Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of AJ Bell vs Interactive Brokers, 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, 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 - AJ Bell would cost £100 per year, while Interactive Brokers would cost £15 per year.
12 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £135 per year, while Interactive Brokers would cost £36 per year.
36 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £255 per year, while Interactive Brokers would cost £108 per year.
120 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £495 per year, while Interactive Brokers would cost £360 per year.
3 fund trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £0 per year, while Interactive Brokers 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 choosing between AJ Bell and Interactive Brokers for your investment needs, both platforms present robust options, albeit with some variations. AJ Bell and Interactive Brokers both facilitate share trading, enabling investors to delve into the stock market with ease. They also support the trading of ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts, providing a broad spectrum of traditional investment avenues for users. However, a key difference lies in Interactive Brokers' offering of CFD trading, which is absent from AJ Bell's repertoire. Those interested in diverse investment choices might find Interactive Brokers slightly more appealing in this regard.
Neither AJ Bell nor Interactive Brokers ventures into cryptocurrency trading or spread betting, aligning with a more conventional investment approach. Additionally, both platforms bypass advisor services, leaving investors to make their own informed decisions. Despite these specific omissions, both platforms receive high praise for their investment choices, each earning a stellar 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com. However, in a ranking of 18 brokerages, Interactive Brokers takes the slight lead with a #2 spot compared to AJ Bell's commendable #3 ranking, hinting at a marginal edge in overall investment offerings.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Interactive Brokers
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|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | Yes |
| 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 | No |
| Investment Choices |
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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
When comparing the trading tools of AJ Bell and Interactive Brokers, both platforms allow users to display corporate events such as earnings, splits, and dividends on their charts. However, AJ Bell provides 8 drawing tools while Interactive Brokers offers a more extensive set of 80 drawing tools. For those interested in technical analysis, AJ Bell includes 31 technical indicators, whereas Interactive Brokers stands out with 96 indicators, enabling comprehensive chart studies. Additionally, while Interactive Brokers allows users to add personal notes to charts, AJ Bell lacks this feature. On the other hand, both brokers support adding index and stock overlays and offer browser-based trading platforms for convenient access.
For investors keen on creating alerts for stock price updates, both AJ Bell and Interactive Brokers provide this functionality. A notable distinction, however, is in the availability of real-time market data; AJ Bell offers real-time data, which can be crucial for timely decision-making, while Interactive Brokers does not. This difference might influence the choice between the two platforms, depending on how critical accessing real-time information is to the user’s trading strategy.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
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Interactive Brokers
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|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 31 | 96 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 8 | 80 |
| Charting - Notes | No | Yes |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | Yes |
When comparing AJ Bell and Interactive Brokers for retirement account options, both online brokers offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). This makes them versatile choices for those looking to save for retirement with tax-efficient investment options. AJ Bell and Interactive Brokers provide a platform for investors in the UK to manage their ISAs and SIPPs, allowing for convenient retirement planning and investment management. Explore each broker's specific features and fees to determine which aligns best with your financial goals and investment strategy.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing online brokers AJ Bell and Interactive Brokers in the realm of mobile apps, both offer robust solutions for iPhone and Android users. AJ Bell's mobile app garners a strong rating of 4 out of 5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com, ranking it as the third-best out of 18 brokers for mobile apps. Interactive Brokers edges ahead with a stellar 5-star rating and secures the second spot in the same ranking. Both platforms provide reliable and highly-rated mobile trading experiences, though Interactive Brokers slightly leads in user satisfaction and ranking.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors seeking educational resources, both AJ Bell and Interactive Brokers offer a comprehensive suite of options, including informative client webinars that can also be accessed on demand. These brokers provide guidance on essential topics such as share trading, fund investment, and retirement planning. However, AJ Bell holds a slight edge over Interactive Brokers in terms of ratings and rankings. AJ Bell is rated 5 stars by UK.StockBrokers.com for beginner education, securing the 3rd spot out of 18 brokers, while Interactive Brokers is rated 4.5 stars and ranks at 12th. Both platforms offer valuable resources, but AJ Bell stands out in delivering top-notch education for novice investors.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Interactive Brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 evaluating the market research features of AJ Bell and Interactive Brokers, both platforms provide comprehensive research reports for funds and allow users to view portfolio allocation by asset class. For investors interested in shares, ETFs, and bonds, both AJ Bell and Interactive Brokers offer robust research tools to support investment decisions. However, the comparison highlights a key difference in CFDs research; AJ Bell does not provide this feature, whereas Interactive Brokers does. Thus, for traders interested in CFDs, Interactive Brokers offers an advantage. Overall, both brokers supply a broad array of research resources, though Interactive Brokers may appeal more to those seeking in-depth CFDs analysis.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Interactive Brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | No | 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, AJ Bell or Interactive Brokers? 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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Interactive Brokers
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While both AJ Bell and Interactive Brokers are reputable online brokers, neither offers crypto trading, focusing instead on a wide range of other investment options to suit diverse investor needs.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | AJ Bell | Interactive Brokers | |
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| Review | AJ Bell Review | Interactive Brokers Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | AJ Bell | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | Yes | |
| 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 | Yes | |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | AJ Bell | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £5 | £3 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3.50 | £3 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3.50 | £3 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £100 | £15 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £135 | £36 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £255 | £108 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £495 | £360 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £79.50 | £0 / £14.85 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 - £625 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £625 - £875 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £875 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £875 | £0 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £5 | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £5 | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | |
| ETFs - Fee | £5 | £3 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £5 | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | £25 |
| Broker Screenshots | AJ Bell | Interactive Brokers | |
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| Platforms & Tools | AJ Bell | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 31 | 96 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 8 | 80 | |
| Charting - Notes | No | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Research | AJ Bell | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | No | 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 | AJ Bell | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Overall Summary | AJ Bell | Interactive Brokers | |
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| Review | AJ Bell Review | Interactive Brokers Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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