Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Investor vs Interactive Brokers, 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 Interactive Brokers 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.
Comparing Interactive Investor vs Interactive Brokers for UK investment choices: both let you buy and sell shares, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, UK government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts. Neither offers CFD trading or adviser services. The key difference is crypto access—Interactive Brokers offers crypto trading, while Interactive Investor does not.
Both firms earn 5 out of 5 stars for investment choices from UK.StockBrokers.com. In the site’s rankings of 21 brokers, Interactive Brokers places #2 and Interactive Investor #3. If you want crypto alongside shares and funds, Interactive Brokers has the edge; otherwise, both cover the core markets many UK investors use for building a long-term portfolio.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
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Interactive Brokers
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|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Interactive Investor vs Interactive Brokers: For charting, Interactive Investor lets you display corporate events (earnings, splits, dividends) on charts, add notes, and apply stock overlays—features Interactive Brokers lacks. Both platforms do not support index overlays. Interactive Investor offers 104 technical indicators versus Interactive Brokers’ 94. Interactive Brokers lists 16 drawing tools, while Interactive Investor doesn’t publish a count.
Both brokers provide a browser-based platform and price alerts, but neither supplies real-time market data. For UK investors comparing trading tools, choose Interactive Investor if event overlays, annotations, and a larger indicator library matter most; pick Interactive Brokers if a defined set of drawing tools is your priority.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
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Interactive Brokers
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|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 94 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 16 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
For UK investors seeking retirement account options, both Interactive Investor and Interactive Brokers cater to individual savings needs, offering both ISA and SIPP accounts. Interactive Investor provides an easy-to-use platform, accommodating those looking to manage their Individual Savings Account (ISA) and Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) effortlessly. Interactive Brokers likewise supports ISAs and SIPPs, making it a strong contender for those interested in maximizing their retirement savings through these tax-efficient accounts. Each platform ensures UK investors have flexible options tailored for future financial planning.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing interactive investor and Interactive Brokers in the UK, both platforms provide convenient mobile apps for iPhone and Android users. Interactive Investor's app earns a commendable 4.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com and ranks 7th out of 21 brokers for its mobile offerings. On the other hand, Interactive Brokers achieves a top-tier 5-star rating, placing it 4th in the same ranking. This comparison highlights Interactive Brokers as the slightly preferred option for those prioritizing mobile app performance, although both brokers offer solid choices for investors on the go.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
UK beginners comparing Interactive Investor and Interactive Brokers will find both cover share trading, funds, and retirement, and both earn 5-star beginner education ratings from UK.StockBrokers.com. The key difference is webinars: Interactive Brokers provides live sessions and an on-demand archive, while Interactive Investor offers no webinars. In rankings of 21 brokers for beginner education, Interactive Investor is #2 and Interactive Brokers is #8, so II is higher-ranked even though IB leads on webinar availability.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Interactive Brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Interactive Brokers, both platforms offer comprehensive research tools that cater to a variety of investment needs. Investors with either service can access detailed reports on funds, allowing for well-informed decisions. Both brokers provide insights into portfolio allocation by asset class, ensuring investors have a clear view of their investments. Research coverage extends across multiple investment vehicles, including shares, ETFs, funds, and bonds with both Interactive Investor and Interactive Brokers offering valuable insights for each. This parity makes either broker a viable option for UK investors seeking thorough and accessible market research.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Interactive Brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Interactive Brokers? 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.
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Interactive Brokers
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When comparing online brokers, Interactive Investor does not offer crypto trading, whereas Interactive Brokers provides this feature, making Interactive Brokers a more comprehensive choice for investors interested in cryptocurrency.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Investor | Interactive Brokers | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | Interactive Brokers Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Investor | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | ||
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Investor | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £1 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £3 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £3 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £3 | |
| 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 | £59.88 / £143.88 | £0 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £143.88 | £0 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £143.88 | £0 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £143.88 | £0 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £3.99 | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £3.99 | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3.99 | £3 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £3.99 | £3 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £49 | £25 |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Investor | Interactive Brokers | |
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| 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 | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 94 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 16 | ||
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | Interactive Investor | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Interactive Brokers | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | Interactive Brokers Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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