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AJ Bell vs Halifax 2023

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

February 23, 2023

Is AJ Bell better than Halifax? After scoring the best share dealing accounts across 46 different variables, our analysis finds that AJ Bell is better than Halifax. 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.

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Overall RatingAJ BellHalifax
Overall Rating 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 3.5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Offering of Investments 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 3/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Ease of Use N/A N/A
Education 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Review
Winner check_circle
InvestmentsAJ BellHalifax
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 FeesAJ BellHalifax
Minimum Deposit £0.0 £0.0
Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month £9.95 £9.5
Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month £4.95 £9.5
Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month £4.95 £9.5
5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) £82.5 £83.5
12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) £161.4 £150
36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) £400.2 £450
120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) £636 £1500
3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) £79.5 £64.5
Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 0.25% (max £3.50/ month for shares) £36
Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K 0.25% (max £3.50/ month) for shares; 0.10% for funds between £250,000 and £1m £36
Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m 0.25% (max £3.50/ month) for shares; 0.10% for funds between £250,000 and £1m £36
Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over 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; £36
Bonds - Corporate - Fee £9.95 £36
Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee £9.95 £9.5
ETFs - Fee £9.95 £9.5
Investment Trusts - Fee £9.95 £9.5
Telephone Dealing Fee £29.95 £25
Platforms & ToolsAJ BellHalifax
Web Platform Yes Yes
iPhone App Yes Yes
Android App Yes Yes
Stock Alerts No No
Charting - Indicators / Studies 10 83
Charting - Drawing Tools 1 17
Charting - Notes No Yes
Charting - Display Corporate Events Yes No
Charting - Stock Overlays Yes No
Charting - Index Overlays Yes No
ResearchAJ BellHalifax
Research - Shares Yes Yes
Research - CFDs No Yes
Research - Funds Yes Yes
Fund Research - Research Reports Yes No
Research - ETFs Yes Yes
Research - Bonds Yes Yes
Portfolio Allocation Breakdown Yes Yes
EducationAJ BellHalifax
Has Education - Share Trading Yes Yes
Has Education - Funds Yes Yes
Has Education - Retirement Yes Yes
Client Webinars No Yes
Client Webinars (Archived) Yes Yes
Overall SummaryAJ BellHalifax
Overall Rating 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 3.5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Offering of Investments 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 3/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Ease of Use N/A N/A
Education 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
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
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxeToro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFineco Bank
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFreetrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxHalifax
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxHargreaves Lansdown
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIG
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxInteractive Brokers
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxInteractive Investor
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxLloyds Bank
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSaxo Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTrading 212

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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 AJ Bell and Halifax.

AJ Bell vs Halifax Comparison

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

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.

Is Halifax a good broker?

Halifax offers competitive pricing for reoccurring and infrequent traders, sound charting, and proper research. That said, Halifax provides no dedicated mobile application and, overall, trails industry leaders.

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, AJ Bell offers better pricing than Halifax 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 £82.5 per year, while Halifax would cost £83.5 per year.

12 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £161.4 per year, while Halifax would cost £150 per year.

36 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £400.2 per year, while Halifax would cost £450 per year.

120 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £636 per year, while Halifax would cost £1500 per year.

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

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

AJ Bell requires a minimum deposit of £0, while Halifax requires a minimum deposit of £0. From our testing we found for accounts between £0 - £250,000 AJ Bell charges annual custody fees of 0.25% (max £3.50/ month for shares), while Halifax charges annual custody fees of £36.

Which broker offers a wider range of investment options?

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

Do AJ Bell and Halifax 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 AJ Bell and Halifax offer SIPP and ISA accounts.

Do AJ Bell and Halifax 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 AJ Bell and Halifax offer crypto investing.

Which broker offers better research?

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

Which trading platform is better?

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

Do AJ Bell and Halifax 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 AJ Bell offers traders access to Client Webinars (Archived), Has Education - Share Trading, Has Education - Funds and Has Education - Retirement, while Halifax offers access to Client Webinars, Client Webinars (Archived), Has Education - Share Trading, Has Education - Funds and Has Education - Retirement.

Overall winner: AJ Bell

Read Next: Best UK Trading Platforms 2022


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