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.
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 Vanguard UK Investor 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.
For UK investors seeking diverse investment choices, Barclays stands out with a comprehensive offering. Barclays provides access to share trading, ETF trading, and funds trading. In addition, its services extend to corporate and government bonds (gilts), as well as investment trusts and advisor services, making it a versatile choice for investors with varied interests. Rated 5 stars for its investment choices by UK.StockBrokers.com, Barclays holds the 9th spot out of 21 brokers, ensuring a strong performance in the investment arena.
In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor presents a more streamlined set of options. While it allows trading in ETFs and funds, it falls short in other areas, as it does not have share trading or services such as crypto trading, spread betting, or CFD trading. Vanguard also lacks options for corporate and government bonds and investment trusts, focusing more on simplicity and core investment products. With a 3.5-star rating and ranked at 18th position for investment choices by UK.StockBrokers.com, Vanguard targets investors looking for straightforward and uncomplicated solutions.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | ||
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | 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 online trading tools of Barclays and Vanguard UK Investor, potential investors will find both platforms lacking in certain advanced features. Neither Barclays nor Vanguard UK Investor provides tools to display corporate events like earnings, splits, or dividends directly on their charts. Additionally, both platforms currently offer no drawing tools or technical indicators for charting, which may be a consideration for those interested in more detailed market analysis. Moreover, features such as adding notes, index overlays, or stock overlays to charts are not available with either provider.
For users seeking immediate access and ease-of-use, both Barclays and Vanguard UK Investor offer browser-based trading platforms, making accessibility straightforward from any computer. However, Barclays edges slightly ahead by offering the ability to create alerts for stock price updates, a feature absent in Vanguard UK's offerings. While there is no clarity on whether real-time market data is provided by either platform, these differences could influence the decision-making process for investors prioritizing timely notifications and user-friendly online access.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | ||
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | ||
| Charting - Stock Overlays | ||
| Charting - Index Overlays |
When comparing Barclays and Vanguard UK Investor, both offer attractive online investment options for UK residents planning for retirement. Barclays provides Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), allowing investors to benefit from tax-efficient savings and a wide array of investment choices. Similarly, Vanguard UK Investor also offers both ISAs and SIPPs, empowering individuals to grow their retirement savings with low-cost index funds and ETFs. Whether you choose Barclays or Vanguard, both platforms enable flexible retirement planning, catering to different investment styles and needs while ensuring tax benefits through ISAs and SIPPs.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing the mobile apps of Barclays and Vanguard UK Investor for online brokerage services, both offer applications compatible with iPhone and Android devices. However, when it comes to user satisfaction assessed by UK.StockBrokers.com, Barclays' app scores a modest 2.5 out of 5 stars, placing it at the bottom rank of 21 broker apps reviewed. In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor fares slightly better, with a rating of 3.5 stars and a ranking of 19th out of 21. For UK investors prioritizing mobile access to their investment accounts, Vanguard UK Investor appears to offer a more favourable app experience compared to Barclays.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing the beginner investor educational resources of Barclays and Vanguard UK Investor, significant differences emerge. Barclays does not offer educational webinars or on-demand viewing, whereas Vanguard provides on-demand webinar archives. Barclays covers topics including share trading, funds, and retirement, similar to Vanguard's offerings in funds and retirement education. In terms of ratings, Barclays receives 4.5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com, ranking 10th among 21 brokers for beginner education. Meanwhile, Vanguard UK Investor trails with a 3.5-star rating and a 17th place ranking. These distinctions highlight Barclays as a more comprehensive option for beginner investors in the UK.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | ||
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing Barclays and Vanguard UK Investor for market research features, both platforms provide research reports for funds and allow users to view portfolio allocation by asset class. Barclays goes further by offering detailed research on shares, ETFs, funds, and bonds, making it a comprehensive choice for investors interested in a broad range of investment types. Vanguard UK Investor, while also providing research for funds and ETFs, does not extend its research offerings to shares or bonds. This means that Barclays may appeal more to those seeking extensive market insights across different asset categories.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | ||
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | |
| 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.
| Feature |
Barclays
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Charges & Fees |
|
|
| Investment Choices |
|
|
| Mobile App |
|
|
| Website |
|
|
| Ease of Use |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
When comparing online brokers, it's important to note that Barclays does offer cryptocurrency trading, whereas Vanguard UK Investor does not provide this service.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | Barclays | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Charges & Fees |
|
| |
| Investment Choices |
|
| |
| Mobile App |
|
| |
| Website |
|
| |
| Ease of Use |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Review | Barclays Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Barclays | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | ||
| CFD Trading | |||
| Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | ||
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | ||
| Investment Trusts | Yes | ||
| Spread Betting | |||
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | Yes |
| 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) |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand) |
|
| |
| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Platforms & Tools | Barclays | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | 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 | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | ||
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | ||
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Barclays | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | ||
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | |||
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes |
| Overall Summary | Barclays | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Charges & Fees |
|
| |
| Investment Choices |
|
| |
| Mobile App |
|
| |
| Website |
|
| |
| Ease of Use |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Review | Barclays Review | Vanguard UK Investor 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
