- Experts rate the interactive investor General Investing Account highly, awarding it 4.8/5 overall. They commend its fixed-fee pricing model, which is particularly beneficial for investors with larger portfolios, and highlight the platform's ease of use and extensive market access. However, they note that international share dealing can be costly compared to competitors.
- Across 1125 user reviews on Good Money Guide, averaging 4.3/5, customers frequently appreciate the platform's user-friendly interface, efficient customer service, and the attractive flat-fee structure, especially for high-volume trading. However, some users express concerns about rising fees, particularly for smaller accounts, and the platform's limitations in handling international transactions and certain features.
interactive investor General Investing Account Expert rating
Our expert rating is the average of the areas listed here, each scored out of 5 by our team.Our experts have rated interactive investor General Investing Account across five key areas of our review framework.
- Pricing4.5
- Market Access5.0
- App & Platform4.5
- Customer Service5.0
- Research & Analysis5.0
Pros
- Pick your own investments or use the model portfolios
- £1 minimum deposit makes it easy to get started
- Fixed account fee that does not increase with your investments
- Joint account options
Cons
- Fixed fee expensive for accounts below £1,000
- No lifetime ISA account
- No junior SIPP account
See full expert review
Our verdict
The interactive investor (ii) GIA is an all-rounder with an attractive fixed fee pricing model. There's access to a wide range of markets including UK and international shares, bonds and ETFs. Capital is at risk.
Capital at risk
Is Interactive Investor a good general investing account?
Yes, ii’s GIA won our award for best general investment account in 2023 and 2022. This is because of its excellent fixed-fee pricing, which makes it a good choice for investors with over £10,000 to invest. ii's fixed fee keeps your total account costs low no matter how big your portfolio gets. You can also invest in markets ranging from UK and international shares to funds, trusts, bonds and ETFs.
Fees
A GIA with ii costs from £5.99 a month if you have less than £100,000 in your portfolio on their core plan, above that the monthly cost rises to £14.99 on the ii plus plan.
Included in both are a free stocks and shares ISA account and SIPP (for pension investing). Individual share deals are £3.99 per trade. It's a little cheaper to buy funds on the Plus plan at £1.49 per fund buy or sell.
If you are buying international shares, it's quite expensive compared to other providers like IG or Freetrade, who generally offer international share dealing for free. Especially when you take into account that FX fees for converting GBP to USD are 0.75%.
Is ii's GIA Better than its ISA?
The GIA is better if you have lots of money to invest as the maximum you can put in an ISA tax-free each year is £20,000, so anything above that you should invest in a GIA. However, if you have less than £20,000 to invest each year, the ii ISA is a better option as your profits will be tax-free.
What is ii's Platform Like to Use?
ii’s platform is very easy to use and it gives lots of market data on potential investments.
Customer reviews for interactive investor
Customer ratings come from reviews left on this site. Every review is read and approved before it is published.Based on 1,125 reviews
- Excellent51%
- Very good33%
- Basic10%
- Poor4%
- Bad2%
Read customer reviews
Missing Funds
My Sipp pension funds have been missing for two weeks, the company do not seem to care and can not be bothered to even return my calls.
Useless and expensive
Useless and expensive. High fees, which will continue to increase, for rubbish service. They will tell you " you can't do that online, you need to phone". Then when you find an opportunity to phone within their limited opening times, they will tell you "you can't do that on the phone, you need to do it online", then when you do it online you will wait for four days and still won't receive a response. Then you'll process a transaction and it will say it will complete by 14:00 tomorrow, but when you submit the request, it will say that it will complete three days later. There are many other cheaper or free trading platforms, use them not Interactive Investor.
Must pay fees from ISA, not SIPP
Sipp for several years. now added 'free'ISA only to find they insist on all chagres being taken from ISA, not Sipp as before
Sipp is taxable, ISA is tax free. why do we have to pay charges out of ISA?
Increased account fees.
I've been with ii for some years now, and have seen their account fees rise from £9.99 to £14.99 as of February 2026. However, what is disturbing, is that since Brexit they've introduced an additional non UK resident charge of £5.99. These year on year increases are becoming a worrying trend.
Aside from this, I have found them to be a good broker, with an easy to use web site and pleasantly helpful staff. Would recommend with a caution regarding fees.
Not so Clunky
I also amended a drawdown amount this month. an entirely automated process but admittedly hard to find. (ref Albert's comment). The new fee structure from February is excellent and improves the previous costly FX charges.
Clunky platform
I recently tried to amend the monthly drawdown amount from my II SIPP. I expected to find a simple option on their secure platform. Instead I was taken through multiple web pages and eventually asked to complete a pdf form that their site linked to and submit using their secure messaging option. I did this only to be told that the form was out of date and I would need to complete a different form. This new form requires the user to complete several text boxes some of which do not retain the election once the document is saved. It also requires a signature meaning the user must either have electronic signing facilities or a printer and scanner. It's submitted via their secure messaging platform so why require a signature? This whole process should be automated.
Investments in other currencies
While the platform for basic usage is a little more expensive than the competition, it offers a unique service of investment (including funds) in currency other than sterling.
efficient transfer. helpful customer service
efficient transfer. helpful customer service
Good range
Great range of different accounts and a decent fee structure, especially if you make a lot of trades, and will definitely save money against some of the traditional investment providers/brokers.
Excellent.
Straight forward and easy to work with. Helpful people.
Reliable service and easy to use platform
Have been with Interactive Investor for many years and have found the service to be very reliable. The online platform is straigtforward to use and the customer support team has always been helpful.
average
Commission for UK stocks when added to the monthly fee is not as cheap as first appears. For overseas transactions the fx fees are large and frankly a rip off.
Customer service is painful as they often ask for NI number which not many would know. Some customer representatives seem to think they are quiz masters rather than customer service reps, so I try to avoid the phone.
Great platform
Interactive Investor stands out as a reliable platform for serious investors who value a flat-fee structure and a wealth of investment options. While it may not be the best fit for beginners or those with smaller portfolios, its robust tools and transparency make it a compelling choice for experienced investors.
STABLE PLATFORM WITH A GOOD INTERFACE AND GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE
I have been with Interactive Investor for over a decade and highly recommend the service. The fixed fee pricing for high volume trading is excellent value.
Opening an account
Opening an account is very easy and the interface is easy to navigate
Excellent functionality, good value
I’ve been a very satisfied ii customer for many years now. They have a great range of accounts (trading, ISA, SIPP and JISA’s) all for a single monthly fee. Communication with the company is excellent when needed.
Lots of simple features, easy to use
Lots of simple features, easy to get the handle on and use ongoing. Access instant quotes and get a simple to understand historical record of transtions. Very good phone support.
Platform is good but charts are poor
I use II for most of my ISA and some of my SIPP investments. Overall the platform is excellent, fees are pretty good, however I find charts quite poor, can be glitchy when switching through different timelines, for that reason alone I keep other platform accounts where better charts are available.
Reasonable fees
There is good information on shares but they used to have brokers' views and I wish they would bring that back.
Very efficient user friendly investment platform
The fees are among the lowest around and it has a very informative platform with many very good analysis from several analysts
- Related Guide: Best General Investment Accounts (GIAs) Compared & Reviewed