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.
Interactive Investor and Interactive Brokers both offer a wide variety of investment options, catering to diverse needs of UK investors. You can trade shares, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds, and investment trusts with either provider, making them versatile choices for those interested in traditional asset classes. However, Interactive Brokers stands out with its additional options for crypto and CFD trading, which Interactive Investor doesn't provide, appealing to those open to broader investment prospects.
When it comes to performance, both Interactive Investor and Interactive Brokers receive a top rating of five stars from UK.StockBrokers.com for their investment choices. Despite their equal rating, Interactive Brokers is ranked slightly higher at #2 out of 18 brokers, just ahead of Interactive Investor's #3 position. This small difference might be worth considering if ranking competitiveness is a priority for your investment decisions, although both platforms are highly regarded options for UK investors.
| 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 the mobile app offerings of Interactive Investor and Interactive Brokers, both provide apps for iPhone and Android users, ensuring accessibility for a wide range of investors. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Investor's app has earned a commendable 4.5-star rating, securing the 7th position out of 18 brokers for mobile apps. In contrast, Interactive Brokers boasts a slightly higher 5-star rating and ranks 4th, indicating a slightly superior offering. This suggests that while both platforms deliver strong mobile experiences, Interactive Brokers edges ahead in terms of user satisfaction and overall ranking.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing the beginner investor educational resources of Interactive Investor and Interactive Brokers, both platforms excel in providing accessible learning through live and archived webinars. They cover essential topics such as share trading, funds, and retirement planning, making them suitable choices for novice investors. Interactive Investor stands out with a top-tier beginner education rating of 5 stars and ranks second among 18 brokers according to UK.StockBrokers.com. Meanwhile, Interactive Brokers also offers a comprehensive learning experience, earning a commendable 4.5-star rating and the eighth spot in the same ranking. For UK investors new to the market, Interactive Investor appears slightly more distinguished in catering to beginners.
| 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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| 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 | 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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