IBKR vs SATS Comparison

Interactive Brokers is a large, automated, retail and institutional brokerage that boasted nearly $780 billion in customer equity at the end of 2025. The company cut its teeth as a market maker, introducing US financial markets to automated and algorithmic training before expanding into brokerage services in 1993. The firm has a wide-ranging client base, with its best-in-class order execution and extremely low margin lending rates catering to a sophisticated audience of hedge funds, proprietary traders, and introducing brokers that account for about 45% of the firm's commissions. With operations spanning more than 160 electronic exchanges, 36 countries, and 28 currencies, Interactive Brokers caters to a global clientele, with more than 80% of active accounts sitting outside the US.

Satellite television provides the bulk of EchoStar's revenue. The firm serves about 5 million US satellite customers, about 10% of the traditional television market. It also serves 2 million customers under the Sling brand. EchoStar has also amassed an extensive portfolio of spectrum licenses. It acquired Sprint's prepaid business, serving approximately 7 million customers, primarily under the Boost brand. The firm has agreed to sell a portion of its wireless licenses to AT&T and SpaceX, and will rely heavily on the AT&T network to serve customers. EchoStar's legacy businesses provide satellite telecom services and equipment to businesses and consumers, including about 700,000 internet customers.