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

Trying to choose between Interactive Brokers and Paybis 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

Paybis

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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.

Paybis is ideal if:

Great for beginners seeking a fast, simple fiat-to-crypto gateway—no need to navigate complex spot or derivatives trading.
Strong if you value diverse payment flexibility and global reach, with many regional options and coverage in most countries.
Not the best fit if you're aiming for advanced trading tools or a wide altcoin selection, as it's streamlined rather than comprehensive.

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.

Paybis isn’t ideal if:

If you're chasing advanced trading features, Paybis might fall short—it lacks charts, derivatives, leverage, and complex order types.
Not the best fit if you want deep altcoin variety or emerging tokens—its selection is narrower than bigger exchanges.
May feel limiting for regular traders seeking low-cost frequent trades, as it's optimized more for convenience than cost efficiency.

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.

Paybis operates as a fiat-to-crypto gateway rather than a traditional exchange with maker/taker tiers, so those terms don’t apply—fees are built into the overall service cost, which may vary by payment method and amount.

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.

Paybis does not offer futures or derivatives trading—it’s purely focused on straightforward buy/sell crypto transactions without margin, leverage, or funding fees.

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.

Paybis doesn’t publish typical spot spreads for pairs like BTC/USDT or ETH/USDT; instead, the rate incorporates market price plus service margin as a bundled rate.

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.

You can deposit or withdraw fiat via methods like bank transfer (ACH, SEPA), Cards, Apple Pay, Skrill, Neteller, and transfers typically arrive within minutes to one business day; fees depend on method but are integrated into the service cost rather than listed separately.

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 carry a network (blockchain) fee dictated by the network; Paybis applies no markup—they simply pass along the required fee, and users can choose low/medium/high speed.

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.

There are no hidden fees—Paybis transparently defines a service fee plus actual network fee per transaction; additional costs may include foreign currency conversion charges or optional expedited KYC, but nothing unexpected.

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.

When buying €500 worth of BTC, you pay Paybis’s service fee embedded in the rate plus the blockchain network fee; the total cost equals that combined; withdrawals or conversions would add the relevant network or FX fee—presented clearly during the transaction.

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.

Paybis supports about 80–90 cryptocurrencies for buying or selling, including the majority of top-cap coins (around 13 of the top 20 by market cap), but it doesn’t offer traditional trading pairs like BTC/USDT for spot market depth.

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 platform is limited to fiat-to-crypto transactions only—no spot order book, margin, perpetuals, options, crypto ETFs, staking, lending, copy trading, grid bots, or DCA automation are available.

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.

Paybis does not provide published liquidity metrics or order book depth data for BTC or ETH—its model bypasses exchange-style markets and instead uses a broker-like pricing approach for instant fiat purchases.

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.

It offers just a basic buy/sell interface with no advanced trading tools—no limit/stop/OCO orders, alerting, charting, TradingView, but it does support a simple API for integration purposes.

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.

Since it lacks complex products like derivatives, geographic restrictions mostly affect fiat access; for example, it’s not supported in U.S. states like New York, Hawaii, or Louisiana for any services.

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.

While it doesn’t run a launchpad or flexible vs locked earn, Paybis does offer value through its own crypto wallet, a fiat-to-crypto gateway, a crypto price comparison tool, and broad fiat payment flexibility for ease of access.

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.

Paybis is operated by Paybis Poland Sp. z o.o. (founded in 2023 with legal registration in Warsaw, Poland) and Paybis USA Ltd. (incorporated in Delaware in 2021), with distinct branches serving Europe and the United States respectively.

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.

The platform holds Money Services Business (MSB) registration with FinCEN (US), operates as a VASP in Poland, and also registers with FinTRAC in Canada, reflecting compliance with key regulatory frameworks across these jurisdictions.

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.

Paybis functions as a non-custodial service for most users, meaning you provide your own wallet and Paybis routes funds directly; for its optional in-platform wallet, custody is handled via Fireblocks, leveraging strong security (MPC, secure enclaves, ISO/SOC certifications), though no public proof of reserves or cold storage percentage is published.

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).

The platform does not offer insurance or external protection schemes for stored assets—users retain control of their own funds, and any wallet held by Paybis (via Fireblocks) is not backed by an insurance fund.

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.

Paybis has not experienced any security breaches, service-wide freezes, or regulatory penalties to date, maintaining a clean operational record since its inception.

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 is enforced by default through two-factor authentication (email-based on desktop, fingerprint on mobile), encrypted connections, anti-phishing practices, and in its corporate product, customizable authorization policies for enhanced access control.

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.

While Paybis does not publish periodic reserve reports or real-time wallet addresses, it offers clear terms of service, visible registration details, and a public-facing support structure—though there is no formal Service Level Agreement (SLA) or public wallet audit summary.

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

Paybis accepts a wide range of fiat deposit options including credit/debit cards, bank transfers (SWIFT, SEPA, ACH), PayPal, AstroPay, M-Pesa, PIX, various local e-wallets, and mobile payment systems; minimums typically start around $5 depending on method, and processing can be instant for cards and wallets or take several business days for bank 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

Users must complete a streamlined KYC process involving ID upload, address, and a selfie check, typically done in under 15 minutes; once verified, the account unlocks higher transaction limits like roughly up to $20,000 per day or $50,000 per month, while unverified accounts have very constrained functionality.

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

Fiat withdrawals are possible via the same payment rails used for deposits (cards, SEPA, SWIFT, wallets), while crypto withdrawals allow multiple networks—fees follow network conditions and limits vary by method, with completion times ranging from instant to a few business days depending on the channel.

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

Paybis offers 24/7 assistance via live chat and email, with response times typically fast and backed by a comprehensive knowledge base and FAQs for self-service.

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 primarily in English, displays pricing in major base fiat currencies like EUR or USD depending on region, and adapts payment methods and availability to match local regulatory and compliance frameworks.

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.

Paybis provides both mobile (iOS/Android) and web applications noted for their simplicity and reliability; performance appears stable with minimal reported crashes, and the platform sees regular updates, although detailed metrics like crash rates are not publicly disclosed.

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.

The Paybis platform is intuitive and designed for simplicity, with no separate “Lite” or “Pro” modes—it’s streamlined so users can quickly execute fiat-to-crypto buys without navigating advanced panels, making it ideal for first-time buyers.

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.

Transactions generally process rapidly, even during market surges; there are seldom notable slowdowns or delays, and KYC queues are minimal—even in high-demand periods, account verification remains largely efficient.

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 Paybis does not offer a full-fledged academy, simulator, or demo environment, it provides clear how-to guides and walkthroughs—some localized in Spanish—to help users understand the purchase process and relevant crypto basics.

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.

Community support is facilitated via official social media and messaging channels; they maintain active presence on platforms like Telegram and X (Twitter), and offer a referral program, although there is no dedicated forum or Discord community for users.

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 lacks integration with trading tools like TradingView, external bots, tax services, or accounting workflows—its focus remains narrow on fiat-to-crypto access rather than trading or post-purchase 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.

Paybis is best suited to casual users or beginners who want a fast, hassle-free way to purchase crypto via familiar payment channels; it’s less appropriate for experienced traders or those seeking advanced tools, analytics, or community-driven features.