Supported stock broker
Interactive Brokers
Institutional-grade access to stocks, options, futures and forex on 150+ markets.
Overview
About Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is one of the largest electronic brokers in the world, known for low costs and exceptionally broad market access. From a single account you can trade stocks, ETFs, options, futures, currencies, bonds and funds across exchanges in North America, Europe and Asia.
AutoTrader works with IBKR through the official IB API, which requires IB Gateway or Trader Workstation running on your machine. Once the gateway is connected, your strategies can trade the instruments your IBKR account is approved for — and you can rehearse everything first on an IBKR paper-trading account.
Supported markets
What you can trade on Interactive Brokers
The asset classes Interactive Brokers offers, and popular symbols you can automate with AutoTrader.
Asset classes offered
- International stocks
- ETFs
- Options
- Futures
- Forex
- Bonds
- Mutual funds
- Spot crypto
Popular stocks & ETFs
- AAPL
- MSFT
- NVDA
- TSLA
- AMZN
- ASML
- SPY
- QQQ
Popular crypto markets
- BTC/USD
- ETH/USD
- LTC/USD
- BCH/USD
Forex, indices & commodities
- EUR/USD
- GBP/USD
- USD/JPY
- ES (S&P 500 futures)
- NQ (Nasdaq 100 futures)
- GC (Gold futures)
Symbols shown are examples. Exact availability depends on your country, account type and the broker's current listings.
Fees & accounts
Trading Interactive Brokers: costs and where it's available
Fees and account types
Interactive Brokers offers two pricing plans. IBKR Lite, available to US clients, offers commission-free trades on US-listed stocks and ETFs. IBKR Pro charges low per-share commissions on either a fixed or a tiered schedule, where tiered rates fall as monthly volume rises and exchange and regulatory fees are passed through. Check the IBKR pricing pages for current rates at the time of writing.
Real-time market data for API use generally requires paid exchange data subscriptions, which are billed separately from commissions. IBKR no longer requires a minimum deposit for most individual accounts, and a paper trading account can be created from the Client Portal settings once your live account is open.
Availability and regulation
Interactive Brokers serves clients in a large number of countries through regulated local entities. In the US it is regulated by the SEC and FINRA, and by the CFTC and NFA for futures; other group entities are overseen by regulators such as the UK's FCA and the Central Bank of Ireland. Which entity holds your account, and which products you can trade, depends on your country of residence, and some jurisdictions are not accepted at all.
For automated trading
Automating Interactive Brokers: strengths and limitations
Strengths
- A single account reaches stock exchanges across North America, Europe and Asia, so one AutoTrader connection can run strategies on markets that most retail brokers do not offer.
- The paper account mirrors live account behavior closely and uses the same API, giving you a realistic rehearsal before committing capital.
- Tiered commissions reward high-volume strategies, as per-share costs drop as your monthly activity grows.
- IBKR has offered API access to retail clients for many years, and its order routing and account infrastructure are built for heavy programmatic use.
Limitations
- The IB API requires IB Gateway or TWS to be running and logged in; if the gateway restarts, loses connection or needs a fresh two-factor login, AutoTrader cannot place orders until it is back online.
- Market data subscriptions cost extra, and without the right subscription your strategy may receive delayed or no prices for some exchanges.
- Trading permissions are granular by product and region, so an order can be rejected simply because the account is not approved for that market.
Get started
How to connect Interactive Brokers to AutoTrader
- 01
Install either IB Gateway (lighter, designed for API connections) or Trader Workstation from Interactive Brokers, and log in with the username for the account you want to automate. Paper accounts have their own separate username.
- 02
In the API settings (in TWS under Global Configuration, then API, then Settings), enable "Enable ActiveX and Socket Clients" and untick "Read-Only API", otherwise orders will be rejected.
- 03
Note the socket port shown in the same settings screen. By default TWS uses 7497 for paper and 7496 for live, while IB Gateway uses 4002 for paper and 4001 for live.
- 04
Restrict incoming connections with the Trusted IPs list so only the machine or address AutoTrader connects from can reach the API socket.
- 05
Enter the connection details on AutoTrader's Exchanges page and keep the gateway running. Interactive Brokers requires periodic re-authentication, including a regular full login with two-factor confirmation, so plan to check the gateway at least weekly.
- 06
Make sure your account has the trading permissions and market data subscriptions needed for the instruments your strategy trades, since the API cannot trade or price anything the account itself is not set up for.
Strategy ideas
Strategies that suit Interactive Brokers
Trend Following Strategy
Access to stock markets on several continents lets a trend-following strategy diversify across regions whose trends are often unrelated.
Read the strategy guide →Portfolio Rebalancing Strategy
Periodically rebalancing a multi-market ETF portfolio suits IBKR's global reach and low per-share costs.
Read the strategy guide →Position Trading Strategy
Longer holding periods reduce how often the strategy depends on the gateway being online at a precise moment, which fits IBKR's session-based connection.
Read the strategy guide →FAQ
Interactive Brokers automation: frequently asked questions
Why does AutoTrader need IB Gateway or TWS for Interactive Brokers?
The official IB API is designed to talk to a running copy of IB Gateway or Trader Workstation rather than directly to IBKR's servers. The gateway handles your login and two-factor authentication and relays orders to Interactive Brokers. AutoTrader sends its market orders through that session, so the gateway needs to stay running and logged in for your strategies to trade.
How do I create an IBKR paper trading account?
Once your live account is approved, open the Client Portal settings and look for the paper trading account option. IBKR creates a separate paper username with simulated funds. Log in to IB Gateway or TWS with that username, use the paper port, and connect it to AutoTrader as a paper connection to test strategies with no real money at risk.
Does IBKR Lite work with automated trading?
IBKR Lite provides commission-free US stock and ETF trades for US clients, but its order routing and feature set differ from IBKR Pro, and some API-oriented traders prefer Pro for its routing and tiered pricing. Check IBKR's current plan comparison before choosing, and remember you can usually switch plans later from the account settings.
Why was my order rejected when connecting AutoTrader to IBKR?
The most common causes are the "Read-Only API" setting still being enabled, the account lacking trading permission for that product or exchange, missing market data, or the gateway session having expired. Check the API settings in TWS or IB Gateway first, then review trading permissions in the Client Portal.
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