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Interactive Brokers vs Freetrade 2026

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, Freetrade offers better pricing than Interactive Brokers 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

In the UK, both Interactive Brokers and Freetrade let you buy and sell shares and ETFs, as well as funds, gilts (government bonds), and investment trusts. Interactive Brokers goes further with crypto trading, CFD trading (contracts for difference), and corporate bonds, which Freetrade does not currently offer. Advisor services aren’t provided by either firm. Spread betting isn’t listed for either in the information provided.

For investment choice, UK.StockBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5/5 stars and ranks it #1 of 21 brokers. Freetrade scores 4.5/5 stars and ranks #9. If you want the widest range, including crypto, CFDs, and corporate bonds, Interactive Brokers has the edge; if you’re focused on core shares, ETFs, funds, gilts, and investment trusts, Freetrade covers the basics.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Freetrade logoFreetrade
Share Trading info Yes Yes
CFD Trading info Yes 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

Interactive Brokers vs Freetrade: for UK investors comparing trading tools, Interactive Brokers offers far deeper charting. You can show corporate events (earnings, splits, dividends) on charts, add notes, and layer on both stock and index overlays. It also includes 85 drawing tools and 155 technical indicators. Freetrade doesn’t support any of these charting extras: no events on charts, no drawing tools or indicators, and no notes or overlays.

Both Interactive Brokers and Freetrade provide a browser-based platform and let you set price alerts. However, neither offers real-time market data. If you want advanced chart analysis in the UK, Interactive Brokers fits the bill; if you mainly need a web platform with alerts, Freetrade may be sufficient.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Freetrade logoFreetrade
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Stock Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 155 0
Charting - Drawing Tools info 85 0
Charting - Notes info Yes No
Charting - Display Corporate Events info Yes No
Charting - Stock Overlays info Yes No
Charting - Index Overlays info Yes 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 mobile trading will find that both Interactive Brokers and Freetrade offer iPhone and Android apps, but UK.StockBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers higher at 5 stars (ranked 5th of 21 for Mobile Apps) versus Freetrade’s 4.5 stars (ranked 7th of 21). If you want the higher-rated app experience, Interactive Brokers edges ahead, while Freetrade remains an easy option for everyday investing on the go.

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.

Beginners and Education

For UK beginner investors comparing educational resources, Interactive Brokers stands out with live client webinars and an on-demand library, while Freetrade offers no webinars or archived sessions. Both cover key topics like share trading, funds, and retirement, but UK.StockBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers higher for beginner education (5 stars, ranked 4th of 21) than Freetrade (4 stars, ranked 13th of 21), making Interactive Brokers the better choice if you value structured lessons and ongoing events.

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 Yes 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 $30 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 155 0
Charting - Drawing Tools info 85 0
Charting - Notes info Yes No
Charting - Display Corporate Events info Yes No
Charting - Stock Overlays info Yes No
Charting - Index Overlays info Yes 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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