Ever wondered who would come out on top in a battle between AJ Bell vs interactive investor (ii)? Well, read on to find out how they compare for features, fees and much more.
AJ Bell and interactive investor (ii) are two of the most well-established investing providers available to UK retail investors. They’re also fairly comparable in terms of what they offer and their target audience. So, it make sense to pit AJ Bell vs interactive investor (ii) against each other in a head-to-head battle.
Both AJ Bell and ii offer a huge range of investments and plenty of account options, including a stocks and shares ISA and a self-invested personal pension (SIPP). So, check out our breakdown of AJ Bell vs interactive investor and hopefully this will help you pick who’s best, depending on what’s most important to you – whether that’s fees, investment choice, account types or anything else.
AJ Bell and ii are pretty close when it comes to their Finder score. AJ Bell has a score of 9.3 out of 10, whereas ii has a slightly lower 8.5 out of 10.
Both AJ Bell and interactive investor tick most boxes when it comes to account types available on each platform.
So, in this category it’s hard to separate AJ Bell vs ii. However, the fact that AJ Bell also offers a lifetime ISA (LISA) means that it clinches a win here.
Investment choice is another close call for these platforms.
However, interactive investor manages to pip AJ Bell to the post, offering a larger choice of investments and funds, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs). But it’s disappointing to see neither offers fractional shares.
Winner: interactive investor (ii)
Round 3: Fees
Fees score
7.5Great
6.8Standard
Platform fees
0.25% per month (max. £3.50)
From £5.99 a month
Price per trade
£5
£3.99 (free regular investing available)
Funds/ETFs
£1.50
£3.99 Core £1.49 Plus £0 Premium
Foreign exchange fee
1%
0.75%
Regular investing
Yes (from £25/month and commission drops to £1.50)
Neither platform offers amazing value when it comes to fees. However, AJ Bell recently lowered its share dealing fees to £5 to make them more competitive. But, they’re still more expensive than ii’s £3.99.
AJ Bell only charges £1.50 for fund dealing, and if you set up a regular investment from £25 per month, this will mean you only pay £1.50 commission for any trade.
interactive investor has a similar system where if you set up a regular monthly investment from £25 per month, you get to avoid paying a commission altogether.
Comparing the platform fees is a little tricky because AJ Bell uses a percentage-based system, whereas ii uses flat fees. So, AJ Bell could work out cheaper for smaller portfolios and ii better value for lager portfolios.
Neither AJ Bell nor ii offers a particularly fancy investing experience that will blow your socks off.
However, both these platforms offer a robust mobile app and desktop platform for investing. We think ii offers a slightly more modern approach that’s a bit more accessible.
AJ Bell and interactive investor both focus on providing excellent customer service (which is perhaps why some fees are quite high).
Again, if you look at AJ Bell vs interactive investor for tools and resources, they’re both pretty comparable with similar offerings for investors.
The only thing lacking with both these providers is the inclusion of some sort of social features for investors.
Winner: Tie
Overall winner: Is interactive investor better than AJ Bell?
Both AJ Bell and interactive investor offer pretty similar services, targeting the same type of investors – and neither comes out on top.
This is because AJ Bell offers slightly more account types, but ii has more investments. Then, for most of the other categories, it’s extremely hard to separate the two.
Winner: Tie
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
George is a deputy editor at Finder. He has previously written for The Motley Fool UK, Nasdaq, Freetrade, Investing in the Web, MoneyMagpie, Online Mortgage Advisor, Wealth, and Compare Forex Brokers.
He's focused on making personal finance and investing engaging for everyone. To do this he draws from previous work and his Level 4 Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA), sharing what he’s learnt. When he’s not geeking out about money, you’ll find him playing sports and staying active.
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