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Interactive Brokers vs Freetrade 2025

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

July 31, 2025

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

Interactive Brokers
4.5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: £0
  • ISA: Yes
  • SIPP: Yes
Freetrade
4.5/5 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, Interactive Brokers offers better pricing than Freetrade 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

Interactive Brokers vs Freetrade: for UK investors focused on choice, Interactive Brokers takes the edge. UK.StockBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars for investment choices and ranks it #2 out of 21 brokers, while Freetrade earns 4.5 stars and ranks #17. Both platforms cover the essentials, but Interactive Brokers adds a few markets Freetrade doesn’t.

Both offer share dealing, ETFs, funds, investment trusts, and UK government bonds (gilts). Neither provides CFD trading or advisor services. Key differences: Interactive Brokers also lets you trade cryptocurrencies and corporate bonds, while Freetrade does not offer these. If you need crypto or corporate bond access alongside core markets, Interactive Brokers is the broader pick; if you’re focused on straightforward share and ETF investing, Freetrade remains a strong, easy option.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Freetrade logoFreetrade
Share Trading info Yes Yes
CFD Trading info No No
ETFs info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Bonds - Government (Gilts) info Yes Yes
Investment Trusts info Yes Yes
Spread Betting info No No
Crypto Trading info Yes No
Advisor Services info No No
Investment Choices 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars

Featured Offers


IG
4.5/5 Stars

Low-cost US and UK shares.

Interactive Brokers
4.5/5 Stars

Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.

Trading Tools

For charting tools, Interactive Brokers outguns Freetrade by a wide margin. Interactive Brokers offers 16 drawing tools and 94 technical indicators, while Freetrade provides none of either. Neither broker shows corporate events like earnings, splits or dividends on charts, and both lack the ability to add notes, index overlays or stock overlays.

Both Interactive Brokers and Freetrade offer a browser-based trading platform and let you set price alerts, but, based on this comparison, neither provides real-time market data. If you’re a UK investor who relies on in-depth chart studies, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick; if you only need simple charts and alerts, Freetrade may suit your needs.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Freetrade logoFreetrade
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Stock Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 94 0
Charting - Drawing Tools info 16 0
Charting - Notes info No No
Charting - Display Corporate Events info No No
Charting - Stock Overlays info No No
Charting - Index Overlays info No No

ISAs and SIPPs

When comparing Interactive Brokers and Freetrade for retirement accounts in the UK, both online brokers present competitive options. They each offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISA), which allow users to invest their money without paying tax on dividends or capital gains. Additionally, both brokers provide Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPP), giving individuals the flexibility to manage their own pension savings with the potential to grow investments over the long term. This makes either Interactive Brokers or Freetrade a viable choice for those looking to maximize their retirement savings potential within tax-efficient accounts.

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

Mobile App

UK investors comparing Interactive Brokers vs Freetrade mobile apps will find both offer iPhone and Android apps. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers’ mobile app is rated 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 21 brokers for Mobile Apps, while Freetrade’s app is rated 4.5 stars and ranks #12. If top-rated trading on the go matters most, Interactive Brokers has the edge; if you’re happy with a solid, easy-to-use option, Freetrade still performs well.

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.

Beginners and Education

For beginner investor education in the UK, Interactive Brokers offers live client webinars with an on-demand archive plus clear guides on share trading, funds and retirement. Freetrade covers the same topics but does not provide webinars or recorded sessions. As a result, UK.StockBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5/5 stars and ranks it 8th of 21 brokers for beginner education, while Freetrade holds 4/5 stars and ranks 16th of 21. If you value webinars and replayable lessons, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice; if you prefer simple in-app guides, Freetrade remains a solid option.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Freetrade logoFreetrade
Client Webinars info Yes No
Client Webinars (Archived) info Yes No
Education (Share Trading) info Yes Yes
Education (Funds) info Yes Yes
Education (Retirement) info Yes Yes
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.

Market Research

For UK investors comparing Interactive Brokers vs Freetrade on market research, Interactive Brokers offers research on shares, ETFs, funds and bonds, plus research reports for funds, and it also shows your portfolio allocation by asset class. Freetrade shows portfolio allocation by asset class but does not provide research reports for funds or dedicated research on shares, ETFs, funds or bonds, so Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice if you want built-in research tools.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Freetrade logoFreetrade
Research - Shares info Yes No
Research - ETFs info Yes No
Research - Bonds info Yes No
Research - Funds info Yes No
Fund Research - Research Reports info Yes No
Portfolio Allocation Breakdown info Yes Yes

Interactive Brokers vs Freetrade Winner

Which broker is better overall, Interactive Brokers or Freetrade? 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.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Freetrade logoFreetrade
Overall Rating 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Charges & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Choices 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile App 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Website 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or Freetrade?

Interactive Brokers stands out from Freetrade by offering cryptocurrency trading options, which Freetrade currently does not provide.

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Overall Rating Interactive Brokers Freetrade
Overall Rating 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Charges & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Choices 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile App 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Website 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Review Interactive Brokers Review Freetrade Review
Winner check_circle
Investments Interactive Brokers Freetrade
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 Yes
Investment Trusts info Yes Yes
Spread Betting info No No
Crypto Trading info Yes info
Advisor Services info No No
Trading Fees Interactive Brokers Freetrade
Minimum Deposit info £0 £1
Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month info £3 £0
Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month info £3 £0
Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month info £3 £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 £0 £59.88
Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K info £0 £59.88
Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m info £0 £59.88
Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over info £0 £59.88
Bonds - Corporate - Fee info 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) N/A
Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee info 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) £0
ETFs - Fee info £3 £0
Investment Trusts - Fee info £3 £0
Telephone Dealing Fee info £25 N/A
Broker Screenshots Interactive Brokers Freetrade
Website Gallery (click to expand)
The home page of the Interactive Brokers website (demo account). The order ticket on the IBKR website. List of available indicators for the charts when viewing a share price on the IBKR website.
Home page of the Freetrade website. Discover tab of the Freetrade web platform. Discover by sector on the Freetrade web platform. A chart of Barclays share price on the Freetrade web platform.
Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand)
The home screen of the IBKR mobile app. The customisation screen for the homepage of the IBKR mobile app. The watchlist on the IBKR mobile app. Share price information for Barclays stock on the IBKR mobile app. Viewing a stock chart for Lloyds Bank on the IBKR mobile app. The order ticket on the IBKR mobile app (slide to buy). Order fulfillment screen on the IBKR mobile app. Various order types available on the IBKR mobile app. Setting advanced order conditions on the IBKR mobile app. The Learn page of the IBKR mobile app. IBKR GlobalTrader home page. The trade ticket on the IBKR GlobalTrader mobile app. Order preview for purchasing Apple stock on the IBKR GlobalTrader app.
Showing the overall stats of a BP stock on the Freetrade mobile app. Discover tab for searching symbols on the Freetrade mobile app. A breakdown of total portfolio allocation on the Freetrade mobile app. A chart of L'Oréal stock price on the Freetrade mobile app. The trade ticket for purchasing shares of L'Oréal stock on the Freetrade mobile app.
Education Gallery (click to expand)
Platforms & Tools Interactive Brokers Freetrade
Web Platform info Yes Yes
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Stock Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 94 0
Charting - Drawing Tools info 16 0
Charting - Notes info No No
Charting - Display Corporate Events info No No
Charting - Stock Overlays info No No
Charting - Index Overlays info No No
Research Interactive Brokers Freetrade
Research - Shares info Yes No
Research - CFDs info
Research - Funds info Yes No
Fund Research - Research Reports info Yes No
Research - ETFs info Yes No
Research - Bonds info Yes No
Portfolio Allocation Breakdown info Yes Yes
Education Interactive Brokers Freetrade
Education (Share Trading) info Yes Yes
Education (Funds) info Yes Yes
Education (Retirement) info Yes Yes
Client Webinars info Yes No
Client Webinars (Archived) info Yes No
Overall Summary Interactive Brokers Freetrade
Overall Rating 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Charges & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Choices 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile App 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Website 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Review Interactive Brokers Review Freetrade Review
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