Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Barclays vs Bestinvest, 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, Barclays offers better pricing than Bestinvest 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 - Barclays would cost £105 per year, while Bestinvest would cost £144.75 per year.
12 trades per year - Barclays would cost £75 or £147 per year, while Bestinvest would cost £119.40 - £179.40 per year.
36 trades per year - Barclays would cost £75 or £291 per year, while Bestinvest would cost £238.20 - £357.60 per year.
120 trades per year - Barclays would cost £75 or £795 per year, while Bestinvest would cost £654 - £714 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Barclays would cost £0 per year, while Bestinvest would cost £50 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.
Barclays and Bestinvest are both well-regarded options for UK investors seeking diverse investment choices. Barclays shines with its comprehensive selection, offering share trading, funds, ETFs, corporate and government bonds, and investment trusts. Bestinvest matches Barclays in the variety of shares, funds, ETFs, and investment trusts available. However, it does not provide trading for corporate or government bonds, which might be a consideration for more focused bond investors. Both platforms, however, do not yet cater to cryptocurrency or spread betting enthusiasts, and neither supports CFD trading.
When it comes to service ratings, Barclays takes a slight edge with a 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, compared to Bestinvest's 4.5 stars. In rankings, Barclays holds the 9th position out of 18 brokers for investment choices, closely followed by Bestinvest at 10th. Both platforms offer advisor services, ensuring investors have access to guidance in navigating their investment portfolios. Whether prioritising a wider range of investment vehicles or slightly higher industry rankings, investors can assess which broker aligns better with their financial goals.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Bestinvest
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | Yes | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
When comparing the trading tool features of Barclays and Bestinvest, both lack the ability to display corporate events such as earnings, splits, and dividends on charts. Barclays, however, provides a more basic experience with no drawing tools, technical indicators, or options to add notes to charts, offering a straightforward browser-based trading platform. In contrast, Bestinvest enhances the user experience with nine drawing tools and 36 technical indicators, along with the ability to add notes to charts, catering to users who appreciate more detailed chart analysis.
Both Barclays and Bestinvest offer browser-based trading platforms and the capability to set alerts for stock price updates. Although neither provides real-time market data, Bestinvest stands out with its added functionality to overlay stock information on charts—something Barclays does not offer. If you seek a feature-rich charting experience, Bestinvest might align more closely with your trading needs.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Bestinvest
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | 36 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | 9 |
| Charting - Notes | No | Yes |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
When comparing online brokers Barclays and Bestinvest, both offer appealing options for UK residents considering retirement and savings accounts. Barclays provides Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), allowing investors to save efficiently with tax advantages. Similarly, Bestinvest offers ISAs and SIPPs, making it a strong contender for those seeking a flexible and tax-efficient approach to savings and retirement planning. With both brokers supporting these popular account types, UK investors have the freedom to choose based on other factors such as customer service and additional features to best suit their investment goals.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Barclays and Bestinvest both offer mobile apps for iPhone and Android devices, catering to users who want to manage investments on the go. Assessing their quality, UK.StockBrokers.com rates Barclays' mobile app at 2.5 out of 5 stars, which places it at rank 21 out of 18 brokers—highlighting some performance concerns. Meanwhile, Bestinvest's app receives a higher score of 3.5 stars and ranks 16th, suggesting a better user experience. Both apps meet basic accessibility needs, but Bestinvest seems to offer more reliable functionality according to these ratings.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors in the UK looking to enhance their educational journey through online brokers, Barclays and Bestinvest present distinct offerings. Bestinvest stands out with its inclusion of educational client webinars, which are also available on demand for convenient viewing, a feature lacking from Barclays' lineup. Both platforms deliver educational resources covering key investment areas like share trading, funds, and retirement. However, when it comes to rankings and ratings, Bestinvest takes a slight edge. Rated at 5 stars for beginner education, Bestinvest is positioned 6th among 18 brokers by UK.StockBrokers.com, while Barclays, with a respectable 4.5-star rating, ranks 10th. Overall, Bestinvest offers more tailored features to support newcomers in the investing landscape.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Bestinvest
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When evaluating the market research features of Barclays and Bestinvest for UK investors, both online brokers offer comprehensive research reports for shares, ETFs, and funds, making them equally suitable for those interested in these investment products. They also both allow users to view portfolio allocation by asset class, aiding in informed decision-making. However, Barclays stands out with the inclusion of bonds research, providing an edge for investors who prioritize access to this information, whereas Bestinvest does not offer this feature. Neither broker provides research on CFDs, so investors must seek alternative sources for this particular asset class.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Bestinvest
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | No | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Barclays or Bestinvest? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Barclays to be a better trading platform overall.
Barclays Smart Investor offers a wide range of investments and accounts and is a good value for those with a midsize portolio who like flat fees. On the downside, it can be complicated to open an account as a non-Barclays bank customer, and you can’t buy or sell investments through the app if you don’t have a Barclays bank account.
| Feature |
Barclays
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Bestinvest
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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Both Barclays and Bestinvest do not offer crypto trading, making them similar options for investors who are not seeking cryptocurrency investment opportunities.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Barclays | Bestinvest | |
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| Review | Barclays Review | Bestinvest Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Barclays | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | No | No | |
| Advisor Services | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Barclays | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £50 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £6 | £0 - £4.95 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £6 | £0 - £4.95 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £6 | £0 - £4.95 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £105 | £144.75 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 or £147 | £119.40 - £179.40 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 or £291 | £238.20 - £357.60 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 or £795 | £654 - £714 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 | £60 or £120 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 - £525 | Up to £500 or £1,000 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £525 - £650 | £500 - £1,000 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £650 - £850 | £100 - £1,000 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £850 and up | £0 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £6 | £4.95 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £6 | £4.95 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £6 | £4.95 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £6 | £4.95 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | £30 |
| Broker Screenshots | Barclays | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Barclays | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | 36 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | 9 | |
| Charting - Notes | No | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | Barclays | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | No | No | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Barclays | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes |
| Overall Summary | Barclays | Bestinvest | |
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| Review | Barclays Review | Bestinvest Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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