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, AJ Bell offers better pricing than Barclays 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.
AJ Bell vs Barclays for UK investors: Both offer share trading and access to ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, gilts, and investment trusts. Neither supports crypto trading or CFD trading, and spread betting isn’t listed for either. A key difference is advice: AJ Bell doesn’t offer adviser services, while Barclays does.
According to UK.StockBrokers.com, both earn 5 stars for investment choices. AJ Bell ranks #4 out of 21 for Investment Choices, while Barclays has no ranking listed. In short, both cover the core markets most DIY investors want; choose Barclays if you may want advice alongside your investments, or AJ Bell if you’re comfortable managing everything yourself.
| 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.
AJ Bell and Barclays both offer iPhone and Android investing apps in the UK, but they score differently: UK.StockBrokers.com rates the AJ Bell mobile app 4 out of 5 stars and ranks it 12th out of 21 brokers for Mobile Apps, while the Barclays app is rated 2.5 out of 5 stars with no ranking available (#N/A). For most investors, these ratings indicate AJ Bell provides the stronger mobile experience, though Barclays still covers essential tasks like checking balances and placing trades.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors comparing educational resources at AJ Bell and Barclays, AJ Bell stands out by offering client webinars with an on demand archive, while Barclays does not provide webinars. Both brokers cover key topics such as share trading, funds and retirement, but UK.StockBrokers.com rates AJ Bell higher at 5 stars versus Barclays at 4.5 stars. In the site’s 21-broker comparison, AJ Bell ranks 6th for beginner education, while Barclays has no ranking listed.
| 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 the Dodl app offers much lower fees and also offers a more slim-lined and user-friendly service. Educational and research materials are strong, too.
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Barclays
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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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Bestinvest appeals to a wide range of investors. Fees are competitive, particularly if you invest in funds or US shares, and investment options are extensive.
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Hargreaves Lansdown offers top research and a quality app but higher fees. Learn more about its features and if it’s right for your portfolio.
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IG is a trading platform for experienced investors, offering shares, ETFs, spread betting, and CFDs on an easy-to-use interface.
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Webull has a good app, desktop platform, and low fees, but is limited in the UK by offering only US stocks with no products offered from other markets.
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Review Freetrade’s fees, ISA costs, and investment options. Learn whether Freetrade’s commission-free trading is the right choice for your portfolio.
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Barclays Smart Investor is an investment platform offered by Barclays Bank that offers a wide range of investments and accounts. Non-Barclays customers may find it complicated to open an account. Barclays is good value whether you are a beginner investor or have a large portfolio as its fees are, overall, very low.
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Trade U.K. and U.S. shares commission-free with CMC Invest. Backed by CMC Markets. Explore if it’s the right app for your portfolio today.
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XTB’s low fees and solid education make it ideal for new investors. Learn more about its features and drawbacks in our full XTB review.
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Capital.com is a U.K. broker primarily known for CFDs (contracts for difference) and spread betting. While it previously offered the chance to buy and sell shares commission-free, you can no longer buy shares directly through Capital.com. Trading is limited to an unleveraged CFD account.
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Revolut offers easy app-based investing with commission-free trades and a new stocks & shares ISA. See whether Revolut is the right platform for your portfolio.
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Fidelity offers thousands of investments and also offers financial advice for those wanting direction. My view is that Fidelity is most suited to traditional investors who hold a range of accounts through the platform.
Elizabeth Anderson Dec 5, 2023Select Brokers
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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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