Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Investor vs XTB, 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, XTB offers better pricing than Interactive 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 XTB would cost £0 per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £107.76 per year, while XTB would cost £0 per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £203.52 per year, while XTB would cost £0 per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £538.68 per year, while XTB would cost £0 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £0 per year, while XTB would cost £0 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.
For UK investors exploring online brokers, Interactive Investor and XTB present distinct investment options. Interactive Investor shines with its broad selection, including share trading, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds, and investment trusts. In contrast, XTB provides opportunities in share trading, ETF trading, and CFD trading, appealing to those focused on more dynamic or leveraged investments.
Interactive Investor boasts a commendable 5-star rating for investment choices from UK.StockBrokers.com, ranking 3rd out of 18 brokers, while XTB holds a respectable 4.5 stars, positioned at 13th. However, neither broker offers crypto trading or spread betting, and both lack advisor services, meaning investors seeking these specific services will need to look elsewhere.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
XTB
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No |
| Spread Betting | No | Yes |
| Crypto Trading | No | 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 choosing between Interactive Investor and XTB for online trading tools, UK investors will find that both platforms allow traders to display essential corporate events, like earnings and dividends, directly on their charts. They also support the addition of notes and the creation of price alerts, enhancing user flexibility in monitoring stocks. While both platforms provide browser-based trading, Interactive Investor stands out with the option to add both index and stock overlays, a feature not supported by XTB.
In terms of charting capabilities, Interactive Investor offers a wider variety of technical indicators with 104 available options compared to XTB's 39. However, XTB edges ahead slightly in drawing tools, providing 20 compared to Interactive Investor's 18. Both platforms deliver real-time market data, ensuring traders have up-to-date information. Ultimately, Interactive Investor may appeal more to those seeking comprehensive technical analysis tools and chart customization, while XTB might attract those focused on a rich set of drawing tools.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
XTB
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 39 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 18 | 20 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
For UK investors exploring retirement account options, Interactive Investor and XTB each offer distinct advantages. Both platforms provide ISA accounts, allowing users to save tax-efficiently. However, Interactive Investor takes the lead in retirement planning by also offering SIPP accounts, which XTB does not. This makes Interactive Investor a more comprehensive choice for those seeking both ISA and SIPP accounts to manage their retirement investments effectively. In contrast, XTB focuses on offering competitive features for ISA accounts alone. Users should consider their specific retirement goals and account needs when choosing between these two online brokers.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For UK investors exploring mobile trading options, both Interactive Investor and XTB provide impressive platforms compatible with iPhone and Android devices. Rated 4.5 stars by UK.StockBrokers.com, the mobile apps of both brokers deliver high-quality user experiences. Despite their identical star ratings, XTB edges out slightly, ranking 6th among 18 brokers, while Interactive Investor follows closely at 7th. This minor difference highlights XTB's marginal advantage in the competitive landscape of mobile trading apps. However, both brokers stand out for their accessibility and user satisfaction, making either a solid choice for mobile traders.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors in the UK seeking quality educational resources, Interactive Investor stands out compared to XTB. Interactive Investor provides educational client webinars that can also be accessed on-demand, giving users flexibility to learn at their convenience. They offer comprehensive education on share trading, funds, and retirement topics. In contrast, XTB does not provide webinars and focuses solely on share trading education, lacking resources on funds and retirement. Rated highly by UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Investor boasts a perfect 5-star rating and ranks second out of 18 brokers for beginner education. XTB also fares well but slightly trails with a 4.5-star rating, placing ninth in the rankings.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
XTB
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
For UK investors comparing market research features, Interactive Investor provides a more diversified research offering than XTB. Interactive Investor offers research reports for various asset classes, including funds, shares, ETFs, and bonds, which helps investors make informed decisions across a wide range of investments. In contrast, XTB focuses more on CFD research and does not offer reports for funds or bonds. Both platforms allow users to view portfolio allocation by asset class and provide research on shares and ETFs, but Interactive Investor stands out with its comprehensive approach to funds and bonds research, making it a better option for those seeking in-depth analysis across multiple investment types.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
XTB
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | No | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Interactive Investor or XTB? 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.
| Feature |
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XTB
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While both Interactive Investor and XTB are prominent online brokers, neither platform offers crypto trading options.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Investor | XTB | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | XTB Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Investor | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | No | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | Yes | |
| Funds | Yes | No | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No | |
| Spread Betting | No | Yes | |
| Crypto Trading | No | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Investor | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £0 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £79.83 | £0 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £107.76 | £0 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £203.52 | £0 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £538.68 | £0 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £71.85 | N/A | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £59.88 - £143.88 | 0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £143.88 | 0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £143.88 | 0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £143.88 | 0 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £3.99 | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £3.99 | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3.99 | £0 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £3.99 | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £49 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Investor | XTB | |
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| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Interactive Investor | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 39 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 18 | 20 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
| Research | Interactive Investor | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | No | Yes | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Investor | XTB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Investor | XTB | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | XTB Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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