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Halifax vs CMC Invest 2026

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

July 31, 2025

In this head to head comparison of Halifax vs CMC Invest, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, investment options, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.

Halifax
4/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: £0
  • ISA: Yes
  • SIPP: Yes
CMC Invest
3.5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: £1
  • ISA: Yes
  • SIPP: Yes

Your capital is at risk.

Fees

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, Halifax offers better pricing than CMC Invest for share dealing.

query_stats 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.

Investment Choices

Halifax vs CMC Invest: both let UK investors trade shares, ETFs, funds, and investment trusts. Neither supports crypto or CFD trading. Halifax also offers corporate bonds and UK government bonds (gilts), plus access to advice services, which CMC Invest does not. That means Halifax provides a broader set of investment choices within its accounts.

Ratings from UK.StockBrokers.com reflect this: Halifax scores 4.5 out of 5 for investment choices and ranks 8th of 21 brokers, while CMC Invest scores 4 out of 5 and ranks 14th. If you only need shares, ETFs, funds, and trusts, either works; if you want bonds or guidance, Halifax is likely the better fit.

Feature Halifax logoHalifax
CMC Invest logoCMC Invest
Share Trading info Yes Yes
CFD Trading info No No
ETFs info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Bonds - Government (Gilts) info Yes No
Investment Trusts info Yes Yes
Spread Betting info No No
Crypto Trading info No No
Advisor Services info Yes No
Investment Choices 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars

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Trading Tools

For UK investors comparing Halifax vs CMC Invest on trading tools, neither broker plots corporate events (earnings, splits, dividends) on charts. Halifax stands out for charting, with 8 drawing tools and 95 technical indicators, plus the option to add notes. CMC Invest, by contrast, offers no drawing tools, no indicators and no chart notes, and neither broker supports index or stock overlays.

For platforms and market data, Halifax provides a browser-based platform and price alerts, but no real-time market data. CMC Invest lacks a web platform yet does offer price alerts and real-time quotes. If you favour richer charting, Halifax is the better fit; if immediate market prices are the priority, CMC Invest has the edge.

Feature Halifax logoHalifax
CMC Invest logoCMC Invest
Web Platform info Yes No
Stock Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 95 0
Charting - Drawing Tools info 8 0
Charting - Notes info Yes No
Charting - Display Corporate Events info No No
Charting - Stock Overlays info No No
Charting - Index Overlays info No No

ISAs and SIPPs

Halifax vs CMC Invest: both UK brokers offer a Stocks and Shares ISA for tax-free investing and a SIPP for pension saving. Halifax has an ISA and SIPP, and CMC Invest also has an ISA and SIPP. With the key account types available at both, your choice may come down to fees, dealing charges, investment range, and app experience, so compare costs and features before opening an account.

Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.

Mobile App

Comparing UK online brokers Halifax and CMC Invest on mobile apps: both offer iPhone and Android apps and each earns a 3.5 out of 5 star mobile app rating from UK.StockBrokers.com. The main difference is placement in the site’s Mobile Apps rankings—out of 21 brokers, Halifax is #15 while CMC Invest is #13—giving CMC Invest a slight edge if app ranking is important to you.

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.

Beginners and Education

For UK beginners comparing education from Halifax and CMC Invest, neither broker offers live or on-demand client webinars. Both provide guides on share trading and retirement, but Halifax adds education on funds that CMC Invest lacks. That extra topic coverage aligns with ratings at UK.StockBrokers.com: Halifax earns 4 stars and ranks 12th of 21 brokers for beginner education, while CMC Invest scores 2.5 stars and ranks 16th. If you want clear materials on shares, funds and retirement, Halifax is the stronger choice; CMC Invest fits those focused mainly on share trading and retirement.

Feature Halifax logoHalifax
CMC Invest logoCMC Invest
Client Webinars info No No
Client Webinars (Archived) info No No
Education (Share Trading) info Yes Yes
Education (Funds) info Yes No
Education (Retirement) info Yes Yes
Education 4/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.

Market Research

Halifax vs CMC Invest for market research in the UK: Halifax provides research reports for funds, while CMC Invest does not. Both brokers offer research on shares, ETFs, and funds, but only Halifax includes bonds research. Neither platform shows portfolio allocation by asset class. If you want fund research reports and bond coverage, Halifax has the edge; for core shares and ETF research, both will do the job.

Feature Halifax logoHalifax
CMC Invest logoCMC Invest
Research - Shares info Yes Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Bonds info Yes No
Research - Funds info Yes Yes
Fund Research - Research Reports info Yes No
Portfolio Allocation Breakdown info No No

Halifax vs CMC Invest Winner

Which broker is better overall, Halifax or CMC Invest? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Halifax to be a better trading platform overall.

Halifax is a U.K. investment platform best known for its simple, flat-fee pricing structure, support for ISAs and SIPPs, and low annual costs for holding larger portfolios.

Feature Halifax logoHalifax
CMC Invest logoCMC Invest
Overall Rating 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Charges & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Choices 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile App 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Website 4/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 4/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Halifax or CMC Invest?

Halifax vs CMC Invest: Both online brokers do not offer cryptocurrency (crypto) trading.

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Overall Rating Halifax CMC Invest
Overall Rating 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Charges & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Choices 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile App 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Website 4/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 4/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Review Halifax Review CMC Invest Review
Winner check_circle
Investments Halifax CMC Invest
ISA info Yes Yes
SIPP info Yes Yes
Share Trading info Yes Yes
CFD Trading info No No
Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
ETFs info Yes Yes
Bonds - Corporate info Yes No
Bonds - Government (Gilts) info Yes No
Investment Trusts info Yes Yes
Spread Betting info No No
Crypto Trading info
Advisor Services info Yes No
Trading Fees Halifax CMC Invest
Minimum Deposit info £0 £1
Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month info £9.50 £0
Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month info £9.50 £0
Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month info £9.50 £0
5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info
12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info
36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info
120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info
3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) info
Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £0 - £250,000 info £36 £83.88 / £131.88 info
Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K info £36 £83.88 / £131.88 info
Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m info £36 £83.88 / £131.88 info
Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over info £36 £83.88 / £131.88 info
Bonds - Corporate - Fee info £9.50 N/A
Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee info £9.50 N/A
ETFs - Fee info £0 / £3.50 / £9.50 £0
Investment Trusts - Fee info £0 / £3.50 / £9.50 £0
Telephone Dealing Fee info £25 £0
Broker Screenshots Halifax CMC Invest
Website Gallery (click to expand)
A chart showing the Lloyds share price on the Halifax website. Filling out a trade ticket to purchase Lloyds stock on the Halifax website. Trade ticket confirmation page when purchasing stock on the Halifax website. Available research on Lloyds stock on the Halifax website. Browsing the ETF Quicklist on the Halifax website. Selecting a ready-made investment on the Halifax website. Opening an account for a person aged 18 to 25 on the Halifax website. Landing page of the Halifax website.
CMC Invest UK ESG profile Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. CMC Invest UK key mission. Pricing plans on the CMC Invest website. CMC Invest UK YouTube channel educational video Opto research team. CMC-Invest UK Compass bi-weekly email newsletter Opto research. CMC Invest UK mobile app research ESG risk score detail.
Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand)
The Save and Invest home page on the Halifax mobile app. Investing home page on the Halifax mobile app. Filling out a trade ticket on the Halifax mobile app. Filling out a trade ticket for international stock on the Halifax mobile app. Finding funds to invest in on the Halifax mobile app. Fund pricing page on the Halifax mobile app.
CMC Invest UK mobile app watchlist. CMC Invest UK mobile app stock financials Barclays. CMC Invest UK mobile app view stock Kimball Electronics. List of stocks with a high ESG score on the CMC Invest app. CMC Invest UK mobile app ESG preferences. CMC Invest UK mobile app trade US shares. CMC Invest UK mobile app charting. CMC Invest UK mobile app home screen Discover tab on the CMC Invest app to find trading ideas. Offer screen for switching to Premium on the CMC Invest mobile app. CMC Invest UK mobile app research ESG product involvement areas. CMC Invest UK mobile app account popular shares screener. CMC Invest UK mobile app pre-defined screeners sorting. CMC Invest UK mobile app discover funds. CMC Invest UK mobile app research ESG factors. CMC Invest UK mobile app research ESG scoring.
Education Gallery (click to expand)
Halifax Share Dealing mobile funds education Halifax Share Dealing website education ETF Academy
The Learn Hub on the CMC Invest website. CMC Invest UK educational content learn ETFs. CMC Invest UK education topics. CMC Invest UK educational article detail. CMC Invest UK community.
Platforms & Tools Halifax CMC Invest
Web Platform info Yes No
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Stock Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 95 0
Charting - Drawing Tools info 8 0
Charting - Notes info Yes No
Charting - Display Corporate Events info No No
Charting - Stock Overlays info No No
Charting - Index Overlays info No No
Research Halifax CMC Invest
Research - Shares info Yes Yes
Research - CFDs info
Research - Funds info Yes Yes
Fund Research - Research Reports info Yes No
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Bonds info Yes No
Portfolio Allocation Breakdown info No No
Education Halifax CMC Invest
Education (Share Trading) info Yes Yes
Education (Funds) info Yes No
Education (Retirement) info Yes Yes
Client Webinars info No No
Client Webinars (Archived) info No No
Overall Summary Halifax CMC Invest
Overall Rating 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Charges & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Choices 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile App 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Website 4/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 4/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Review Halifax Review CMC Invest Review
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