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 for UK investors: both brokers offer a wide range of investment choices for your account, including share trading, ETFs, funds, CFDs, crypto, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts. Neither provides advisor services. Details about spread betting weren’t specified in the information provided.
Both earn 5 out of 5 stars for investment choices from UK.StockBrokers.com. On this measure, Interactive Brokers ranks #1 out of 21 brokers, while Saxo ranks #2, putting IBKR in first place with Saxo close behind.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Saxo
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|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | 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.
Interactive Brokers vs Saxo for charting tools: Interactive Brokers offers 85 drawing tools and 155 technical indicators, compared with Saxo’s 20 drawing tools and 64 indicators. Interactive Brokers can display corporate events (earnings, splits, dividends) on charts, add notes, and apply index overlays—features Saxo does not provide. Both let you add stock overlays, but if you want deeper annotation and context on your charts, Interactive Brokers has the edge.
For platform access and alerts, both brokers offer a browser-based platform and the ability to create price alerts for share updates. Neither provides real-time market data.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Saxo
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 64 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 85 | 20 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | 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.
Comparing Interactive Brokers vs Saxo mobile apps for UK investors: both offer iPhone and Android apps and each earns a 5-star mobile rating from UK.StockBrokers.com. In the site’s 21-broker rankings, though, Saxo is #1 while Interactive Brokers is #5. If you want the highest-ranked overall mobile experience, Saxo edges it; if you already use Interactive Brokers, you’ll still get a highly rated app on both iOS and Android.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors in the UK, Interactive Brokers and Saxo both provide comprehensive educational resources: live client webinars, on-demand replays, and guidance on share trading, funds, and retirement. Each earns a 5-star beginner education rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, but Saxo ranks higher overall (#2 of 21) than Interactive Brokers (#4 of 21). If you want similar content and formats with a slightly higher ranking, Saxo edges it; otherwise, Interactive Brokers remains an equally top-rated choice.
| 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.
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Saxo
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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 | Yes | 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 | $30 | £50 |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Saxo | |
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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 | 155 | 64 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 85 | 20 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | 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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