Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Barclays, 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, Barclays offers better pricing than Interactive Brokers 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 - Interactive Brokers would cost £15 per year, while Barclays would cost £105 per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £36 per year, while Barclays would cost £75 or £147 per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £108 per year, while Barclays would cost £75 or £291 per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £360 per year, while Barclays would cost £75 or £795 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £0 per year, while Barclays 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.
Interactive Brokers and Barclays offer a variety of investment options tailored to the needs of UK investors. Both platforms provide access to share trading, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds, and investment trusts. However, Interactive Brokers extends its range to include cryptocurrency and CFD trading, options that are not available with Barclays. Neither platform currently offers spread betting. While Interactive Brokers does not provide advisor services, Barclays does, offering a more guided investment experience for those who prefer expert advice.
When it comes to investment choices, both Interactive Brokers and Barclays are highly rated, each earning five stars from UK.StockBrokers.com. However, Interactive Brokers edges ahead in the rankings, positioned second out of 18 brokers, thanks to its broader investment offerings. Barclays, while strong in its own right, ranks ninth, catering well to those who may prioritize comprehensive advisory services over access to crypto assets and CFDs.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | No |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
In comparing the trading tools offered by Interactive Brokers and Barclays, Interactive Brokers clearly provides a richer charting experience for UK investors. Interactive Brokers allows users to display corporate events like earnings, splits, and dividends directly on their charts, a feature Barclays lacks. Additionally, Interactive Brokers significantly outpaces Barclays with 80 drawing tools and 96 technical indicators for charting, whereas Barclays does not offer any. Chart annotations and overlays, whether index or stock, are also supported by Interactive Brokers, providing users with a comprehensive suite of charting tools that Barclays does not match.
Both Interactive Brokers and Barclays provide a browser-based trading platform and the ability to create alerts for stock price updates, ensuring a convenient trading experience. However, neither platform supports real-time market data, which may necessitate the use of additional resources for the most up-to-date information. For those seeking a more detailed charting toolkit, Interactive Brokers stands out as the more versatile option when compared to the more basic offerings from Barclays.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
When comparing Interactive Brokers and Barclays for UK retirement account options, both platforms offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), giving investors flexibility in choosing tax-efficient savings solutions. Interactive Brokers, well-regarded for its comprehensive trading tools, makes these accounts available with its diverse investment offerings. Barclays, a well-known banking institution, provides ISAs and SIPPs alongside its range of traditional banking services, ensuring familiarity and accessibility. Whether prioritizing advanced trading capabilities or preferring established banking convenience, both Interactive Brokers and Barclays present viable options for managing retirement savings with ISAs and SIPPs.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
In the realm of mobile trading apps, both Interactive Brokers and Barclays cater to UK users with iPhone and Android offerings. However, a closer look at ratings by UK.StockBrokers.com reveals a notable difference in performance. Interactive Brokers impresses with a 5-star rating for its mobile app, earning the #4 spot among 18 brokers. In contrast, Barclays offers a more modest experience, garnering a 2.5-star rating and ranking #21 in the same list. For UK investors prioritizing seamless mobile trading, Interactive Brokers stands out as the superior choice.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For UK beginners seeking investment education, Interactive Brokers and Barclays offer distinct resources. Interactive Brokers provides client webinars, available both live and on-demand, covering share trading, funds, and retirement topics. In contrast, Barclays lacks webinar offerings, relying on other educational content for those subjects. Both firms are equally rated at 4.5 stars for beginner education by UK.StockBrokers.com, but Interactive Brokers ranks slightly higher at 8th place compared to Barclays' 10th position among 18 brokers. This makes Interactive Brokers a slightly more appealing choice for new investors eager for flexible learning options.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | 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 the market research features of Interactive Brokers and Barclays, both platforms cater to those wanting thorough insights into various investment opportunities. They each provide detailed research reports for funds, enabling investors to make informed decisions. Interactive Brokers and Barclays also offer in-depth analysis for shares, ETFs, and Bonds, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of these investments. While both brokers allow investors to view portfolio allocation by asset class, only Interactive Brokers extends its offering to include CFDs research. This makes Interactive Brokers a strong contender for UK investors interested in exploring Contracts for Difference alongside traditional asset types.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Interactive Brokers or Barclays? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Interactive Brokers to be a better trading platform overall.
Interactive Brokers is a sophisticated trading platform aimed at confident and institutional-grade investors. For newer investors, Interactive Brokers is more intimidating, though it's worth exploring the platform to see if you could save money or access more investments compared to other brokers.
| Feature |
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Barclays
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Interactive Brokers provides the opportunity for crypto trading, unlike Barclays, which does not offer such services.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | Barclays | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Barclays Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | 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 | Yes | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Brokers | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3 | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3 | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3 | £6 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £15 | £105 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £36 | £75 or £147 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £108 | £75 or £291 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £360 | £75 or £795 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 / £14.85 | £75 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 | £0 - £525 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 | £525 - £650 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £650 - £850 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 | £850 and up | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | £6 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | £6 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3 | £6 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A | £6 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | £25 |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Barclays | |
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| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Interactive Brokers | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | No | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Brokers | Barclays | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Barclays Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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