Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs AJ Bell, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, investment options, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
Your capital is at risk.
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, Interactive Brokers 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 - Interactive Brokers would cost £15 per year, while AJ Bell would cost £100 per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £36 per year, while AJ Bell would cost £135 per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £108 per year, while AJ Bell would cost £255 per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £360 per year, while AJ Bell would cost £495 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £0 per year, while AJ Bell 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.
Interactive Brokers and AJ Bell are prominent choices for UK investors, each offering a wide range of investment opportunities. Both platforms allow investors to trade shares, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds, and investment trusts. However, Interactive Brokers stands out by also offering crypto and CFD trading, which isn't available with AJ Bell. Both brokers have achieved top ratings of five stars from UK.StockBrokers.com for their investment choices, indicating strong approval from users and experts alike.
While Interactive Brokers is ranked slightly higher at number two compared to AJ Bell's fifth place for investment choices, it's clear that both platforms are respected for their comprehensive offerings. Whether you're looking for traditional stock trading or more diverse options like crypto, Interactive Brokers might have an edge due to its broader selection. Still, AJ Bell remains a reliable choice for investors who prioritize a robust range of traditional investment vehicles.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
AJ Bell
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | ||
| Crypto Trading | Yes | |
| Advisor Services | ||
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
When comparing the trading tools of Interactive Brokers and AJ Bell, both platforms allow users to display corporate events such as earnings, splits, and dividends on their charts. However, Interactive Brokers takes charting to the next level with an extensive selection of 80 drawing tools and 96 technical indicators, compared to AJ Bell's modest offering of 8 drawing tools and 31 technical indicators. Both platforms support adding index and stock overlays on charts, though only Interactive Brokers offers the feature to add notes directly on the charts.
Both Interactive Brokers and AJ Bell provide browser-based trading platforms, making them easily accessible for UK traders on various devices. They both allow users to set up alerts for stock price updates, keeping investors informed about market movements. While AJ Bell offers real-time market data, it is unclear if Interactive Brokers provides the same feature. Ultimately, traders looking for more comprehensive charting tools might prefer Interactive Brokers, whereas AJ Bell may appeal with its focus on fundamental features like real-time data for efficient trading insights.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
AJ Bell
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 31 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 8 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | Yes |
For UK investors comparing retirement account options, Interactive Brokers and AJ Bell both provide Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). Both platforms give you flexibility in planning your future, offering ISAs to help you save tax-efficiently and SIPPs for more control over your pension investments. Interactive Brokers and AJ Bell cater to diverse investor needs, allowing you to select either one for managing your long-term financial goals through these popular retirement accounts.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For UK investors seeking reliable mobile trading platforms, both Interactive Brokers and AJ Bell offer apps for iPhone and Android users, ensuring accessibility on the go. While both brokers provide these essential tools, there are notable differences in user experience. Rated five stars for its mobile app by UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers showcases superior performance, ranking fourth out of 21 brokers. Meanwhile, AJ Bell, with a respectable rating of 4.5 stars, holds the ninth position in the same ranking. As such, Interactive Brokers edges ahead in mobile app quality according to this evaluation.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing beginner investor educational resources, both Interactive Brokers and AJ Bell offer comprehensive support for UK investors. Each platform provides educational webinars that can be accessed live or on demand, covering essential topics like share trading, funds, and retirement planning. While both brokers offer similar content, AJ Bell slightly edges out with a higher rating of 5 stars for beginner education from UK.StockBrokers.com, compared to Interactive Brokers' 4.5 stars. Additionally, AJ Bell ranks 5th among 21 brokers for beginner education, whereas Interactive Brokers holds the 8th spot. This indicates that although both platforms are strong contenders, AJ Bell may offer a slightly more advantageous starting point for novice investors.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
AJ Bell
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing market research features between Interactive Brokers and AJ Bell, both platforms provide extensive resources for UK investors. Interactive Brokers and AJ Bell each offer comprehensive research reports on funds, shares, ETFs, and bonds, ensuring users have access to detailed information across various investment types. Additionally, both brokers allow investors to view portfolio allocations by asset class, aiding in better investment analysis and decision-making. While Interactive Brokers offers additional insights with CFDs research, AJ Bell does not have this feature, highlighting a slight edge for those seeking in-depth coverage of contract for difference investments.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
AJ Bell
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | |
| 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, Interactive Brokers or AJ Bell? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Interactive Brokers to be a better trading platform overall.
Interactive Brokers is a sophisticated trading platform aimed at confident and institutional-grade investors. For newer investors, Interactive Brokers is more intimidating, though it's worth exploring the platform to see if you could save money or access more investments compared to other brokers.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
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AJ Bell
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|---|---|---|
| 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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Interactive Brokers provides the option to trade cryptocurrencies, whereas AJ Bell does not offer crypto trading services.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | AJ Bell | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | AJ Bell Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | AJ Bell | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | ||
| Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | |||
| Crypto Trading | Yes | ||
| Advisor Services |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Brokers | AJ Bell | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3 | £5 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3 | £3.50 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3 | £3.50 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £15 | £100 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £36 | £135 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £108 | £255 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £360 | £495 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 / £14.85 | £79.50 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 | £0 - £625 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 | £625 - £875 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £875 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 | £875 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | £5 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | £5 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3 | £5 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A | £5 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | £25 |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | AJ Bell | |
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| Platforms & Tools | Interactive Brokers | AJ Bell | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 31 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 8 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | ||
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | AJ Bell | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | ||
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | AJ Bell | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Brokers | AJ Bell | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | AJ Bell Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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