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Interactive Investor vs AJ Bell 2023

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

February 23, 2023

Is Interactive Investor better than AJ Bell? After scoring the best share dealing accounts across 46 different variables, our analysis finds that Interactive Investor is better than AJ Bell. Interactive Investor is a solid option for investors looking for strong in-house recommendations for funds and well-put-together research reports. Fees, although lowered from last year, are still fairly high, especially considering the less-than-impressive platform, mobile app and tools available. Interactive Investor struggles to remain competitive with the best trading platforms in the U.K.

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Overall RatingInteractive InvestorAJ Bell
Overall Rating 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Offering of Investments 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 3/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 3/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 3.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Ease of Use 3.5/5 Stars N/A
Education 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Review Interactive Investor Review
Winner check_circle
InvestmentsInteractive InvestorAJ Bell
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 No
Trading FeesInteractive InvestorAJ Bell
Minimum Deposit £0.0 £0.0
Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month £5.99 (Investor Plan) £9.95
Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month £3.99 (Super Investor Plan) £4.95
Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month £3.99 (Super Investor Plan) £4.95
5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) £89.83 (Essentials plan) or £119.88 (Investor, Super Investor plans) £82.5
12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) £131.76 (Essentials) or £119.88 (Investor, Super Investor) £161.4
36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) £263.64 (Investor) or £287.76 (Super Investor) £400.2
120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) £766.8 (Investor) or £622.92 (Super Investor) £636
3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) £119.88 £79.5
Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 £119.88 (Investor Plan - £9.99 monthly) 0.25% (max £3.50/ month for shares)
Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K £119.88 0.25% (max £3.50/ month) for shares; 0.10% for funds between £250,000 and £1m
Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m £119.88 0.25% (max £3.50/ month) for shares; 0.10% for funds between £250,000 and £1m
Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over £119.88 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;
Bonds - Corporate - Fee £40 (when trade value is above £100,000) £9.95
Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee £40 (when trade value is above £100,000) £9.95
ETFs - Fee £5.99 (Investor Plan) £9.95
Investment Trusts - Fee £5.99 (Investor Plan) £9.95
Telephone Dealing Fee £49 £29.95
Platforms & ToolsInteractive InvestorAJ Bell
Web Platform Yes Yes
iPhone App Yes Yes
Android App Yes Yes
Stock Alerts Yes No
Charting - Indicators / Studies 104 10
Charting - Drawing Tools 16 1
Charting - Notes No No
Charting - Display Corporate Events Yes Yes
Charting - Stock Overlays Yes Yes
Charting - Index Overlays Yes Yes
ResearchInteractive InvestorAJ Bell
Research - Shares Yes Yes
Research - CFDs No No
Research - Funds Yes Yes
Fund Research - Research Reports Yes Yes
Research - ETFs Yes Yes
Research - Bonds No Yes
Portfolio Allocation Breakdown Yes Yes
EducationInteractive InvestorAJ Bell
Has Education - Share Trading Yes Yes
Has Education - Funds Yes Yes
Has Education - Retirement Yes Yes
Client Webinars No No
Client Webinars (Archived) No Yes
Overall SummaryInteractive InvestorAJ Bell
Overall Rating 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Offering of Investments 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 3/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 3/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 3.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Ease of Use 3.5/5 Stars N/A
Education 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Review Interactive Investor 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 Interactive Investor and AJ Bell.

Interactive Investor vs AJ Bell Comparison

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

Is Interactive Investor a good broker?

Interactive Investor is a solid option for investors looking for strong in-house recommendations for funds and well-put-together research reports. Fees, although lowered from last year, are still fairly high, especially considering the less-than-impressive platform, mobile app and tools available. Interactive Investor struggles to remain competitive with the best trading platforms in the U.K.

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.

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, Interactive Investor 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 Investor would cost £89.83 (Essentials plan) or £119.88 (Investor, Super Investor plans) per year, while AJ Bell would cost £82.5 per year.

12 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £131.76 (Essentials) or £119.88 (Investor, Super Investor) per year, while AJ Bell would cost £161.4 per year.

36 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £263.64 (Investor) or £287.76 (Super Investor) per year, while AJ Bell would cost £400.2 per year.

120 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £766.8 (Investor) or £622.92 (Super Investor) per year, while AJ Bell would cost £636 per year.

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

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

Interactive Investor requires a minimum deposit of £0, while AJ Bell requires a minimum deposit of £0. From our testing we found for accounts between £0 - £250,000 Interactive Investor charges annual custody fees of £119.88 (Investor Plan - £9.99 monthly), while AJ Bell charges annual custody fees of 0.25% (max £3.50/ month for shares).

Which broker offers a wider range of investment options?

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

Do Interactive Investor and AJ Bell 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 Interactive Investor and AJ Bell offer SIPP and ISA accounts.

Do Interactive Investor and AJ Bell 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 Interactive Investor and AJ Bell offer crypto investing.

Which broker offers better research?

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

Which trading platform is better?

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

Do Interactive Investor and AJ Bell 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 Interactive Investor offers traders access to Has Education - Share Trading, Has Education - Funds and Has Education - Retirement, while AJ Bell offers access to Client Webinars (Archived), Has Education - Share Trading, Has Education - Funds and Has Education - Retirement.. Neither have Client Webinars

Overall winner: Interactive Investor

Read Next: Best UK Trading Platforms 2022


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