Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Investor 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, Interactive Investor 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.
Interactive Investor vs Barclays: both UK platforms let you deal shares and access a wide range of investments across your accounts, including ETFs, funds, investment trusts, corporate bonds and government bonds (gilts). Neither supports crypto or CFD trading. Information on spread betting isn’t provided for either.
Barclays offers advisor services, while Interactive Investor is execution-only. For investment choices, UK.StockBrokers.com rates both at 5 stars; Interactive Investor ranks 3rd out of 21 brokers, while Barclays’ ranking isn’t listed. Choose Barclays if you want advice, or Interactive Investor if you prefer to pick and manage your own investments.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
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 | No | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
|
|
Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Interactive Investor offers richer charting than Barclays. You can show corporate events (earnings, splits and dividends), add notes, and overlay other stocks, plus choose from 104 technical indicators. Barclays lacks these extras: no event markers, no notes, no stock overlays and no technical indicators; it also provides no drawing tools. Index overlays are not available with either provider.
On the platform side, both Interactive Investor and Barclays offer a browser-based platform and let you set price alerts, which suits UK investors who want simple tools for monitoring positions. Neither offers real-time market data, so prices are delayed.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
When comparing online brokers Interactive Investor and Barclays for UK retirement accounts, both platforms offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). This makes either option suitable for investors looking to save for retirement or manage their investments in a tax-efficient manner. With both providing these essential account types, potential users should consider factors like fees, tools, and customer service when making a decision best suited to their financial goals.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Interactive Investor and Barclays both offer iPhone and Android trading apps in the UK, but UK.StockBrokers.com rates them very differently: Interactive Investor’s app earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks 8th out of 21 brokers for Mobile Apps, while Barclays’ app is rated 2.5 out of 5 stars with no ranking listed. For a higher‑rated mobile experience on iOS or Android, Interactive Investor looks the stronger choice, whereas Barclays covers the essentials with a lower review score.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For UK beginner investors comparing education from Interactive Investor and Barclays, both cover the key topics—share trading, funds, and retirement—and neither offers client webinars or on-demand webinar archives. The main difference is quality scores: UK.StockBrokers.com rates Interactive Investor 5/5 stars and ranks it 3rd of 21 brokers for beginner education, while Barclays earns 4.5/5 stars with no published ranking. If you want higher-rated learning materials and a recognised position in the rankings, Interactive Investor has the edge; Barclays still provides helpful guides across the basics.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
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.
When comparing the market research features of Interactive Investor and Barclays, both platforms offer a comprehensive range of resources beneficial for UK investors. Interactive Investor provides research reports on funds, just like Barclays. Investors can also view their portfolio allocation by asset class on both platforms, helping them better understand their investment distribution. In terms of specific investment types, both Interactive Investor and Barclays offer research on shares, ETFs, funds, and bonds, ensuring you have access to detailed information no matter your investment focus.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
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 | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Interactive Investor or Barclays? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Interactive Investor to be a better trading platform overall.
Interactive Investor is a great platform for any investor, offering a wide range of investments for cheap prices on the whole.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Charges & Fees |
|
|
| Investment Choices |
|
|
| Mobile App |
|
|
| Website |
|
|
| Ease of Use |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
When comparing online brokers, both Interactive Investor and Barclays do not offer crypto trading options.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Investor | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Charges & Fees |
|
| |
| Investment Choices |
|
| |
| Mobile App |
|
| |
| Website |
|
| |
| Ease of Use |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Review | Interactive Investor Review | Barclays Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Investor | 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 | No | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Investor | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £1 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £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 | £71.88 / £179.88 | £0 - £525 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £179.88 | £525 - £650 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £179.88 | £650 - £850 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £179.88 | £850 and up | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £3.99 | £6 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £3.99 | £6 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3.99 | £6 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £3.99 | £6 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £49 | £25 |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Investor | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand) |
|
| |
| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Platforms & Tools | Interactive Investor | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | ||
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | Interactive Investor | 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 | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Investor | 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 | Interactive Investor | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Charges & Fees |
|
| |
| Investment Choices |
|
| |
| Mobile App |
|
| |
| Website |
|
| |
| Ease of Use |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Review | Interactive Investor 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