Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Halifax vs Vanguard UK Investor, 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, Vanguard UK 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 - Halifax would cost £83.50 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
12 trades per year - Halifax would cost £150 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
36 trades per year - Halifax would cost £378 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
120 trades per year - Halifax would cost £1,176 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
3 fund trades per year - Halifax would cost £0 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost £500 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.
Halifax and Vanguard UK Investor both offer a variety of investment choices, yet they cater to different investor needs. While neither platform supports trading in shares, cryptocurrencies, or spread betting, both provide opportunities to invest in ETFs and funds. Halifax stands out with additional options, such as trading corporate and government bonds (gilts) and investment trusts. This broader range of offerings is complemented by access to advisor services, making Halifax a versatile choice for investors seeking a diverse portfolio.
In terms of recognition, Halifax's comprehensive selection is reflected in its UK.StockBrokers.com rating, boasting a 5-star review for investment choices and ranking 7th out of 18 brokers. In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor, while offering solid options like ETFs and funds, does not support bonds or investment trusts and lacks advisor services, resulting in a 3.5-star rating and a 16th place rank. For those prioritizing selection and guidance, Halifax offers a more robust experience, whereas Vanguard may appeal to those satisfied with a simpler, more straightforward investing approach.
| Feature |
Halifax
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | No | No |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | Yes | No |
| Investment Choices |
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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
When it comes to trading tools, both Halifax and Vanguard UK Investor lack several advanced features that traders might seek in charting capabilities. Neither Halifax nor Vanguard UK Investor provides the option to display corporate events such as earnings, splits, or dividends on charts. Both platforms lack any drawing tools and technical indicators, and they do not support the addition of notes or the incorporation of index and stock overlays on charts. This can limit the depth of visual analysis available to platform users.
Despite these similarities, there are some differences in their offerings. Both Halifax and Vanguard UK Investor offer browser-based trading platforms, ensuring users can trade without needing to download additional software. However, Halifax does have a slight edge for those who desire real-time updates, as it provides the ability to create alerts for stock price updates—a feature that Vanguard UK Investor does not offer. Unfortunately, neither service provides real-time market data, which might be a consideration for those needing up-to-the-minute market information.
| Feature |
Halifax
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | No | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
When comparing online brokers Halifax and Vanguard UK Investor, both offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), making them viable options for managing your retirement savings. Halifax provides a comprehensive suite of retirement accounts, including ISAs and SIPPs, suitable for diversifying your investment portfolio. Similarly, Vanguard UK Investor offers a robust selection of retirement accounts, focusing on ISAs and SIPPs, known for its low-cost investment options. Each platform caters to different preferences for retirement savings, allowing individuals to choose based on their personal investment strategies and priorities.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing the mobile app offerings of Halifax and Vanguard UK Investor, both platforms provide accessible applications for iPhone and Android devices, ensuring users can manage their investments on-the-go. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, both Halifax and Vanguard UK Investor receive a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars for their mobile apps. However, when it comes to rankings among 18 brokers, Halifax secures the 14th spot, while Vanguard UK Investor is placed at 17th, indicating subtle differences in user experience or features despite having similar ratings.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing the beginner investor educational resources of Halifax and Vanguard UK Investor, both online brokers have room for improvement. Neither Halifax nor Vanguard offers live educational client webinars, but Vanguard provides archived webinars for on-demand viewing. While neither broker offers resources on share trading, Vanguard provides educational content on investing in funds and planning for retirement, areas where Halifax lacks support. Both brokers receive a 3.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com for beginner education. However, Vanguard ranks slightly higher, coming in at 14th place among 18 brokers, compared to Halifax's 16th place ranking.
| Feature |
Halifax
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes |
| Education (Share Trading) | No | No |
| Education (Funds) | No | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | No | Yes |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing the market research features of Halifax and Vanguard UK Investor, key differences emerge in their offerings. Vanguard UK Investor provides research reports for funds and allows users to view portfolio allocation by asset class, features that are not available with Halifax. On the other hand, Halifax excels in shares and bonds research, areas where Vanguard UK Investor falls short. Both platforms provide research on ETFs and funds, but neither offer research on CFDs. This comparison highlights Halifax's strength in certain areas of market research, while Vanguard UK Investor offers comprehensive insights into funds and portfolio allocation.
| Feature |
Halifax
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No |
| Research - CFDs | No | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | No | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | No | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Halifax or Vanguard UK Investor? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Halifax to be a better trading platform overall.
If you are already a Halifax bank customer, it may be worth signing up to Halifax online share dealing for simplicity. The charges are in line with some other brokers, but more expensive than others. If you have a large investment portfolio you may benefit from the low annual management fee of £36. If you are new to Halifax, there may be a better platform for you that is cheaper and easier to open.
| Feature |
Halifax
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Vanguard UK Investor
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Both Halifax and Vanguard UK Investor do not offer crypto trading services, making them similar in this aspect for investors interested in cryptocurrencies.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Halifax | Vanguard UK Investor | |
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| Review | Halifax Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Halifax | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | No | No | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | No | No | |
| Advisor Services | Yes | No |
| Trading Fees | Halifax | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £500 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £9.50 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £9.50 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £9.50 | N/A | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £83.50 | N/A | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £150 | N/A | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £378 | N/A | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £1,176 | N/A | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £64.50 | £108 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £36 | Under £32,000: £48 / Over £32,000: 0.15% | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £36 | £375 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £36 | £375 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £36 | £375 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £9.5 | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £9.5 | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £9.5 | 0.02% to 0.14% | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £9.5 | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Halifax | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Halifax | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | No | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | Halifax | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No | |
| Research - CFDs | No | No | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | No | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | No | Yes |
| Education | Halifax | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | No | No | |
| Education (Funds) | No | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | No | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes |
| Overall Summary | Halifax | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Review | Halifax Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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