Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Halifax vs Barclays, 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, Halifax offers better pricing than Barclays 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.
Comparing Halifax vs Barclays for UK investing: both offer share dealing and a similar range of investment choices, including ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, UK government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts. Neither supports crypto or CFD trading, and spread betting isn’t available. Both also provide access to adviser services if you’d like professional guidance.
For investment choices, UK.StockBrokers.com rates Barclays 5/5 stars, while Halifax scores 4.5/5 and ranks 8th out of 21 brokers; a ranking for Barclays wasn’t listed. In short, both cover the core options most UK investors use—your decision may come down to fees, tools, and the account experience you prefer.
| Feature |
Halifax
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
|
|
Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
For UK investors comparing Halifax vs Barclays trading tools, both offer browser-based platforms and the ability to set price alerts, but neither provides real-time market data. On charts, neither broker displays corporate events such as earnings, splits, or dividends, and neither supports index or stock overlays.
Charting depth differs sharply: Halifax includes 8 drawing tools, 95 technical indicators, and the option to add notes to charts, while Barclays offers no drawing tools, no indicators, and no chart notes. If you need fuller chart analysis, Halifax has far more features; if you only require a basic platform with alerts, Barclays may cover the essentials.
| Feature |
Halifax
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 95 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 8 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
Halifax vs Barclays: for UK investors comparing retirement-friendly accounts, both providers offer the key tax-efficient options—an ISA (Stocks and Shares ISA) for flexible investing and a SIPP (Self-Invested Personal Pension) for pension savings. In short, Halifax offers ISAs and SIPPs, and Barclays offers ISAs and SIPPs, so your choice will likely come down to fees, features, and service rather than account availability.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Comparing online brokers in the UK, both Halifax and Barclays offer mobile trading apps on iPhone and Android. UK.StockBrokers.com rates Halifax’s app at 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks it 15th out of 21 for Mobile Apps, while Barclays’ app earns 2.5 out of 5 stars with no published ranking. If app quality matters, Halifax edges Barclays, though both provide the essentials on iOS and Android.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
Halifax vs Barclays for beginner investor education in the UK: neither broker offers client webinars or an on-demand webinar library, but both provide education covering share trading, funds, and retirement. UK.StockBrokers.com rates Halifax 4/5 with a #12 ranking out of 21 brokers, while Barclays scores higher at 4.5/5 (ranking not available). If you want straightforward learning content rather than webinars, Barclays has a slight edge, though both cover the key topics new investors care about.
| Feature |
Halifax
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
Halifax vs Barclays for market research: both UK brokers offer research on shares, ETFs, funds and bonds, including fund research reports. The key difference is portfolio analysis—Barclays lets you view your portfolio allocation by asset class, while Halifax does not. If you want clearer portfolio breakdowns alongside wide-ranging research, Barclays has the edge; if you only need share, ETF, fund and bond insights, Halifax covers the basics.
| Feature |
Halifax
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | No | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Halifax or Barclays? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Halifax to be a better trading platform overall.
Halifax is a U.K. investment platform best known for its simple, flat-fee pricing structure, support for ISAs and SIPPs, and low annual costs for holding larger portfolios.
| Feature |
Halifax
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Charges & Fees |
|
|
| Investment Choices |
|
|
| Mobile App |
|
|
| Website |
|
|
| Ease of Use |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
Halifax vs Barclays: neither online broker offers cryptocurrency trading, so investors seeking crypto access should consider alternative platforms.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | Halifax | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Charges & Fees |
|
| |
| Investment Choices |
|
| |
| Mobile App |
|
| |
| Website |
|
| |
| Ease of Use |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Review | Halifax Review | Barclays Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Halifax | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Halifax | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £9.50 | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £9.50 | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £9.50 | £6 | |
| 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 | £36 | £0 - £525 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £36 | £525 - £650 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £36 | £650 - £850 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £36 | £850 and up | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £9.50 | £6 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £9.50 | £6 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £0 / £3.50 / £9.50 | £6 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £0 / £3.50 / £9.50 | £6 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | £25 |
| Broker Screenshots | Halifax | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand) |
|
| |
| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Platforms & Tools | Halifax | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 95 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 8 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | Halifax | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | No | Yes |
| Education | Halifax | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Overall Summary | Halifax | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Charges & Fees |
|
| |
| Investment Choices |
|
| |
| Mobile App |
|
| |
| Website |
|
| |
| Ease of Use |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Review | Halifax Review | Barclays Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
Trading 212 Review
IG Group Review
Interactive Brokers Review
Freetrade Review
XTB Review
Hargreaves Lansdown Review
Saxo Review
eToro Review
Halifax Review
Vanguard Review
CMC Invest Review
