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.
Interactive Investor and XTB both offer appealing options for investors, but their available investment choices cater to different needs. If you're interested in share trading and ETFs, both Interactive Investor and XTB have you covered. However, Interactive Investor excels by offering funds, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts, which XTB does not. On the other hand, XTB allows for CFD trading, giving it a unique edge for those interested in this type of investment, which Interactive Investor doesn't provide.
Both platforms do not support crypto trading, spread betting, or advisor services, which simplifies your decision if those features are not on your list of priorities. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Investor is rated 5 stars for its investment choices and ranks 5th among 18 brokers, showcasing its broad offering. Meanwhile, XTB holds a solid 4.5-star rating but ranks 14th, reflecting its more limited options in comparison to Interactive Investor.
| 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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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
Interactive Investor and XTB are both strong contenders in the realm of online trading platforms, each offering unique tools tailored for traders. Both platforms provide the valuable ability to display corporate events like earnings, splits, and dividends directly on their charts, keeping users well-informed. While XTB surpasses Interactive Investor slightly with 20 drawing tools compared to 18, Interactive Investor stands out with an impressive 104 technical indicators against XTB’s 39, thus catering to those needing more comprehensive analytical resources. Both platforms generously facilitate the annotation of charts with notes, aiding traders in marking significant insights for future reference.
Delving deeper into the tools available, Interactive Investor offers increased versatility by allowing users to add both index and stock overlays on charts, a feature absent in XTB. However, both platforms offer robust browser-based trading environments and support alert creation for stock price updates, ensuring traders remain responsive to market shifts. Real-time market data is readily accessible on both platforms, providing traders with the immediacy needed to make timely decisions. Ultimately, the choice between Interactive Investor and XTB may come down to individual preferences regarding the specific charting features and analysis tools important for one's trading strategies.
| 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 |
When comparing online brokers Interactive Investor and XTB for retirement account options, it's important to note that both platforms offer ISA accounts, providing tax-efficient ways to save and invest. However, Interactive Investor stands out by also offering SIPP accounts, which are self-invested personal pensions that allow more control over retirement savings. In contrast, XTB does not provide SIPP accounts, making Interactive Investor a more versatile choice for those looking to manage both ISAs and SIPPs under one roof.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Both Interactive Investor and XTB offer mobile apps for iPhone and Android users. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, both brokers have impressive app ratings of 4.5 stars out of 5. However, when it comes to overall rankings among 18 brokers for mobile apps, XTB edges ahead, securing the 10th spot, while Interactive Investor is positioned at 12th. This means that, although both brokers provide highly-rated apps, XTB slightly surpasses Interactive Investor in overall ranking for mobile app performance.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors seeking educational resources, Interactive Investor offers a robust selection, including live and on-demand webinars, as well as materials on share trading, funds, and retirement planning. In contrast, XTB lacks webinars and does not provide educational content for funds or retirement, although they do offer education on share trading. Interactive Investor shines with a 5-star rating and is ranked #1 out of 18 brokers by UK.StockBrokers.com for beginner education, while XTB holds a respectable 4.5-star rating and ranks #8. This makes Interactive Investor a particularly strong choice for those entering the world of investing.
| 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.
When comparing the market research features of online brokers Interactive Investor and XTB, several distinctions become clear. Interactive Investor provides comprehensive research reports for various investment products, including shares, ETFs, funds, and bonds, but lacks in CFDs research. XTB, on the other hand, excels in CFDs research while also providing insights on shares and ETFs, but doesn't support research reports for funds and bonds. Additionally, both brokers allow investors to see their portfolio allocation by asset class, offering a shared advantage in portfolio oversight. For investors seeking detailed market research on funds and bonds, Interactive Investor stands out, while XTB is better suited for those focused on CFDs insights.
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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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