Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Investor 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 Investor 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 Investor would cost £79.83 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £107.76 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £203.52 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £538.68 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Investor 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 Investor and Vanguard UK Investor offer UK investors a range of options, each catering to distinct preferences. Interactive Investor provides a wider selection for those looking to trade shares, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), funds, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts, making it a versatile choice for diverse investment needs. They receive a glowing 5-star rating and rank 3rd out of 21 brokers for investment choices by UK.StockBrokers.com, underscoring their strong market appeal.
In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor focuses primarily on ETFs and funds. Although they don't offer share trading, trading of corporate or government bonds, and investment trusts, they remain a popular choice for investors prioritizing low-cost fund options. Vanguard UK Investor's investment offerings earn them a 3.5-star rating and an 18th place ranking. While they may not provide the breadth of options seen with Interactive Investor, their focus on ETFs and funds can be ideal for those seeking straightforward, low-fee investment avenues.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
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Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | ||
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | ||
| Crypto Trading | ||
| Advisor Services | ||
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
When comparing the trading tools of Interactive Investor with Vanguard UK Investor, Interactive Investor stands out as a more feature-rich platform. It offers the ability to display corporate events on charts, providing users with comprehensive insights into earnings, splits, and dividends. Users can enhance their charting experience with 18 drawing tools and a whopping 104 technical indicators, allowing for detailed analysis. Additional features such as adding notes, index overlays, and stock overlays to charts are also available, making it a preferred choice for investors seeking an in-depth understanding of the market.
In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor falls short in terms of charting capabilities, as it provides no drawing tools or technical indicators. While both platforms offer a browser-based trading platform, Interactive Investor goes the extra mile by offering stock price alerts and real-time market data, tools that are not available on Vanguard UK Investor. For UK investors looking for a comprehensive trading toolset, Interactive Investor appears to offer a more equipped platform.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Vanguard UK Investor
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|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 18 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes |
Interactive Investor and Vanguard UK Investor both provide attractive options for those in the UK looking to invest for retirement through accounts like ISAs and SIPPs. Interactive Investor offers both these retirement account types, giving investors the flexibility to save tax efficiently through an Individual Savings Account (ISA) or manage their pension with a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP). Likewise, Vanguard UK Investor also provides access to ISAs and SIPPs, making it a viable alternative for those seeking straightforward investment solutions for their retirement planning. Both platforms aim to simplify investment experiences, allowing UK investors to build their retirement savings effectively. By offering these account types, both Interactive Investor and Vanguard UK Investor position themselves as strong contenders in the online brokerage sphere, catering to the specific retirement needs of UK investors.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing the mobile app offerings of Interactive Investor and Vanguard UK Investor, both provide convenient options for iPhone and Android users in the UK. However, Interactive Investor takes the lead, earning an impressive 4.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com and securing the 7th spot out of 21 brokers for mobile app performance. In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor's app is rated at 3.5 stars and ranks 19th. This indicates that while both brokers cater to mobile-savvy investors, Interactive Investor's app offers a more highly regarded user experience.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing the beginner investor educational resources offered by Interactive Investor and Vanguard UK Investor, several key differences emerge. Both platforms provide educational webinars, with on-demand viewing available, making learning flexible. Interactive Investor excels in offering resources on a range of topics such as share trading, fund investments, and retirement planning, while Vanguard mainly focuses on funds and retirement. This comprehensive approach is reflected in Interactive Investor's UK.StockBrokers.com rating, where it scores 5 stars and ranks 2nd out of 21 brokers for beginner education. In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor has a 3.5-star rating and ranks 17th. Thus, beginners might find Interactive Investor more advantageous for a wider scope of educational content.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Share Trading) | 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 Investor and Vanguard UK Investor have their strong points for UK investors. Both platforms provide access to research reports for funds, allowing investors to make informed decisions. Additionally, they offer the ability to view portfolio allocation by asset class, which helps in understanding the distribution of investments. However, Interactive Investor stands out by offering shares and bonds research, whereas Vanguard UK Investor does not provide these specific features. Both platforms do offer ETFs and funds research, ensuring that investors have the necessary insights for these assets. Neither offers CFDs research, so those seeking this service will need to look elsewhere. Overall, Interactive Investor may cater better to those interested in shares and bonds, whereas Vanguard UK Investor offers solid foundational research for funds and ETFs.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | ||
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Interactive Investor or Vanguard UK Investor? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Interactive Investor to be a better trading platform overall.
The standout feature at Interactive Investor (ii) is its low flat-rate fees. Other investment platforms typically favour percentage fees for fund investing, although more brokers are now opting for flat fees. Our view is that Interactive Investor is a great platform for any investor, offering a wide range of investments for cheap prices on the whole.
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Vanguard UK Investor
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Interactive Investor and Vanguard UK Investor both do not offer crypto trading, making them similar in terms of cryptocurrency investment options.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Investor | Vanguard UK Investor | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Investor | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | ||
| CFD Trading | |||
| Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | ||
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | ||
| Investment Trusts | Yes | ||
| Spread Betting | |||
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Investor | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £500 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3.99 | N/A | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £79.83 | N/A | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £107.76 | N/A | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £203.52 | N/A | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £538.68 | N/A | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £71.85 | £108 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £59.88 - £143.88 | Under £32,000: £48 / Over £32,000: 0.15% | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £143.88 | £375 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £143.88 | £375 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £143.88 | £375 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £3.99 | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £3.99 | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3.99 | 0.02% to 0.14% | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £3.99 | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £49 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Investor | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Investor | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | ||
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 18 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | ||
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | ||
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | ||
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Investor | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | ||
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | ||
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Investor | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | ||
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | ||
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Investor | Vanguard UK Investor | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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