Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Investor vs CMC Invest, 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 Investor offers better pricing than CMC Invest for share dealing.
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 CMC Invest both give UK investors access to share trading, ETFs, funds and investment trusts, making either platform suitable for building a varied portfolio. Neither broker offers crypto trading, spread betting or CFD trading, so both are best seen as traditional investing accounts rather than high-risk trading platforms.
Where Interactive Investor stands out is choice: it also offers corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts) and adviser services, while CMC Invest does not. That wider range is reflected in UK.StockBrokers.com ratings too, with Interactive Investor scoring 5 stars and ranking #3 out of 21 for investment choices, compared with CMC Invest’s 4 stars and #14 ranking.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
CMC Invest
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | ||
| Advisor Services | Yes | No |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
When it comes to trading tools, Interactive Investor offers far more charting features than CMC Invest. Interactive Investor includes 12 drawing tools, 104 technical indicators, chart notes and stock overlays, plus a browser-based trading platform. However, it does not show corporate events on charts, and it has no index overlays or real-time market data.
CMC Invest takes a much simpler approach. It does not provide drawing tools, technical indicators, chart notes, stock overlays or a browser-based platform, and it also cannot display corporate events or index overlays on charts. On the plus side, CMC Invest does offer price alerts and real-time market data, making it useful if you want live information and basic notifications.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
CMC Invest
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | No |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 12 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
For UK investors seeking retirement account options, both Interactive Investor and CMC Invest serve as viable online brokers offering Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). Interactive Investor provides a platform where users can effectively manage their ISAs and SIPPs, catering to those who want a streamlined approach to their investments. Similarly, CMC Invest offers the same account types, ensuring investors have access to tax-efficient savings and pension growth opportunities. In summary, both platforms support ISAs and SIPPs, helping UK investors make informed decisions about their financial futures with their versatile offerings.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
UK investors can use both Interactive Investor and CMC Invest on the go, as each offers an iPhone and Android app. However, UK.StockBrokers.com rates Interactive Investor higher for mobile, awarding 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranking it 8th out of 21 brokers, versus CMC Invest’s 3.5-star score and 13th place. If ratings matter to you, Interactive Investor has the edge, while both cover the main devices.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investor education, Interactive Investor is the stronger choice for UK users, with live client webinars that can also be watched on demand, plus learning material on share trading, funds and retirement. CMC Invest also covers share trading and retirement, but it does not offer educational webinars or archived webinar playback, and it has less coverage on funds. UK.StockBrokers.com gives Interactive Investor 5 stars for beginner education and ranks it 3rd out of 21 brokers, while CMC Invest scores 2.5 stars and ranks 16th.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
CMC Invest
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
For UK investors comparing market research features, Interactive Investor offers more depth than CMC Invest. Interactive Investor provides fund research reports and lets you view portfolio allocation by asset class, both of which CMC Invest lacks. Both platforms include research on shares, ETFs and funds, but only Interactive Investor adds bonds research. If you want fund reports, a clear view of how your portfolio is split, and bond coverage, Interactive Investor is the better fit; if you just need basic share, ETF and fund research, CMC Invest will do.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
CMC Invest
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
Which broker is better overall, Interactive Investor or CMC Invest? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Interactive Investor to be a better trading platform overall.
Interactive Investor is a great platform for any investor, offering a wide range of investments for cheap prices on the whole.
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CMC Invest
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Interactive Investor does not offer crypto trading, whereas CMC Invest provides investors with the ability to trade cryptocurrencies, highlighting a key difference between the two online brokerage platforms.
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↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Investor | CMC Invest | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | CMC Invest Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Investor | CMC Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Mutual 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 | |||
| Advisor Services | Yes | No |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Investor | CMC Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £1 | £1 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £0 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £0 - £250,000 | £71.88 / £179.88 | £83.88 / £131.88 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £179.88 | £83.88 / £131.88 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £179.88 | £83.88 / £131.88 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £179.88 | £83.88 / £131.88 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £3.99 | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £3.99 | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3.99 | £0 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £3.99 | £0 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £49 | £50 |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Investor | CMC Invest | |
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| Platforms & Tools | Interactive Investor | CMC Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | No | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 12 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | Interactive Investor | CMC Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
| Education | Interactive Investor | CMC Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Investor | CMC Invest | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | CMC Invest Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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