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.
Barclays vs Freetrade for UK investment choices: both offer share dealing and ETF trading, plus access to funds, investment trusts, and UK government bonds (gilts). Neither supports cryptocurrency or CFD trading. Barclays also offers corporate bond dealing and adviser services, while Freetrade does not provide corporate bonds or adviser support.
According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Barclays is rated 5/5 stars for investment choices and ranks 9th out of 21 brokers, while Freetrade is rated 4.5/5 stars and ranks 17th. Barclays adds corporate bonds and advice to the mix; both cover the core options of shares, ETFs, funds, trusts, and gilts.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes |
| 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.
Comparing Barclays and Freetrade for trading tools in the UK, both online brokers keep things simple. Each offers a browser-based platform and the option to set share price alerts, but neither shows corporate actions like earnings, dividends, or splits on charts. Real-time market data isn’t available with either service.
Charting features are minimal on both. There are no drawing tools, no technical indicators, and no way to add notes. You also can’t overlay an index or another share on a chart with Barclays or Freetrade. If your focus is basic monitoring and alerts via the web, they’re similar; if you want advanced chart analysis, you’ll need a different toolkit.
| 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.
For UK investors comparing online broker Barclays to Freetrade on mobile, both offer iPhone and Android apps, but UK.StockBrokers.com rates Barclays’ app at 2.5/5 and Freetrade’s at 4.5/5. In its Mobile Apps ranking of 21 brokers, Barclays sits at 21st while Freetrade is 12th, indicating Freetrade delivers a stronger, more highly rated mobile experience for trading and portfolio management on the go.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For UK beginners comparing online broker education, Barclays and Freetrade both cover share trading, funds, and retirement, but neither offers educational client webinars or on‑demand replays. Independent ratings from UK.StockBrokers.com place Barclays ahead for beginner education (4.5/5 stars, ranked 10th of 21) versus Freetrade (4/5 stars, ranked 16th of 21). If you want broad topic coverage without webinars, Barclays edges it on overall quality, while Freetrade provides similar topics with a slightly lower score.
| 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.
For UK investors comparing Barclays vs Freetrade on market research, Barclays clearly offers more: research on shares, ETFs, funds and bonds, plus fund research reports. Freetrade does not provide research in these areas. Both platforms let you view your portfolio allocation by asset class.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | No |
| 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 | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | £59.88 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £525 - £650 | £59.88 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £650 - £850 | £59.88 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £850 and up | £59.88 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £6 | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £6 | £0 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £6 | £0 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £6 | £0 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Barclays | Freetrade | |
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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 | No | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | No | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | No | |
| 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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