Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Vanguard UK Investor vs Barclays, 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, Vanguard UK Investor offers better pricing than Barclays for share dealing.
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.
Comparing Vanguard UK Investor with Barclays for a UK account, the key difference is range. Vanguard focuses on ETFs and funds and offers adviser services, but it does not support share trading, corporate or government bonds (gilts), or investment trusts. Barclays offers a broader menu: share trading, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, gilts, and investment trusts. Neither platform provides crypto or CFD trading, and both offer adviser services.
For investment choice, UK.StockBrokers.com rates Vanguard UK Investor 3.5 out of 5 and ranks it 16th of 21, while Barclays earns 5 out of 5 (ranking not available). In short, Vanguard suits investors who want a straightforward fund-and-ETF approach, whereas Barclays is better if you want to pick individual shares and bonds alongside funds.
| Feature |
Vanguard UK Investor
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | No | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | Yes |
| Investment Trusts | No | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | Yes | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Vanguard UK Investor vs Barclays: when it comes to trading tools and charts, both are very basic. Neither platform shows corporate events (earnings, splits, dividends) on charts, and both offer zero drawing tools and no technical indicators. You also can’t add notes, index overlays or stock overlays on either platform, so charting is limited.
Both providers have a browser-based trading platform. The key difference is alerts: Barclays lets you set share price alerts, while Vanguard UK Investor does not. If live data matters, note that neither offers real-time market data.
| Feature |
Vanguard UK Investor
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | No | 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 |
Comparing Vanguard UK Investor vs Barclays for retirement planning, both providers offer key UK tax-efficient accounts: a Stocks & Shares ISA and a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP). With either platform, you can invest through an ISA for flexible, tax-efficient growth and a SIPP for dedicated pension saving; the better fit will likely depend on fees, investment choice, platform experience, and how easily you can transfer existing pots.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Vanguard UK Investor and Barclays both offer mobile apps for iPhone and Android, but their ratings differ: UK.StockBrokers.com gives Vanguard UK Investor 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks it 16th out of 21 brokers for Mobile Apps, while Barclays receives 2.5 out of 5 stars with no published ranking. For UK investors comparing mobile app options, both platforms support iOS and Android, though the ratings suggest Vanguard UK Investor provides a stronger overall mobile experience than Barclays.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For UK beginner investors comparing Vanguard UK Investor and Barclays, neither broker offers live or on-demand educational webinars. Both provide learning materials on funds and retirement, but only Barclays covers share trading. UK.StockBrokers.com rates Vanguard UK Investor at 3.5/5 for beginner education (14th of 21) and Barclays at 4.5/5 (ranking not available). If you want share dealing guidance plus fund and retirement content, Barclays has the edge; if you’re focused on funds and pensions, both fit the bill.
| Feature |
Vanguard UK Investor
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | No | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
For UK investors comparing market research features, both Vanguard UK Investor and Barclays provide research reports for funds and let you view your portfolio allocation by asset class. Vanguard offers research for ETFs and funds but not for shares or bonds, which suits investors focused on fund investing. Barclays adds research on shares and bonds alongside ETFs and funds, making it a stronger choice if you want insight across individual shares and fixed income.
| Feature |
Vanguard UK Investor
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | No | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | No | Yes |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Vanguard UK Investor or Barclays? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Vanguard UK Investor to be a better trading platform overall.
Vanguard U.K. Investor is a long-term investing platform best known for its low-cost index funds and ETFs, simple account structure, and focus on passive investing.
| Feature |
Vanguard UK Investor
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Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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Vanguard UK Investor vs Barclays: neither online broker offers cryptocurrency trading, so investors seeking crypto exposure will need to use an alternative platform.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Vanguard UK Investor | Barclays | |
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| Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | Barclays Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Vanguard UK Investor | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | No | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | No | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | No | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Vanguard UK Investor | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £500 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | N/A | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | N/A | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | N/A | £6 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £0 - £250,000 | £48 - £375 | £0 - £525 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £375 | £525 - £650 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £375 | £650 - £850 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £375 | £850 and up | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | N/A | £6 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | N/A | £6 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £0 | £6 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A | £6 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | N/A | £25 |
| Broker Screenshots | Vanguard UK Investor | Barclays | |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Vanguard UK Investor | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | No | 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 | Vanguard UK Investor | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | No | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | No | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Vanguard UK Investor | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | No | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Overall Summary | Vanguard UK Investor | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | Barclays Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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