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Interactive Brokers vs Robinhood
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
- 4
- Robinhood leads
- 3
- Level
- 4
Of 11 scored facts, Interactive Brokers leads on 4, Robinhood on 3, and 4 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 $0.55 a monthabout $6.64 a yearInactivity fee 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 | Robinhood |
|---|---|---|
| Fee per contract | $0.65 per contract | $0 per contractBest |
| Interactive Brokers, $1 minimum; additional fees | Robinhood, Index contracts and other fees extra | |
| Exercise and assignment | $0 | $0 |
| Approval | NakedBest | Spreads |
| Interactive Brokers, Up to naked short options | Robinhood, Up to defined-risk spreads | |
| 0DTE | Yes | Yes |
| Index options (SPX) | Yes | Yes |
| Options on futures | YesBest | No |
| Spreads in an IRA | YesBest | No |
| Portfolio margin | Yes | Not published |
| Margin rate | 5.38% | 5.05%Best |
| Platforms | Web, Desktop, Mobile, APIBest | Web, Mobile |
| Paper trading | Yes | Not published |
| 24/7 support | No | YesBest |
| Countries | Over 200 countries and territories (IBKR group) | US only (SSN, US address; citizen, permanent resident or valid visa) |
| QuantWheel | Sync-only | Sync-only |
| Interactive Brokers, Reads the account; you place the orders | Robinhood, 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.
Robinhood$0 per contract · $0 exercise and assignment · spreads
Robinhood opens options accounts for residents of the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, among the 243 countries this directory covers. It charges $0 per contract (Index contracts and other fees extra). Exercise and assignment cost $0. It approves up to defined-risk spreads. It trades on Web, 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
Robinhood
about $0.07 a trade, under 0.1% of your premium. Inactivity fee estimated.
about $0.55 a monthabout $6.64 a year
Robinhood 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 naked options, portfolio margin, options on futures or paper trading. It allows spreads in an IRA and opens accounts in more than 200 countries and territories. Robinhood suits a US resident who wants chat support around the clock. Its highest level is spreads, and its IRAs allow Level 2 only. Both offer index options. With both, QuantWheel syncs your positions and you place the orders at the broker.
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Interactive Brokers vs Robinhood