Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of AJ Bell vs XTB, 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, XTB offers better pricing than AJ Bell for share dealing.
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.
For UK investors weighing their options, AJ Bell and XTB present distinct choices in the realm of investment opportunities. Both brokers allow for share trading and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), yet they part ways in other investment areas. AJ Bell excels with options like funds, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts, while XTB focuses on offering contracts for difference (CFD) trading. Neither broker provides crypto trading or advisor services, but each caters to different investor needs with their own unique strengths.
AJ Bell shines with a five-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com for its varied investment choices, ranking 5th out of 21 brokers. In contrast, XTB garners a commendable 4.5-star rating, ranking 13th, appealing particularly to those interested in CFD trading. However, XTB lacks offerings such as funds and bonds, which AJ Bell supplies in abundance. Choosing between the two largely depends on the specific financial instruments you're interested in trading, with each platform offering tailored strengths in their respective lineups.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
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XTB
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|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
AJ Bell vs XTB: both brokers let you show corporate events like earnings, splits and dividends on charts, and both have a browser-based platform. For charting tools, AJ Bell offers more to work with, including 8 drawing tools and 31 technical indicators, plus price alerts for stock updates. XTB counters with real-time market data (AJ Bell does not), but it has fewer built-in tools, with 4 drawing tools and 13 indicators.
If you want deeper chart analysis and built-in alerts, AJ Bell is the better fit. If you value live pricing and like adding notes and overlays, XTB stands out, letting you annotate charts and layer index or stock overlays—features AJ Bell doesn’t include.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
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XTB
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|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 31 | 13 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 8 | 4 |
| Charting - Notes | No | Yes |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | Yes |
When comparing AJ Bell and XTB for retirement accounts in the UK, key differences can be noted in their offerings. Both AJ Bell and XTB provide Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), allowing for tax-efficient saving. However, when it comes to Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), AJ Bell stands out as it offers these accounts, while XTB does not. This distinction makes AJ Bell a more comprehensive choice for investors seeking both ISAs and SIPPs for their retirement planning. Meanwhile, potential investors with XTB will need to consider alternative providers if SIPPs are part of their retirement strategy.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
UK investors comparing online brokers will find both AJ Bell and XTB offer iPhone and Android mobile trading apps, but XTB edges ahead on quality: UK.StockBrokers.com rates XTB’s app 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks it #6 out of 21 brokers for Mobile Apps, while AJ Bell’s app earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #9. If mobile experience is a priority, XTB may be the stronger choice, though both support trading on the go across iOS and Android.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing the educational resources for beginner investors offered by AJ Bell and XTB, AJ Bell stands out significantly. AJ Bell provides comprehensive educational webinars that are available both live and on-demand, allowing investors to learn at their own pace. In contrast, XTB does not offer webinars. AJ Bell covers a broad spectrum of topics, including share trading, funds, and retirement, while XTB focuses only on share trading. AJ Bell's dedication to educating beginners is reflected in its 5-star rating and impressive #5 rank out of 21 brokers by UK.StockBrokers.com, whereas XTB holds a 4.5-star rating and is ranked #9. For UK investors seeking in-depth educational support, AJ Bell emerges as the stronger choice.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
XTB
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
Comparing AJ Bell and XTB for market research, AJ Bell is stronger for funds and portfolio visibility: it offers research reports for funds, research on shares, ETFs, funds and bonds, plus a portfolio allocation view by asset class. XTB provides research on shares and ETFs but lacks fund research reports, funds research, bond research and an asset-class allocation view—making AJ Bell a better fit for UK investors who want deeper research and clearer portfolio breakdowns.
| Feature |
AJ Bell
|
XTB
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
Which broker is better overall, AJ Bell or XTB? 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.
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XTB
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When comparing online brokers AJ Bell and XTB, neither offers crypto trading, highlighting a similarity in their investment options.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | AJ Bell | XTB | |
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| Review | AJ Bell Review | XTB Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | AJ Bell | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | No | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | Yes | |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | No | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | AJ Bell | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £5 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £1.50 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £1.50 | £0 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £0 - £250,000 | £0 - £625 | N/A | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £625 - £875 | N/A | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £875 | N/A | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £875 | N/A | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £5 | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £5 | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £5 | £0 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £5 | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | AJ Bell | XTB | |
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| Platforms & Tools | AJ Bell | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 31 | 13 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 8 | 4 | |
| Charting - Notes | No | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | Yes |
| Research | AJ Bell | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | No | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
| Education | AJ Bell | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Overall Summary | AJ Bell | XTB | |
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| Review | AJ Bell Review | XTB Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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