Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Saxo, 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 Brokers offers better pricing than Saxo 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.
Interactive Brokers vs Saxo: both UK-friendly platforms cover a wide spread of investment choices, including share dealing, ETFs, funds, crypto, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts. The key difference is CFDs—Saxo offers CFD trading while Interactive Brokers does not. Advisor services are not available at either broker. Spread betting is not specified for either in the information provided.
For investment choice quality, both earn 5/5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com, with Saxo ranked #1 and Interactive Brokers #2 out of 21 brokers. If you need CFD trading, Saxo fits the bill; if CFDs aren’t required, both platforms deliver broad market access for UK investors, including shares, ETFs, bonds, and crypto.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Saxo
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | 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.
For charting, Interactive Brokers and Saxo both miss out on showing corporate events and don’t let you add notes or index overlays. Saxo offers 20 drawing tools versus 16 at Interactive Brokers, and Saxo also supports stock overlays (Interactive Brokers does not). On the flip side, Interactive Brokers supplies more technical indicators (94 vs 64 for Saxo), which may appeal if you lean on indicator-based analysis.
Both Interactive Brokers and Saxo provide a browser-based trading platform and allow price alerts, which is handy for monitoring markets. However, neither broker includes real-time market data as standard, so UK traders should factor in potential data add-ons or delays when planning their setup.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Saxo
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 94 | 64 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 16 | 20 |
| Charting - Notes | No | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
When comparing online brokers Interactive Brokers and Saxo for UK investors interested in retirement accounts, both platforms offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). This means that whether you choose Interactive Brokers or Saxo, you will have access to tax-efficient saving options that can help you plan for your retirement by allowing you to invest in a wide range of financial markets. Both companies provide these essential accounts, enabling you to make informed decisions on where best to build your retirement savings. With both brokers offering these key investment vehicles, your choice depends on other personal preferences and additional services each broker provides.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For UK investors seeking a mobile trading platform, both Interactive Brokers and Saxo offer convenient solutions with apps available for iPhone and Android devices. Their mobile applications have garnered top ratings from UK.StockBrokers.com, both earning an impressive five-star assessment. However, when delving into rankings among 21 evaluated brokers, Saxo clinches the top spot for mobile apps, while Interactive Brokers secures the fourth position. Whether prioritizing app features or overall industry ranking, both services present excellent options for the discerning trader.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
Interactive Brokers and Saxo both offer beginner-friendly education for UK investors, including client webinars that are archived on-demand and clear guides on share trading, funds, and retirement. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, each scores 5 out of 5 for beginner education; however, Saxo is ranked higher overall for this category (#3 of 21) than Interactive Brokers (#8 of 21), giving Saxo a slight edge if ranking matters to you.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Saxo
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 it comes to market research features, both Interactive Brokers and Saxo offer a wide array of resources for UK investors. Whether you're diving into research reports for funds, analyzing your portfolio allocation by asset class, or exploring various investment vehicles like shares, ETFs, funds, and bonds, both platforms have you covered. Interactive Brokers provides in-depth insights as does Saxo, which means traders can confidently make informed decisions with either broker, having all the necessary tools at their disposal to explore and understand their investment options thoroughly.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Saxo
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Brokers or Saxo? 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 |
Interactive Brokers
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Saxo
|
|---|---|---|
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| Investment Choices |
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| Mobile App |
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| Website |
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In the Interactive Brokers vs Saxo comparison, both online brokers support crypto trading, allowing investors to access digital assets on either platform.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | Saxo | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Saxo Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Saxo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | Yes | |
| 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 Brokers | Saxo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3 | $1 / £3 / €3 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3 | $1 / £3 / €3 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3 | $1 / £3 / €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 | £0 | 0.4%, 0.2%, 0.1% | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £0 | 0.4%, 0.2%, 0.1% | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £0 | 0.4%, 0.2%, 0.1% | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £0 | 0.4%, 0.2%, 0.1% | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | €20 minimum | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | €20 minimum | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3 | From $1 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £3 | 0.03/0.06/0.08% | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | £50 |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Saxo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Saxo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 94 | 64 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 16 | 20 | |
| Charting - Notes | No | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Saxo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Brokers | Saxo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Brokers | Saxo | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Saxo Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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