Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of AJ Bell vs Halifax, 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 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 £100 per year, while Halifax would cost £83.50 per year.
12 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £135 per year, while Halifax would cost £150 per year.
36 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £255 per year, while Halifax would cost £378 per year.
120 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £495 per year, while Halifax would cost £1,176 per year.
3 fund trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £0 per year, while Halifax 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 it comes to investment choices, both AJ Bell and Halifax stand out as strong contenders in the UK market, each earning a five-star rating for their options. AJ Bell offers a wide range of investment products, including share trading, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts. While AJ Bell provides comprehensive trading avenues, it does not offer crypto trading, spread betting, or CFD trading. On the other hand, Halifax matches AJ Bell in providing access to ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds, and investment trusts but notably lacks share trading. Halifax makes up for this with available advisor services, a feature not offered by AJ Bell.
Analysed across 18 brokers, AJ Bell ranks 5th, while Halifax follows closely at 7th for investment choices, according to UK.StockBrokers.com. Both platforms excel in providing diverse investment options, yet AJ Bell slightly edges out Halifax with the inclusion of share trading, making it ideal for investors seeking a broader toolkit. Meanwhile, Halifax's provision of advisor services offers guidance for those who value tailored investment support. Together, these distinctions highlight the unique advantages each broker brings to UK investors.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | No |
| 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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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
When it comes to trading tools for UK investors, AJ Bell stands out in comparison to Halifax. AJ Bell provides a comprehensive suite of charting features, including the ability to display corporate events like earnings and dividends directly on charts—something Halifax does not offer. AJ Bell also comes equipped with eight drawing tools and a rich selection of 31 technical indicators for chart analysis, while Halifax lacks these options entirely. This gives AJ Bell a significant edge for those who rely heavily on technical analysis in their trading strategies.
Both AJ Bell and Halifax provide browser-based trading platforms and the capability to set up alerts for stock price updates, offering a solid foundation for online trading. However, AJ Bell further enriches the trading experience by allowing users to add both index and stock overlays to charts, features not found with Halifax. Additionally, AJ Bell offers real-time market data, providing investors with up-to-the-minute information, whereas Halifax falls short by not offering this level of live data. For traders who value comprehensive charting and real-time insights, AJ Bell clearly has the upper hand.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 AJ Bell and Halifax for retirement accounts, both online brokers cater well to UK investors. AJ Bell provides Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), offering diverse choices for growing your savings and planning for the future. Similarly, Halifax offers both ISAs and SIPPs, ensuring users have the flexibility to manage their retirement savings effectively. Whether you choose AJ Bell or Halifax, UK investors have access to trusted options to help secure their financial future through these retirement accounts.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
AJ Bell and Halifax both cater to UK investors with mobile apps available on iPhone and Android devices, providing convenient ways to manage investments on the go. AJ Bell earns a commendable 4.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, placing it 9th out of 18 brokers for mobile app performance, highlighting its user-friendly features. In contrast, Halifax’s mobile app holds a 3.5-star rating and is ranked 18th, suggesting room for improvement in ease of use and functionality compared to AJ Bell. When considering a seamless mobile trading experience, AJ Bell edges ahead in terms of user satisfaction and overall rankings.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing the beginner investor educational resources between AJ Bell and Halifax, AJ Bell stands out as the superior choice in the UK. AJ Bell offers educational client webinars, which are conveniently archived for on-demand viewing, covering key topics like share trading, funds, and retirement, all of which are absent from Halifax's offerings. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, AJ Bell has been rated 5 stars for beginner education, ranking 5th out of 18 brokers, while Halifax lags behind with a 3.5-star rating and an 18th place ranking. Overall, AJ Bell clearly equips beginner investors with more comprehensive learning resources.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No |
| Education |
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|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When evaluating the market research features of AJ Bell and Halifax, UK investors will find that AJ Bell provides a more comprehensive suite of tools. AJ Bell offers research reports for funds, a service Halifax does not provide, and it also allows users to view their portfolio allocation by asset class, another feature missing from Halifax's offerings. Both brokers provide research for shares, ETFs, and funds, as well as bonds, but neither offers research on CFDs. Overall, AJ Bell shines with additional offerings like fund research reports and asset allocation insights, giving it an edge over Halifax for those prioritizing extensive market research capabilities.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
Which broker is better overall, AJ Bell or Halifax? 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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Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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Both AJ Bell and Halifax do not provide cryptocurrency trading options, making them similar in this aspect while investors seek alternative online brokers for crypto investments.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | AJ Bell | Halifax | |
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| Review | AJ Bell Review | Halifax Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | AJ Bell | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | No | |
| 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 | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £5 | £9.50 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3.50 | £9.50 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3.50 | £9.50 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £100 | £83.50 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £135 | £150 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £255 | £378 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £495 | £1,176 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £79.50 | £64.50 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 - £625 | £36 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £625 - £875 | £36 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £875 | £36 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £875 | £36 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £5 | £9.5 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £5 | £9.5 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £5 | £9.5 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £5 | £9.5 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | £25 |
| Broker Screenshots | AJ Bell | Halifax | |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | AJ Bell | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | No | No | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
| Education | AJ Bell | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Overall Summary | AJ Bell | Halifax | |
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| Review | AJ Bell Review | Halifax Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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