Interactive Investor Review: Fixed fee investing on a wide range of investments

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Interactive Investor has come a long way in the 20 years or so I have been following them, especially recently as they are now part of ABRDN. The fixed fee pricing has always set them apart from competitors and can make having a large portfolio with them very cheap.
Richard Berry
Richard Berry
Good Money Guide Founder

Interactive Investor Customer Reviews

4.3
4.3 out of 5 stars (based on 1,101 reviews)
Excellent51%
Very good33%
Average11%
Poor3%
Terrible2%

Good

30th June 2024

Good

Stuart

Good

30th June 2024

Good

Stuart

Their support team are very…

28th June 2024

Their support team are very helpful. Fast answer and a quick resolution to my issue. Great service.

Maria Osmane

Easy to use

26th June 2024

Easy to use

Gillean Hoehnke

Transactional

26th June 2024

Transactional

James Young

Good all round service could…

26th June 2024

Good all round service could be cheaper

Paul Wheeler

2/5

25th June 2024
Alan Patterson

good support

21st June 2024

good support

shobhna s patel

lots of regular info

20th June 2024

lots of regular info

Neil Edwards

Good affordable fees, great choice.

20th June 2024

Good affordable fees, great choice.

Campbell Mccallum

Simple and accessible allows you…

20th June 2024

Simple and accessible allows you to invest as a individual investor

Andrew Harrold

excellent

20th June 2024

excellent

Maria Carminati

Easy to use, huge choice…

19th June 2024

Easy to use, huge choice of instruments, flat fee offers VFM

Andrew Connolly

Good for research

19th June 2024

Good for research

Andrew Eustace

I’m not sure but I…

18th June 2024

I’m not sure but I Steven Talewa of Tari Hela Province of Papua New Guinea is just select for voting investment platform provider of the year

Steven Talewa

Poor customer service, limited web…

18th June 2024

Poor customer service, limited web and app tools. Bad removed model portfolios

Steven Litchfield

Account info set out in…

15th June 2024

Account info set out in a conventional and easily understood manner. Good quick customer service via their secure message system. I rate them as being very good all-rounders.

Ken Gaskin

Reliable, quick to credit dividends,…

15th June 2024

Reliable, quick to credit dividends, good range of stock.

Ivor Duarte

I find it hard to…

15th June 2024

I find it hard to navigate and not very intuitive.

Neil Burton

Reasonable value, monthly share tradind…

15th June 2024

Reasonable value, monthly share tradind credit useful.

Ray Ring

Platform easy to use but…

15th June 2024

Platform easy to use but annoyed that dealing account pays in dollars rather than automatically converts. Good tax reports and documentation

Phillip Fielding

Ok but difficult website

15th June 2024

Ok but difficult website

Roland Lord

Good website, app and reasonable…

15th June 2024

Good website, app and reasonable fees

Richard Skinner

quick and easy

14th June 2024

quick and easy

roger frew

Good

14th June 2024

Good

Marinos Panayi

User friendly

14th June 2024

User friendly

Anil Lala

Admittedly I preferred the lower…

14th June 2024

Admittedly I preferred the lower fees of the Sharedealing centre which Abrd bought and am now part of ii. Very good customer service however.

Keith Selvarajah

5/5

13th June 2024
Matthew Snazell

Easy to use and works…

13th June 2024

Easy to use and works well

DAVID SHAW MILLER

I use my ii account…

13th June 2024

I use my ii account for my trading and find it easy to use and straightforward

Robert Black

5/5

13th June 2024
Gary Dooley

No thoughts

13th June 2024

No thoughts

Ewan Macintyre

Simple to use – intuitive

13th June 2024

Simple to use – intuitive

Christine Attwood

Good support

13th June 2024

Good support

Stewart Bell

.

13th June 2024

.

Stuart Tomisson

Easy to use.

13th June 2024

Easy to use.

Adrian Lawrence

5/5

13th June 2024
Daniela Magoni

5/5

13th June 2024
Nigel Mark Selby

good

13th June 2024

good

i Gotts

is ideal for serious, experienced…

13th June 2024

is ideal for serious, experienced investors looking for a wide range of investment options and comprehensive tools, despite the higher fees.

MICHEL BORREGO

Good competitive fees

13th June 2024

Good competitive fees

Douglas Dulcamara

Easy use onine Platform and…

12th June 2024

Easy use onine Platform and cheap.

Anthony Sewell

poor exchange currency rates

12th June 2024

poor exchange currency rates

paul Middleton

Ok

12th June 2024

Ok

Alun Morris

Excellent

12th June 2024

Excellent

Dave Evans

No issues

12th June 2024

No issues

Russell Harris

Works well for buying, selling…

12th June 2024

Works well for buying, selling and holding a great veriety of investments

Robin Russell

The platform has improved considerably…

12th June 2024

The platform has improved considerably in recent years and now works well at low cost

Richard Phillips

No

12th June 2024

No

Robert Sala

good

12th June 2024

good

stephen walker

Good information

12th June 2024

Good information

Colin Jex

All investments and documents easily…

12th June 2024

All investments and documents easily accessible. Good customer service

Neil Ackroyd

Efficient reliable

12th June 2024

Efficient reliable

Richard Milner

Not as good as IG…

12th June 2024

Not as good as IG but it works

Anne Conboy

Easy to use, comprehensive, good…

12th June 2024

Easy to use, comprehensive, good value

Ian Hannah

Excellent and good value

12th June 2024

Excellent and good value

Jonathan Wood

Good

12th June 2024

Good

Martin Simon

Adequate.

12th June 2024

Adequate.

Trevor Payne

. . effective, good value,…

12th June 2024

. . effective, good value, safe and reliable.

chris clare

Mediocre research, Platform good, reports…

12th June 2024

Mediocre research, Platform good, reports good.

Aubrey Frank Raine

Offers a sound platform which…

12th June 2024

Offers a sound platform which is straightforward to use but does have odd traits

Michael Francis

Do not provide profit and…

12th June 2024

Do not provide profit and loss for CGT

Kailayapillai Ranjan

Good value SIPP platform

12th June 2024

Good value SIPP platform

Paul Byham

Cheaper but app is not…

12th June 2024

Cheaper but app is not as good

Simon Cronk

App is good but fee…

12th June 2024

App is good but fee structure not great.

Ignatius Pinto

Is to trade on. Quick…

12th June 2024

Is to trade on. Quick access tom latest news.

Jayant Ashar

4/5

12th June 2024
John Ginley

Good range of assistance and…

12th June 2024

Good range of assistance and information to help choose investments

John Luckett

OK

12th June 2024

OK

Michael Bacon

Good platform

12th June 2024

Good platform

David Pilling

The analysis of customer holdings…

12th June 2024

The analysis of customer holdings is now poor

JOSEPH ALLEN RATHBONE

Website could be better, stop…

12th June 2024

Website could be better, stop logging out after a period

Paul Walton

Good platform, however analysing data…

12th June 2024

Good platform, however analysing data sometimes difficult

John Peacock

Better value and covers my…

12th June 2024

Better value and covers my investing needs

James Charles Edward Kilcawley

good and competitive trading costs

12th June 2024

good and competitive trading costs

Aleks Ilic

Very good and has customer…

12th June 2024

Very good and has customer service in view

Edward Wal

Good value, comprehensive platform

12th June 2024

Good value, comprehensive platform

John Phillips

Trusted great service

12th June 2024

Trusted great service

Nicholas Dunne

Very good value

12th June 2024

Very good value

Alistair Stewart

Excellent platform with great services…

12th June 2024

Excellent platform with great services at an ecellent fixed price.

Andrew Howe

Very good. Clear and easy…

12th June 2024

Very good. Clear and easy to use.

Paul Singer

Goid

12th June 2024

Goid

Russell Martin Cook

Good affordable trading platform. Not…

12th June 2024

Good affordable trading platform. Not a particularly good or intuitive interactive experience though.

James Andrews

Receive regular emails on stocks…

12th June 2024

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.

Michael Robinson

No issues

12th June 2024

No issues

Glen Keedy

Very good set up

12th June 2024

Very good set up

Harold Christopher Symonds

Safe, easy to use and…

12th June 2024

Safe, easy to use and not expensive.

Martin Thomas

Good value paltform for holding…

12th June 2024

Good value paltform for holding and trading shares

Patrick Morris

Excellent value

12th June 2024

Excellent value

Chris Bishop

So so

12th June 2024

So so

Andy Holmes

does what it says.

12th June 2024

does what it says.

Adam A Whitehead

In my experience this platform…

12th June 2024

In my experience this platform has worked well and is reasonably priced.

Douglas Battersby

Great for managing all Accounts…

12th June 2024

Great for managing all Accounts in 1 place. Good value.

Raymond Forbes

Very good

12th June 2024

Very good

Steve Knight

Fairly easy to navigate the…

12th June 2024

Fairly easy to navigate the app. Charges are reasonable and customer response times good

Iain Wright

Simple, low cost, stable, reliable,…

12th June 2024

Simple, low cost, stable, reliable, foreign stocks not so good

Roy Gibson

.

12th June 2024

.

Paul Petch

Fair cost and felxible

12th June 2024

Fair cost and felxible

Howard Cousins

Fixed fees independent of account…

12th June 2024

Fixed fees independent of account size and cheap dealing fees

Roger Doery

Cheaper if investing in funds

12th June 2024

Cheaper if investing in funds

Timothy John Lowe

Very simple and easy to…

12th June 2024

Very simple and easy to use and useful information

MICHAEL OLD

Cheap trading costs, not always…

12th June 2024

Cheap trading costs, not always good fills

Simon Marriott

No problems

12th June 2024

No problems

MR D T SMITH

Good on costs and overseas…

12th June 2024

Good on costs and overseas investing

YADI JAYRAN-NEJAD

Low cost, simple efficient trading…

12th June 2024

Low cost, simple efficient trading and permits a vast range of investments

Leigh Johnson

OK

12th June 2024

OK

Richard Wyatt

Awkward user interface

12th June 2024

Awkward user interface

Peter Wyatt

Excellent

12th June 2024

Excellent

Eric kenelm ford

New to me and not…

12th June 2024

New to me and not used all site

Patrick George Williams

Good value, easy to use

12th June 2024

Good value, easy to use

Chris Hoyer Millar

good

12th June 2024

good

simon cannell

Flat rate fees has great…

12th June 2024

Flat rate fees has great appeal.

Cecil Frank Scott

Good, straightforward

12th June 2024

Good, straightforward

Andrew James

Exceptional value. Wish they offered…

12th June 2024

Exceptional value. Wish they offered more Bonds

Hamish Stevenson-Hamilton

very cost effective and good…

12th June 2024

very cost effective and good research tools

Allan Davie

No view. I just use…

12th June 2024

No view. I just use it and it works

Trevor Green

4/5

12th June 2024
Steven Giddings

Very good

12th June 2024

Very good

Harry robson

Easy to use. Analysts research…

12th June 2024

Easy to use. Analysts research work good.

Patrick Fleming

Excellent investment platform easy to…

12th June 2024

Excellent investment platform easy to use and reliable, competively priced

Neil Perry

No thoughts

12th June 2024

No thoughts

Robert Stepney

Low costs and plenty of…

12th June 2024

Low costs and plenty of data

Jenny Riley

Site is quick and…

12th June 2024

Site is quick and easy to use

Robert Wedgbury

Helpful in keeping clients informed…

12th June 2024

Helpful in keeping clients informed of changes .

Anthony Beater

Cheap to trade, quite often…

12th June 2024

Cheap to trade, quite often get filled better than my limit price

Stuart Wilson

No thoughts

12th June 2024

No thoughts

George

Easy to use and access

12th June 2024

Easy to use and access

David Llewellyn

Very easy to use

12th June 2024

Very easy to use

Duncan Smith

Convenient to use. It becomes…

12th June 2024

Convenient to use. It becomes better value the more you invest. The trading fees are not particularly good value

Pauline Millican

Ok for regular investors

12th June 2024

Ok for regular investors

Sunil Koneti

Excellent interface

12th June 2024

Excellent interface

Niral Vadera

Great

9th June 2024

Great

Steven curran

A reasonable service

9th June 2024

A reasonable service

Angela Coutts-Wood

Excellent for research and competitive…

7th June 2024

Excellent for research and competitive costs.

Martin Swallow

4/5

6th June 2024
Kristina Juodikyte

Simple and effective

6th June 2024

Simple and effective

Jeremy Rutherford

User friendly, good value

6th June 2024

User friendly, good value

Karen Michael

Poor transfer in service. Blame…

4th June 2024

Poor transfer in service. Blame anyone else over than taking ownership.

Mark Alderman

5/5

4th June 2024
graeme proudfoot

Brilliant

1st June 2024

Brilliant

Lawrence parker

Ok but slow to respond…

30th May 2024

Ok but slow to respond to customer queries and quite expensive

Sally woodward

Ok

30th May 2024

Ok

Dan

I switched my ISA from…

29th May 2024

I switched my ISA from Bestinvest to ii. ii is not only much cheaper but it is also far more informative and treats clients much better.

Ann MacMillan

Easy to use trading platform.

29th May 2024

Easy to use trading platform.

John Murphy

Very informative

29th May 2024

Very informative

Mark

Does what it says on…

29th May 2024

Does what it says on the tin, cheaply and efficiently

Reg Hoare

x

28th May 2024

x

Norman Renshaw

I am completely happy with…

28th May 2024

I am completely happy with there service.

Graeme F Sinclair

Q

28th May 2024

Q

Martin Hill

Easy to use, navigate, good…

28th May 2024

Easy to use, navigate, good value and research options

Peter Houghton

Great

27th May 2024

Great

Haris Mian

Excellent, easy to navigate, easy…

27th May 2024

Excellent, easy to navigate, easy to purchase/sell shares

Eugene Barnwell

Rarely used

27th May 2024

Rarely used

Steve Cowley

Very good

27th May 2024

Very good

David Bowler

Excellent rapid service. Wish it…

27th May 2024

Excellent rapid service. Wish it wouldn’t log me out so quickly though

Guy Pyetan

Easy to understand and use

26th May 2024

Easy to understand and use

David Laurence Clayton

Easy to use platform for…

26th May 2024

Easy to use platform for equity investments in ISAs and Sipps

John Baillie

very good value and customer…

26th May 2024

very good value and customer service

David Gibbon

in general it is helpful…

26th May 2024

in general it is helpful and informative

Michael Phillips

Well designed and well run….

26th May 2024

Well designed and well run. Its not difficult

Nick Grant

3/5

25th May 2024
Suryabrata Banerjee

good value and easy to…

25th May 2024

good value and easy to use

chris taylor

Commodity broker service for the…

25th May 2024

Commodity broker service for the masses. Good as long as thing go well, but on the few occasions I’ve tried to get service from support staff , failed or become frustrated at the lack of customer empathy and interest I’ve experienced.

alex spreadbury

Cheap as chips for a…

25th May 2024

Cheap as chips for a regular investor and trades are easy to execute online

Julian Anderson

5/5

25th May 2024
Linda Marion Rule

25th May 2024

Frederick Mark Tughan

Longtime good experience even though…

25th May 2024

Longtime good experience even though trading shares is expensive

John Pilkington

Very professional

25th May 2024

Very professional

G Allen

Currency accounts are good

25th May 2024

Currency accounts are good

Paul Hulbert

Good

25th May 2024

Good

Paul Hulbert

good

25th May 2024

good

Antony Deacon Lee

good

25th May 2024

good

Ben Johnston

Basic trading platform

25th May 2024

Basic trading platform

Ross Davidson

very good but I am…

25th May 2024

very good but I am worried about change in ownership

David Goldin

5/5

25th May 2024
Adam Sidbury

comprehensive and user friendly

25th May 2024

comprehensive and user friendly

Lee W Richardson

Efficient

25th May 2024

Efficient

Gerry Aherne

5/5

24th May 2024
Rory Cusack

NA

24th May 2024

NA

Aditi Sharma

Solid

24th May 2024

Solid

Alastair Thomas

Ok

24th May 2024

Ok

Mike Hughes

Do not use very much…

24th May 2024

Do not use very much now

Peter Whiers

5/5

24th May 2024
MICHAEL CHAPMAN

3/5

24th May 2024
Sandeep Paul

Decent service

24th May 2024

Decent service

Neville Clark

Easy portal to use. They…

24th May 2024

Easy portal to use. They answer the phone when you call them, and they know the answer

colin phillips

very good

24th May 2024

very good

niall heffernan

Flat fees great for SIPP;…

24th May 2024

Flat fees great for SIPP; however their pricing structure works against you if you wanted to hold an investment account as well

Robert Johnson

x

24th May 2024

x

Robert Deriawish

Cheap and cheerful

23rd May 2024

Cheap and cheerful

Greg Struthers

Slick, efficient and reliable

23rd May 2024

Slick, efficient and reliable

Greg Curtis

Overall pleased

23rd May 2024

Overall pleased

Stephen McWilliam

best value

23rd May 2024

best value

sukhbir kapoor

Competitive, helpful and knowledgeable

23rd May 2024

Competitive, helpful and knowledgeable

Kevin Cartwright

Good

23rd May 2024

Good

Rhoda Matthews

Easy to use with good…

23rd May 2024

Easy to use with good research information

Rodney Ford

Good

23rd May 2024

Good

Grahame Pearce

Generally very easy to use,…

23rd May 2024

Generally very easy to use, but some functions need to be easier to access and use.

Christopher George Dean

5/5

23rd May 2024
Christopher George Dean

My wife as a SIPP,…

23rd May 2024

My wife as a SIPP, ISA, I have a trading account. there Good

Tony

Decent platform with poor costs…

23rd May 2024

Decent platform with poor costs especially FX costs for US stocks

Bomy Gandhi

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What’s in this guide?

Interactive Investor Expert Review

Interactive Investor is a low-cost provider competing directly with the likes of Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell offering general investment accounts, ISAs and pensions. In our Interactive Investor review, we explore the pros and cons of the platform and who it is suitable for.

Interactive Investor Review
Good Money Guide Recommended 2024

Name: Interactive Investor

Description: Interactive Investor or II as its known is one of the UK’s largest self-determined investor platforms. II can trace its roots back to 1995 and the startup floated on the London stock exchange back in the year 2000 before being bought by the Australian business Ample in 2002. Today,  Interactive Investor is a owned by abrdn with assets under administration of more than £50 billion and 400,000 customers to whom II offers share trading and investment services including, ISAs SIPPs and share dealing, alongside research and analysis. Including model portfolios, selected funds and thematic investments.

Why we like them

Interactive Investor differs from other investment platforms as it charges a fixed account fee, rather than a percentage of the funds you have on account. Which, over time, could save you thousands in costs.

Pros

  • Fixed account fees
  • Easy to use
  • Good research

Cons

  • No Lifetime ISA
  • Expensive for very small accounts
  • No derivatives for hedging
  • Pricing
    (4)
  • Market Access
    (4)
  • Online Platform
    (4)
  • Customer Service
    (4)
  • Research & Analysis
    (4)
Overall
4

Ratings Explained

  • Pricing: Brilliant for medium and large investors, expensive for small accounts.
  • Market Access: You’ll be hard-pressed to find something you can’t invest in.
  • Platform & Apps: Very good, excellent data and usability.
  • Customer Service: They are massive and mostly online, but you can call them directly, generally good.
  • Research & Analysis: Loads, daily and weekly updates across all the asset classes they cover, with lots of analysts and opinions. No advice service though.

Interactive Investor Awards

Interactive Investor won “best investing platform” in our 2023, 2022 and 2021 awards.

YouTube video

 

Interactive Investor Facts & Figures

⬜ Public Company
👉 Number Active Clients400,000
💰 Minimum Deposit£1
💸 Client Funds£55 billion
📅 Founded1995
Account Costs
➡️ Investment Account
£9.99 a month
➡️ SIPP
£10 a month
➡️ Stocks & Shares ISA
£9.99 a month
➡️ Junior ISA
£0
➡️ Lifetime ISA
n/a
Dealing Costs
➡️ UK Shares
£7.99
➡️ US Stocks
£7.99
➡️ ETFs
£7.99
➡️ Bonds
£7.99
➡️ Funds£7.99

Is the Interactive Investor ISA any good?

Yes, we rate the Interactive Investor ISA as very good, especially for high-value accounts as the account costs do not rise with your portfolio value. Plus, there are DIY and managed ISA options. However, for smaller accounts the fixed monthly fee is expensive.

Interactive Investor won the 2022 Good Money Guide award for best stocks and shares ISA account as they offer one of the cheapest investment ISAs that provides access to over 40,000 shares and 3,000 funds, as well as investment trusts, ETFs and bonds. They are a good choice for people that want to take control of what they invest in.

The stocks and shares ISA is a way to invest in the markets through a government-approved tax-free wrapper. Individuals can invest up to £20,000 per annum in their stocks and shares ISA or indeed across several other ISAs.

In an ISA there are no capital gains taxes on trading profits and no tax is levied on the income from stock dividends or bond coupon payments. Stocks and Shares ISAs are open to all UK residents aged 18 or over, who can open a new Stocks and Shares ISA each year.

There are many securities, both domestic and international that are ISA eligible. However, an ISA can only contain pounds sterling which means that if you trade in overseas securities you will incur FX conversion charges.

II does not charge any additional fees for a Stocks and Shares ISA, over and above its standard trading account charges. Whilst competitors Hargreaves Landsdown and AJ Bell both charge annual custody fees based on the value of your holdings.

A mix of DIY and Managed ISAs

Interactive Investor, offers both a self-self stocks and shares ISA and a managed option.

The ii Managed ISA is a new offering from Interactive Investor, that allows customers to hold their investments within a tax-free ISA account managed by Interactive Investors’ experts.

The new product is designed to combine the tax benefits of a Stocks & Shares ISA with professional investment management from Interactive Investor.

The Managed ISA is designed for investors who want to hold investments in a tax-efficient ISA wrapper, but who don’t have the time, or inclination, to research and select investments themselves.

By using the Managed ISA, investors can let Interactive Investors’ professionals handle the investment decisions.

How does the managed ii ISA work?

Getting started with the Interactive Investor Managed ISA involves few simple steps.

  1. Select your risk level by answering some quick questions about your investment goals and risk tolerance.
  2. Based on your inputs, Interactive Investor will recommend a managed portfolio matched to your risk profile.
    You will then need to open and fund the account, which can all be done online at ii.
  3. Interactive Investors’ experts will then monitor and adjust the portfolio over time to keep it aligned with your stated investment objectives.

For clients that are already on the ii Investor plan, the Managed ISA is included in their current monthly subscription fee of £11.99 per month, which includes one commission-free trade. Additional trades are charged at £3.99 each.

Managed ISAs versus DIY

The key benefits include:

  • Time savings by not having to research/pick investments yourself
  • Professional expertise from ii managing your ISA portfolio
  • The convenience of a managed solution included in your existing ii subscription
  • Ability to view and track your managed investments anytime
  • Tax-free growth potential by holding in an ISA account

Usually the main draw back of managed ISAs is that you can’t pick your own investments. However, you can run your own investments along side ii’s managed ISA.

How does the II managed ISA compare to the competition?

Interactive Investor believes that their flat monthly fee charging structure will save ISA investors money over the long term.

According to calculations on their website, £50,000 held in an ISA with the platform for 30 years, would have grown to almost £1.20 million, assuming a growth rate of 5.0% per annum, in a mixed portfolio of funds and shares.

That’s up to £45,000 more than you would have returned at rivals like Hargreaves Lansdown, AJ Bell, Fidelity, and Barclays Smart Investor, according to the Interactive Investor data.

In terms of ISA fees Hargreaves Lansdown offers a a tiered fee structure based on the value and type of investments held.

Those fees start at 0.45% for sums up to £250,000 invested in funds, falling to 0.1% between £1.0 and £2.0 million, with no charges levied for investment amounts over £2.0 million.

There are no additional fund dealing charges.

Money that’s invested in UK and international shares and ETFs, in a Hargreaves Lansdown ISA, attracts a maximum monthly fee of £3.75 and trading charges start at £11.95 per deal, with volume discounts down to £5.95 applied one month in arrears.

AJ Bell levies a fee of 0.25% of the first £250,000 invested. However, that scales down to zero if you have more than £500,000 in your account.

Share deals, including ETFs, are charged at £5.00 per trade, which falls to £3.50 if you traded 10 times or more in the prior month. Whilst fund trades cost £1.50 a pop.

Wealthify, a hybrid investing platform, backed by Aviva, offers fees that average out around 0.76% per annum.

That includes all dealing and administrative charges, the creation of a personal savings plan, built by their in-house experts, and ongoing adjustments to the portfolio, to keep that plan on track.

Is the Interactive Investor SIPP any good?

Interactive Investor is the best SIPP for buying funds because of the flat fee. Both Bestinvest and Hargreaves Lansdown do not charge for buying and selling funds, but fees are high at 0.4% on the first £250,000 in your SIPP portfolio. The only downside of Interactive Investor is that you pay £7.99 for each fund trade, but you can reduce this to £3.99 by upgrading to a Super Investor for £19.99 a month which still works out cheaper than paying 0.4% on your portfolio if you have around £250k in invested in funds.

If you do not want to invest in shares and only want to invest in funds, then the cheapest SIPP for for funds and ETFs, is Vanguard who is one of the cheapest fund SIPP providers. Its SIPP has a low account fee of just 0.15% per year, capped at £375, investors also have to pay fund management costs of around 0.20% per year on average. But, your choices are limited to Vanguard funds, which makes the account more of a personal private pension than a SIPP account with complete control and flexibility.

A SIPP is a self-invested pension plan a way of saving and managing money for your retirement in a tax-efficient fashion. A SIPP can run alongside an occupational pension scheme or stand-alone and it provides the same tax benefits and flexible retirement option as other defined contribution pensions.

The main selling points of a SIPP are that they provide access to individual stock and shares from the UK and abroad and that you, the pension holder, make the investment decisions.

In terms of fees, Interactive investor charges £19.99 per month a charge that combines their £9.99 account service and an additional £10.00 fee for SIPP administration.

II calculates that their flat fee structure could save you as much as £94,000 in charges over the pension lifetime when compared to competitor offerings which is a significant sum.

SIPP account holders can open a Stocks and Shares ISA and trading account at no extra cost and also qualify for one free trade per month.

Pension Builder

In 2022 Pension Builder replaced the Funds Fan product which is being retired for new customers and going forward II will have just three membership plans and price points.

The £9.99 per month Investor account, Pension Builder at £12.99 per month and the Super Investor membership for £19.99 per month.

Super Investors will now be able to trade in US shares for just £3.99 per deal, and will also get access to the friends and family initiative (that Interactive Investors introduced in November) for free.

Speaking about the new products, revised charges and simplified membership options, Richard Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Interactive Investor said that:

“Simplicity and great value have always been at the heart of our offering to investors, and we are pleased to be delivering even better value by enhancing our price plans.”

Adding that

“A monthly subscription plan in pounds and pence is familiar to so many people in areas ranging from streaming media to fitness and mobile phone services. We allow people to pay for their investment platform in the same transparent and modern way.”

Is Interactive Investor GIA better than their ISA?

Interactive Investor’s GIA is better than an ISA if you have lots of money to invest as you only tax-free allowance of £20k per year for individual savings accounts, so anything above that you should invest in a general investment account. However, if you only have a small amount of money to invest (less than £20k) you are better off investing it in an II ISA, rather than an II GIA as in an ISA your profits will be tax free.

II’s GIA won our award for best general investment account in our 2023 and 2022 awards as they offer an excellent fixed-fee pricing model, which is a good choice for investors with over £10,000 to invest. Interactive Investor’s fixed-fee model means that your total account costs remain low no matter how big your portfolio gets. You can also invest in a huge range of markets, from UK and international shares to funds, trusts, bonds and ETFs.

Is Interactive Investor’s app any good and is it safe?

Interactive Investor’s app is one of the best ways to invest on mobile based on our matrix as it has loads of research, screeners and market data. It’s also safe and secure as it’s regulated by the FCA. Plus as Interactive Investor is regulated by the FCA and owned by ABRDN, an LSE-listed company currently worth £2.7bn, the II investment app is one of the safest around.

Interactive Investor is a good investing app for active investors who want to make their own investment decisions and will be adding a lot of funds as well as shares to their portfolio as fees are capped. II’s app also has a wide range of news and analysis with a particular focus on educational videos and investment editorials.

  • Investments: Shares, ETFs, bonds & funds
  • Minimum deposit: £1
  • Account types: GIA, ISA, SIPP, JISA
  • Account charge: Shares £0, funds 0.45%
  • Dealing fee: £3.99 – £5.99

App Fees: It costs £9.99 a month for a general investing account with Interactive Investor. Dealing commissions are a free trade every month, then UK Shares and Funds, US Shares charged £7.99 or upgrade to a £19.99 “Super Investor” account 2 free monthly trades and deal for £3.99. Regular investing is free.

If you want level-2 pricing, you can also add Quotestream for £20 per month.

Interactive Investor App

How safe is dealing shares on Interactive Investor?

Share dealing on Interactive Investor is very safe as they are regulated by the FCA so if they go bust your free cash is protected by the FSCS and your shares are held in safe custody with CREST and can be transferred to another investment platform.

Interactive Investor is a low-cost share dealing platform that offers investors access to over 40,000 shares. II won the 2021 and 2023 Good Money Guide award for Best Investment Account.

Interactive Investor is a great choice for anyone who wants to buy and sell shares on a regular basis and has a large portfolio.


  • Investments: Shares, ETFs, bonds & funds
  • Minimum deposit: £1
  • Account types: GIA, ISA, SIPP, JISA
  • Share dealing account charge: £4.99 per month
  • Share dealing fee: £3.99 – £5.99

Dealing Fees: Interactive Investor share dealing commissions are a free trade every month, then UK Shares and Funds, US Shares charged £7.99 or upgrade to a £19.99 “Super Investor” account 2 free monthly trades and deal for £3.99. Regular investing is free.


Special Offers:

  • One free trade per month – One buy or sell order is free every month, after that, the cost is between £3.99 and £5.99 depending on what plan you are on.
  • Free investing for your friends and family –  You can give up to five people a free investment account subscription with Interactive Investor’s Friends and Family plan. You pay a single extra fee of £5 a month, and their monthly cost is zero. Each member can invest up to £30,000 in an ISA or a general investing account with free regular investing and no account fees. However, they will still pay normal dealing commissions when they buy and sell investments.
  • Get £200 when you refer a friend to Interactive Investor – Recommend a friend or family member to ii and get a £200 reward. Your friend will get their first year’s service plan for free – saving £120. To qualify, your friend must transfer or fund their account with at least £10,000 in combined cash/investments. However, your friend will not receive the usually monthly free trade.

Is buying ETFs on Interactive Investor good for beginners?

I would say if you are a complete beginner, then there are better brokers for buying ETFs than Interactive Investor as they have a fixed fee plan, which can diminish returns if you have less than £1,000 to invest. If you are new to ETF investing you see our ETF platform comparison here.

Interactive Investor won our award for best ETF investing account in the 2022 awards. You can choose from over 1,000 ETFs to invest or use their expert picks in the Super 60 and ACE 40 lists.

A good ETF investing platform for larger accounts, as costs are fixed and do not increase with your portfolio.


  • ETFs available: 1,000
  • ETF account charge: £4.99 per month
  • ETF dealing charge: £3.99
  • Account types: GIA, ISA, SIPP, JISA

ETF Fees: Interactive Investor ETF dealing commissions are a free trade every month, then charged £3.99 or upgrade to a £19.99 “Super Investor” account 2 free monthly trades and deal for £3.99. Regular investing is free.

Can you buy index funds through Interactive Investor?

Yes, you can invest in a huge range of index funds (including Vanguard funds) when you have a GIA, ISA or SIPP account with Interactive Investor.

Interactive Investor offer a wide range of index tracker funds. You can either pick your own or choose from some featured funds from their Super 60 investment list.

A good choice for large index fund portfolios, as they offer good coverage and the fixed-fee model means that the bigger your account size gets, your costs stay the same.

Fees: *Fund dealing commissions are a free trade every month, then charged £7.99 or upgrade to a £19.99 “Super Investor” account 2 free monthly trades and deal for £3.99. Regular investing is free.

How many funds are available on Interactive Investor?

You can invest in over 3,000 funds with Interactive Investor, but if that sounds daunting, ii publishe their most popular funds and have “Quick start”, “Super 60” and “ACE 40 ethical” best buy lists to help you pick the best funds for your portfolio.

Interactive Investor won best fund platform in our 2022 awards as you can invest in over 3,000 thousands of funds with help from II’s impartial experts that have selected ideas for a wide range of active and passive funds, investment trusts, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The ii Super 60 fund selections are designed to suit all investors, while our ACE 40 list highlights the best-in-class ethical funds.

Is the Interactive Investor junior ISA (JISA) any good?

Yes, Interactive Investor’s JISA is a great way to invest for your children if you have an investing account with ii as it’s free and you can invest in a huge range of shares, bonds and funds.

If you have an investing account with Interactive Investor, you get a free Junior stock and shares ISAs account for your children. You can invest in over 40,000 shares, bonds, funds or pre-built portfolios. So if you are looking for a free self-select JISA it is one of the cheapest and most flexible investment ISAs for children on the market at the moment compared other large investment platforms like AJ Bell (who charge 0.25% a year). You also get one free trade per month, after that it costs £5.99 per deal, compared to AJ Bell’s £9.95 per share deal.

Does Interactive Investor have a good range of Investment Trusts?

Yes, Interactive Investor has a wide range of investment trusts, and they regularly update the most popular trusts with their customers which can help picking which ones to invest in.

Investment trust fund dealing commissions are a free trade every month, then charged £7.99 or upgrade to a £19.99 “Super Investor” account 2 free monthly trades and deal for £3.99. Regular investing is free.

II has a long association with the investment trust market. Investment trusts are closed-end funds that follow a specific investment mandate. Investment trusts are listed on the stock exchange and their shares trade in the same way that other stocks do.

However, unlike open-ended funds such as ETFs, the value of the shares in an investment trust are driven by the supply and demand for the shares in the trust rather than the values of the underlying investment.

That said investment trusts typically trade and are valued at a premium or discount to the NAV or Net Asset Value of those underlying investments.

You can invest in as many investment trusts as you wish. Though most investors will try to select the best funds in a particular space or theme.

II provides plenty of information about the best-performing Investment trust over various times frames and which funds have proven most popular with II clients, and articles on the sector and investing in it.

II’s flat fee charges apply once again so thats£9.99 per month for a trading and or ISA account, inclusive of one free trade per month and additional trades charged at £7.99 each. SIPP holders pay an additional £10.00 per month admin fee on top of the £9.99 charge.

What’s the difference between an OEIC and unit trust on Interactive Investor?

You can buy OEIC’s on Interactive Investor and as opposed to united trusts which you trade like a companies shares, new shares are created or deleted in an open-ending investment trust when investors buy or sell them.

Interactive Investor charge a low, flat fee of £9.99 per month for investing in open-ended investment companies. This covers OEIC investing for Stocks and Shares ISA, Junior ISA and Trading Account (you can also add a SIPP for an extra £10 per month).

Open-ended investment company dealing commissions are a free trade every month, then charged £7.99 or upgrade to a £19.99 “Super Investor” account 2 free monthly trades and deal for £3.99. Regular investing is free.

Ethical Investing

Interactive Investor offers some pre-selected and pre-packaged investment ideas and styles to their customers. One of which is Ethical Investing the firm have selected 140 funds that allow clients to invest in both the UK and abroad from an ethical perspective.

Alongside equity-centric vehicles, there are bond, money market and property funds to choose from. These are complemented by a clutch of specialist ethical investments.

The list of funds was created with the help of independent research house SRI and data from fund specialists Morningstar, and the II ethical overlay encompasses ESG and sustainability factors.

Costs are the same as other II investment products, which is a flat fee of £9.99 per month including one free trade and additional trade at £7.99 per deal thereafter. And of course, if you dealing bin overseas securities then you may incur FX conversion charges.

International Investing

You can trade in international stocks and shares with Interactive Investors and you can check if stock is available by typing the name into the search for an investment box on the II website and it will return any matches from the list of securities that Interactive Investors offers.

Account-holders get one free trade per month and each subsequent trade costs £7.99. The only other charges are for any FX conversions required to settle the trade or to convert sale proceeds back into sterling for example.

You can trade shares from across Europe and North America as well as Asian markets such as Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore. The coverage is not as extensive as that offered by some rivals for example Hargreaves Landsdown, though their charges are likely to be higher than II’s unless you are trading 20 times a month or more.

Charges & Fees

Interactive Investors chargers flat monthly fees to account holders that start at £9.99 with additional admin charges of £10.00 per month for SIPP administration. All account holders receive one free trade per month and additional deals are charged at £7.99 per trade.

If you are trading in overseas securities you will also pay FX conversion fees which vary based on the size of your transaction. There are occasional special offers and research and ideas are provided free of charge.

The flat fee per month structure differentiates Interactive Investor from its peers many of whom charge fees on the monetary value of your portfolio, based on either a fixed-rate or sliding scale.

It could be argued that the monetary flat fee approach doesn’t penalise success in that you pay no more, or indeed less, for the service regardless of your investment performance.

Whereas under a percentage fee scheme the bigger your portfolio the more you could potentially end up paying

Refer a friend

II offers a refer a friend scheme which rewards existing customers with £100.00 for each friend they introduce to the company, who opens an account and deposits £10,000 or more in either stocks, investments or cash, or a combination of all three.

The rewards are credited to your II trading account and not SIPPs or ISAs.

Friends that are introduced benefit from 12 months of IIs free service plan which is worth £120.00 to them, so it’s a win win situation.

Refers can only introduce a maximum of 6 friends under the scheme and referral fees can be reclaimed if the friend closes their account within a year of their introduction. You can’t refer yourself and you will need to wait 10 days to receive your rewards.

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