Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Barclays vs Freetrade, 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, Barclays offers better pricing than Freetrade 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.
When exploring online brokers in the UK, Barclays and Freetrade are popular options with varied offerings. Both platforms enable users to trade shares and ETFs, whereas neither supports crypto or CFD trading. For those interested in fund diversity, Barclays stands out, allowing trading in funds, corporate bonds, government bonds, and investment trusts, along with providing advisor services. Freetrade focuses on simplicity and ease, offering trading in shares, ETFs, and investment trusts without the added complexity of bonds or advisor services.
Barclays is highly regarded for its extensive investment choices, earning a 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com and securing the 9th position among 21 brokers. Conversely, Freetrade, with a more straightforward approach, achieves a commendable 4-star rating, ranking 17th. While Barclays caters to investors seeking a broader range of assets and expert guidance, Freetrade appeals to those preferring a more streamlined investment experience.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | Yes | No |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
When comparing the trading tools offered by Barclays and Freetrade, both platforms present a range of similar features with a few notable differences. For UK investors seeking browser-based access, both Barclays and Freetrade have you covered, allowing trades to be executed directly from their respective platforms. If setting up alerts for price updates is a priority, both brokers provide this capability. However, when it comes to tracking real-time market data, Freetrade takes the lead by offering this service, whereas Barclays does not.
For those who enjoy customizing their trading charts, neither Barclays nor Freetrade offer tools like drawing features, technical indicators, or options to display corporate events, such as earnings or dividends, which may limit some investors' abilities to perform in-depth chart analysis. Both platforms also lack options for adding notes or overlays, like indices or stocks, to charts. While these two brokers share a similar feature set, Freetrade may appeal to traders who value immediate access to market data.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | No | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
When comparing online brokers Barclays and Freetrade for retirement planning in the UK, both firms conveniently offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) to their customers. These accounts are essential for those looking to save and invest efficiently, allowing you to manage your investments with tax advantages. Barclays and Freetrade provide flexible options for maintaining your retirement savings through either an ISA or SIPP, offering you the opportunity to tailor your investment strategy to meet your long-term financial goals. With both platforms at your disposal, UK investors can easily find a suitable solution for their retirement planning while benefiting from user-friendly online services.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Both Barclays and Freetrade offer mobile apps for iPhone and Android users, ensuring seamless trading experiences from your smartphone. When it comes to user satisfaction, Freetrade stands out with a 4-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, indicating a smoother and more reliable mobile app experience. Conversely, Barclays trails with a 2.5-star rating, placing it at the bottom of the list in the 21-broker ranking for mobile apps. Positioned at #12, Freetrade is recognized as a favorable choice among traders, while Barclays occupies the last spot at #21, suggesting areas for improvement in its mobile app performance. Whether you prioritize intuitive interfaces or app reliability, these ratings highlight Freetrade's edge in mobile trading access.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When it comes to beginner investor educational resources, both Barclays and Freetrade provide support for topics such as share trading, funds, and retirement, designed to cater to new investors in the UK. However, neither offers live or on-demand educational webinars for clients. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Barclays edges ahead with a commendable 4.5-star rating, ranking 10th out of 21 brokers, while Freetrade holds a modest 3.5-star rating, placing it at 16th. This suggests that while both platforms offer essential guidance, Barclays may provide a more comprehensive educational experience for those just starting their investment journey.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing market research features, Barclays and Freetrade both provide shareholders with insights into shares and ETFs. However, Barclays edges ahead by offering more comprehensive resources. UK investors will find that Barclays provides research reports for funds and bonds, resources which Freetrade does not offer. Both platforms allow investors to view portfolio allocations by asset class, yet Barclays stands out with its extra layer of information on funds and bonds, giving its users a broader spectrum of market research tools.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Barclays or Freetrade? 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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Freetrade
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Neither Barclays nor Freetrade offers cryptocurrency trading, providing users with a straightforward online brokerage experience focused on traditional assets.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Barclays | Freetrade | |
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| Review | Barclays Review | Freetrade Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Barclays | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | No | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | Yes | No |
| Trading Fees | Barclays | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £1 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £6 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £6 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £6 | £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 - £525 | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £525 - £650 | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £650 - £850 | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £850 and up | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £6 | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £6 | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £6 | £0 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £6 | £0 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Barclays | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Barclays | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | No | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | Barclays | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
| Education | Barclays | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Overall Summary | Barclays | Freetrade | |
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| Review | Barclays Review | Freetrade Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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