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Interactive Brokers vs Questrade
The same facts side by side. Swap a broker from the menu under its logo; the best value in each row is marked.
- Interactive Brokers leads
- 3
- Questrade leads
- 1
- Level
- 5
Of 9 scored facts, Interactive Brokers leads on 3, Questrade on 1, and 5 are level. Countries and the offer are not scored.
Sync-only with QuantWheel
Your tradingabout $13 a monthabout $159 a yearOptions regulatory fee estimated.
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Sync-only with QuantWheel
Your tradingabout $0.60 a monthabout $7.16 a yearClearing, options regulatory and FINRA fees estimated.
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Up to three brokers, with a year of your trading at each
Head-to-head
The best value in each row is marked; rows where every broker matches carry no mark.| Fact | Interactive Brokers | Questrade |
|---|---|---|
| Fee per contract | $0.65 per contract | US$0 per contractBest |
| Interactive Brokers, $1 minimum; additional fees | Questrade, Canadian contracts CA$0.99; index contracts US$0.99 | |
| Exercise and assignment | $0 | Exercise $24.95, assignment $0 |
| Approval | Naked | Naked |
| Interactive Brokers, Up to naked short options | Questrade, Up to naked short options | |
| 0DTE | Yes | Yes |
| Index options (SPX) | Yes | Yes |
| Options on futures | Yes | Not published |
| Spreads in an IRA | YesBest | No |
| Portfolio margin | Yes | Not published |
| Margin rate | 5.38% | Not published |
| Platforms | Web, Desktop, Mobile, APIBest | Web, Desktop, Mobile |
| Paper trading | YesBest | No |
| 24/7 support | No | No |
| Countries | Over 200 countries and territories (IBKR group) | Canadian residents; most US residents cannot open; most others margin accounts only |
| QuantWheel | Sync-only | Sync-only |
| Interactive Brokers, Reads the account; you place the orders | Questrade, Reads the account; you place the orders | |
| Offer |
Facts from each broker's fee schedule and options agreement, checked 8 October 2026. Best marks the lowest cost or the widest allowance in a row.
The two brokers
One paragraph each.Interactive Brokers$0.65 per contract · $0 exercise and assignment · naked
Interactive Brokers opens options accounts for residents of 151 of the 243 countries this directory covers, among them the United States, Taiwan and Brazil. It charges $0.65 per contract ($1 minimum; additional fees). Exercise and assignment cost $0. It approves up to naked short options. It trades on Web, Desktop, Mobile, API. QuantWheel syncs positions and trades from the account and suggests; you place the orders at the broker.
QuestradeUS$0 per contract · Exercise $24.95, assignment $0 · naked
Questrade opens options accounts for residents of Canada, among the 243 countries this directory covers. It charges US$0 per contract (Canadian contracts CA$0.99; index contracts US$0.99). Exercise costs $24.95, and assignment costs $0. It approves up to naked short options. It trades on Web, Desktop, Mobile. QuantWheel syncs positions and trades from the account and suggests; you place the orders at the broker.
What each costs for the way you trade
A year of fees from each broker's published prices, checked 7 and 8 October 2026.
Interactive Brokers
about $1.47 a trade, about 1.4% of your premium. Options regulatory fee estimated.
about $13 a monthabout $159 a year
Questrade
about $0.07 a trade, under 0.1% of your premium. Clearing, options regulatory and FINRA fees estimated.
about $0.60 a monthabout $7.16 a year
Questrade does not publish every fee this strategy needs, so no broker is named lowest here.
A year from each broker's published fees. A fee a broker leaves out is estimated at the middle of what the brokers that publish it charge, and that total says about. Your broker statement can differ, and brokers change fees.
Who each suits
Written from the facts on this page. Each feature needs the broker's approval and account rules.Interactive Brokers suits a trader who wants portfolio margin, options on futures or paper trading. It opens accounts in more than 200 countries and territories. Questrade suits a Canadian resident who wants options in a TFSA, RRSP or FHSA, up to Level 2. Both allow naked options at Level 4, with a margin account and a minimum balance at Questrade, and both offer index options and a desktop platform. With both, QuantWheel syncs your positions and you place the orders at the broker.
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Interactive Brokers vs Questrade