Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Hargreaves Lansdown, 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 Brokers offers better pricing than Hargreaves Lansdown 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 Brokers and Hargreaves Lansdown are two prominent online brokers in the UK, each offering a wide selection of investment options. Both brokers support trading in shares, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts. However, Interactive Brokers distinguishes itself by offering crypto and CFD trading, which are not available through Hargreaves Lansdown. On the other hand, Hargreaves Lansdown provides advisor services, a feature absent from Interactive Brokers. Both brokers have received impressive ratings, with each earning a perfect 5 stars for investment choices from UK.StockBrokers.com.
For UK investors seeking diverse trading opportunities, the choice between these two platforms may depend on specific trading needs. Interactive Brokers secures a higher position in investment choice rankings, landing at #2 out of 21 brokers, whereas Hargreaves Lansdown sits at #4. This suggests that while both brokers offer comprehensive trading options, Interactive Brokers may provide a slightly broader range of investments to meet varied investor preferences.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | No |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Interactive Brokers and Hargreaves Lansdown both offer browser-based platforms, share price alerts, and stock overlays on charts. For charting depth, Interactive Brokers pulls ahead: it can display corporate events (earnings, splits, dividends), lets you add notes to charts, and supports index overlays—features Hargreaves Lansdown does not provide. It also includes 80 drawing tools compared with Hargreaves Lansdown’s 11, while Hargreaves Lansdown edges it on technical indicators (109 vs 96).
If live pricing is key, Hargreaves Lansdown offers real-time market data, whereas Interactive Brokers does not. In short, choose Interactive Brokers for richer on-chart features and a wide range of drawing tools, or go with Hargreaves Lansdown if you value real-time data and a slightly larger set of technical indicators.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 109 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 11 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
When comparing Interactive Brokers to Hargreaves Lansdown for retirement accounts in the UK, both online brokers provide Individual Savings Accounts (ISA) and Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) accounts to help you reach your financial goals. This makes each a versatile option for those looking to manage their investments while planning for retirement. Interactive Brokers and Hargreaves Lansdown allow investors to take advantages of tax-efficient savings plans, adding flexibility and control over your retirement planning strategy.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Comparing Interactive Brokers vs Hargreaves Lansdown mobile apps for UK investors: both offer iPhone and Android apps, but UK.StockBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers higher at 5 stars and ranks it 4th of 21 for Mobile Apps, while Hargreaves Lansdown receives 4 stars and ranks 10th. If you want a higher-rated trading app, Interactive Brokers edges ahead, while Hargreaves Lansdown remains a familiar choice for straightforward investing on the go.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For UK beginner investors comparing education, both Interactive Brokers and Hargreaves Lansdown offer client webinars with on-demand archives, along with learning resources covering share trading, funds and retirement. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Hargreaves Lansdown leads with a 5-star rating and a #4 rank out of 21 brokers, while Interactive Brokers earns 4.5 stars and a #8 rank. If top-rated beginner guidance matters most, Hargreaves Lansdown has the edge; if you want comprehensive topics with strong webinar support, Interactive Brokers is also a good pick.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| 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.
For UK investors seeking extensive market research features, both Interactive Brokers and Hargreaves Lansdown provide a comprehensive suite of options. Each platform offers research reports for funds, ensuring investors have access to detailed insights. They also both allow users to view portfolio allocation by asset class, aiding users in maintaining a balanced investment portfolio. Additionally, research capabilities for shares, ETFs, funds, and bonds are available on both platforms, ensuring that investors have ample resources to make informed decisions across different investment types.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Interactive Brokers or Hargreaves Lansdown? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Interactive Brokers to be a better trading platform overall.
Interactive Brokers is a sophisticated trading platform aimed at confident and institutional-grade investors. For newer investors, Interactive Brokers is more intimidating, though it's worth exploring the platform to see if you could save money or access more investments compared to other brokers.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
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Hargreaves Lansdown
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|---|---|---|
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Interactive Brokers provides investors the option to trade cryptocurrencies, a feature not available with Hargreaves Lansdown, appealing to traders seeking exposure to digital assets.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Hargreaves Lansdown Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | 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 | Yes | ||
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Brokers | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £100 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3 | £11.95 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3 | £8.95 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3 | £5.95 | |
| 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 | £0 | Up to £1,125 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £0 | £1125 - £1750 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £1750 - £3000 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £0 | £3,000 - £4,000 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | £20 - £50 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | £20 - £50 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3 | £11.95 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A | £11.95 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | £20 - £50 |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
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| Platforms & Tools | Interactive Brokers | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 109 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 11 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Brokers | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Hargreaves Lansdown Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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