AJ Bell vs Interactive Investor: What's the difference?
AJ Bell vs Interactive Investor: compare fees, investment choice, research and account types to see which UK investment platform may suit your needs and goals.
AJ Bell's percentage-based charges may suit smaller portfolios. Interactive Investor's flat monthly fee may suit larger portfolios, or people holding an ISA, pension and family accounts in one place.
AJ Bell has a ready-made pension and its own AJ Bell funds, Interactive Investor has a Managed ISA and managed SIPP portfolios.
AJ Bell charges 0.25% on the first £250,000, whereas Interactive Investor's core plan costs £5.99 a month up to £100,000.
Both platforms include the key investment services: funds, shares, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and investment trusts.
What is the difference between AJ Bell and Interactive Investor?
AJ Bell and Interactive Investor (often shortened to ii) are both UK investment platforms. Both let you choose and manage your own investments.
The biggest difference between the two is how each one charges. AJ Bell takes a percentage of the value you hold, with caps on its charges for shares. Interactive Investor charges a flat monthly fee for a plan that covers an ISA, a SIPP, and a Trading Account together.
The account options differs too. AJ Bell offers a Lifetime ISA, a Junior SIPP, a ready-made pension, and a cash savings hub alongside its core accounts. Interactive Investor's price plans list a Managed ISA and managed SIPP portfolios, with Junior ISAs included on its Plus and Premium plans. Its plans do not list a Lifetime ISA.
The businesses behind them also differ. AJ Bell is listed on the FTSE 250 and also runs an adviser platform called Investcentre. Interactive Investor describes itself as an Aberdeen company.
| AJ Bell | Interactive Investor | |
|---|---|---|
| Charging model | Percentage of holdings, capped for shares | Flat monthly plan fee |
| Main accounts | ISA, SIPP, dealing account, Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, Junior SIPP, cash savings hub | ISA, SIPP, Trading Account, Junior ISA (Plus and Premium) |
| Ready-made options | Ready-made pension, AJ Bell funds, starter portfolios | Managed ISA, managed SIPP portfolios |
AJ Bell vs Interactive Investor: how do the fees compare?
The figures below come from each firm's own fees and charges pages.
Platforms change their pricing, so check the latest charges before you open an account.
| Cost | AJ Bell | Interactive Investor Core | Interactive Investor Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account charge | ISA funds: 0.25% on the first £250,000, 0.10% on the next £250,000, then no charge. ISA shares: 0.25%, capped at £3.50 a month | £5.99 a month (£71.88 a year), up to £100,000 | £14.99 a month (£179.88 a year), no limit |
| Fund dealing | £1.50 | £3.99 | £1.49 |
| UK shares, ETFs, and investment trusts | £5 (£3.50 after 10 or more share deals in the previous month) | £3.99 | £3.99 |
| Regular investing | No dealing charge, from £25 a month | No charge | No charge |
| Foreign exchange | Capped at 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% up to £50,000, then 0.25% |
AJ Bell charges international dealing separately. Interactive Investor's plan fee covers its ISA, SIPP, and Trading Account in one, while AJ Bell's account charge applies to each account you hold.
What the account charge looks like at different sizes
The table below shows the yearly account charge on a Stocks and Shares ISA holding only funds.
It leaves out dealing charges, fund charges, and foreign exchange.
| Funds in an ISA | AJ Bell | Interactive Investor |
|---|---|---|
| £10,000 | £25 | £71.88 |
| £25,000 | £62.50 | £71.88 |
| £50,000 | £125 | £71.88 |
| £100,000 | £250 | £71.88 |
| £250,000 | £625 | £179.88 |
| £500,000 | £875 | £179.88 |
The two charges are level at around £28,750 of funds. Below that, AJ Bell's percentage works out lower. Above it, Interactive Investor's flat fee works out lower.
Shares, ETFs, and investment trusts follow a different pattern. AJ Bell's ISA charge on these tops out at £42 a year, which it reaches at £16,800 of holdings. Its SIPP equivalent tops out at £120 a year.
So a shares-only ISA at AJ Bell costs less in account charges at any size than Interactive Investor's Core plan, although dealing charges still apply.
Interactive Investor also lists optional extras. Its ii360 platform costs £20 a month on Core and Plus, and is included in its Premium plan at £39.99 a month. Neither firm charges to move an account in, and AJ Bell does not charge for withdrawals.
In short, neither structure works out cheaper for everyone. The result depends on how much you hold, what you hold it in, and how often you trade.
Is AJ Bell or Interactive Investor better?
Neither platform is better for everyone. The answer depends on what you hold, how much you hold, and how much support you want along the way.
Here is how they compare on three areas people often weigh up.
Range of investments
Both platforms cover the main building blocks: funds, shares, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and investment trusts. AJ Bell also lists bonds and gilts, IPOs and new issues, and international dealing across 24 markets.
Interactive Investor offers UK, US, and other international shares, and lets you hold several currencies in its SIPP and Trading Account. Its charges differ by market, with other international shares costing £9.99 a trade on Core.
No platform lists every investment. Before you open an account, search for the specific funds, shares, or trusts you want to hold on each website, particularly for smaller overseas markets or niche products.
Research and guidance
Guidance helps you decide. Advice is a personal recommendation from an adviser. Both platforms offer guidance, and both state that their content is not personal advice.
AJ Bell has a Learn hub with guides and a jargon buster, a Money & Markets podcast, an expert-selected favourite funds list, and starter portfolios. Interactive Investor has a research hub, ii Insights articles, a customer forum called ii Community, and its Super 60 and ACE 40 rated lists, with analysis from Morningstar. ACE 40 focuses on sustainable investments.
Interactive Investor's advanced ii360 platform and its ii Advice service cost extra on Core and Plus. Check what each tool includes before you pay for it.
Brand reputation
AJ Bell says it has more than 796,000 customers and has been named a Which? Recommended Provider every year from 2019 to 2026. Interactive Investor describes its SIPP as five-time Which? Recommended.
Awards reflect the criteria of the organisation that grants them at a point in time. They are a useful starting point, but they do not tell you how a platform will suit your own situation.
For a wider picture, read recent customer reviews on sites such as Trustpilot, and look at how each firm handles service problems.
Can you open accounts with both AJ Bell and Interactive Investor?
Yes. Nothing stops you holding accounts with more than one investment platform. Some people split their money to use each platform's strengths, such as keeping funds with one and shares with the other.
The ISA allowance still applies across all your providers. For the 2026 to 2027 tax year, the maximum you can save in ISAs in total is £20,000. That limit covers every ISA you pay into, wherever you hold it.
Splitting money also has a cost. You would pay for each platform separately, so a flat monthly fee at Interactive Investor spreads across a smaller pot. AJ Bell's percentage charges apply to whatever you hold with it. It is worth adding up the combined charges before you divide your investments.
Holding two platforms also means two sets of logins, statements, and tax paperwork. That is manageable, but it takes more tracking. The same applies to pensions, where you need to keep a clear record of what you hold in each SIPP.
If you later want to move money from one platform to the other, you use a transfer rather than a withdrawal. The FAQs below explain how that works for ISAs.
Which is better for passive, long-term investing?
Passive investing means buying low-cost funds or ETFs that track a market index, then holding them for years rather than trading often. Charges matter more here, because small differences repeat every year and add up over time.
Both platforms support this style. Each lets you invest a set amount every month with no dealing charge. AJ Bell's regular investing starts at £25 a month. Interactive Investor includes regular investing on all of its plans.
The main difference is how the account charge grows. A percentage charge rises as your pot grows, while a flat fee stays the same. On AJ Bell's 0.25% charge, a £250,000 funds ISA costs £625 a year. On Interactive Investor's Plus plan, it costs £179.88. Interactive Investor says flat fees tend to work out better value as wealth builds up.
The reverse is true for smaller pots. Interactive Investor's £71.88 yearly fee is about 1.4% of a £5,000 portfolio, compared with £12.50 at AJ Bell's 0.25%. Someone starting out with a modest amount may find the percentage model gentler in the early years.
Dividend reinvestment is another small cost. Interactive Investor charges £0.99 per holding on Core and Plus to reinvest dividends. Accumulation funds reinvest income inside the fund, so they avoid that step.
If you would rather not pick investments at all, both offer hands-off options. AJ Bell has a ready-made pension and its own AJ Bell funds. Interactive Investor has a Managed ISA and managed SIPP portfolios, with no extra account fee on its plans. Fund charges apply on top in each case.
A long-term approach does not remove risk. The value of investments can fall as well as rise, and you may get back less than you put in.
How do their investment philosophies differ?
Neither platform tells you what to invest in. Here, philosophy means the approach each takes to pricing and to supporting its customers.
AJ Bell builds its offer around percentage-based pricing with caps and tiers, and it presents its charges as simple. It aims to serve a wide mix of people, from newer investors to experienced ones. Its Starter portfolios and separate Dodl app suit people just beginning, while its share dealing and international markets suit those who pick their own holdings.
Interactive Investor builds its offer around the flat fee. It describes itself as the UK's original flat-fee platform, and says percentage charges can quietly drain returns over the long term. Its plans put an ISA, a SIPP, and a Trading Account under one price, which suits people who want to bring their investments together.
Interactive Investor also leans towards research and community. Its rated lists, articles, and forum aim to help people make their own decisions. It extends the same flat-fee idea to families, by including family accounts and Junior ISAs in the fee on its higher plans.
The two approaches suit different priorities. AJ Bell's pricing scales with what you hold, and its caps keep share charges low. Interactive Investor's pricing stays fixed, so it tends to favour larger or consolidated pots. Neither approach is right or wrong in itself. What matters is how it fits your own circumstances.
Get expert financial advice
AJ Bell and Interactive Investor take different routes to the same goal. AJ Bell charges a percentage that is often lower on smaller pots and on shares, while Interactive Investor's flat fee tends to work out lower on larger pots and across several accounts.
They also differ on account types, research tools, and extras. A platform gives you the tools to invest, but it does not tell you what suits your circumstances.
A financial adviser can look at your goals, your tax position, any existing pensions, and how much risk you are comfortable with, then recommend how to use ISAs, pensions, and other accounts.
Answer a few questions and Unbiased can match you with a financial adviser who covers what you need, whether that is investing, pensions, or retirement planning.
)