Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers 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, Interactive Brokers 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 - Interactive Brokers would cost £15 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £57.50 per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £36 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £138 per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £108 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £414 per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £360 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £1,380 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Brokers 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.
In the UK, both Interactive Brokers and Charles Stanley Direct provide a wide range of investment choices for online trading enthusiasts. Interactive Brokers shines with a comprehensive selection allowing investors to delve into share trading, crypto trading, ETF trading, CFDs, funds, corporate and government bonds, and investment trusts. Meanwhile, Charles Stanley Direct also supports share trading, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds, and investment trusts, but lacks offerings in crypto and CFD trading. Notably, Charles Stanley Direct compensates with advisory services, something that Interactive Brokers doesn't offer.
When comparing their performance ratings, both platforms achieve a high five-star score for their investment choices according to UK.StockBrokers.com. Despite tying in the star rating, Interactive Brokers holds the upper hand by ranking #2 out of 21 brokers for investment choices, while Charles Stanley Direct stands at #6. Whether seeking a broad spectrum of trading options or advisory support, both brokers cater to diverse investor needs in the UK.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes |
| 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 Charles Stanley Direct, UK investors will find distinct differences in features and capabilities. Interactive Brokers stands out for its sophisticated charting tools, offering the ability to display corporate events like earnings and splits directly on charts, a feature not found on Charles Stanley Direct. Additionally, Interactive Brokers equips users with 80 drawing tools and 96 technical indicators, significantly surpassing Charles Stanley Direct, which provides only 1 drawing tool and 14 technical indicators. Moreover, Interactive Brokers allows users to add notes to their charts, enhancing personal analysis capabilities, while Charles Stanley Direct does not support this feature.
Both platforms permit the addition of index and stock overlays to charts and offer browser-based trading platforms. In terms of market alerts for stock price updates, each platform efficiently serves this need. However, when it comes to the immediacy of data, Charles Stanley Direct gains an edge with its real-time market data, a service not available with Interactive Brokers. This key difference could influence the choice of platform depending on an investor's need for up-to-the-minute data versus a more comprehensive charting package.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 14 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 1 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | Yes |
For UK investors seeking retirement accounts through online brokers, both Interactive Brokers and Charles Stanley Direct offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). Interactive Brokers provides a platform for diverse international investments, making it suitable for those interested in accessing a wide range of global markets. Charles Stanley Direct, known for its straightforward service, may appeal to investors who prefer guidance and a user-friendly experience for managing domestic investments. Whether seeking global market access with Interactive Brokers or straightforward services from Charles Stanley Direct, both options support ISAs and SIPPs, offering flexibility for retirement savings strategies.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For UK investors seeking mobile trading convenience, both Interactive Brokers and Charles Stanley Direct offer iPhone and Android apps, catering to users of major smartphone platforms. However, when evaluating the quality and user satisfaction of these apps, Interactive Brokers stands out significantly. Rated 5 stars by UK.StockBrokers.com, it ranks an impressive 4th out of 21 brokers for its mobile app offerings, indicating a highly effective and user-friendly experience. In contrast, Charles Stanley Direct, with a 3.5-star rating, places 20th, suggesting that while functional, its app may not meet the same high standards or innovation as its competitor. Whether prioritizing advanced features or ease of use, Interactive Brokers appears to lead the way in mobile trading solutions within the UK market.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors seeking educational resources, both Interactive Brokers and Charles Stanley Direct offer valuable support, though their offerings differ. Interactive Brokers provides live educational webinars that are also available as archived content, while Charles Stanley Direct does not offer live webinars but does provide on-demand educational content. Both brokers cover key topics such as share trading, funds, and retirement planning, making them suitable for new investors. Rated equally at 4.5 stars by UK.StockBrokers.com for beginner education, Interactive Brokers holds a slight edge, ranking 8th out of 21 brokers, compared to Charles Stanley Direct's 12th place. This suggests that Interactive Brokers may offer a more comprehensive initial learning experience for beginners.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| 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.
For UK investors seeking comprehensive market research features, both Interactive Brokers and Charles Stanley Direct offer valuable options. Both platforms provide research reports for funds and allow investors to view portfolio allocation by asset class. Additionally, they offer research on shares, ETFs, and funds, catering to a variety of investment interests. However, Interactive Brokers stands out with research offerings on CFDs and bonds, which Charles Stanley Direct does not provide. This distinction may be particularly important for those looking to diversify their research resources in these specific areas.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Charles Stanley Direct? 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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Charles Stanley Direct
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When comparing interactive brokers, it's important to note that Interactive Brokers offers crypto trading options, unlike Charles Stanley Direct which does not provide such services, giving crypto investors an edge with Interactive Brokers.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | Charles Stanley Direct | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Charles Stanley Direct Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No | |
| Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Brokers | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3 | £0 - £10 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3 | £10 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3 | £10 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £15 | £57.50 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £36 | £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) | £0 / £14.85 | £90 - £102 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 | £60 - £600 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 | £600 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £600 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 | £600 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | £25 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | £25 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3 | £10 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A | £10 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | £25 minimum |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Charles Stanley Direct | |
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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 | Interactive Brokers | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 14 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 1 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Brokers | Charles Stanley Direct | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Charles Stanley Direct Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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