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.
AJ Bell and Halifax are well-respected online brokers in the UK, providing a broad range of investment choices designed to cater to diverse investor preferences. Both platforms excel in offering share trading, trading of ETFs, funds trading, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts. This makes them ideal for investors who are looking to invest in traditional financial products. However, while Halifax offers advisor services, AJ Bell is not specified to offer the same, which might influence those in need of professional advice.
When it comes to user satisfaction, both AJ Bell and Halifax are awarded a commendable 5-star rating for their investment choices by UK.StockBrokers.com. Despite this shared accolade, AJ Bell is ranked slightly higher at 5th place among 21 brokers, compared to Halifax's 7th position. This suggests a marginal preference for AJ Bell in terms of overall investment selection, making it a slight favourite among online brokers for those strictly considering the breadth of available investment options.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | ||
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | ||
| Crypto Trading | ||
| Advisor Services | Yes | |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
AJ Bell and Halifax offer distinct features in their online trading platforms. AJ Bell allows users to display corporate events like earnings and dividends directly on their charts, providing a comprehensive view of market activity. Halifax lacks this feature. AJ Bell excels with 8 drawing tools and 31 technical indicators, while Halifax offers none of these tools, leaving AJ Bell as the more advanced choice for those who rely on chart-based analysis.
Additionally, AJ Bell supports adding index and stock overlays to charts, enhancing users' ability to tailor their analysis. Both AJ Bell and Halifax provide browser-based trading, the option to create alerts for stock price updates, and while Halifax includes real-time market data, these aspects might be weighed alongside their charting capabilities to determine which platform best suits a trader's needs.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 31 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 8 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | ||
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes |
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 provide iPhone and Android apps tailored for mobile investing, making it convenient for UK investors to manage their portfolios on the go. When it comes to app performance, UK.StockBrokers.com rates AJ Bell’s mobile app with an impressive 4.5 stars, while Halifax trails with a 3.5-star rating. In a comparison of 21 UK brokers, AJ Bell holds a stronger position, securing the 9th spot for mobile apps, whereas Halifax is positioned at 18th. This suggests that AJ Bell might offer a more satisfying mobile experience for users who value smooth and efficient access to their investments via a smartphone.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors in the UK, AJ Bell provides a comprehensive education experience compared to Halifax. AJ Bell offers not only educational client webinars but also archives them for on-demand viewing. Their educational resources cover vital investment topics such as share trading, funds, and retirement planning. In contrast, Halifax lacks these educational webinars and does not offer extensive material on these key topics. This difference in educational resources is reflected in their ratings by UK.StockBrokers.com, with AJ Bell scoring an impressive 5 stars and ranking 5th out of 21 brokers for beginner education, while Halifax receives 3.5 stars and ranks 18th. Whether you're just starting or seeking to expand your financial knowledge, AJ Bell might be the more supportive choice for beginners.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
For UK investors comparing AJ Bell and Halifax regarding market research features, AJ Bell provides a more comprehensive suite in certain areas. AJ Bell supplies in-depth research reports for funds, while Halifax does not offer this feature. Both brokers allow users to research shares, ETFs, and funds, ensuring access to essential asset information. AJ Bell also grants visibility into portfolio allocation by asset class, another feature not available with Halifax. Both platforms, however, fall short in offering research on CFDs. When it comes to bond research, both brokers provide adequate resources, making them equally matched for users interested in this investment avenue.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | ||
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes |
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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| Mobile App |
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| Website |
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| Ease of Use |
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| Education |
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In the comparison between online brokers AJ Bell and Halifax, AJ Bell does not offer crypto trading, similar to Halifax, which also does not provide crypto trading services, positioning both brokers as traditional investment platforms without cryptocurrency market access.
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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 | ||
| CFD Trading | |||
| Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | |||
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | 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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| 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 | |||
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | ||
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | ||
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes |
| Research | AJ Bell | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | ||
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes |
| Education | AJ Bell | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | ||
| Education (Funds) | Yes | ||
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | ||
| Client Webinars | Yes | ||
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes |
| Overall Summary | AJ Bell | Halifax | |
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| Review | AJ Bell Review | Halifax Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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