Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Investor 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 Investor 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 Investor vs Hargreaves Lansdown: both offer wide investment choices across their accounts, including share dealing (share trading), ETFs, funds, investment trusts, corporate bonds and UK government bonds (gilts). Neither supports crypto or CFD trading. A key difference is advice: Hargreaves Lansdown offers adviser services, while Interactive Investor does not.
Both earn 5 out of 5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com for investment choices. In its comparison of 21 brokers, Interactive Investor ranks 3rd for Investment Choices, while Hargreaves Lansdown ranks 5th—useful context if you’re weighing breadth of market access versus the option of in-house advice.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | 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.
For charting, Interactive Investor lets you plot corporate events like earnings, splits and dividends directly on charts, and you can add your own notes—two handy touches Hargreaves Lansdown lacks. Both brokers support stock overlays but not index overlays. When it comes to indicators, Interactive Investor offers 104 while Hargreaves Lansdown has 109. Hargreaves Lansdown lists 11 drawing tools; Interactive Investor doesn’t state a number.
Both Interactive Investor and Hargreaves Lansdown provide browser-based trading platforms and price alerts. If you need real-time market data, Hargreaves Lansdown offers it, whereas Interactive Investor does not. For UK investors, that means HL edges it for live pricing, while Interactive Investor stands out if you want events on charts and the ability to annotate them.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 109 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 11 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
When comparing Interactive Investor and Hargreaves Lansdown for retirement account options in the UK, both platforms offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), making them viable choices for investors seeking flexibility and potential tax benefits. Interactive Investor provides a selection of investment options with competitive pricing and a straightforward platform. In contrast, Hargreaves Lansdown stands out for its extensive research resources and customer support, which might appeal to those who value guidance and information. Ultimately, the choice between these two online brokers depends on personal investment goals and the level of service desired.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Interactive Investor and Hargreaves Lansdown both offer iPhone and Android mobile apps for UK investors. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Investor’s app is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks 8th out of 21 brokers, while Hargreaves Lansdown’s app is rated 4 out of 5 stars and ranks 11th. On these scores, Interactive Investor edges ahead for mobile app performance, though both provide app access on iOS and Android.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
Interactive Investor vs Hargreaves Lansdown: for UK beginners, both brokers provide education on share trading, funds and retirement, and each earns 5 out of 5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com; Interactive Investor ranks 3rd out of 21 for beginner education, ahead of Hargreaves Lansdown in 5th. The key difference is webinars—Hargreaves Lansdown offers live educational webinars with recordings available on demand, while Interactive Investor does not—so choose HL if you want live sessions and replays, or II if a higher-ranked learning offering suits you.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | 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.
When comparing the market research features of Interactive Investor and Hargreaves Lansdown, both online brokers provide UK investors with comprehensive insights. They offer research reports for funds, allowing you to make informed decisions. Both platforms also allow you to view your portfolio allocation by asset class, helping you understand where your investments stand. For those interested in shares, ETFs, funds, and bonds, each broker offers detailed research across these investment types. Hence, whether you choose Interactive Investor or Hargreaves Lansdown, you can access a wealth of information to guide your investment strategy efficiently.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
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 Investor or Hargreaves Lansdown? 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.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Charges & Fees |
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| Investment Choices |
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| Mobile App |
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| Website |
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| Ease of Use |
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| Education |
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Neither Interactive Investor nor Hargreaves Lansdown offer crypto trading services.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Investor | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | Hargreaves Lansdown Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Investor | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Investor | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £1 | £100 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £11.95 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £8.95 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £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 | £71.88 / £179.88 | Up to £1,125 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £179.88 | £1125 - £1750 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £179.88 | £1750 - £3000 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £179.88 | £3,000 - £4,000 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £3.99 | £20 - £50 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £3.99 | £20 - £50 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3.99 | £11.95 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £3.99 | £11.95 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £49 | £20 - £50 |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Investor | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 109 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 11 | ||
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | Interactive Investor | 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 Investor | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Investor | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Education |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | Hargreaves Lansdown Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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