Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Investor vs Freetrade, 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 Freetrade 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 Freetrade would cost £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £107.76 per year, while Freetrade would cost £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £203.52 per year, while Freetrade would cost £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £538.68 per year, while Freetrade would cost £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £0 per year, while Freetrade would cost £1 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 Freetrade both cater to UK investors seeking share trading and ETF options, but they offer different levels of investment diversity. While both platforms provide access to shares and ETFs, Interactive Investor distinguishes itself by offering a wider array of investment choices, including funds, corporate bonds, government bonds, and investment trusts. In contrast, Freetrade focuses more narrowly with options like share trading, ETFs, and investment trusts.
According to UK.StockBrokers.com, these differences in investment offerings contribute to Interactive Investor receiving a 5-star rating for its investment choices, ranking third out of 21 brokers. Meanwhile, Freetrade earns a respectable 4-star rating but is positioned lower at 17th in the same ranking. Neither platform currently supports trading in cryptocurrencies, spread betting, or CFDs, nor do they offer advisor services, appealing primarily to those interested in straightforward investment vehicles.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
When comparing the charting tools available on Interactive Investor and Freetrade, UK investors will notice a significant difference in offerings. Interactive Investor provides a comprehensive suite of features, allowing users to display corporate events such as earnings, splits, and dividends directly on charts. It also boasts 18 drawing tools and 104 technical indicators, offering ample opportunity for detailed analysis. Users can add notes and overlays, including both index and stock overlays, to further customize their trading experience. In contrast, Freetrade’s charting capabilities are more basic, lacking the ability to display corporate events, drawing tools, or technical indicators, and offering no option to add notes or overlays.
Both platforms support browser-based trading and deliver real-time market data, catering to traders who need updated information at their fingertips. Additionally, both Interactive Investor and Freetrade allow users to set up alerts for stock price changes, ensuring investors remain informed about market movements as they happen. However, for those looking to leverage in-depth chart analysis and customization, Interactive Investor seems to provide the more equipped suite of trading tools.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 18 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
For UK investors exploring retirement account options, Freetrade and Interactive Investor both provide essential services, including Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). If you're seeking an online broker to manage your ISA, both platforms offer ISA accounts to help you save or invest in a tax-efficient way. For those interested in retirement planning through pension investments, both Freetrade and Interactive Investor also support SIPP accounts, enabling more control and flexibility over your retirement funds. Whether you prioritise the user experience or pricing structures, both brokers offer a solid foundation for managing your financial future.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For UK investors comparing mobile app offerings, Interactive Investor and Freetrade both provide apps for iPhone and Android, ensuring accessibility across popular devices. Interactive Investor’s app is highly valued, receiving a 4.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, and ranks 7th out of 21 brokers for mobile app offerings. In contrast, Freetrade’s app holds a solid 4-star rating, placing it at 12th in the same ranking. This suggests that while both apps serve the needs of mobile investors, Interactive Investor offers a more highly rated experience among UK users.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For UK beginners looking for educational resources to kickstart their investing journey, Interactive Investor and Freetrade offer distinct experiences. Interactive Investor shines with top-rated resources, including engaging webinars that are also available on-demand, ensuring users can learn at their convenience. Their educational offerings cover a wide range of topics such as share trading, funds, and retirement, earning them an impressive 5-star rating and placing them as the number two broker for beginner education out of 21, according to UK.StockBrokers.com. In contrast, while Freetrade provides education on share trading, funds, and retirement, it doesn't offer client webinars, which might limit some users in exploring investment concepts more interactively. Freetrade holds a respectable 3.5-star rating but ranks at number 16 among 21 brokers for educational support for beginners.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing Interactive Investor and Freetrade for market research features, UK investors will find that both platforms provide basic insights with their shares and ETFs research. However, Interactive Investor stands out with its in-depth research offerings, including reports for funds and bonds, which Freetrade does not provide. Both platforms allow users to view their portfolio allocation by asset class, making it easy to understand investment distribution. While CFDs research is absent in both, those needing detailed market analysis might lean towards Interactive Investor for its broader range of research resources.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | No | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Interactive Investor or Freetrade? 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.
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Interactive Investor
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Freetrade
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Both Interactive Investor and Freetrade do not offer crypto trading, making them comparable options for investors focused on stocks and other traditional assets.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Investor | Freetrade | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | Freetrade Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Investor | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Funds | Yes | No | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | No | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Investor | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £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) | £79.83 | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £107.76 | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £203.52 | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £538.68 | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £71.85 | N/A | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £59.88 - £143.88 | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £143.88 | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £143.88 | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £143.88 | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| 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 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Investor | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 18 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
| Research | Interactive Investor | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | No | No | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Investor | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Investor | Freetrade | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | Freetrade Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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