Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Vanguard UK Investor, 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 Brokers offers better pricing than Vanguard UK Investor 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 Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £36 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £108 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £360 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £0 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost £500 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 Vanguard UK Investor cater to UK investors with varying investment choices. Interactive Brokers provides a comprehensive platform allowing for share, crypto, and CFD trading that Vanguard does not offer. Additionally, Interactive Brokers supports trading in corporate and government bonds (gilts), along with investment trusts. Both platforms support trading in ETFs and funds, though Interactive Brokers sets itself apart with a broader range of options to appeal to diverse investor needs.
In terms of investment choice rankings, Interactive Brokers shines with a high rating of 5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com and ranks #2 out of 21 brokers. Vanguard UK Investor, with its more limited offerings, earns a rating of 3.5 stars and sits at #18 for investment choices. While neither platform provides advisor services, the expansive options across the financial products spectrum make Interactive Brokers a compelling choice for investors looking for variety and flexibility.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | No |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | No |
| 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 comparing Interactive Brokers and Vanguard UK Investor for trading tools, Interactive Brokers clearly stands out with its extensive offerings. It allows traders to display corporate events such as earnings, splits, and dividends directly on charts, while Vanguard UK Investor lacks this feature. Interactive Brokers also provides a comprehensive set of 80 drawing tools and 96 technical indicators for detailed chart analysis, whereas Vanguard UK Investor offers none. Additionally, Interactive Brokers supports adding notes, index overlays, and stock overlays to charts, features that are not available with Vanguard UK Investor.
Both platforms provide a browser-based trading experience, catering to users who prefer online access. However, when it comes to creating alerts for stock price updates, Interactive Brokers takes the lead as Vanguard UK Investor does not offer this functionality. Neither platform provides real-time market data, which may be a consideration for users focused on trading at precise moments. Overall, Interactive Brokers offers a far more feature-rich toolset for traders looking to engage in detailed charting and analysis.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 0 |
| 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 online brokers Interactive Brokers and Vanguard UK Investor for UK retirement accounts, both platforms offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), catering well to needs for tax-efficient savings and retirement planning. Interactive Brokers is known for its wide range of investment choices and competitive pricing, making it suitable for active investors seeking broad market access. In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor emphasizes low-cost funds, simplicity, and long-term investment horizons, appealing to those who favor a straightforward approach with a focus on index and mutual funds. Both brokers ensure comprehensive options for retirement planning through their offerings of ISAs and SIPPs, catering to diverse investor preferences and strategies.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For UK investors comparing mobile trading apps, both Interactive Brokers and Vanguard UK Investor offer iOS and Android apps, but their performance and user ratings differ significantly. Interactive Brokers shines with a stellar 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, ranking 4th out of 21 brokers for its mobile app experience, highlighting its efficiency and user-friendliness. In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor lags behind with a 3.5-star rating and a 19th place ranking, indicating room for improvement in its mobile app offerings. This makes Interactive Brokers a preferred choice for those prioritizing top-tier mobile trading tools.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors in the UK seeking educational resources, Interactive Brokers offers a comprehensive suite of tools, including live webinars and a wide range of archived sessions available on demand. These resources cover topics like share trading, funds, and retirement planning. In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor provides archived webinars and educational content focused primarily on funds and retirement but lacks live webinar offerings and share trading education. Interactive Brokers receives a higher beginner education rating of 4.5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com, ranking 8th among 21 brokers, while Vanguard UK Investor holds a 3.5-star rating, standing at 17th place. For those prioritizing beginner-friendly educational resources, Interactive Brokers might present a more appealing choice.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing Interactive Brokers to Vanguard UK Investor for market research features, both platforms offer research reports for funds and the ability to view portfolio allocation by asset class. However, Interactive Brokers stands out by providing research on shares, ETFs, funds, CFDs, and bonds—offering a more comprehensive suite of tools. In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor delivers research for funds and ETFs, but lacks insights on shares, CFDs, and bonds, which may leave some investors seeking more detailed information elsewhere.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Interactive Brokers or Vanguard UK Investor? 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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Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
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When comparing online brokers, Interactive Brokers stands out by offering crypto trading, a feature not available with Vanguard UK Investor, providing a broader investment spectrum for cryptocurrency enthusiasts.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | Vanguard UK Investor | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | No | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No | |
| Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £500 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3 | N/A | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £15 | N/A | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £36 | N/A | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £108 | N/A | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £360 | N/A | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 / £14.85 | £108 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 | Under £32,000: £48 / Over £32,000: 0.15% | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 | £375 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £375 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 | £375 | |
| 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 | 0.02% to 0.14% | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Interactive Brokers | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 0 | |
| 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 | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No | |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | No | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Brokers | Vanguard UK Investor | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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