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.
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.
Assuming a £30,000 portfolio size, here are the total annual costs for share dealing with both brokers, given different monthly activity scenarios.
5 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £100 per year, while Barclays would cost £105 per year.
12 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £135 per year, while Barclays would cost £75 or £147 per year.
36 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £255 per year, while Barclays would cost £75 or £291 per year.
120 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £495 per year, while Barclays would cost £75 or £795 per year.
3 fund trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £0 per year, while Barclays would cost £0 per year.
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 choosing between AJ Bell and Barclays for your investment needs, both platforms offer a range of investment options tailored for diverse investor preferences. AJ Bell and Barclays provide share trading, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts. However, neither platform offers crypto trading, spread betting, or CFD trading. A distinguishing factor is the availability of advisor services, where Barclays stands out by offering advisory support, unlike AJ Bell.
Both AJ Bell and Barclays boast impressive ratings for investment choices, with each receiving a commendable 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com. However, AJ Bell takes a higher position, ranking 3rd out of 18 brokers, while Barclays is ranked 6th. This high ranking reflects AJ Bell's comprehensive suite of investment choices and ease of use, while Barclays remains a strong contender due to its similar offerings and additional advisory services.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| 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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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
When it comes to trading tools, AJ Bell stands out with its comprehensive offerings, allowing users to display corporate events such as earnings, splits, and dividends directly on charts—a feature absent in Barclays. AJ Bell provides a richer charting experience with 8 drawing tools and 31 technical indicators, whereas Barclays offers none. Both platforms do not support adding notes to charts, but AJ Bell does allow users to enhance their charts with index and stock overlays, options not available with Barclays.
Both AJ Bell and Barclays offer user-friendly browser-based trading platforms and enable investors to set up alerts for stock price updates. However, AJ Bell provides real-time market data, ensuring users receive the most current information, which is a significant advantage over Barclays, where this feature is not available. For investors seeking robust charting tools and market insights, AJ Bell presents a more feature-rich platform compared to Barclays.
| 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 | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
When comparing retirement account options between online broker AJ Bell and financial institution Barclays, both offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). This similarity makes both AJ Bell and Barclays attractive choices for individuals looking to manage their savings and retirement funds effectively. Whether you opt for AJ Bell's user-friendly platform or Barclays' extensive financial services, you'll find ISA and SIPP options available to suit your retirement planning needs.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing the mobile apps of AJ Bell and Barclays, both platforms offer apps compatible with iPhone and Android devices. However, AJ Bell stands out with a 4-star rating on UK.StockBrokers.com, earning the third spot out of 18 brokers for mobile app performance. Conversely, Barclays' mobile app holds a lower rating of 2.5 stars, placing it at 16th in the same ranking. This suggests that users may find AJ Bell's app to be a more reliable and efficient tool for managing their investments on the go compared to Barclays' offering.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When it comes to beginner investor educational resources, AJ Bell stands out by offering client webinars that can be accessed live or on demand, whereas Barclays does not provide this feature. Both AJ Bell and Barclays offer comprehensive educational materials covering topics like share trading, funds, and retirement, making them suitable choices for budding investors keen on these subjects. However, AJ Bell has the edge, earning a 5-star rating and ranking 3rd out of 18 on UK.StockBrokers.com for beginner education, while Barclays follows closely with a 4.5-star rating and a 5th place ranking. This makes AJ Bell a slightly more favorable option for new investors seeking robust educational support.
| 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 |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing the market research features of online brokers AJ Bell and Barclays, both offer a comprehensive suite of tools for investors. AJ Bell and Barclays provide access to research reports for funds, allowing investors to make informed decisions. They both enable users to view their portfolio allocation by asset class, helping them maintain a balanced investment strategy. In terms of shares, ETFs, and funds, both brokers offer detailed research, ensuring that users have the necessary insights to navigate the market. While AJ Bell and Barclays don't provide research on CFDs, they both support in-depth analysis of bonds. Overall, AJ Bell and Barclays mirror each other in their market research offerings, making them equally suitable choices for investors who value thorough market insights.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | No | No |
| 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 |
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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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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 | |
| 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 | No | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Trading Fees | AJ Bell | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £5 | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3.50 | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3.50 | £6 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £100 | £105 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £135 | £75 or £147 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £255 | £75 or £291 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £495 | £75 or £795 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £79.50 | £75 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 - £625 | £0 - £525 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £625 - £875 | £525 - £650 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £875 | £650 - £850 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £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 | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
| Research | AJ Bell | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | No | No | |
| 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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