Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Barclays vs Halifax, 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, Halifax offers better pricing than Barclays 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 Halifax would cost £83.50 per year.
12 trades per year - Barclays would cost £75 or £147 per year, while Halifax would cost £150 per year.
36 trades per year - Barclays would cost £75 or £291 per year, while Halifax would cost £378 per year.
120 trades per year - Barclays would cost £75 or £795 per year, while Halifax would cost £1,176 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Barclays would cost £0 per year, while Halifax would cost £0 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.
When comparing Barclays and Halifax for investment accounts, Barclays offers a more comprehensive share trading option, while Halifax does not provide this specific service. Both brokers, however, do not offer crypto trading, spread betting, or CFD trading. If you're interested in trading ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds, or investment trusts, both Barclays and Halifax have you covered, providing a wide array of investment opportunities in these areas.
Barclays and Halifax ensure you have access to advisor services, helping guide your investment decisions. Both brokers have earned a 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com for their investment choices, with Barclays slightly ahead, ranked #6 out of 18 brokers, while Halifax follows closely at #7. Whether you choose Barclays or Halifax, you’ll find robust options to suit your investment needs.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | No |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| 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 |
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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
When comparing the online trading tools of Barclays and Halifax, both brokers offer some basic functionalities but lack some deeper, more interactive features. Neither Barclays nor Halifax provide the option to display corporate events like earnings or dividends directly on charts. Additionally, neither offers drawing tools, technical indicators, or the ability to add personal notes or index and stock overlays to their charts. This might be disappointing for those looking for robust charting capabilities.
On a more positive note, both brokers do offer browser-based trading platforms, ensuring accessibility without the need for additional downloads. Furthermore, Barclays and Halifax support setting up alerts for stock price updates, helping traders keep track of market movements. However, for those requiring real-time market data to make swift decisions, it's worth noting that neither Barclays nor Halifax provide this feature. Overall, while both brokers cover basic trading needs, investors seeking comprehensive charting and data tools might need to look elsewhere.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Halifax, both offer attractive options for those looking to invest for retirement. For individual savings accounts (ISAs), both brokers provide competitive choices, making it easy to find a plan that suits your financial goals. Similarly, when it comes to Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), Barclays and Halifax both offer these accounts, giving investors flexibility in managing their retirement savings. Whether you're looking for an ISA or a SIPP, both Barclays and Halifax deliver solid options to help you plan for the future.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing the mobile app offerings of Barclays and Halifax for online trading, both brokers provide apps compatible with iPhone and Android devices. Barclays' app receives a rating of 2.5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com, ranking 16th out of 18 brokers, indicating a need for improvement. On the other hand, Halifax's app fares slightly better with a 3.5-star rating, placing it 14th in the same ranking. These ratings highlight that while both brokers offer functional mobile platforms, users may find Halifax's app more favorable for their trading needs.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing the beginner investor educational resources of Barclays and Halifax, significant differences emerge. Barclays offers a comprehensive suite of educational materials covering share trading, funds, and retirement, making it an attractive choice for novice investors eager to learn. In contrast, Halifax lacks educational content on these topics. Neither Barclays nor Halifax provides live or archived educational webinars, which might be a downside for those who prefer interactive learning formats. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Barclays shines with a 4.5-star rating and ranks 5th out of 18 brokers for beginner education, whereas Halifax trails with a 3.5-star rating, positioned at 16th. For those seeking rich educational content to kickstart their investing journey, Barclays appears to be the more favorable option.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing the market research features of online brokers Barclays and Halifax, several distinctions emerge. Barclays provides research reports for funds, a feature not available with Halifax. Additionally, Barclays offers a tool to view portfolio allocation by asset class, which Halifax lacks. Both brokers offer comprehensive research options for shares, ETFs, funds, and bonds, but neither provides research for CFDs. Overall, Barclays stands out for its superior market research tools, particularly in areas of fund reports and portfolio allocation insights.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | No | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
Which broker is better overall, Barclays or Halifax? 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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Halifax
|
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Both Barclays and Halifax online brokers do not offer cryptocurrency trading, providing traditional investment options without access to crypto markets.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Barclays | Halifax | |
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| Review | Barclays Review | Halifax Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Barclays | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | No | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| 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 | No | No | |
| Advisor Services | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Barclays | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £6 | £9.50 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £6 | £9.50 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £6 | £9.50 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £105 | £83.50 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 or £147 | £150 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 or £291 | £378 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 or £795 | £1,176 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 | £64.50 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 - £525 | £36 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £525 - £650 | £36 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £650 - £850 | £36 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £850 and up | £36 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £6 | £9.5 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £6 | £9.5 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £6 | £9.5 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £6 | £9.5 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | £25 |
| Broker Screenshots | Barclays | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | No | No | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
| Education | Barclays | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Overall Summary | Barclays | Halifax | |
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| Review | Barclays Review | Halifax Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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