Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IG vs Charles Stanley Direct, 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, IG offers better pricing than Charles Stanley Direct 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 - IG would cost £136 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £57.50 per year.
12 trades per year - IG would cost £96 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £138 per year.
36 trades per year - IG would cost £108 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £414 per year.
120 trades per year - IG would cost £360 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £1,380 per year.
3 fund trades per year - IG would cost £0 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £0 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.
IG and Charles Stanley Direct both offer robust share trading and access to ETFs, catering to a wide range of investors. However, their offerings differ significantly in other investment areas. IG excels with CFD trading, which Charles Stanley Direct does not provide, giving IG a unique advantage for those interested in this form of trading. On the flip side, Charles Stanley Direct offers more traditional investment options like funds, corporate bonds, government bonds, and provides advisor services, positioning itself as a comprehensive choice for investors interested in these options.
When it comes to investment choice ratings, IG receives high marks with a 4.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, although it ranks tenth out of 18 brokers. Charles Stanley Direct, despite the lack of ranking information, achieves a perfect rating of five stars for its investment choices. This distinction highlights Charles Stanley Direct's robust offering portfolio, possibly influenced by its broad range of investment products and advisory services, making it a compelling choice for investors seeking diverse and traditional market options.
| Feature |
IG
|
Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | Yes |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | Yes | 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 it comes to charting tools, IG stands out by offering a range of advanced features to enhance your trading experience. IG provides traders the ability to display key corporate events like earnings, splits, and dividends directly on their charts. Furthermore, IG's charting tools include 19 different drawing tools and 33 technical indicators, allowing for in-depth analysis. Traders also benefit from the ability to add notes directly to charts, offering a customized approach to your trading strategy.
In contrast, Charles Stanley Direct offers a more limited selection of charting tools. While it does not display corporate events on charts or offer extensive drawing tools—providing just one—it allows traders to add both index and stock overlays, a feature IG doesn't include. Charles Stanley Direct supplies 14 technical indicators, fewer than IG, and does not support adding notes directly to charts. However, both IG and Charles Stanley Direct feature browser-based platforms with real-time market data and the capability to set alerts for stock price changes, ensuring you stay updated in the fast-paced trading environment.
| Feature |
IG
|
Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 14 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 19 | 1 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | Yes |
Both IG and Charles Stanley Direct provide solid options for UK investors seeking retirement accounts, including Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). While IG is known for its robust trading platform, it also offers competitive ISA and SIPP options for those looking to save tax-efficiently for retirement. Similarly, Charles Stanley Direct offers both ISAs and SIPPs, catering to investors who prefer a more traditional, easy-to-use investment service. Whether you're an active trader or a long-term saver, both companies provide key account types necessary for building a prosperous financial future.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
If you're choosing between IG and Charles Stanley Direct for online trading, both brokers offer mobile apps for iPhone and Android users. However, there's a noticeable difference in their app quality. IG’s mobile app shines with a 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, ranking 6th out of 18 brokers for mobile apps. Meanwhile, Charles Stanley Direct’s app holds a 3.5-star rating and lacks a specific ranking. With these insights, IG stands out as the preferred choice for an exceptional mobile trading experience.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing beginner investor educational resources, IG and Charles Stanley Direct offer distinct resources. IG excels with live educational webinars and on-demand access, covering topics like share trading and retirement, while earning a top 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com and ranking 7th among 18 brokers. In contrast, Charles Stanley Direct lacks live webinars but provides access to archived sessions, focusing on education for share trading, funds, and retirement, achieving a solid 4.5-star rating. IG is a strong contender for live interactive experiences, whereas Charles Stanley Direct offers broader topic coverage but without live lessons.
| Feature |
IG
|
Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | No | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When considering online brokers for market research features, IG and Charles Stanley Direct both provide research reports for funds, enabling investors to make informed decisions. While Charles Stanley Direct allows users to view portfolio allocation by asset class, IG lacks this feature. Both brokers offer comprehensive research on shares and ETFs; however, for those interested in fund research, Charles Stanley Direct is the preferred choice as IG does not offer this service. IG stands out with its unique offering of CFDs research, a service not available through Charles Stanley Direct. Neither platform provides bonds research, so investors seeking this feature may need to look elsewhere.
| Feature |
IG
|
Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | No | No |
| Research - Funds | No | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | No | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, IG or Charles Stanley Direct? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found IG to be a better trading platform overall.
IG is an investment platform aimed at experienced investors looking to make frequent trades on the stock market, with thousands of shares, trusts and ETFs to trade. It offers a comprehensive and easy-to-use trading platform that is used by both private and professional investors.
| Feature |
IG
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Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Mobile App |
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Neither IG nor Charles Stanley Direct offer crypto trading, making them equal in this aspect for investors seeking cryptocurrency trading options.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | IG | Charles Stanley Direct | |
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| Review | IG Review | Charles Stanley Direct Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | IG | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No | |
| Funds | No | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | No | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | Yes | No | |
| Crypto Trading | No | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Trading Fees | IG | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £0-£10 | £0 - £10 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3 | £10 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3 | £10 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £136 | £57.50 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £96 | £138 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £108 | £414 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £360 | £1,380 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | N/A | £90 - £102 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 / £96 | £60 - £600 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 / £96 | £600 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 / £96 | £600 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 / £96 | £600 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | N/A | £25 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | N/A | £25 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £0 - £8 | £10 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £0 - £8 | £10 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £50 | £25 minimum |
| Broker Screenshots | IG | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | IG | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 14 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 19 | 1 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | Yes |
| Research | IG | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | No | |
| Research - Funds | No | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | No | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | No | Yes |
| Education | IG | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | No | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Overall Summary | IG | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Review | IG Review | Charles Stanley Direct Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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