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.
When comparing online brokers, Interactive Investor and Halifax both offer competitive investment choices, yet there are notable differences. Interactive Investor stands out by offering share trading, a feature not available through Halifax. Both platforms support ETF trading, funds trading, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts. They do not offer crypto trading, spread betting, or CFD trading, providing a more traditional investment approach. Halifax provides advisor services, which Interactive Investor does not, catering to investors seeking guided investment strategies.
Both brokers are highly rated for their investment options, each receiving a commendable five-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com. However, Interactive Investor edges ahead with a higher overall ranking, securing the third position among 18 brokers, while Halifax ranks seventh. This suggests that while investors can find robust investment choices on both platforms, Interactive Investor may offer a slightly more advantageous experience in terms of comprehensive trading features and market reputation.
| 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 trading tools, Interactive Investor stands out with features designed to enhance your trading experience. It allows users to display corporate events like earnings, splits, and dividends on charts, and backs its service with a remarkable suite of tools: 18 drawing tools and 104 technical indicators for charting. Users can add notes to charts, and overlay indexes or stocks, all while accessing the platform through their browser. Interactive Investor also provides capabilities to set alerts for stock price updates and offers real-time market data, making it a comprehensive choice for traders.
In contrast, Halifax offers a more basic online trading experience. While it provides a convenient browser-based trading platform and the ability to set price update alerts, it falls short in charting features, with no facilities to display corporate events, drawing tools, or technical indicators. Additionally, Halifax does not support adding notes or overlays to charts and does not offer real-time market data. For traders looking for a rich set of charting tools and real-time insights, Interactive Investor may be the preferable option.
| 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 comparing Interactive Investor and Halifax for retirement accounts, both platforms offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). This means that whether you're looking to manage your savings with tax efficiency through an ISA or plan for retirement with a SIPP, both Interactive Investor and Halifax provide these options. Choosing between them might come down to other factors like fees, tools, and customer service as both satisfy the basic requirements for offering these popular saving and investment accounts.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing the mobile app offerings of Interactive Investor and Halifax, both platforms provide apps for iPhone and Android users, ensuring easy access to trading on the go. However, they differ significantly in terms of user satisfaction and rankings. Interactive Investor shines with a robust 4.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com for its mobile app, placing it at an impressive 7th out of 18 brokers. In contrast, Halifax’s mobile app is rated 3.5 stars, which positions it at 18th, suggesting there might be room for improvements in user experience and functionality.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
Interactive Investor and Halifax differ significantly in their educational resources aimed at beginner investors. Interactive Investor excels with client webinars, both live and archived, covering crucial topics like share trading, funds, and retirement, making it a comprehensive learning hub. In contrast, Halifax does not offer webinars or specific educational content on these key investment topics. This robust educational support earns Interactive Investor a stellar 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, ranking it second among 18 brokers for beginner education. Meanwhile, Halifax receives a 3.5-star rating and ranks last, highlighting the limited resources available for novice investors.
| 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 |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing the market research features of Interactive Investor and Halifax, Interactive Investor stands out with its more comprehensive offerings. Interactive Investor provides research reports for funds, a feature not available with Halifax. Additionally, Interactive Investor allows users to view portfolio allocation by asset class, a useful tool also missing from Halifax’s platform. Both brokers offer research on shares, ETFs, funds, and bonds, making them robust choices for these asset classes. However, neither Interactive Investor nor Halifax provides research on CFDs. Overall, Interactive Investor offers a broader range of market insights, particularly for fund research.
| 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.
| Feature |
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Halifax
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| Overall Rating |
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| Charges & Fees |
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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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