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.
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, 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.
When it comes to choosing an online broker in the UK, both Interactive Brokers and Bestinvest offer a range of investment opportunities, but they cater to slightly different investor needs. Interactive Brokers provides extensive options, including share trading, cryptocurrency, ETFs, and CFDs, along with trading in corporate and government bonds. However, it does not offer advisor services. On the other hand, Bestinvest offers share trading, ETFs, funds, and investment trusts while providing advisor services, yet it lacks options for crypto trading and bonds.
According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers is highly rated for its broad spectrum of investment choices, receiving a commendable 5-star rating and ranking second among 21 brokers for investment choices. Bestinvest also holds a solid position with a 4.5-star rating, but it is ranked 10th, reflecting its limited range compared to Interactive Brokers. Both platforms serve investors well, but your choice will depend on whether you value a wider array of trading options or the guidance of advisor services.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Bestinvest
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | No |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
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.
For UK investors deciding between Interactive Brokers and Bestinvest, both companies provide mobile apps available on iPhone and Android devices. When evaluating these options, Interactive Brokers shines with a top-tier mobile app rated 5 stars by UK.StockBrokers.com, securing the #4 spot among 21 brokers. In contrast, Bestinvest offers an app that receives a 3.5-star rating and ranks #16 in the same review. This comparison highlights Interactive Brokers as the preferred choice for a more highly regarded mobile trading experience.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When it comes to educating beginner investors, both Interactive Brokers and Bestinvest offer valuable resources in the UK. They each provide educational webinars that can be watched live or on demand, covering key topics like share trading, funds, and retirement. Interactive Brokers boasts a commendable 4.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com for its educational offerings, placing it 8th out of 21 brokers. Meanwhile, Bestinvest slightly edges ahead with a 5-star rating, securing the 6th position for its educational support. Both platforms are solid choices for UK investors seeking to enhance their financial knowledge from the ground up.
| 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.
| Feature |
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Bestinvest
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When comparing online brokers, Interactive Brokers offers the advantage of crypto trading, whereas Bestinvest does not provide this option.
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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 | ||
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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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