Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Barclays vs Vanguard UK Investor, 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, Vanguard UK Investor 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 Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
12 trades per year - Barclays would cost £75 or £147 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
36 trades per year - Barclays would cost £75 or £291 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
120 trades per year - Barclays would cost £75 or £795 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
3 fund trades per year - Barclays would cost £0 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost £500 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 investment choices, Barclays offers a broader range of options than Vanguard UK Investor. Barclays supports share trading, which Vanguard doesn't provide, alongside access to ETFs, funds, corporate and government bonds, and investment trusts—all accompanied by advisor services for added guidance. In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor skips share trading and limits offerings mainly to ETFs and funds, focusing on simplicity for investors. Neither platform offers crypto trading, spread betting, or CFD trading, aligning in those restricted services.
Barclays receives a robust five-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com for investment choices, ranking 6th out of 18 brokers. In comparison, Vanguard UK Investor has a 3.5-star rating, placing it at 16th. These rankings reflect Barclays' comprehensive offerings and Vanguard's more streamlined approach, enabling investors to choose based on their specific needs and preferences.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | No |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | Yes | No |
| Investment Choices |
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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
When comparing the online trading tools of Barclays and Vanguard UK Investor, both platforms fall short in terms of advanced charting features. Neither offers the ability to display corporate events such as earnings, splits, or dividends on their charts. Additionally, both Barclays and Vanguard UK Investor lack drawing tools, technical indicators, the ability to add notes, as well as index or stock overlays. This makes their charting capabilities quite limited for users looking for rich graphical analysis options.
However, there are some differences in their offerings. While both provide a browser-based trading platform, Barclays stands out by allowing users to set up alerts for stock price updates, a feature not available with Vanguard UK Investor. On the other hand, neither broker offers real-time market data, which might be a consideration for investors needing up-to-the-minute information. Overall, if price alerts are important to you, Barclays might be the more suitable choice, although both platforms have basic trading tool functionalities.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | No |
| 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 |
When comparing Barclays and Vanguard UK Investor for online brokerage options catering to retirement accounts, both platforms offer solid choices. Barclays provides both Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), allowing for flexible and tax-efficient investment opportunities. Similarly, Vanguard UK Investor also offers ISAs and SIPPs, appealing to investors with its straightforward and cost-effective investment solutions. Regardless of your choice between these two brokerages, both support investment growth in a tax-advantaged way, suiting a range of investment strategies for retirement planning.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing the mobile app offerings of Barclays and Vanguard UK Investor, both brokerages provide apps for iPhone and Android users. According to ratings from UK.StockBrokers.com, Barclays' mobile app holds a rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars, ranking it 16th out of 18 brokers, while Vanguard UK Investor's app fares slightly better, with a 3.5-star rating. Despite this higher rating, Vanguard UK Investor is ranked 17th in terms of mobile apps, just behind Barclays. Both companies offer accessible options for investors on both major smartphone platforms, but users seeking a highly rated app might find Vanguard UK's offering to be more favorable.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing the beginner investor educational resources of Barclays and Vanguard UK Investor, several differences emerge. Barclays does not offer client webinars, live or on demand, yet it provides comprehensive education on share trading, funds, and retirement. In contrast, Vanguard also lacks live webinars but does provide archived ones for on-demand learning; however, it focuses its educational content on funds and retirement, excluding share trading. Barclays receives higher accolades from UK.StockBrokers.com with a 4.5-star rating and ranks fifth out of 18 brokers, illustrating its strong educational support for beginners. Vanguard UK Investor, rated 3.5 stars, stands at the 14th position, indicating a more modest offering for novice investors.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing the market research features of Barclays and Vanguard UK Investor, both brokers offer a robust suite of tools with some key differences. Both provide investors with detailed research reports for funds and the ability to analyze portfolio allocation by asset class. While Barclays excels in offering comprehensive shares, ETFs, and bonds research, Vanguard UK Investor lacks shares and bonds research, although it does provide solid resources for funds and ETFs. Neither broker supports research for CFDs. This blend of features allows both brokers to cater to varying investor needs, with Barclays offering a slightly broader range of research options.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No |
| Research - CFDs | No | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Barclays or Vanguard UK Investor? 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.
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Vanguard UK Investor
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Both Barclays and Vanguard UK Investor do not offer crypto trading options, so investors seeking cryptocurrency investment platforms may need to explore alternative options.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Barclays | Vanguard UK Investor | |
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| Review | Barclays Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Barclays | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | No | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | No | No | |
| Advisor Services | Yes | No |
| Trading Fees | Barclays | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £500 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £6 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £6 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £6 | N/A | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £105 | N/A | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 or £147 | N/A | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 or £291 | N/A | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 or £795 | N/A | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £75 | £108 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 - £525 | Under £32,000: £48 / Over £32,000: 0.15% | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £525 - £650 | £375 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £650 - £850 | £375 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £850 and up | £375 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £6 | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £6 | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £6 | 0.02% to 0.14% | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £6 | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Barclays | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Barclays | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | No | |
| 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 | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No | |
| Research - CFDs | No | No | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Barclays | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes |
| Overall Summary | Barclays | Vanguard UK Investor | |
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| Review | Barclays Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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