Hi everyone! I’ve been putting money into ETFs through Revolut for several months now because the app is super easy to use and straightforward. However, I’m planning to increase my investment amounts significantly and wondering if I should move to a more advanced platform.
Several people I know have recommended Interactive Brokers, saying it’s one of the best platforms for serious investors. My main concern is that IB looks much more complicated than Revolut’s simple interface.
For anyone who has made this transition from a simple app to IB, how difficult was the learning curve? Do you have any tips to make the switch smoother? Is it worth the extra complexity for better features?
The complexity thing is way overblown. IB’s basic buy/hold works just like any other platform - search ticker, enter quantity, click buy. You can ignore all the advanced stuff until you actually need it.
Costs matter though. IB hits you with $1-3 monthly if you don’t meet their trading minimums. Revolut doesn’t charge fees but their spreads are wider, which eats into your returns.
If you’re investing bigger amounts, IB usually saves you money with better execution and tighter spreads. Start with their mobile app - it’s way simpler than desktop.
Switched when spreads got more expensive than fees.
Did this same switch 3 years back when I hit $2k monthly investments. Revolut was killing me with spreads - sometimes 0.5%+ on popular ETFs.
IB transition was easier than expected. Client Portal looks intimidating but you only need 3 buttons for ETF investing. Took about a week to get comfortable.
Bonus nobody talks about - IB’s research tools actually work. Their ETF screener found me better options than what I was buying on Revolut. Plus way more markets if you want to diversify later.
Just make sure you’re investing enough monthly to cover their fees. Under $1k per month and Revolut might still be cheaper despite those spreads.
Depends on your monthly investment amount. If you are putting in decent money, IB’s better execution and tighter spreads will more than cover the monthly fees.
The interface looks intimidating but it is really not. Just learn one thing at a time - do not try to figure out everything at once.
Run both accounts for a few months. Compare your real costs and get comfortable with IB before making the full switch.
Revolut is easy but IB has great features
IB fees can be high but Revolut’s wider spreads hurt returns. Switched last year and I should have done it earlier.
Your timing’s solid if you’re scaling up investments. Yeah, Revolut to IB is a big jump, but most people get the hang of it in a couple weeks.
I’d start with IB Lite over Pro. Free US stock trades and way less overwhelming while you’re figuring things out.
Once you’ve got orders down, upgrade to Pro for better rates on everything else.
Two things matter here: how much you invest monthly and which ETFs you’re buying. If you’re putting in over $1500/month, IB beats Revolut on costs hands down. Below that, you’ll need to crunch the numbers. Revolut’s spreads are all over the place. VTI might only cost you 0.1%, but some random sector ETF could hit 0.8%. IB hits you with fixed fees but you get consistent execution. Here’s what I’d do: open your IB account now with a small amount but keep using Revolut. Buy the same ETF on both platforms for a month and see what your actual fill prices look like.