Is Vested better than Interactive Brokers?

Neither platform is universally better. Vested: SEC/FINRA-regulated US platform with India-friendly tax docs and a clean full-universe US-investing product. Interactive Brokers: Direct US broker with the lowest FX cost and the widest asset universe — designed for serious, self-directed investors. The right pick depends on how much you're deploying per year, whether you hold RSUs at a US employer broker, and how much tax-paperwork friction you'll handle.

Which is better for Indian investors — Vested or Interactive Brokers?

For small or frequent trades (under ~₹1.5L per trade), Vested's percentage-based brokerage typically wins. For larger lump-sum deployments above ₹20L per year, the platform with the lower FX markup saves more over time. Both are legitimate long-term homes for an Indian resident's US portfolio; the difference is at the margins of cost, tax-report format, and RSU workflow.

What's the FX cost difference between Vested and Interactive Brokers?

Vested: ~75–100 paise per USD. Interactive Brokers: ~1–5 paise per USD. On a ₹10 lakh LRS remittance, the FX delta between platforms can add up to ₹5,000–₹15,000 per transfer depending on which pair you compare.

Can I transfer my US employer RSUs to Vested or Interactive Brokers?

Vested: Supported via DriveWealth — Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, Morgan Stanley RSUs can be transferred in. Interactive Brokers: Technically supported by IBKR LLC; IBKR India accounts (the entity available to Indian residents) cannot receive ACATS from US employer brokers.

Are both Vested and Interactive Brokers safe for Indian residents?

Yes. Vested: Shares held at DriveWealth (FINRA-regulated, US clearing broker); SIPC insurance up to $500k per account. Interactive Brokers: SIPC up to $500k per account plus proprietary excess insurance through Lloyd's of London taking total coverage to $30M. For most Indian retail accounts under $500k, standard SIPC coverage is sufficient. Both platforms route through regulated US broker-dealers.

Do Vested and Interactive Brokers support Schedule FA for Indian tax filing?

Vested: INR P&L statement, Schedule FA helper, capital gains breakdown — all India-friendly formats. Interactive Brokers: US-style 1099 forms — 1099-DIV for dividends, 1099-B for sales. You convert USD figures to INR and prepare Schedule FA yourself. Schedule FA (Foreign Assets disclosure in ITR) is required for any Indian resident holding foreign assets. Both platforms provide the account statements needed, though the format and level of automation differ.

Broker comparison

Vested vs Interactive Brokers: 2026 comparison for Indian residents

Vested and IBKR sit at opposite ends of the cost-vs-convenience spectrum. The right pick depends on how much you're investing per trade and how much tax-paperwork friction you'll accept.

Last reviewed: July 2026 · Source: 4-way long-form review

Editorial disclosure: Information is compiled from publicly available sources, the platforms’ own pricing pages, and our own platform reviews. It is not verified by the brokers themselves. Vested.blog is the editorial publication of Rovia; we’ve aimed to keep this comparison factually neutral, but pricing, features, and policies can change — verify any decision-critical detail with the broker directly.

Quick answer

Vested charges 0.25% per trade capped at $35 — making it cheaper than IBKR's $1 Fixed-plan minimum on trades under $400, and meaningfully cheaper on SIP-style buys. IBKR wins on large lump-sum trades (near-interbank FX, per-share pricing) and asset breadth (options, futures, 80+ exchanges), but requires you to handle US-format tax forms yourself. The two solve different problems for different investor patterns.

At a glance · Broker comparison for Indian residents

Vested

Founded 2018 · Bengaluru

Interactive Brokers

Founded 1978 · Greenwich

Brokerage
0.25% per trade, capped at $35	$1 min/order (Fixed, default) or $0.35 min/order (Tiered)
FX markup
~75–100 paise per USD	~1–5 paise per USD
Account minimum
$1 (fractional buys)	$0 (was $10k before 2021)
Fractional shares
Yes	Yes
Tax docs
INR P&L statement, Schedule FA helper, capital gains breakdown — all India-friendly formats.	US-style 1099 forms — 1099-DIV for dividends, 1099-B for sales. You convert USD figures to INR and prepare Schedule FA yourself.
ACATS from US employer brokers
Supported via DriveWealth — Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, Morgan Stanley RSUs can be transferred in.	Technically supported by IBKR LLC; IBKR India accounts (the entity available to Indian residents) cannot receive ACATS from US employer brokers.

Best fit for

Investors new to US markets who want a paved-road onboarding

Best fit for

Investors deploying Rs 25 lakh+ per year where FX savings compound meaningfully

Information compiled from public sources · NOT verified by the brokers · Last reviewed: July 2026

vested.blog/compare/vested-vs-ibkr

How Vested and Interactive Brokers compare

Spec-by-spec

Dimension	Vested	Interactive Brokers
Brokerage	0.25% per trade for equities and ETFs, with a maximum of $35 per order. The cap kicks in on trades above $14,000.	Most retail users land on IBKR's Fixed plan by default: $0.005 per share, minimum $1 per order. Vested and INDmoney charge 0.25% capped at $35 — the crossover vs IBKR Fixed is at a $400 trade (below that, Indian platforms are cheaper per trade). Tiered plan ($0.0035/share, min $0.35) requires deliberate selection. For SIP-style $50–$200 weekly buys, IBKR's $1 minimum makes it 2–5× more expensive than Indian platforms on small trades.
FX markup	FX markup on the inbound LRS leg is typically 75–100 paise above the live interbank rate; outbound repatriation also carries an FX markup.	FX conversion happens internally at near-interbank rates. The same near-interbank treatment applies to outbound repatriation.
Account minimum	$1 (fractional buys)	$0 (was $10k before 2021)
Fractional shares	Yes	Yes
Asset universe	Full NYSE/NASDAQ universe — all listed US stocks and ETFs including small- and mid-caps. No options, no OTC pink-sheet stocks, no international exchanges.	Everything — NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, OTC, plus 80+ international exchanges. Options, futures (margin permission required), bonds, mutual funds.
RSU / ESPP support	Inbound ACATS supported via DriveWealth. RSUs at Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, and Morgan Stanley can be transferred in.	ACATS-in is technically supported by Interactive Brokers LLC, but IBKR India accounts (the entity Indian residents can open) cannot receive ACATS from US employer brokers.
Tax docs	INR P&L statement, Schedule FA helper, capital gains breakdown — all India-friendly formats.	US-style 1099 forms — 1099-DIV for dividends, 1099-B for sales. You convert USD figures to INR and prepare Schedule FA yourself.
W-8BEN handling	Handled at signup; 3-year renewal automated.	Upload yourself at onboarding; renewal reminders come from IBKR. Slightly more work than the Indian-aware platforms.
Customer support	India-based, in-app chat, English/Hindi, IST hours.	US-based, email + chat. Strong on technical broker issues; weaker on India-specific tax questions. Hours overlap awkwardly with IST.
Account safety	Shares held at DriveWealth (FINRA-regulated, US clearing broker); SIPC insurance up to $500k per account.	SIPC up to $500k per account plus proprietary excess insurance through Lloyd's of London taking total coverage to $30M.
ACATS-in	Supported via DriveWealth — Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, Morgan Stanley RSUs can be transferred in.	Technically supported by IBKR LLC; IBKR India accounts (the entity available to Indian residents) cannot receive ACATS from US employer brokers.
Repatriation	3–7 business days; FX markup applies on the outbound leg as well as the inbound leg.	2–5 business days; FX conversion happens internally at near-interbank rates.
US partner broker	VF Securities, Inc. (introducing); DriveWealth (clearing & custody)	Interactive Brokers LLC (direct — no Indian intermediary)
Regulation	SEC-registered RIA and FINRA-member broker-dealer (VF Securities, Inc.); not SEBI-registered	FINRA/SIPC-regulated in the US; public company (NASDAQ: IBKR)

Which one fits you?

Neither platform is universally better. Both are legitimate long-term homes for an Indian resident’s US portfolio. The right pick depends on your stage, what you already hold, and how much paperwork you’ll handle.

Pick Vested if

•You're making small or frequent trades — weekly $50–$100 SIP-style buys, or any single trade under ~$140; the IBKR per-order minimum dominates at that size and the Indian-aware percentage commission is cheaper
•You want a Schedule FA helper, INR P&L statements, and India-business-hours support out of the box
•Onboarding speed matters — you want to be trading within 24–48 hours rather than waiting 5–10 business days

Pick Interactive Brokers if

•You're deploying Rs 25 lakh+ per year in larger trade sizes where FX savings compound and the per-order minimum is negligible
•You need access beyond US — London ETFs, Tokyo, Hong Kong, or options/futures
•You're comfortable converting USD figures to INR and preparing Schedule FA yourself, or you have a CA who is

Honest trade-offs

Every platform optimizes for some users and not others. Here are the real constraints to factor in — not flaws, just design choices.

Vested — constraints to factor in

·FX markup is higher than IBKR in absolute paise terms
·No OTC (pink-sheet) stocks or international exchange access
·No options or futures

Interactive Brokers — constraints to factor in

·Onboarding is rigorous — 5–10 business days, detailed financial questionnaire
·No India-format tax docs or Schedule FA helper — you prepare ITR materials yourself
·Cannot receive ACATS from US employer brokers on the IBKR India account
·Default Fixed plan charges $1 minimum per order — for SIP-style $50–$200 weekly buys, the Indian-aware platforms (0.15–0.25% of trade value) are meaningfully cheaper

FAQ

Is Vested better than Interactive Brokers?: Neither platform is universally better. Vested: SEC/FINRA-regulated US platform with India-friendly tax docs and a clean full-universe US-investing product. Interactive Brokers: Direct US broker with the lowest FX cost and the widest asset universe — designed for serious, self-directed investors. The right pick depends on how much you’re deploying per year, whether you hold RSUs at a US employer broker, and how much tax-paperwork friction you’ll handle.
Which is better for Indian investors — Vested or Interactive Brokers?: For small or frequent trades (under ~₹1.5L per trade), percentage-based brokerage typically wins. For larger lump-sum deployments above ₹20L per year, the platform with the lower FX markup saves more over time. Use the spec table above to compare your exact scenario.
What's the FX cost difference between Vested and Interactive Brokers?: Vested: ~75–100 paise per USD. Interactive Brokers: ~1–5 paise per USD. On a ₹10 lakh LRS remittance, the FX delta between platforms can add up to ₹5,000–₹15,000 per transfer — meaningful for large deployments, negligible for small ones.
Can I transfer my US employer RSUs to Vested or Interactive Brokers?: Vested: Supported via DriveWealth — Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, Morgan Stanley RSUs can be transferred in. Interactive Brokers: Technically supported by IBKR LLC; IBKR India accounts (the entity available to Indian residents) cannot receive ACATS from US employer brokers.
Are both Vested and Interactive Brokers safe for Indian residents?: Yes. Vested: Shares held at DriveWealth (FINRA-regulated, US clearing broker); SIPC insurance up to $500k per account. Interactive Brokers: SIPC up to $500k per account plus proprietary excess insurance through Lloyd's of London taking total coverage to $30M. For most Indian retail accounts under $500k, the standard SIPC coverage is plenty. Both platforms route through regulated US broker-dealers.
Do Vested and Interactive Brokers support Schedule FA for Indian tax filing?: Vested: INR P&L statement, Schedule FA helper, capital gains breakdown — all India-friendly formats. Interactive Brokers: US-style 1099 forms — 1099-DIV for dividends, 1099-B for sales. You convert USD figures to INR and prepare Schedule FA yourself. Schedule FA is required for any Indian resident holding foreign assets. For our complete walkthrough, see the Schedule FA guide.

Other broker comparisons

A note on freshness. Pricing, features, and policies on all four platforms change. We re-review on a quarterly cadence; the last full review was July 2026. If you spot an inaccuracy or a materially-changed fact, please flag it — accuracy here matters more to us than pretending the data is settled.

This page is editorial. It is not investment advice. Vested.blog is the editorial publication of Rovia. The comparison above is drawn from our 4-way long-form review, which discloses the relationship and contains the underlying methodology.