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.
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 Halifax 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 Halifax both give UK investors a wide choice of account investments, including shares, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts) and investment trusts. Neither provider offers crypto trading, spread betting or CFD trading, so they are better suited to long-term investing than more speculative trading styles. Both also offer adviser services, which may help if you want extra support when choosing investments.
In independent UK.StockBrokers.com ratings, Interactive Investor scores 5 stars for investment choices and is ranked #3 out of 21 brokers, while Halifax scores 4.5 stars and is ranked #8. If you want a broker with a slightly wider range of investment options and a higher industry ranking, Interactive Investor has the edge, although Halifax still offers a solid selection for everyday investing.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Advisor Services | Yes | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
When comparing Interactive Investor and Halifax for trading tools, Interactive Investor has the edge on charting features. It offers 12 drawing tools and 104 technical indicators, compared with Halifax’s 8 drawing tools and 95 indicators. Both platforms let you add notes to charts, create price alerts, and use a browser-based trading platform, but neither shows corporate events such as earnings, splits or dividends on charts, and neither provides real-time market data.
A key difference is that Interactive Investor also supports stock overlays on charts, while Halifax does not. If you want a slightly wider choice of charting options for analysing shares online, Interactive Investor is the stronger pick, although Halifax still covers the main tools many UK investors will need.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 95 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 12 | 8 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | 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.
Interactive Investor and Halifax both offer iPhone and Android share dealing apps for UK investors, but UK.StockBrokers.com rates Interactive Investor’s mobile app higher at 4.5/5 with a rank of 8th out of 21 brokers, while Halifax’s app is rated 3.5/5 and ranks 15th. If you prioritise a higher-rated mobile trading experience, Interactive Investor has the edge, though Halifax still provides app access on both iOS and Android.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investor education, Interactive Investor has the edge over Halifax for UK users. Both platforms provide help on share trading, funds and retirement, but Interactive Investor also offers educational client webinars that you can watch on demand, which Halifax does not. That extra learning support helps explain why Interactive Investor is rated 5 stars and ranked #3 out of 21 brokers by UK.StockBrokers.com for beginner education, compared with Halifax’s 4 stars and #12 ranking.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| 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.
Interactive Investor vs Halifax for market research: both offer research on shares, ETFs, funds and bonds, and each provides fund research reports. The key difference is portfolio insight—Interactive Investor lets you view your portfolio allocation by asset class, helping you check diversification, while Halifax does not. For UK investors who want simple research tools plus a clear portfolio breakdown, Interactive Investor has the edge; if you only need share, ETF, fund and bond research, Halifax covers the basics.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Halifax
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes |
| 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.
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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In comparing online brokers, Interactive Investor and Halifax, it should be noted that Interactive Investor does not offer crypto trading, while Halifax also does not provide crypto trading options.
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Elizabeth Anderson December 30, 2025Select Brokers
↓×Compare
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 | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Mutual 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 | |||
| Advisor Services | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Investor | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £1 | £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) | |||
| 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 | £71.88 / £179.88 | £36 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £179.88 | £36 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £179.88 | £36 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £179.88 | £36 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £3.99 | £9.50 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £3.99 | £9.50 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3.99 | £0 / £3.50 / £9.50 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £3.99 | £0 / £3.50 / £9.50 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £49 | £25 |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Investor | Halifax | |
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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 | 95 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 12 | 8 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | Interactive Investor | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
| Education | Interactive Investor | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Halifax | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | Halifax Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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