Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of AJ Bell vs Barclays, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, investment options, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
Your capital is at risk.
Alongside the cost per trade, most UK online brokers also charge a monthly, quarterly, or annual management fee, which varies based on the account type and balance. Based on our thorough review, Barclays offers better pricing than AJ Bell for share dealing.
What type of trader are you?
New to the world of investing? See our picks for the Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners. More experienced traders should read our guide to the Best UK Trading Platforms for Active Traders.
When exploring investment options through UK-based online brokers, AJ Bell and Barclays both present attractive offerings for investors looking to trade various instruments except for cryptocurrencies and CFDs. They both provide share trading, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts trading, ensuring a broad spectrum of opportunities for investors. However, unlike Barclays, AJ Bell does not offer advisory services, which may appeal to DIY investors seeking autonomy in their decision-making.
According to UK.StockBrokers.com, AJ Bell and Barclays both receive commendable ratings of five stars for their investment choices. Nonetheless, AJ Bell slightly surpasses Barclays in the rankings, securing the 5th position out of 21 brokers, while Barclays is positioned at 9th. This distinction perhaps highlights AJ Bell's edge in providing a user-friendly platform and satisfying investment experience for UK investors, despite the absence of advisory services.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
AJ Bell vs Barclays for trading tools: AJ Bell clearly wins on charting. You can overlay corporate events like earnings, splits and dividends on AJ Bell charts, and use 8 drawing tools plus 31 technical indicators. Barclays does not offer events on charts, drawing tools or technical indicators. Both providers lack the option to add notes, index overlays or stock overlays to charts.
Beyond charting, both AJ Bell and Barclays offer a browser-based trading platform and let you set up price alerts, but neither provides real-time market data. If you want richer charts to analyse shares, AJ Bell is the stronger choice; if you only need basic monitoring and alerts, Barclays may be sufficient.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 31 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 8 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | No | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
When it comes to selecting an online broker for retirement accounts in the UK, both AJ Bell and Barclays offer impressive options for investors. AJ Bell provides a straightforward way to manage your investments with both Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) available. Similarly, Barclays also caters to those planning for the future with its own offerings of ISAs and SIPPs. Each platform enables you to save for retirement while benefiting from tax advantages, though your choice might depend on specific platform features or service preferences. Whether you're leaning towards AJ Bell or Barclays, both ensure you have access to essential investment tools for a secure future.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For UK investors comparing mobile trading apps, both AJ Bell and Barclays offer iPhone and Android apps; however, UK.StockBrokers.com rates AJ Bell’s app higher at 4 out of 5 stars and ranks it 9th out of 21 brokers, while Barclays’ app earns 2.5 out of 5 stars and ranks 21st—making AJ Bell the stronger choice if mobile experience is a priority.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing the beginner investor educational resources offered by AJ Bell and Barclays, AJ Bell emerges as a more comprehensive choice. AJ Bell provides educational client webinars, which can be accessed live or on-demand, offering flexibility to learn at your own pace. Barclays does not offer such webinars, which limits their educational versatility. Both AJ Bell and Barclays offer educational content on share trading, funds, and retirement, ensuring a solid foundation for new investors. However, AJ Bell garners a higher rating of 5 stars for beginner education from UK.StockBrokers.com, compared to Barclays' 4.5 stars. Additionally, AJ Bell is ranked 5th out of 21 brokers, while Barclays stands at 10th place, highlighting AJ Bell's superior position as an educational resource for novice investors in the UK.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
For UK investors seeking comprehensive market research features, both AJ Bell and Barclays offer a strong suite of options. Each platform provides in-depth research reports for funds, enabling users to make informed investment decisions. They also allow investors to view portfolio allocation by asset class, ensuring a clear understanding of investment distributions. Whether it's shares, ETFs, funds, or bonds, both AJ Bell and Barclays cover a broad range of research areas, catering to varied investment interests. This makes it easier for users to access detailed insights and analyses across different financial instruments, helping to support smart investment choices.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, AJ Bell or Barclays? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found AJ Bell to be a better trading platform overall.
You can invest in an extensive range of investments through AJ Bell. Charges are on the high side for those with large portfolios in mutual funds and those looking to execute one-off share deals; but its new app, called Dodl, offers much lower fees and also offers a more slim-lined and user-friendly service. Educational and research materials are strong, too.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
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Barclays
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Investment Choices |
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| Mobile App |
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| Website |
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| Ease of Use |
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Neither AJ Bell nor Barclays offers crypto trading, making both online brokers similar in their exclusion of cryptocurrency options for investors.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | AJ Bell | Barclays | |
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| Review | AJ Bell Review | Barclays Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | AJ Bell | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Trading Fees | AJ Bell | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £5 | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £1.50 | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £1.50 | £6 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £0 - £250,000 | £0 - £625 | £0 - £525 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £625 - £875 | £525 - £650 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £875 | £650 - £850 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £875 | £850 and up | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £5 | £6 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £5 | £6 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £5 | £6 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £5 | £6 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | £25 |
| Broker Screenshots | AJ Bell | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | AJ Bell | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 31 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 8 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | No | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | AJ Bell | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | AJ Bell | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Overall Summary | AJ Bell | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Review | AJ Bell Review | Barclays Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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