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 support share trading, but their offerings significantly diverge beyond that. While neither firm provides crypto trading or spread betting, Interactive Brokers shines in providing a diverse range of investment options, including ETFs, CFDs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds, and investment trusts. In contrast, Robinhood UK doesn't offer these additional investment avenues. Interactive Brokers boasts a top-tier rating of 5 stars for investment choices by UK.StockBrokers.com and ranks #2 among 18 brokers, underscoring its robust selection and flexibility.
Robinhood UK, while user-friendly, offers a more limited range of investment choices compared to Interactive Brokers. With trading options restricted primarily to shares, Robinhood UK secures a lower rating of 3 stars for investment choices and holds the 20th spot out of 18 brokers in rankings by UK.StockBrokers.com. Despite its straightforward platform, Robinhood UK's investment options may fall short for those seeking a more comprehensive trading experience.
| 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, significant differences emerge. Interactive Brokers provides robust charting functionalities, such as the ability to display corporate events like earnings, splits, and dividends directly on charts, a feature absent in Robinhood UK. With over 80 drawing tools and 96 technical indicators, compared to Robinhood UK's mere three indicators and no drawing tools, Interactive Brokers caters to traders who require detailed chart customization. Furthermore, Interactive Brokers allows users to add notes, as well as index and stock overlays to charts, offering comprehensive analytical capabilities that Robinhood UK lacks.
Both platforms do provide a browser-based trading interface and the ability to create alerts for stock price updates. However, while Robinhood UK offers real-time market data, Interactive Brokers does not, which could influence those seeking real-time insights. For traders prioritizing advanced charting tools and customizability, Interactive Brokers appears to have the upper hand, whereas Robinhood UK appeals to those who value straightforward, real-time data access.
| 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 it comes to choosing between Interactive Brokers and Robinhood UK for your retirement accounts, it's clear there are distinct differences in their offerings. Interactive Brokers provides both ISA (Individual Savings Account) and SIPP (Self-Invested Personal Pension) accounts, making it a versatile option for investors looking to optimize their retirement savings and tax benefits in the UK. On the other hand, Robinhood UK does not offer ISA or SIPP accounts, limiting its appeal for those specifically seeking these retirement-specific investment options. Whether you're focusing on tax-efficient savings with an ISA or taking control of your pension with a SIPP, Interactive Brokers offers more choices for retirement planning compared to Robinhood UK.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing the mobile apps of Interactive Brokers and Robinhood UK, both platforms offer apps available for iPhone and Android devices, catering to users who prefer trading on the go. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers stands out with a 5-star rating for its mobile app, earning a commendable rank of 4th out of 18 brokers. In comparison, Robinhood UK receives a slightly lower rating of 4 stars, placing it at the 13th position among its competitors. This highlights Interactive Brokers as a top choice for mobile trading excellence, while Robinhood UK offers a solid, yet less competitive mobile experience.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When it comes to educational resources for beginner investors, Interactive Brokers clearly leads the way over Robinhood UK. Interactive Brokers excels with educational client webinars that are readily available live and as archived sessions to watch anytime. They provide thorough insights into various investment topics, including share trading, funds, and retirement planning. In contrast, Robinhood UK does not offer webinars, whether live or archived, and their educational scope is narrower, focusing only on share trading. Interactive Brokers is highly rated with 4.5 stars and ranks #8 out of 18 brokers according to UK.StockBrokers.com, outperforming Robinhood UK, which holds a 3.5-star rating and ranks #20 in the same category. For beginners seeking a robust educational foundation, Interactive Brokers is the preferred choice.
| 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.
When comparing the market research features of Interactive Brokers and Robinhood UK, it becomes clear that Interactive Brokers provides a more comprehensive suite of research tools. Interactive Brokers stands out with its in-depth research reports for funds, the ability to view portfolio allocation by asset class, and research capabilities spanning shares, ETFs, funds, CFDs, and bonds. On the other hand, Robinhood UK offers research on shares and ETFs but lacks reports on funds, as well as insights into portfolio allocation, CFDs, and bonds. For investors seeking extensive market research, Interactive Brokers offers a more robust platform compared to Robinhood UK.
| 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.
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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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| Mobile Trading Apps 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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