Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Investor vs Halifax, 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 Halifax 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 Halifax would cost £83.50 per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £107.76 per year, while Halifax would cost £150 per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £203.52 per year, while Halifax would cost £378 per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £538.68 per year, while Halifax would cost £1,176 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £0 per year, while Halifax would cost £0 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.
For those in the UK exploring online investing, Interactive Investor and Halifax both offer a variety of choices. Interactive Investor stands out by offering share trading, a feature not available with Halifax. Both platforms provide options for trading ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, gilts, and investment trusts, but neither supports crypto trading, spread betting, or CFD trading. A significant difference lies in advisor services, where Halifax offers assistance and Interactive Investor does not.
In terms of service recognition, Interactive Investor boasts a five-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com for its investment choices and is ranked #3 among 18 brokers. Likewise, Halifax also holds a five-star rating but is ranked slightly lower at #7. Both platforms cater well to individual investors, though your choice may depend on whether you value personal advisor services higher than share trading facilities.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | No |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
When comparing the trading tools of Interactive Investor and Halifax, UK investors might note significant differences in their offerings. Interactive Investor provides a comprehensive set of features for charting, including the ability to display corporate events like earnings, splits, and dividends directly on charts. They offer 18 drawing tools and a remarkable 104 technical indicators, allowing users to make detailed analyses. Furthermore, users can add notes, index overlays, and stock overlays to enhance their charting experience. By contrast, Halifax lacks these advanced functionalities, providing no drawing tools or technical indicators and no options for chart annotations or overlays.
Both brokers offer a browser-based trading platform and come with the capability to create alerts for stock price updates, ensuring users stay informed. While Interactive Investor provides real-time market data, a crucial feature for making timely trading decisions, Halifax does not support this service. Investors who prioritize comprehensive charting tools and real-time updates might find Interactive Investor to be a more suitable choice for enhancing their trading strategies.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
When considering retirement account options for UK investors, both Interactive Investor and Halifax present solid choices with their Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). Interactive Investor provides a comprehensive platform with accessible ISA and SIPP accounts, catering to a wide range of investment needs. Similarly, Halifax offers ISA and SIPP accounts designed to help individuals plan effectively for retirement. Investors looking for reliable options will find both platforms accommodating, as they provide the essential accounts to help manage and potentially grow their retirement savings.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing the mobile app offerings of Interactive Investor and Halifax, UK investors will find that both brokers provide applications for iPhone and Android devices. Interactive Investor's app is well-regarded, earning a rating of 4.5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com, placing it 7th out of 18 brokers for mobile app performance. In contrast, Halifax's app has a lower rating of 3.5 stars and ranks at the bottom, at 18th. This suggests that while both brokers offer mobile access, Interactive Investor provides a more highly-rated user experience compared to Halifax.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
Interactive Investor proves to be a standout choice for beginner investors in the UK, offering an extensive range of educational resources. They provide educational webinars that are available live and can also be accessed on demand, covering crucial topics such as share trading, funds, and retirement planning. In comparison, Halifax does not offer webinars or educational content on these investment topics. This significant difference is reflected in their ratings by UK.StockBrokers.com, where Interactive Investor holds an impressive 5-star rating and ranks #2 out of 18 brokers for beginner education, while Halifax holds a 3.5-star rating and ranks #18. Interactive Investor's comprehensive educational support makes it a strong contender for those starting their investment journey.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing Interactive Investor and Halifax for market research features, Interactive Investor stands out with its offer of research reports for funds, which Halifax does not provide. Both platforms allow you to research shares, ETFs, funds, and bonds, ensuring comprehensive coverage across these investment types. Interactive Investor also enables you to view portfolio allocation by asset class, a feature that Halifax lacks. Neither broker offers research on CFDs, maintaining a focus on other investment options. For UK investors seeking detailed market insights, Interactive Investor may offer a slight edge, especially for those interested in fund reports and portfolio analysis.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | No | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
Which broker is better overall, Interactive Investor or Halifax? 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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Halifax
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Both Interactive Investor and Halifax do not offer crypto trading options for their users.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Investor | Halifax | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | Halifax Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Investor | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | No | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | No | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Investor | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £9.50 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £9.50 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £9.50 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £79.83 | £83.50 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £107.76 | £150 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £203.52 | £378 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £538.68 | £1,176 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £71.85 | £64.50 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £59.88 - £143.88 | £36 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £143.88 | £36 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £143.88 | £36 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £143.88 | £36 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £3.99 | £9.5 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £3.99 | £9.5 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3.99 | £9.5 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £3.99 | £9.5 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £49 | £25 |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Investor | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | No | No | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
| Education | Interactive Investor | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Investor | Halifax | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | Halifax Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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