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.
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 Vanguard UK Investor 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 Vanguard UK Investor: for UK investors comparing investment choices, Interactive Brokers offers far more ways to invest. IB lets you trade shares, ETFs, funds, crypto, corporate bonds, gilts, and investment trusts. Vanguard UK Investor focuses on ETFs and funds only; it doesn’t offer share dealing, crypto, corporate or government bonds, or investment trusts. Neither platform offers CFDs or adviser services.
According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for investment choices (ranked 2nd of 21), while Vanguard UK Investor scores 3.5 stars (18th of 21). In short, IB suits investors who want the widest menu of investments, while Vanguard is geared toward straightforward ETF and fund investing.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | No |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual 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.
Interactive Brokers vs Vanguard UK Investor: for UK investors comparing trading tools, Interactive Brokers offers far richer charting. You get 16 drawing tools and 94 technical indicators, while Vanguard UK Investor offers none. Neither platform shows corporate events (earnings, splits, dividends) on charts, supports notes on charts, or allows index or stock overlays. Both provide a browser-based trading platform and neither offers real-time market data.
If you want chart-based analysis and price alerts, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick, as it supports alerts for stock price updates while Vanguard does not. If you simply place occasional trades and don’t need charting features, Vanguard UK Investor may suffice, but active traders will likely prefer Interactive Brokers’ wider toolset.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
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Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 94 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 16 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | No | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | 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 UK beginners comparing education, Interactive Brokers offers live client webinars plus an on‑demand library and covers share trading, funds, and retirement. Vanguard UK Investor does not run live educational webinars but does provide archived sessions to watch on demand, with learning focused on funds and retirement—not share trading. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers earns 5/5 stars for beginner education and ranks 8th of 21 brokers, while Vanguard UK Investor scores 3.5/5 stars and ranks 17th of 21. If you want interactive training and trading know‑how alongside investing basics, Interactive Brokers is the better fit; if you mainly want funds and retirement guidance, Vanguard suits.
| 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 evaluating the market research features of Interactive Brokers and Vanguard UK Investor, both platforms offer research reports for funds and the ability to view portfolio allocation by asset class, catering well to investors keen on detailed fund insights. Additionally, both provide research tools for Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). However, Interactive Brokers distinguishes itself by supporting shares and bonds research, while Vanguard UK Investor does not offer bonds research and lacks shares research capabilities. Thus, for UK investors seeking a comprehensive range of research, Interactive Brokers covers a broader spectrum, making it a more versatile choice for diversified investment insights.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | 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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|---|---|---|
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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 | No | No | |
| Mutual 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 | ||
| 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) | |||
| 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 | Under £32,000: £48 / Over £32,000: 0.15% | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £0 | £375 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £375 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £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 | £3 | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Vanguard UK Investor | |
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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 | 94 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 16 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | No | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| 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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