Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Bestinvest, 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, Interactive Brokers offers better pricing than Bestinvest 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 - Interactive Brokers would cost £15 per year, while Bestinvest would cost £144.75 per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £36 per year, while Bestinvest would cost £119.40 - £179.40 per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £108 per year, while Bestinvest would cost £238.20 - £357.60 per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £360 per year, while Bestinvest would cost £654 - £714 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £0 per year, while Bestinvest would cost £50 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.
Interactive Brokers and Bestinvest are two prominent online brokers available to UK investors, each catering to different trading and investing needs. Interactive Brokers stands out with its comprehensive offering that includes share trading, ETFs, CFD trading, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds, and investment trusts. This extensive array has earned Interactive Brokers a 5-star rating and a second-place ranking out of 18 brokers from UK.StockBrokers.com for investment choices. While they lack crypto trading, spread betting, and advisor services, their diverse investment options make them a compelling choice for those looking to explore various markets.
On the other hand, Bestinvest offers share and ETF trading, funds, and investment trusts, but falls short with no availability in compared investment vehicles like CFDs, and both types of bonds. However, their edge lies in providing advisor services not offered by Interactive Brokers, appealing to investors who appreciate guidance. Bestinvest scores a respectable 4.5-star rating and ranks tenth for investment choices according to UK.StockBrokers.com. Both platforms cater to diverse investor preferences, ensuring there’s a fit for nearly every financial goal or strategy.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Bestinvest
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|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
When comparing the trading tools of Interactive Brokers and Bestinvest, several differences become apparent. Interactive Brokers provides a more comprehensive charting experience, offering the ability to display corporate events such as earnings, splits, and dividends directly on charts, a feature not available with Bestinvest. Additionally, Interactive Brokers boasts a selection of 80 drawing tools and 96 technical indicators, significantly surpassing Bestinvest's 9 drawing tools and 36 indicators. Both platforms allow users to add notes to charts and offer browser-based trading platforms, ensuring ease of access for all users.
Further differences include the ability to add index overlays to charts, a feature exclusive to Interactive Brokers, while both platforms support adding stock overlays. For traders who rely on stock price updates, both Interactive Brokers and Bestinvest offer the option to create alerts, although neither platform provides real-time market data. Overall, Interactive Brokers seems to offer a richer set of tools for those seeking detailed charting capabilities and extensive customization options.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Bestinvest
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 36 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 9 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
When comparing the online brokers Interactive Brokers and Bestinvest for UK investors, it's important to note that both institutions offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). This means whether you are looking to save on a tax-efficient basis or planning for retirement, you have the option to use either firm's services to manage your investments. Interactive Brokers and Bestinvest both provide a comprehensive selection of retirement accounts, making it easy to align your financial goals with the appropriate account type.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing the mobile app offerings of Interactive Brokers and Bestinvest for UK investors, both platforms provide apps for iPhone and Android users. Interactive Brokers excels with a commendable 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, securing the 4th position out of 18 brokers for its mobile app capabilities. In contrast, Bestinvest receives a 3.5-star rating and is ranked 16th, suggesting it may offer a less favorable user experience. Whether you're an Android or iPhone user, Interactive Brokers stands out as the top choice for those seeking a highly-rated mobile trading platform.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
In the UK, both Interactive Brokers and Bestinvest offer valuable educational resources for beginner investors. They provide educational webinars that can be accessed live and also archived for on-demand viewing. Both platforms cover important topics such as share trading, funds, and retirement planning. When it comes to beginner education ratings by UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers scores 4.5 stars and is ranked 8th out of 18 brokers, while Bestinvest achieves a higher rating of 5 stars and is positioned at 6th place. This makes Bestinvest slightly more favored among UK investors seeking educational support when starting their investment journey.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Bestinvest
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
Interactive Brokers and Bestinvest both cater to UK investors by providing comprehensive market research features. Both platforms offer research reports for funds, allowing users to stay informed on investment opportunities. Additionally, both platforms enable users to view portfolio allocation by asset class, helping investors to manage their portfolios more effectively. Interactive Brokers distinguishes itself by offering a wider range of research options, including for shares, ETFs, funds, CFDs, and bonds. In contrast, Bestinvest matches Interactive Brokers in research capabilities for shares, ETFs, and funds, but lacks offerings for CFDs and bonds. This broader spectrum of research options at Interactive Brokers caters to investors searching for diverse investment insights.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Bestinvest
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | 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, Interactive Brokers or Bestinvest? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Interactive Brokers to be a better trading platform overall.
Interactive Brokers is a sophisticated trading platform aimed at confident and institutional-grade investors. For newer investors, Interactive Brokers is more intimidating, though it's worth exploring the platform to see if you could save money or access more investments compared to other brokers.
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Bestinvest
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Both Interactive Brokers and Bestinvest currently do not offer crypto trading options to their users.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | Bestinvest | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Bestinvest Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No | |
| Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Brokers | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £50 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3 | £0 - £4.95 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3 | £0 - £4.95 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3 | £0 - £4.95 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £15 | £144.75 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £36 | £119.40 - £179.40 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £108 | £238.20 - £357.60 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £360 | £654 - £714 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 / £14.85 | £60 or £120 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 | Up to £500 or £1,000 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 | £500 - £1,000 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £100 - £1,000 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 | £0 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | £4.95 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | £4.95 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3 | £4.95 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A | £4.95 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | £30 |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Bestinvest | |
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| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Interactive Brokers | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 36 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 9 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | 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 | Interactive Brokers | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Brokers | Bestinvest | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Bestinvest Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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