Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Robinhood UK, 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, Robinhood UK 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 Brokers would cost £15 per year, while Robinhood UK would cost £0 per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £36 per year, while Robinhood UK would cost £0 per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £108 per year, while Robinhood UK would cost £0 per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £360 per year, while Robinhood UK would cost £0 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £0 per year, while Robinhood UK 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 Brokers and Robinhood UK both provide UK investors the option to trade shares, but their offerings differ significantly beyond that. Interactive Brokers stands out with a diverse array of investment choices, including ETFs, CFDs, corporate and government bonds, funds, and investment trusts. Meanwhile, Robinhood UK does not offer these additional investment options, focusing solely on share trading.
This broader range of investment opportunities has earned Interactive Brokers a notable 5-star rating for investment choices from UK.StockBrokers.com and a high ranking of #2 out of 18 brokers. In contrast, Robinhood UK holds a 3-star rating and ranks #20, reflecting its limited selection. Both platforms do not offer crypto trading, spread betting, or advisor services.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Robinhood UK
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No |
| ETFs | Yes | No |
| Funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Investment Choices |
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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
When comparing the trading tools of Interactive Brokers and Robinhood UK, Interactive Brokers stands out with a comprehensive selection of features for serious traders. With the ability to display corporate events like earnings, splits, and dividends on charts, Interactive Brokers offers a richer and more insightful trading experience. In contrast, Robinhood UK does not provide this feature. Additionally, Interactive Brokers offers an impressive collection of 80 drawing tools and 96 technical indicators for charting, while Robinhood UK offers no drawing tools and just 3 technical indicators. Interactive Brokers also allows users to add notes, index overlays, and stock overlays to charts—features that Robinhood UK lacks.
Both Interactive Brokers and Robinhood UK offer browser-based trading platforms and the ability to create alerts for stock price updates, catering to users who enjoy monitoring trades through their web browsers. However, for those interested in the timeliness of market data, Robinhood UK delivers real-time market information, whereas Interactive Brokers does not. These differences highlight Interactive Brokers as a feature-rich option for experienced traders seeking comprehensive analytical tools, compared to Robinhood UK's streamlined approach designed to cater to casual investors.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Robinhood UK
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 3 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
When comparing the online brokers Interactive Brokers and Robinhood UK, particularly regarding the availability of retirement accounts for UK investors, Interactive Brokers stands out by offering both Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). On the other hand, Robinhood UK does not provide these retirement account options. For UK investors seeking to grow their savings with the added benefits of tax efficiency, Interactive Brokers may be a more suitable choice due to its comprehensive range of account offerings.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For traders in the UK seeking efficient mobile trading experiences, both Interactive Brokers and Robinhood UK offer user-friendly apps on iPhone and Android. Interactive Brokers stands out with a top rating of 5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com, reflecting its superior mobile features and user satisfaction. It's ranked 4th among 18 brokers for mobile app quality, highlighting its strong performance in providing seamless trading on the go. Meanwhile, Robinhood UK provides a solid choice with a 4-star rating, though it ranks 13th, indicating room for improvement in its mobile offering. Both brokers provide reliable options, yet Interactive Brokers might appeal more to those prioritizing top-tier mobile trading platforms.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For those new to investing, Interactive Brokers and Robinhood UK offer varying levels of educational support. Interactive Brokers stands out by providing client webinars that are available both live and on demand, covering crucial topics like share trading, funds, and retirement. In contrast, Robinhood UK does not offer webinars and focuses solely on beginner education for share trading. As a result, Interactive Brokers is rated higher by UK.StockBrokers.com, scoring 4.5 stars and ranking 8th out of 18 brokers, whereas Robinhood UK receives 3.5 stars and ranks 20th. Consequently, Interactive Brokers appears to be the more comprehensive choice for beginner investors seeking robust educational resources.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Robinhood UK
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
For UK investors comparing market research capabilities between Interactive Brokers and Robinhood UK, Interactive Brokers stands out with a wider array of features. It provides comprehensive research reports for funds, which Robinhood UK lacks. Interactive Brokers also allows users to see their portfolio allocation by asset class, a feature not offered by Robinhood UK. Both platforms offer research on shares and ETFs, but only Interactive Brokers includes research for funds, CFDs, and bonds. This robust selection makes Interactive Brokers a more equipped choice for those seeking extensive market research tools.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Robinhood UK
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
Which broker is better overall, Interactive Brokers or Robinhood UK? 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 |
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Robinhood UK
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Both Interactive Brokers and Robinhood UK do not offer crypto trading, making them similar in terms of cryptocurrency trading capabilities for investors.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | Robinhood UK | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Robinhood UK Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | No | |
| SIPP | Yes | No | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No | |
| Funds | Yes | No | |
| ETFs | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Brokers | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3 | £0 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £15 | £0 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £36 | £0 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £108 | £0 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £360 | £0 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 / £14.85 | N/A | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 | £0 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3 | £0 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Robinhood UK | |
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| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Interactive Brokers | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 3 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | No | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Brokers | Robinhood UK | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Robinhood UK Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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