UK.StockBrokers.com is committed to the highest ethical standards and reviews services independently. Learn How We Make Money

Bestinvest vs Barclays 2024

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

August 06, 2024

Is Bestinvest better than Barclays? After scoring the best share dealing accounts across 46 different variables, our analysis finds that Bestinvest is better than Barclays. Bestinvest is a very good broker that should appeal to a wide range of investors. Fees are competitive, particularly if you invest in funds or US shares, and the investment options are extensive. The Bestinvest platform is relatively easy to use and the offer of a free 45 minute session with a financial coach can be a useful starting point for newer investors. Bestinvest is also a great option for a Junior SIPP, as it is one of very few UK brokers offering children’s pensions and with a low entry point.

Select Brokers

×
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxAJ Bell
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxBarclays
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxBestinvest
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCapital.com
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCharles Stanley Direct
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCMC Invest
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxeToro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFidelity International
  • 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_boxRevolut
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxRobinhood UK
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSaxo
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTrading 212
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxVanguard UK Investor
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxWebull
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxXTB

Compare

0 of 5
Overall Rating Bestinvest Barclays
Overall Rating 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Charges & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Investment Choices 4.5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Mobile App 3.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Website 4/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Review Bestinvest Review Barclays Review
Winner check_circle
Investments Bestinvest Barclays
ISA info Yes Yes
SIPP info Yes Yes
Share Trading info Yes Yes
CFD Trading info No No
Funds info Yes Yes
ETFs info Yes Yes
Bonds - Corporate info No Yes
Bonds - Government (Gilts) info No Yes
Investment Trusts info Yes Yes
Spread Betting info No No
Crypto Trading info No No
Advisor Services info Yes Yes
Trading Fees Bestinvest Barclays
Minimum Deposit info £50 £0
Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month info £0 - £4.95 £6
Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month info £0 - £4.95 £6
Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month info £0 - £4.95 £6
5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £144.75 £78
12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £119.40 - £179.40 £120
36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £238.20 - £357.60 £264
120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £654 - £714 £768
3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £60 or £120 £69
Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 info Up to £500 or £1,000 £48 - £500
Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K info £500 - £1,000 £500 - £1,000
Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m info £100 - £1,000 £1,000 - £1,500
Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over info £0 £1,500
Bonds - Corporate - Fee info £4.95 £6
Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee info £4.95 £6
ETFs - Fee info £4.95 £6
Investment Trusts - Fee info £4.95 £6
Telephone Dealing Fee info £30 £25
Broker Screenshots Bestinvest Barclays
Website Gallery (click to expand)
Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand)
Education Gallery (click to expand)
Platforms & Tools Bestinvest Barclays
Web Platform info Yes Yes
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Stock Alerts info Yes No
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 36 0
Charting - Drawing Tools info 9 0
Charting - Notes info Yes No
Charting - Display Corporate Events info No No
Charting - Stock Overlays info Yes No
Charting - Index Overlays info No Yes
Research Bestinvest Barclays
Research - Shares info Yes Yes
Research - CFDs info No No
Research - Funds info Yes Yes
Fund Research - Research Reports info Yes Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Bonds info No Yes
Portfolio Allocation Breakdown info Yes Yes
Education Bestinvest Barclays
Education (Share Trading) info Yes Yes
Education (Funds) info Yes Yes
Education (Retirement) info Yes Yes
Client Webinars info Yes No
Client Webinars (Archived) info Yes No
Overall Summary Bestinvest Barclays
Overall Rating 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Charges & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Investment Choices 4.5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Mobile App 3.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Website 4/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Review Bestinvest Review Barclays Review
Winner check_circle
arrow_upward

Comparing online share dealing platforms side by side is no small task. For our 2024 review of U.K. brokers, more than 900 data points were collected over a 10-week period and used to score each broker. Let’s compare Bestinvest and Barclays.

Bestinvest vs Barclays Comparison

For our 2024 Review, we assessed the best trading platforms in the UK for online share dealing. Let's compare Bestinvest vs Barclays.

Is Bestinvest a good broker?

Bestinvest is a very good broker that should appeal to a wide range of investors. Fees are competitive, particularly if you invest in funds or US shares, and the investment options are extensive. The Bestinvest platform is relatively easy to use and the offer of a free 45 minute session with a financial coach can be a useful starting point for newer investors. Bestinvest is also a great option for a Junior SIPP, as it is one of very few UK brokers offering children’s pensions and with a low entry point.

Is Barclays a good broker?

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.

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, 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 - Bestinvest would cost £144.75 per year, while Barclays would cost £78 per year.

12 trades per year - Bestinvest would cost £119.40 - £179.40 per year, while Barclays would cost £120 per year.

36 trades per year - Bestinvest would cost £238.20 - £357.60 per year, while Barclays would cost £264 per year.

120 trades per year - Bestinvest would cost £654 - £714 per year, while Barclays would cost £768 per year.

3 fund trades per year - Bestinvest would cost £50 per year, while Barclays would cost £0 per year.

query_stats What type of trader are you?

New to the world of investing? See my picks for the best UK trading platforms for beginners. More experienced traders should check out my guide to the best UK Trading Platforms for Active Traders. If you're looking to trade shares on the go, read my guide to the best UK stock trading apps.

How do Bestinvest and Barclays compare in terms of minimum deposits required?

Bestinvest requires a minimum deposit of £50, while Barclays requires a minimum deposit of £0. From our testing we found for accounts between £0 - £250,000 Bestinvest charges annual custody fees of Up to £500 or £1,000, while Barclays charges annual custody fees of £48 - £500.

Which broker offers a wider range of investment options?

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

Do Bestinvest and Barclays 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 Bestinvest and Barclays offer SIPP and ISA accounts.

Do Bestinvest and Barclays 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 Bestinvest nor Barclays offer crypto investing.

Which broker offers a better website experience?

Our testing concluded that the website of Barclays is better than the website of Bestinvest. Barclays offers more functionality, is cleanly designed, and is, overall, easier to use for beginners and casual investors.

Which stock trading app is better?

To compare the trading platforms of both Bestinvest and Barclays, we tested each broker's stock trading app. All features compared, our analysis finds that Barclays offers a better mobile app. Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.

Do Bestinvest and Barclays 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 Bestinvest offers traders access to Client Webinars, Client Webinars (Archived), Education (Share Trading), Education (Funds) and Education (Retirement), while Barclays offers access to Education (Share Trading), Education (Funds) and Education (Retirement).

Overall winner: Bestinvest

Popular Guides

More Guides

Popular Stock Broker Reviews



close