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.
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 Freetrade 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 Freetrade both let UK investors buy and sell shares and ETFs, as well as funds, investment trusts, and UK government bonds (gilts). Neither platform offers crypto trading, CFD trading, or advice services.
If you want corporate bonds, Interactive Investor supports them while Freetrade doesn’t. Reflecting the broader menu, UK.StockBrokers.com rates Interactive Investor 5/5 for investment choices (ranked 3rd of 21 brokers), versus Freetrade at 4.5/5 (ranked 17th of 21).
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes |
| 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.
For charting and analysis, Interactive Investor offers far more than Freetrade. It can display corporate events (earnings, splits, dividends) on charts, supports stock overlays, and lets you add notes. It also includes drawing tools and 104 technical indicators. By contrast, Freetrade does not show corporate events on charts, has no drawing tools or technical indicators, and does not support notes or stock overlays. Neither platform offers index overlays.
Both Interactive Investor and Freetrade provide a browser-based platform and let you set price alerts. However, neither offers real-time market data, so prices may be delayed. If you’re a UK investor who values deeper chart analysis, Interactive Investor is the stronger pick; if you prefer a simple setup with alerts and web access, Freetrade may be enough.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | 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.
Interactive Investor and Freetrade both offer iPhone and Android apps for UK investors, and each scores 4.5 out of 5 stars for mobile app quality according to UK.StockBrokers.com. However, in its ranking of 21 brokers, Interactive Investor comes in at #7 while Freetrade is #12, indicating Interactive Investor has a slight edge overall despite the equal star ratings.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For UK beginners comparing educational resources, Interactive Investor and Freetrade both offer learning on share trading, funds, and retirement, but neither provides client webinars or on-demand recordings. UK.StockBrokers.com rates Interactive Investor 5/5 stars and ranks it 2nd out of 21 brokers for beginner education, while Freetrade earns 4/5 stars and ranks 16th. If you’re choosing based on learning support, both cover the basics, but Interactive Investor is rated higher overall for helping new investors get started.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | 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.
Comparing Interactive Investor vs Freetrade for UK market research: Interactive Investor offers wide coverage with research on shares, ETFs, funds and bonds, plus fund research reports and a portfolio allocation view by asset class. Freetrade provides the asset-class allocation view but lacks fund research reports and does not offer dedicated research on shares, ETFs, funds or bonds, so it suits straightforward monitoring rather than deeper analysis.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | No |
| 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.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
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Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Mobile App |
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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 | |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Investor | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | £59.88 / £143.88 | £59.88 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £143.88 | £59.88 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £143.88 | £59.88 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £143.88 | £59.88 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £3.99 | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £3.99 | £0 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3.99 | £0 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £3.99 | £0 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £49 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Investor | Freetrade | |
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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 | 0 | ||
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | Interactive Investor | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | No | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | No | |
| 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 | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Investor | Freetrade | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | Freetrade Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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