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Freetrade vs AJ Bell 2023

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

February 23, 2023

Is Freetrade better than AJ Bell? After scoring the best share dealing accounts across 46 different variables, our analysis finds that Freetrade is better than AJ Bell. Freetrade's commission-free model allows trading of fractional shares with a user-friendly mobile trading app, and the educational offering is of good quality. Research and range of investments are limited, however, and its online trading platform is still in beta and not available to all customers.

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Overall RatingFreetradeAJ Bell
Overall Rating 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Offering of Investments 2.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 1/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 2/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4.5/5 Stars N/A
Education 3/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Review Freetrade Review
Winner check_circle
InvestmentsFreetradeAJ Bell
ISA Yes Yes
SIPP Yes Yes
Share Trading Yes Yes
CFD Trading No No
Funds No Yes
ETFs Yes Yes
Bonds - Corporate No Yes
Bonds - Government (Gilts) No Yes
Investment Trusts Yes Yes
Spread Betting No No
Crypto Trading No No
Advisor Services No No
Trading FeesFreetradeAJ Bell
Minimum Deposit £0.0 £0.0
Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month £0 £9.95
Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month £0 £4.95
Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month £0 £4.95
5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) N/A £82.5
12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) £0 £161.4
36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) £0 £400.2
120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) £0 £636
3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) N/A £79.5
Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 £0 0.25% (max £3.50/ month for shares)
Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K £0 0.25% (max £3.50/ month) for shares; 0.10% for funds between £250,000 and £1m
Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m £0 0.25% (max £3.50/ month) for shares; 0.10% for funds between £250,000 and £1m
Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over £0 0.25% (max £3.50/ month) for shares; 0.10% for funds between £250,000 and £1m; 0.05% for funds between £1m and £2m;
Bonds - Corporate - Fee N/A £9.95
Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee N/A £9.95
ETFs - Fee £0 £9.95
Investment Trusts - Fee £0 £9.95
Telephone Dealing Fee N/A £29.95
Platforms & ToolsFreetradeAJ Bell
Web Platform No Yes
iPhone App Yes Yes
Android App Yes Yes
Stock Alerts No No
Charting - Indicators / Studies 0 10
Charting - Drawing Tools 1 1
Charting - Notes No No
Charting - Display Corporate Events No Yes
Charting - Stock Overlays No Yes
Charting - Index Overlays No Yes
ResearchFreetradeAJ Bell
Research - Shares Yes Yes
Research - CFDs No No
Research - Funds No Yes
Fund Research - Research Reports No Yes
Research - ETFs Yes Yes
Research - Bonds No Yes
Portfolio Allocation Breakdown No Yes
EducationFreetradeAJ Bell
Has Education - Share Trading Yes Yes
Has Education - Funds No Yes
Has Education - Retirement Yes Yes
Client Webinars No No
Client Webinars (Archived) No Yes
Overall SummaryFreetradeAJ Bell
Overall Rating 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Offering of Investments 2.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 1/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 2/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4.5/5 Stars N/A
Education 3/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Review Freetrade Review
Winner check_circle
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxAJ Bell
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxBarclays
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCapital.com
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxDEGIRO
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  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFineco Bank
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Comparing online share dealing platforms side by side is no small task. For our 2022 review of U.K. brokers, nearly 600 data points were collected over a 10-week period and used to score each broker. Let’s compare Freetrade and AJ Bell.

Freetrade vs AJ Bell Comparison

For our 2022 Review, we assessed the best trading platforms in the UK for online share dealing. Let's compare Freetrade vs AJ Bell.

Is Freetrade a good broker?

Freetrade's commission-free model allows trading of fractional shares with a user-friendly mobile trading app, and the educational offering is of good quality. Research and range of investments are limited, however, and its online trading platform is still in beta and not available to all customers.

Is AJ Bell a good broker?

AJ Bell Youinvest offers a mediocre trading platform and decent research tools, including in-house articles and videos. Ultimately, AJ Bell struggles to deliver value in the UK market against brokers that offer a better platform at a lower price point.

Which broker is less expensive?

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, Freetrade offers better pricing than AJ Bell 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 - Freetrade would cost N/A per year, while AJ Bell would cost £82.5 per year.

12 trades per year - Freetrade would cost £0 per year, while AJ Bell would cost £161.4 per year.

36 trades per year - Freetrade would cost £0 per year, while AJ Bell would cost £400.2 per year.

120 trades per year - Freetrade would cost £0 per year, while AJ Bell would cost £636 per year.

3 fund trades per year - Freetrade would cost 0 per year, while AJ Bell would cost 0 per year.

How do Freetrade and AJ Bell compare in terms of minimum deposits required?

Freetrade requires a minimum deposit of £0, while AJ Bell requires a minimum deposit of £0. From our testing we found for accounts between £0 - £250,000 Freetrade charges annual custody fees of £0, while AJ Bell charges annual custody fees of 0.25% (max £3.50/ month for shares).

Which broker offers a wider range of investment options?

Freetrade offers investors access to ISA, SIPP, Share Trading, ETFs and Investment Trusts, while AJ Bell offers investors access to ISA, SIPP, Share Trading, Funds, ETFs, Bonds - Corporate, Bonds - Government (Gilts) and Investment Trusts. Neither have CFD Trading, Spread Betting, Crypto Trading and Advisor Services. Investing encompasses a wide variety of asset classes, so finding a broker that offers every investment type you are interested in is important.

Do Freetrade and AJ Bell offer ISA or SIPP accounts?

Self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) and individual savings accounts (ISAs) are tax-advantaged savings accounts that are an important tool for many individual investors. You can read more about how these accounts operate at Gov.UK: Click here for SIPP information and here for ISA information. Our analysis finds that Both Freetrade and AJ Bell offer SIPP and ISA accounts.

Do Freetrade and AJ Bell offer cryptocurrency?

In our analysis of top brokers for share dealing in the U.K., we research whether each broker offers the ability to trade cash cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin and ethereum, which is still a somewhat rare offering amongst major U.K. brokers. Our review finds that neither Freetrade and AJ Bell offer crypto investing.

Which broker offers better research?

Our testing concluded that Freetrade is better for research than AJ Bell. Freetrade offers more research options, including research reports, articles, and analyst ratings.

Which trading platform is better?

To compare the trading platforms of both Freetrade and AJ Bell, we tested each broker's website, trading platform, trading tools and stock trading app. All features compared, our analysis finds that Freetrade offers a better share dealing platform and Freetrade offers a better stock app for mobile trading.

Do Freetrade and AJ Bell offer educational resources?

Educational offerings are of particular importance to those who are newer to investing, and we examine the availability of several different types of educational materials in our analysis. Our research finds that Freetrade offers traders access to Has Education - Share Trading and Has Education - Retirement, while AJ Bell offers access to Client Webinars (Archived), Has Education - Share Trading, Has Education - Funds and Has Education - Retirement.. Neither have Client Webinars

Overall winner: Freetrade

Read Next: Best UK Trading Platforms 2022


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