Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Investor 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 Investor 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 Investor would cost £79.83 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £57.50 per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £107.76 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £138 per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £203.52 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £414 per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £538.68 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £1,380 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Investor 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.
Interactive Investor and Charles Stanley Direct are two prominent online brokers in the UK, both offering a variety of investment options tailored to meet diverse investor needs. Investors can trade shares, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts through both platforms. However, neither broker provides options for crypto trading, spread betting, or CFD trading. While Interactive Investor does not offer advisor services, Charles Stanley Direct fills this gap for those seeking guidance, allowing clients access to professional advice.
In terms of user ratings, both Interactive Investor and Charles Stanley Direct receive a commendable 5-star rating for investment choices from UK.StockBrokers.com. However, in the rankings of 18 brokers, Interactive Investor stands out slightly with a #3 position compared to Charles Stanley Direct's #6 placement. This distinction, along with their extensive range of trading options, makes both platforms popular choices in the UK investment landscape.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | 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 offered by Interactive Investor and Charles Stanley Direct, Interactive Investor provides a more comprehensive experience. It allows users to display corporate events such as earnings, splits, and dividends directly on charts, a feature unavailable with Charles Stanley Direct. Interactive Investor shines in charting capabilities by offering 18 different drawing tools and 104 technical indicators, significantly surpassing Charles Stanley Direct’s single drawing tool and 14 indicators. Furthermore, Interactive Investor enables users to add personal notes to charts, enhancing the analysis process, a feature that Charles Stanley Direct lacks.
Both Interactive Investor and Charles Stanley Direct allow for customisation through index and stock overlays, browser-based trading platforms, and the ability to create alerts for stock price updates, ensuring real-time market data is easily accessible. However, for those looking for a platform with enhanced charting features and greater customisation options, Interactive Investor presents a more versatile solution for UK traders.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 14 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 18 | 1 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | Yes |
Interactive Investor and Charles Stanley Direct both provide Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) to UK investors, making them strong options for retirement planning. With each platform offering both ISAs and SIPPs, investors can enjoy tax-efficient savings and invest for retirement with ease. Each broker caters to those looking to manage their financial futures through diverse investment choices and user-friendly platforms, ensuring flexibility and accessibility in building a secure retirement nest egg.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Both Interactive Investor and Charles Stanley Direct provide iPhone and Android apps for their UK customers, yet the quality and user satisfaction differ notably. Interactive Investor's mobile app, boasting a strong 4.5-star rating, ranks 7th among 18 brokers, highlighting its positive reception and reliability. On the other hand, Charles Stanley Direct offers a less impressive 3.5-star rated app, which places it 20th in the same ranking. For UK investors looking for a superior mobile trading experience, Interactive Investor clearly leads in terms of user satisfaction and performance.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing beginner investor educational resources, Interactive Investor stands out with its live and on-demand webinars, a feature not offered live by Charles Stanley Direct. Both brokers provide comprehensive education on share trading, funds, and retirement planning. Interactive Investor, however, has the edge with a top-tier 5-star beginner education rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, ranking 2nd out of 18 brokers, while Charles Stanley Direct holds a respectable 4.5 stars, ranking 12th. This makes Interactive Investor a strong choice for UK beginners seeking a more interactive learning approach through webinars alongside solid educational material.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
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 |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing the market research features of Interactive Investor and Charles Stanley Direct, UK users will find both platforms offer comprehensive research reports for funds, allowing investors to dive into detailed insights. They also both provide tools to visualize portfolio allocation by asset class, giving a clear overview of investments. For shares, ETFs, and funds, both Interactive Investor and Charles Stanley Direct offer valuable research options to help investors make informed decisions. However, neither platform provides research on CFDs. Interactive Investor holds an edge when it comes to bonds research, as it offers this feature, whereas Charles Stanley Direct does not. This difference may sway users who seek bond-related insights. Overall, both platforms cater well to various investor needs with a slight advantage for those interested in bonds with Interactive Investor.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | No | 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 Investor or Charles Stanley Direct? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Interactive Investor to be a better trading platform overall.
The standout feature at Interactive Investor (ii) is its low flat-rate fees. Other investment platforms typically favour percentage fees for fund investing, although more brokers are now opting for flat fees. Our view is that Interactive Investor is a great platform for any investor, offering a wide range of investments for cheap prices on the whole.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
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Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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Both Interactive Investor and Charles Stanley Direct do not offer crypto trading, positioning them as traditional online brokers focused on stocks and investment funds rather than digital currencies.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Investor | Charles Stanley Direct | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | Charles Stanley Direct Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Investor | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | 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 | No | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Investor | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £0 - £10 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £10 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £10 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £79.83 | £57.50 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £107.76 | £138 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £203.52 | £414 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £538.68 | £1,380 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £71.85 | £90 - £102 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £59.88 - £143.88 | £60 - £600 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £143.88 | £600 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £143.88 | £600 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £143.88 | £600 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £3.99 | £25 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £3.99 | £25 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3.99 | £10 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £3.99 | £10 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £49 | £25 minimum |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Investor | 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 | Interactive Investor | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 14 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 18 | 1 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Investor | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | No | 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 Investor | 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 Investor | Charles Stanley Direct | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | Charles Stanley Direct Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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