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.
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, Barclays offers better pricing than Lloyds Bank 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.
Barclays and Lloyds Bank both present a range of investment choices for UK investors. Both institutions offer share and ETF trading, allowing you to engage in direct stock market transactions or invest in a diversified portfolio through ETFs. In addition, they support the trading of funds, corporate bonds, and government bonds, also known as gilts. If you're interested in investment trusts or seeking assistance with your investments, advisor services are available at both banks. It's worth noting that their offerings do not extend to crypto trading, spread betting, or CFD trading, making them more traditional in their investment approaches.
Despite their different rankings, Barclays and Lloyds Bank are both rated highly at 5 stars for investment choices by UK.StockBrokers.com, signaling a broad and comprehensive selection for investors. Barclays is ranked ninth among 21 brokers, while Lloyds edges slightly higher at eighth. Both banks provide reliable options for those looking to manage a diverse portfolio, supported by a solid foundation of services and traditional instruments.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Lloyds Bank
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | ||
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | ||
| Crypto Trading | ||
| Advisor Services | Yes | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
When comparing the trading tools of Barclays and Lloyds Bank, it's clear that both brokers focus on providing web-based trading platforms, allowing you to make trades using just your web browser. However, neither Barclays nor Lloyds Bank offers the ability to enhance charts with drawing tools, technical indicators, or display corporate events like earnings, splits, and dividends. This may limit the depth of technical analysis you can perform directly on their platforms.
Despite this, both Barclays and Lloyds Bank offer the convenience of creating alerts for stock price updates, helping you stay informed about market movements. Unfortunately, their platforms do not support advanced features like adding notes or overlays to charts. So, while they cover basic online trading needs with browser-based interfaces, those looking for more nuanced charting capabilities might need to consider additional tools.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Lloyds Bank
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | ||
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | ||
| Charting - Stock Overlays | ||
| Charting - Index Overlays |
For UK investors comparing retirement account options, both Barclays and Lloyds Bank provide Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). Barclays offers a straightforward path to setting up both ISAs and SIPPs, catering to those looking to grow their savings and plan for retirement with flexible investment choices. Similarly, Lloyds Bank provides both ISA and SIPP options, allowing customers to save tax-efficiently while choosing from a variety of investment opportunities. This makes either institution a viable choice for those seeking a reliable platform to manage their retirement savings with ease.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing the mobile apps of Barclays and Lloyds Bank, UK users can access both iPhone and Android versions from each financial institution. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Barclays' mobile app holds a rating of 2.5 stars and occupies the 21st spot out of 21 brokers, suggesting room for improvement in user satisfaction and functionality. In contrast, Lloyds Bank's mobile app is rated at 3.5 stars and ranks 17th, indicating a better user experience and slightly stronger performance among similar services. Therefore, while both banks provide mobile compatibility, Lloyds Bank offers a more favorable app experience compared to Barclays.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing beginner investor educational resources, Barclays and Lloyds Bank offer different strengths. Barclays provides detailed education on share trading, funds, and retirement, and offers webinars to help users learn. While these webinars aren’t archived for on-demand viewing, Barclays still garners a solid beginner education rating of 4.5 stars, placing it 10th among 21 brokers according to UK.StockBrokers.com. In contrast, Lloyds Bank does not specify educational offerings on these topics, and similarly, there’s no mention of webinars or archived replays. With a slightly lower beginner education rating of 4 stars, Lloyds Bank ranks 14th among UK brokers in the same study. Both platforms serve different aspects, with Barclays providing a more comprehensive educational experience for those starting their investing journey.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Lloyds Bank
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | ||
| Client Webinars (Archived) | ||
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing the online broker market research features of Barclays and Lloyds Bank, both institutions provide comprehensive research reports for funds, shares, ETFs, and bonds. This allows investors with either provider to access valuable insights necessary for informed decision-making. However, only Barclays offers the ability to see portfolio allocation by asset class, giving their clients an additional tool for evaluating investment distribution. While neither Barclays nor Lloyds Bank offers research on CFDs, both remain strong choices for UK investors focused on a wide array of financial instruments.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Lloyds Bank
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | ||
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes |
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 |
Barclays
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Lloyds Bank
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| Overall Rating |
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| Charges & Fees |
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| Mobile App |
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| Website |
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| Ease of Use |
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In comparing online brokers, Barclays stands out for not offering crypto trading, while Lloyds Bank also does not provide crypto trading capabilities, highlighting their traditional financial service offerings.
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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 | |||
| Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | |||
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Barclays | Lloyds Bank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £6 | £8 - £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 | £8 - £11 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £6 | £8 - £11 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | £35 |
| Broker Screenshots | Barclays | Lloyds Bank | |
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| 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 | 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 | |||
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | |||
| Charting - Stock Overlays | |||
| Charting - Index Overlays |
| Research | Barclays | Lloyds Bank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Education | Barclays | Lloyds Bank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | ||
| Education (Funds) | Yes | ||
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | ||
| Client Webinars | |||
| Client Webinars (Archived) |
| Overall Summary | Barclays | Lloyds Bank | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Review | Barclays Review | Lloyds Bank Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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