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.
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.
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 Interactive Brokers would cost £15 per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £107.76 per year, while Interactive Brokers would cost £36 per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £203.52 per year, while Interactive Brokers would cost £108 per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £538.68 per year, while Interactive Brokers would cost £360 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £0 per year, while Interactive Brokers 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 the investment choices available through Interactive Investor and Interactive Brokers, both platforms offer a comprehensive range of options suitable for UK investors. Interactive Investor provides trading in shares, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts, ensuring a wide array of traditional investment vehicles. However, it does not offer crypto trading, spread betting, or CFD trading. In contrast, Interactive Brokers extends its offering with crypto and CFD trading, but like Interactive Investor, it does not support spread betting or advisor services.
Both platforms are highly rated by UK.StockBrokers.com, each earning an impressive 5-stars for their investment choices. Despite this equal rating, Interactive Brokers is ranked slightly higher at #2 compared to Interactive Investor's #3 out of 21 brokers. This positioning highlights Interactive Brokers' slightly more expansive investment opportunities, particularly for those interested in venturing into crypto and CFD markets.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Interactive Brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| 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.
When evaluating the trading tools of Interactive Investor and Interactive Brokers, both platforms cater to traders with essential features like displaying corporate events, overlaying indices and stocks on charts, and the ability to add notes. However, the tools available for creating detailed charts vary, as Interactive Investor provides 18 drawing tools and 104 technical indicators, while Interactive Brokers offers a more extensive selection of 80 drawing tools but slightly fewer indicators at 96. Both brokers accommodate users with browser-based platforms for convenient access and allow the creation of alerts for stock price updates.
Despite their shared capabilities in several areas, Interactive Investor holds an advantage with real-time market data, a feature not available on Interactive Brokers. This benefit could influence traders who rely on up-to-the-minute information to make timely decisions. Both platforms are equipped to support UK traders, offering not only comprehensive charting tools but also a seamless online experience with practical trading functionalities.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Interactive Brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 96 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 18 | 80 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | Yes |
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.
When comparing the educational resources offered by Interactive Investor and Interactive Brokers for beginner investors, both provide a comprehensive suite of materials. Interactive Investor and Interactive Brokers both host live educational webinars that are also archived for on-demand viewing, covering essential topics such as share trading, funds, and retirement planning. However, according to UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Investor edges ahead with a perfect 5-star rating, placing it second among 21 brokers for beginner education. In contrast, Interactive Brokers receives a commendable 4.5-star rating, ranking eighth in the same survey. This suggests that while both brokers offer valuable educational content, Interactive Investor is slightly more favored by UK investors seeking to deepen their financial knowledge.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Interactive Brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| 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.
When comparing the market research features of Interactive Investor and Interactive Brokers, both platforms provide a wide range of options for UK investors. Interactive Investor and Interactive Brokers each offer research reports for funds, as well as insights into portfolio allocation by asset class. Both brokers excel in providing research on shares, ETFs, and funds. Additionally, both platforms cover bonds. However, a key difference arises with CFDs research availability, where Interactive Brokers provides this feature, whereas Interactive Investor does not. Overall, each broker delivers comprehensive market insights, but with slight differences in specific financial instruments coverage.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Interactive Brokers
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | No | 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 | Yes | |
| 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 | Yes | |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Investor | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £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) | £79.83 | £15 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £107.76 | £36 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £203.52 | £108 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £538.68 | £360 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £71.85 | £0 / £14.85 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £59.88 - £143.88 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £143.88 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £143.88 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £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 | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £49 | £25 |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Investor | Interactive Brokers | |
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| Website 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 | 96 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 18 | 80 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Investor | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | No | Yes | |
| 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 | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | 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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