Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of AJ Bell vs Vanguard UK Investor, 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, AJ Bell offers better pricing than Vanguard UK Investor 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 Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
12 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £135 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
36 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £255 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
120 trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £495 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
3 fund trades per year - AJ Bell would cost £0 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost £500 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 comparing investment choices between AJ Bell and Vanguard UK Investor for UK clients, AJ Bell stands out with a wider array of offerings. It allows investors to engage in share trading, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts. This comprehensive selection of investment options results in AJ Bell earning a stellar 5-star rating for investment choices from UK.StockBrokers.com, placing it at an impressive #5 ranking out of 21 brokers.
In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor offers a more limited range, focusing heavily on ETFs and funds. While it provides strong options within these categories, its lack of share trading and other investment options reflects in its 3.5-star rating for investment choices. Consequently, Vanguard UK Investor is rated at #18 out of 21 brokers according to UK.StockBrokers.com. This makes AJ Bell a more versatile choice for investors seeking diverse investment avenues.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | ||
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | ||
| Crypto Trading | ||
| Advisor Services | ||
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
If you're choosing between AJ Bell and Vanguard UK Investor for trading tools, the differences are quite clear. AJ Bell provides a comprehensive set of features including the ability to display corporate events such as earnings, splits, and dividends directly on charts. Additionally, AJ Bell offers eight drawing tools, thirty-one technical indicators, and allows users to add both index and stock overlays to their charts, delivering a versatile charting experience. Vanguard UK Investor, on the other hand, does not support corporate event display on charts and offers neither drawing tools nor technical indicators for advanced charting.
Both AJ Bell and Vanguard UK Investor offer browser-based trading platforms, which promote ease of access. However, AJ Bell goes a step further with features like creating alerts for stock price updates and providing real-time market data, enhancing the trader's ability to make informed decisions swiftly. If charting capabilities and immediate data access are vital to your trading strategy, AJ Bell stands out as the more feature-rich choice compared to Vanguard UK Investor.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | 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 online brokers AJ Bell and Vanguard UK Investor for their retirement account offerings in the UK, both platforms provide Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). AJ Bell and Vanguard UK Investor each give users the flexibility to manage ISAs and SIPPs to build their retirement savings, ensuring both beginner and experienced investors have the necessary tools for investment growth within these tax-efficient accounts. This makes either option a solid choice for UK investors looking to secure their financial future through well-managed retirement accounts.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
In the competitive landscape of online trading platforms, both AJ Bell and Vanguard UK Investor offer convenient mobile apps for iPhone and Android users. AJ Bell leads with a highly-rated mobile app, earning 4.5 stars out of five from UK.StockBrokers.com, showcasing a commendable blend of functionality and user experience. It stands strong at 9th place out of 21 brokers for mobile app rankings. Conversely, Vanguard UK Investor's app receives a 3.5-star rating and ranks 19th, highlighting a difference in user satisfaction and app effectiveness. Whether you're looking for a top-tier mobile trading experience or a straightforward app, understanding these differences can guide your choice.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing the beginner investor educational resources of AJ Bell and Vanguard UK Investor, UK readers will find AJ Bell to offer a more comprehensive experience. AJ Bell provides educational webinars that can be joined live or accessed on-demand, covering topics such as share trading, funds, and retirement. Similarly, Vanguard UK Investor also offers on-demand webinars and covers funds and retirement, but lacks share trading resources. AJ Bell receives a top-tier 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com and ranks 5th out of 21 brokers for its beginner education, while Vanguard UK Investor holds a 3.5-star rating and is ranked 17th, making AJ Bell a better choice for novice investors seeking educational support.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When weighing up AJ Bell and Vanguard UK Investor for market research features, UK investors will find some similarities, including access to research reports for funds and the capability to view portfolio allocation by asset class. Both platforms provide research for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and funds. However, AJ Bell stands out by offering research on shares and bonds, which Vanguard UK Investor does not provide. Neither platform caters to CFDs research, making them more suited for traditional investment research needs.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | ||
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, AJ Bell or Vanguard UK Investor? 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 |
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Vanguard UK Investor
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While AJ Bell does not offer crypto trading, Vanguard UK Investor also refrains from providing cryptocurrency trading options, focusing instead on traditional investment offerings.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | AJ Bell | Vanguard UK Investor | |
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| Review | AJ Bell Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | AJ Bell | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | ||
| CFD Trading | |||
| Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | ||
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | ||
| Investment Trusts | Yes | ||
| Spread Betting | |||
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services |
| Trading Fees | AJ Bell | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £500 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £5 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3.50 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3.50 | N/A | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £100 | N/A | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £135 | N/A | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £255 | N/A | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £495 | N/A | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £79.50 | £108 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 - £625 | Under £32,000: £48 / Over £32,000: 0.15% | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £625 - £875 | £375 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £875 | £375 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £875 | £375 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £5 | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £5 | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £5 | 0.02% to 0.14% | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £5 | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | AJ Bell | Vanguard UK Investor | |
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| Platforms & Tools | AJ Bell | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | 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 | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | ||
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | ||
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | AJ Bell | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | ||
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | ||
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Overall Summary | AJ Bell | Vanguard UK Investor | |
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| Review | AJ Bell Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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