Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Barclays vs Lloyds Bank, 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, Lloyds Bank 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 Lloyds Bank would cost £95 per year.
12 trades per year - Barclays would cost £75 or £147 per year, while Lloyds Bank would cost £40 - £172 per year.
36 trades per year - Barclays would cost £75 or £291 per year, while Lloyds Bank would cost £40 - £328 per year.
120 trades per year - Barclays would cost £75 or £795 per year, while Lloyds Bank would cost £40 / £1,000 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Barclays would cost £0 per year, while Lloyds Bank 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 Lloyds Bank for online brokerage services, both financial institutions offer a wide range of investment opportunities. Investors looking to trade shares, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts will find both brokers accommodating these needs. While neither bank facilitates crypto trading, spread betting, or CFD trading, they do provide advisory services to support their clients’ investment decisions.
Both Barclays and Lloyds Bank receive strong acclaim for their investment choices, each earning a stellar 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com. However, Barclays holds a slight edge in the rankings, coming in at number six out of eighteen brokers, while Lloyds Bank is ranked eighth. This subtle difference might influence the decision for investors prioritizing broker rankings as they embark on their investment journeys.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Lloyds Bank
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| 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 trading tools of Barclays and Lloyds Bank, both online brokers present quite similar features. Neither Barclays nor Lloyds Bank offers chart enhancements like displaying corporate events such as earnings, splits, or dividends. Both brokers also lack essential charting tools, such as drawing tools, technical indicators, the ability to add notes and overlays to charts, whether index or stock overlays. This indicates a basic level of charting functionality for traders who might rely heavily on these charting capabilities for their investment strategies.
On a brighter note, both Barclays and Lloyds Bank provide a browser-based trading platform that allows traders to manage their investments directly from the web. Moreover, both brokers offer the ability to create alerts for stock price updates, which can be crucial for investors monitoring specific market movements. However, traders looking for comprehensive real-time market data will be disappointed as neither broker provides this feature, potentially influencing more active traders to seek services elsewhere.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Lloyds Bank
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Barclays and Lloyds Bank both offer options for retirement accounts tailored to suit different financial goals. For those interested in Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), rest assured that both Barclays and Lloyds provide this investment choice, which allows tax-free growth on your investments. Similarly, if you're considering a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) to take more control over your retirement planning, both institutions have you covered with SIPP offerings. Whether you choose Barclays or Lloyds, you'll have a robust selection of retirement accounts to help secure your financial future.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When choosing between Barclays and Lloyds Bank for your online brokerage needs, both institutions offer the convenience of mobile apps for iPhone and Android devices. However, there are notable differences in app ratings and rankings. Lloyds Bank's app edges ahead with a 3.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, placing it at #15 out of 18 brokers. On the other hand, Barclays' app holds a 2.5-star rating and ranks #16. These ratings can be important for users seeking a seamless trading experience on the go, making Lloyds Bank a slightly more favorable choice based on customer feedback and overall app performance.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing the beginner investor educational resources of Barclays and Lloyds Bank, there are some notable differences. Neither Barclays nor Lloyds Bank offers educational client webinars or archives these for on-demand viewing. However, Barclays provides comprehensive education on share trading, funds, and retirement, while Lloyds Bank does not cover these topics. For beginner education, Barclays is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars by UK.StockBrokers.com, ranking 5th among 18 brokers. In contrast, Lloyds Bank receives a 4-star rating and is positioned 15th. Overall, Barclays appears to offer more extensive and higher-rated resources for those new to investing.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Lloyds Bank
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Lloyds Bank, both offer research reports for funds and extensive research on shares, ETFs, and bonds. However, Barclays provides a more comprehensive analysis with portfolio allocation by asset class, a feature Lloyds Bank lacks. Neither Barclays nor Lloyds Bank offers research on CFDs. Both institutions deliver valuable insights, but Barclays might appeal to those interested in a deeper dive into portfolio diversification.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Lloyds Bank
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
Which broker is better overall, Barclays or Lloyds Bank? 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 |
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Lloyds Bank
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Both Barclays and Lloyds Bank offer online brokerage services but neither provides options for cryptocurrency trading, making them similar in their offerings for traditional investment products but not suitable for those seeking crypto asset investments.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Barclays | Lloyds Bank | |
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| Review | Barclays Review | Lloyds Bank Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Barclays | Lloyds Bank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | Lloyds Bank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £6 | £8, £10, £11 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £6 | £8 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £6 | £8 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £105 | £95 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 or £147 | £40 - £172 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 or £291 | £40 - £328 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 or £795 | £40 / £1,000 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 | £44.50 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 - £525 | £40 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £525 - £650 | £40 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £650 - £850 | £40 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £850 and up | £40 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £6 | £8 - £11 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £6 | £8 - £11 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £6 | ||
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £6 | ||
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | £35 |
| Broker Screenshots | Barclays | Lloyds Bank | |
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| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Barclays | Lloyds Bank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Lloyds Bank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | No | No | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
| Education | Barclays | Lloyds Bank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Lloyds Bank | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Review | Barclays Review | Lloyds Bank Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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