Finally opened a IBKR depot - shocked by the UI

I never had the impression that degiro has a great User Interface.

But now that I started IKBR both in the browser and the mobile app I’m shocked what a bad user experience this is. Slow refresh of Portfolio and cash balances as well.

And they keep throwing notification/warning dialogs at you saying somethign like “You really want to do this as this could be a problem if you do this!“

Is it just me? Are you getting used to that UI?

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As for this point: that’s usual American disclaimers. I think you can check ‘Don’t show again’ in most cases.

As for the rest: UI and refresh rates are ok. Maybe I got used to it.

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I only use it once for the monthly buy so the UI is kind of whatever for me.

There is also an app, maybe that would be more suited for you?

You’ll get used to it. If you want to be truly overwhelmed. Try the Trading Workstation.

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You‘ll get used to it.

And then potentially start to cherish the extensive features it has.

It really is a tool for pros in essence.

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I also find the UI terrible. Slowly, sometimes they send you messages twice (they have 2 different notification systems and then you have to manually mark the message as read in both places?!) and sometimes things just don’t work [1] [2] [3] [4]. The only reason why everyone recommends IBKR is IMHO solely because of the price and the company’s track record.

For 2026, I’ve decided to leave my portfolio at IBKR untouched and instead invest monthly with a different broker. And in 2027, I’ll check if things have improved; if not, I’ll have to decide whether to keep avoiding IBKR altogether or transfer the portfolio away and close the account.

IBKR is not for me. At least not as long as it’s so broken.

And of course, if you want to, you can get used to it. I had no more nerves left.

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As my “FRS” and “Sir” PhD supervisor used to say: “pay peanuts, get monkeys” :smiley:

Keep in mind IB’s main target group isn’t small savers that look for a slick app. Although they have been expanding in that direction, as well.

I’m with them for over 10 years and never used account management for trading, only for reports, personal data etc. Nor any of the apps.

That said, there’s different platforms, maybe another one suits your purpose better?

You’ll find a comparison on their webpage, under trading platforms.

Have you tried Global Trader, for example?

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Yes and no. I mean, IBKR is highly profitable.

Which broker are you using now ?

Saxo.

How you liking it so far ?
Are you actively trading or more buy and hold with monthly rebalance/DCA ?

I only have experience with “SaxoTrader” (Demo). I like it. it’s fast and easy to navigate.

Buy and hold with monthly DCA, without rebalance.

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This actually looks much more organized and is probably enough for most VT and chill people on this forum as a regular/monthly entry point.

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No, just the regular mobile app.
Thanks, I will definitely try out the Global Trader app then.

What app do people here use? I tried both Global Trader as well as IBKR on the iPhone, and they both look basically the same, apart from some minor visual differences. But I only use the most basic functions and products.

On the iPad the decision is easy, as Global Trader is iPhone-only.

None. Trading / investing is definitely a desktop task. :sweat_smile:

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I use the classic mobile app but only for 2FA + read-only mode. This allows me to stay logged in to be able to quickly check the portfolio with a possibly lower risk of full account access in case my phone is hacked.

And I anyway prefer trading on my PC where I use the Client Portal (web app). I’ve used TWS in the past but currently don’t have a need for its features. I’m considering trying out the newish desktop app now that a Linux version is available.

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Funny, I also never trade on the app. Typical boomer/millenial behavior :joy: I used to use it to quickly look up my portfolio’s worth, but usually I want a complete overview including 3a funds, and for that I have a spreadsheet, and for looking up today’s prices, Trading View is easier. But even that I don’t use much lately, recently I managed to ignore my investments for longer and longer stretches, which increases my wellbeing.

And now that IBKR Web supports authenticator apps, I don’t need the app anymore anyway. For some reason I can’t explain I would just like to be able to delete iPhone app’s IB Key first before deleting the app, but that doesn’t seem possible.

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How do people do charting or fit an option chain on their little screens. For me apps are simply the wrong tool for the job.

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