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, Interactive Brokers 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 - 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 both offer a range of investment choices for online trading accounts, catering to diverse investor needs. Both platforms provide share trading and ETF options, allowing users to diversify their portfolios effectively. Additionally, they offer trading of corporate and government bonds, as well as investment trusts and funds, making them suitable for those interested in fixed-income and diversified investment strategies. However, neither platform supports crypto trading or spread betting, a consideration for traders interested in these areas.
While Interactive Brokers excels with the inclusion of CFD trading—an option not available with Barclays—it lacks advisory services that Barclays offers, which could be beneficial for investors seeking financial guidance. Despite these differences, both brokers have received a high rating of 5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com for their investment choices. Ranking-wise, Interactive Brokers impressively holds the 2nd position out of 18 brokers, while Barclays comes in 6th, placing both within the top tier of available options for discerning investors.
| 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 | No | No |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
When comparing the trading tools offered by Interactive Brokers and Barclays, there are clear differences that stand out to potential users. Interactive Brokers provides a robust charting suite with the ability to display corporate events such as earnings, splits, and dividends directly on the charts. In contrast, Barclays does not offer this feature. Interactive Brokers also equips traders with an impressive array of 80 drawing tools and 96 technical indicators to enhance chart analysis, whereas Barclays falls short with none. Additionally, the platform from Interactive Brokers allows users to add personalized notes and versatile overlays, with options to include both index and stock overlays on the charts; such capabilities are absent from Barclays’ offering.
Both Interactive Brokers and Barclays do provide a browser-based trading platform, alongside the ability to set alerts for stock price updates. However, neither broker offers real-time market data, which might be a consideration for day traders or those needing immediate market insights. In summary, for investors focused on comprehensive charting and analysis features, Interactive Brokers presents a more complete toolkit compared to 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 the retirement account options offered by Interactive Brokers and Barclays, both providers cater to UK investors seeking tax-efficient savings plans. Interactive Brokers offers Individual Savings Accounts (ISA) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPP), aligning with the needs of those looking for flexible investment opportunities within these tax-advantaged wrappers. Similarly, Barclays provides access to both ISA and SIPP accounts, allowing clients to benefit from tax relief on contributions and growth. Whether you choose Interactive Brokers or Barclays, both platforms facilitate straightforward access to ISAs and SIPPs, catering to diverse retirement planning goals.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Both Interactive Brokers and Barclays provide mobile apps compatible with iPhone and Android devices, catering to users looking to trade on the go. When it comes to user experience and functionality, Interactive Brokers stands out, receiving a 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com. It ranks as the second-best mobile app out of 18 evaluated brokers. In contrast, Barclays scores lower with a 2.5-star rating, placing it 16th in the same rankings. This makes Interactive Brokers a superior choice for those prioritizing top-tier mobile trading capabilities.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing education resources for beginner investors, Interactive Brokers distinguishes itself by offering live and on-demand educational webinars, a feature not available through Barclays. Both brokers provide educational content on share trading, funds, and retirement planning topics, accommodating a broad range of investor interests. While Interactive Brokers ranks 12th out of 18 for beginner education in the UK according to UK.StockBrokers.com, Barclays secures a higher position at 5th, despite both being rated equally with 4.5 stars. This suggests that although Barclays lacks webinars, its educational resources are highly regarded for new investors.
| 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 it comes to market research features, both Interactive Brokers and Barclays stand out with rich resources, but they differ in key areas. Both platforms offer comprehensive research reports for funds and provide insights into portfolio allocation by asset class, shares, ETFs, and bonds, which cater to diverse investor needs. However, Interactive Brokers sets itself apart by offering CFDs research, a feature that Barclays does not provide. This distinction may prove crucial for investors interested in CFD trading, making Interactive Brokers a more versatile choice for those seeking in-depth market analysis across a wider range of financial instruments. Overall, whether you choose Interactive Brokers or Barclays may depend on your specific research needs and trading interests.
| 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 |
Interactive Brokers
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Barclays
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When comparing online brokers, neither Interactive Brokers nor Barclays offer cryptocurrency trading options, making them less suitable for investors interested in digital assets.
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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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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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