Online brokers compared for fees, trading platforms, safety and more. See how Barclays stacks up against Interactive Brokers!
Last update of data—Jul 2022
Barclays is a UK-based bank. Barclays Smart Investor is the brokerage service provided by Barclays and regulated by the top-tier FCA.
Interactive Brokers is a US discount broker. It is listed on a stock exchange and regulated by several authorities, including top-tier ones like the FCA and the SEC.
Recommended for long-term investors looking for a broker with low fees and solid background.
Recommended for traders looking for broad market access and a professional trading environment.
Barclays
Barclays is a UK-based bank. Barclays Smart Investor is the brokerage service provided by Barclays and regulated by the top-tier FCA.
Recommended for long-term investors looking for a broker with low fees and solid background.
Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers is a US discount broker. It is listed on a stock exchange and regulated by several authorities, including top-tier ones like the FCA and the SEC.
Recommended for traders looking for broad market access and a professional trading environment.
Barclays's service is slightly weaker than Interactive Brokers's and a comparison of their fees shows that Barclays's fees are slightly higher than Interactive Brokers's.
Account opening takes about the same effort at Barclays compared to Interactive Brokers, deposit and withdrawal processes are somewhat easier at Barclays, while customer service quality is considerably lower than Interactive Brokers's.
Our experts rated the trading platform of Barclays as much less user-friendly than the platform of Interactive Brokers, found that clients have access to much less markets and products with Barclays, while Interactive Brokers provides just about the same quality of research and education.
Everything you find on BrokerChooser is based on reliable data and unbiased information. We combine our 10+ years finance experience with readers feedback. Read more about our methodology.
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