- 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
Good value, comprehensive platform
Good value, comprehensive platform
Trusted great service
Trusted great service
Very good value
Very good value
Excellent platform with great services...
Excellent platform with great services at an ecellent fixed price.
Very good. Clear and easy...
Very good. Clear and easy to use.
Goid
Goid
Good affordable trading platform. Not...
Good affordable trading platform. Not a particularly good or intuitive interactive experience though.
Receive regular emails on stocks...
Receive regular emails on stocks and funds, links to vote on companies held. Reasonable trading charge, usually better trade price and quick. Easy to use.
No issues
No issues
Very good set up
Very good set up
Safe, easy to use and...
Safe, easy to use and not expensive.
Good value paltform for holding...
Good value paltform for holding and trading shares
Excellent value
Excellent value
So so
So so
does what it says.
does what it says.
Great for managing all Accounts...
Great for managing all Accounts in 1 place. Good value.
In my experience this platform...
In my experience this platform has worked well and is reasonably priced.
Very good
Very good
Fairly easy to navigate the...
Fairly easy to navigate the app. Charges are reasonable and customer response times good
Simple, low cost, stable, reliable,...
Simple, low cost, stable, reliable, foreign stocks not so good
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