【May 2025 update】This account now has a referral bonus. The referred customer can receive up to $1,000: net funds transferred into the account within one year of opening can earn a 1% bonus after 12 months. The maximum qualifying transfer is $100,000, which earns a $1,000 bonus. If you already plan to invest with this account, the transfer effectively comes with an extra bonus, which is pretty nice. If you only want the 1% bonus, there’s a trick so you don’t have to leave the money there for that long. According to Planet users, you only need to move the funds in during month 11, then leave them there for about a month to get the 1% match bonus. That works out to a 12% annualized return!

Also, this account can be opened with a Chinese passport and address, so if you’re in China and want to open a U.S. brokerage account, Interactive Brokers is very convenient. According to feedback shared by Planet users, China-based brokerages such as Futu and Tiger may send customer information back to mainland China, and large account balances could potentially trigger tax scrutiny. It’s recommended to diversify part of your assets into IB; IB is a U.S. broker and has not yet shared user data with mainland China.

About Interactive Brokers (IB)

Interactive Brokers (IB) is a U.S.-based multinational brokerage firm. By average daily revenue trades, it operates the largest electronic trading platform in the United States. The company offers brokerage services for stocks, options, futures, cash-settled futures, futures options, forex, bonds, funds, and some cryptocurrencies. In terms of safety and professionalism, Interactive Brokers is a leader in the industry.

Here are some key numbers

  • IBKR: listed on Nasdaq
  • $12.2 billion in equity capital
  • 75.5% privately held
  • $9 billion in excess regulatory capital
  • 2.2 million client accounts
  • 2.05 million daily average revenue trades
  • 10 regulated entities worldwide

Some of Interactive Brokers’ notable advantages include

  • Invest in 150 markets across 33 countries using 26 currencies
  • Interactive Brokers offers low commissions and access to stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds, and funds through a single integrated account
  • Access to U.S. and global markets
  • Fund your account in multiple currencies and trade assets denominated in multiple currencies
  • Market data access 24 hours a day, 6 days a week
  • No account minimum
  • No maintenance fees
  • Trade U.S. stocks without paying excessive foreign exchange fees

Sign Up

Interactive Brokers supports customers in more than 200 countries and regions, and they can trade stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds, funds, and more across 150 markets worldwide through a single account.

The list of supported countries and regions is below

If you are a U.S. resident, you can open an account directly using your Social Security number (SSN), and tax treatment follows standard U.S. tax rules.

If you are in mainland China, you can also open the account directly with Interactive Brokers in the U.S. After registration, the W-8 series forms will be generated automatically.

If you are a resident of another Asian region other than India, Hong Kong, and Japan, and you choose to continue with your account application, your account will be opened with Interactive Brokers LLC in the United States. Interactive Brokers LLC is a member of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), and is regulated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). If you choose to continue opening the account, you agree to the above terms.

They’ve already provided detailed instructions on the official website.

Fees

The trading-related fees for the U.S. market are shown below. If you’re an individual user, IBKR Lite is enough in most cases, and there are no platform fees.

There are still some third-party fees

Their biggest advantage is that the margin rate is very attractive. According to a 2021 report by StockBrokers.com, theirs was the lowest among all platforms.

Idle Cash Interest Rate

They’ve launched a new feature that lets idle funds in your account earn up to 4.58% APY. However, only the cash balance above $10,000 qualifies.

IBKR Trading Platform

Interactive Brokers’ trading platforms have a lot of features. If you really want to get serious about investing, this platform is a great fit. It has features for everyone from beginners to advanced investors.

It also offers a very comprehensive set of tools.

Summary

Compared with the investing platforms we’ve introduced before, Interactive Brokers’ advantages are its scale, professionalism, and reputation. But it doesn’t offer much in the way of sign-up bonuses. If you value a comfortable and professional investing experience, it’s a solid choice.

For introductions to other platforms and their sign-up bonuses, see the table below.

Stock Basics

Below are introductions and sign-up bonuses for several commonly used U.S. stock brokerages.

Review Sign-up bonus Quick take
Moomoo (Futu) $200 stock card + $1,000 NVDA + 8.1% APY Feature-rich, with a good Chinese-language experience. Market data, Level 2, options, and cash management are all practical, making it suitable for everyone from beginners to active traders.
TradeUp (Tiger Brokers) 50 NVDA shares + chance to win 5 shares + 4% for three months Good for active trading. Trading fees and margin are relatively competitive for U.S. tax residents, and it supports Web Trading, Level 2, and Chinese-language customer service.
Webull 12 fractional shares + 1 month of Premium membership Strong market-monitoring and active-trading features, with relatively complete charts, technical indicators, options, and pre-market/after-hours trading. Best for users who trade frequently.
BBAE Up to $650 bonus Relatively convenient account opening for Chinese users, and you can apply without an SSN/ITIN. Chinese-language support is good, but there is currently a Platform Fee, so it is not ideal for small-balance high-frequency trading.
Robinhood Chance to get 1 stock Simple interface and easy to use, suitable for beginners buying U.S. stocks for the first time. Gold users also get a high yield on idle cash and a lower Margin Rate.
Interactive Brokers Up to $1,000 Highly professional, with support for global markets and multiple currencies. Margin costs are competitive, and it also supports account opening for Chinese residents, making it suitable for advanced and global investors.
TradeStation $250 Geared more toward professional and active trading, with strong advanced charting, strategy backtesting, and automated trading features. Ordinary long-term investors may not need it.
Schwab Up to $1,000 Good for long-term investing and larger asset balances, and convenient for buying ETFs and CDs. Checking and worldwide ATMs are also strengths, but the default interest rate on idle cash is relatively low.
Fidelity brokerage account Sign-up link A long-established full-service brokerage, suitable for long-term investing, ETFs, and retirement accounts. Cash management is also solid, making it a good primary brokerage for the long run.
BIT (formerly Matrixport) Deposit and trade to get $210 Suitable for Chinese users and digital-asset users. You can use funds such as USDT/USDC to allocate to U.S. stocks. It is not a traditional U.S. brokerage, so fees and the asset custody structure need to be reviewed separately.
SoFi Invest Open an account to get $75 Simple to use and supports Stock Bits, making it suitable for small-balance and long-term investing. Professional market data and trading tools are limited, so it is not suitable for frequent trading.
M1 Finance Invest Deposit money to get $10 Focuses on Pies and automated investing. It is suitable for long-term recurring investments after setting your stock and ETF allocations, but not for users whose main focus is active trading.

If you do not have an SSN/ITIN but still want to trade U.S. stocks, you can consider the brokerages/platforms below. They can be registered entirely with Chinese documents, using either an ID card or passport. None participate in China's CRS.

  • BBAE: Chinese-user-friendly; you can open an account without an SSN/ITIN.
  • BIT (formerly Matrixport): You can open an account with an ID card, and approval can take just a few hours.
  • Bitget platform: Identity verification can be completed with an ID card or Chinese passport.

If you are in mainland China and want to invest in U.S. stocks, see this summary:

Registration Link