Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Barclays vs Robinhood UK, 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, Robinhood UK 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 Robinhood UK would cost £0 per year.
12 trades per year - Barclays would cost £75 or £147 per year, while Robinhood UK would cost £0 per year.
36 trades per year - Barclays would cost £75 or £291 per year, while Robinhood UK would cost £0 per year.
120 trades per year - Barclays would cost £75 or £795 per year, while Robinhood UK would cost £0 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Barclays would cost £0 per year, while Robinhood UK 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 exploring investment choices, Barclays stands out with a comprehensive selection compared to Robinhood UK. Barclays offers share trading, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts, making it an appealing option for diverse investment needs. Additionally, Barclays provides advisor services, helping investors make informed decisions. With a top rating of 5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com, Barclays is ranked 9th out of 21 brokers for investment choices, highlighting its broad range of offerings.
In contrast, Robinhood UK focuses primarily on share trading, receiving a 3-star rating for investment choices and ranking 20th out of 21 brokers. While it might attract those keen on trading shares, it falls short in offering investments like ETFs, funds, and bonds, and the absence of advisor services could be a limitation for some investors. Overall, investors seeking a wider range of investment options in the UK may find Barclays a more comprehensive choice than Robinhood UK.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Robinhood UK
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | ||
| ETFs | Yes | |
| Funds | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | ||
| Crypto Trading | ||
| Advisor Services | Yes | |
| Investment Choices |
|
|
Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
When comparing the trading tools of Barclays and Robinhood UK, there are notable differences and similarities to consider for UK investors. Both platforms provide a convenient browser-based trading experience and the functionality to create alerts for stock price updates. However, when it comes to technical analysis, Robinhood UK takes a slight edge by offering three technical indicators for charting, whereas Barclays does not provide any. Both services lack drawing tools and the capability to display corporate events, add notes, or include index and stock overlays directly on their charts.
In terms of data insights, Robinhood UK distinguishes itself by offering real-time market data, a feature not mentioned for Barclays. For UK investors who value immediate market updates and technical indicators, Robinhood UK might provide a slightly more informative experience, despite both platforms presenting limited charting enhancements overall. As always, personal investment goals and preferences should guide the final decision.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Robinhood UK
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | 3 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | ||
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | ||
| Charting - Stock Overlays | ||
| Charting - Index Overlays |
When comparing the online brokers Barclays and Robinhood UK, UK investors find distinct differences in retirement account offerings. Barclays provides a comprehensive range of options, including Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), catering to both savings and retirement investment needs. In contrast, Robinhood UK does not offer ISAs or SIPPs, making Barclays a more suitable option for those specifically looking to invest for retirement or tax-efficient savings in the UK. This comparison highlights Barclays' commitment to supporting a diverse set of investment goals, while Robinhood UK remains primarily focused on general investing services.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Barclays and Robinhood UK both offer mobile apps compatible with iPhone and Android devices, providing users flexibility and convenience for trading on the go. However, according to UK.StockBrokers.com, the user experience varies significantly between the two. Barclays’ mobile app has a rating of 2.5 stars, placing it last among 21 brokers. In contrast, Robinhood UK's app is much more favored, with a 4-star rating and a 13th place ranking. UK investors seeking a reliable and user-friendly mobile trading app might lean towards Robinhood UK for a more satisfying experience.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing Barclays and Robinhood UK for educational resources aimed at beginner investors, Barclays stands out with a range of topics covered in their educational offerings, including share trading, funds, and retirement planning. Although neither offers live client webinars or on-demand archives, Barclays is noted for its more comprehensive educational material. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Barclays receives a solid 4.5-star rating in this area, ranking 10th out of 21 brokers, while Robinhood UK, with its focus on share trading, receives a 3.5-star rating and ranks 20th. In conclusion, for beginners in the UK looking for varied investment education, Barclays may provide more valuable resources.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Robinhood UK
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | ||
| Client Webinars (Archived) | ||
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing the market research offerings of Barclays and Robinhood UK, there are some distinct differences UK investors should be aware of. Barclays provides comprehensive research reports for funds, allowing investors to access detailed information, while Robinhood UK does not offer this feature. Both platforms support investors with research tools for shares and ETFs, enabling informed decision-making. Barclays offers insights into bonds, which is not available with Robinhood UK. Furthermore, Barclays allows users to view their portfolio allocation by asset class, a useful feature that is not present in Robinhood UK. Neither Barclays nor Robinhood UK offers research on CFDs. Overall, Barclays appears to offer a more extensive set of research features compared to Robinhood UK.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Robinhood UK
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | ||
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Barclays or Robinhood UK? 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
|
Robinhood UK
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Charges & Fees |
|
|
| Investment Choices |
|
|
| Mobile App |
|
|
| Website |
|
|
| Ease of Use |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
While Barclays does not provide cryptocurrency trading options, Robinhood UK makes cryptocurrency trading accessible to its users, offering a more comprehensive platform for those interested in digital assets.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | Barclays | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Charges & Fees |
|
| |
| Investment Choices |
|
| |
| Mobile App |
|
| |
| Website |
|
| |
| Ease of Use |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Review | Barclays Review | Robinhood UK Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Barclays | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | ||
| SIPP | Yes | ||
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | |||
| Funds | Yes | ||
| ETFs | Yes | ||
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | ||
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | ||
| Investment Trusts | Yes | ||
| Spread Betting | |||
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Barclays | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £6 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £6 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £6 | £0 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £105 | £0 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 or £147 | £0 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 or £291 | £0 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 or £795 | £0 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 | N/A | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 - £525 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £525 - £650 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £650 - £850 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £850 and up | £0 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £6 | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £6 | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £6 | £0 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £6 | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Barclays | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
| ||
| Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand) |
| ||
| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
|
| Platforms & Tools | Barclays | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | 3 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | |||
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | |||
| Charting - Stock Overlays | |||
| Charting - Index Overlays |
| Research | Barclays | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | ||
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | ||
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | ||
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes |
| Education | Barclays | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | ||
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | ||
| Client Webinars | |||
| Client Webinars (Archived) |
| Overall Summary | Barclays | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Charges & Fees |
|
| |
| Investment Choices |
|
| |
| Mobile App |
|
| |
| Website |
|
| |
| Ease of Use |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Review | Barclays Review | Robinhood UK Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
Trading 212 Review
Interactive Brokers Review
Hargreaves Lansdown Review
XTB Review
IG Group Review
eToro Review
Saxo Review
CMC Invest Review
Freetrade Review
Halifax Review
Vanguard Review