BTC on Flipster

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.

Flipster offers over 300 total trading pairs across its spot and perpetual markets, with the top 20 by volume dominated by major names like BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, XRP/USDT, SOL/USDT, TRX/USDT, and TON/USDT.

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.

The exchange supports spot trading (limited to the six major coins noted), a wide range of perpetual futures with up to 100× leverage, plus yield products via its Earn Campaign and Launchpool—but it does not currently offer options, ETFs, copytrading, staking, lending, grid bots, or fully automated DCA.

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.

Flipster delivers deep liquidity and tight execution for BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT pairs, with 24-hour volumes often exceeding $100 million on top pairs and robust order-book depth, ensuring minimal slippage even for large trades.

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.

Users benefit from a full suite of advanced tools—including limit, market, trigger (stop/stop-limit/OCO), and recurring buy orders (enabling basic DCA), plus charting with built-in analytics, Instant Flip for position reversal, and a smooth API/websocket infrastructure—though TradingView isn’t natively integrated.

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.

Certain features, especially derivatives, are restricted in specific countries—Flipster is completely unavailable to U.S. residents and likewise limits access in various jurisdictions under regulatory constraints.

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.

Flipster stands out with its Launchpool feature for early access and rewards, and its Earn campaigns which offer flexible, non-locked APR rewards on USDT balances—all delivered without interrupting trading capabilities.

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.

Flipster is legally structured under Flipster Corp, with its operational headquarters in Warsaw, Poland, and was founded in 2021—positioning itself within a well-regulated European tech environment.

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.

Flipster is registered and recognized as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) and holds ISO/IEC 27001 certification, aligning with international data security standards; additionally, it holds an AA rating from CER.live, signaling strong institutional-grade security practices.

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.

The platform uses institutional-level custody powered by Fireblocks with MPC and cold storage, ensuring robust asset protection; it publishes daily, independently verifiable Proof of Reserves via Merkle tree snapshots, confirming a full 1

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).

Flipster maintains an insurance fund and adheres to enterprise best practices like penetration testing and continuous security audits, creating multiple defense layers to safeguard user assets.

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.

Flipster has demonstrated proactive incident response—blocking deposits associated with known hacks and reinforcing defenses using Chainalysis—without any reported major hacks or regulatory penalties to date.

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.

Security features include mandatory two-factor authentication (2FA), dynamic whitelists, anti-phishing mechanisms, and granular API permissions, all supported by a zero-trust internal model and real-time threat detection infrastructure.

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.

Flipster emphasizes transparency through publicly accessible daily reserve reports, frequent audits, and visible wallet proof-of-reserve data—though it doesn’t currently provide formal monthly transparency reports or a public SLA.

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

Flipster does not support fiat deposits—no bank transfers, cards, or e-wallets are available. All funding must occur via cryptocurrency, so there are no fiat minimums, maximums, or processing times to consider.

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

Flipster enforces a multi-level KYC verification process—from basic personal info to ID, proof of address, and source of funds—with each level unlocking full access to trading, deposits, and withdrawals; no tiered trading is allowed without KYC completion.

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

Withdrawals are capped at a maximum of $1,000,000 per day or per transaction, and support multiple networks like ERC-20, TRC-20, BEP-20, etc.; processing times depend on network congestion, and increasing your limit triggers a mandatory 24-hour security hold.

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

Flipster offers responsive 24/7 support via live chat and email, along with a comprehensive Help Center and FAQs—users experience generally quick replies alongside self-service resources to resolve 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 is primarily in English, displays values in USD/crypto, and lacks localized fiat pricing or regulatory messaging tailored to specific countries—reflecting its crypto-native global orientation.

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.

Flipster’s mobile apps for Android and iOS are stable, mirror the desktop experience seamlessly, and are frequently updated—user reviews highlight their smooth performance and intuitive interface with minimal crashes.

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.

Flipster delivers a sleek and intuitive interface that’s easy for beginners to pick up, yet powerful enough for pros—though it doesn’t offer separate “Lite” or “Pro” modes, its uniform design balances simplicity and advanced functionality in one accessible layout.

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.

Engineered for speed, Flipster provides ultra-fast, sub-millisecond order execution with zero spreads on major perp pairs—even during volatile spikes—and although high-demand periods may slow KYC, trading performance remains reliably smooth for approved users.

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.

While Flipster doesn’t offer a demo or simulator, it makes up for it with a helpful blog, glossary, and educational guides in its Help section—though content is primarily in English, with no dedicated Spanish-language academy or tutorials yet available.

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.

Flipster fosters a strong community through its official Telegram channel and social features—users can set up profiles, share trades, mirror others, and participate in referral and affiliate programs that reward engagement and exposure.

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 platform doesn’t include native TradingView or tax tool integrations, but it supports external bot access via robust API/websocket infrastructure, enabling power users to connect and automate strategies with external tools.

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.

Flipster suits active perpetual traders and volatility chasers who prize execution speed and deep liquidity, while passive earners and social traders benefit from Launchpool and referral tools—less ideal for those seeking fiat, derivatives beyond perpetuals, or localized learning content.