interactive investor vs AJ Bell
Which investment platform is right for you?
Both are award-winning platforms. But whether you're just getting started or building a larger portfolio, ii's flat fees could bring you better value. And if you're investing as a family or trading internationally, you could benefit even more.
Important information: The ii SIPP is for people who want to make their own decisions when investing for retirement. As investment values can go down as well as up, you may end up with a retirement fund that’s worth less than what you invested. Usually, you won’t be able to withdraw your money until age 55 (57 from 2028). Before transferring your pension, check if you’ll be charged any exit fees and make sure you don't lose any valuable benefits such as guaranteed annuity rates, lower protected pension age or matching employer contributions. If you’re unsure about opening a SIPP or transferring your pension(s), please speak to an authorised financial adviser.
Flat fees could save you £100s every year
Both ii and AJ Bell offer a wide range of investment accounts, but they charge differently: ii charges a flat, monthly fee, AJ Bell charges a percentage of the size of your portfolio.
We've compared annual platform charges across a range of portfolio sizes, so you can see how costs compare.
With ii's flat-fee structure, the more your portfolio grows, the more you could save.
What’s the difference between AJ Bell and interactive investor?
Both platforms offer ISAs, SIPPs, and Trading Accounts - but there are some important differences. The most significant: how you're charged, and what you get for your family.
| interactive investor | AJ Bell | |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts & investments | ||
| Trading Account | ✔ | ✔ |
| Personal Pension (SIPP) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Stocks & Shares ISA | ✔ | ✔ |
| Junior ISA | ✔ Junior ISAs for all your children with Plus plan | ✔ |
| Shares, ETFs, funds, investment trusts | ✔ | ✔ |
| Bonds & gilts | ✔ | ✔ |
| Managed investments | ✔ Managed ISA & Managed Portfolios (pension) | ✔ AJ Bell managed funds & Ready-made pension |
| Features | ||
| UK-based phone & online support | ✔ | ✔ |
| Invest with multiple currencies | ✔ Hold 9 currencies in a SIPP or Trading Account | ✘ |
| Direct Market Access | ✔ | ✘ |
| Leading research & investment lists | ✔ | ✔ |
| Company ownership | FTSE 100 company (aberdeen) | FTSE 250 company |
| Family plans | ✔ Free family accounts on Plus and Premium | ✘ |
| Monthly free trade | ✔ (Plus x1 & Premium x2 free trades) | ✘ |
| Social investing community | ✔ ii Community | ✘ |
| Fees & charges | ||
| Pricing structure | Flat monthly fee for all accounts | Percentage of your portfolio (charged per account) |
| Platform fee | One fee covers all your accounts: Core: £5.99 per month up to £100,000 Plus: £14.99 per month over £100,000 | Charged per account: typically 0.25% of investments (capped for shares/ETFs/investment trusts) |
| Fund trades | Core: £3.99 Plus: £1.49 Premium: Free | £1.50 |
| UK & US share trades | Core: £3.99 Plus: £3.99 Premium: £2.99 | £5.00 |
| Foreign exchange | 0.25% to 0.75% (depending on price plan and trade value) | 0.25% to 0.75% (depending on trade value) |
| Free regular investing | ✔ | ✔ |
One family. One fee.
AJ Bell lets families link accounts, but each person still pays their own platform fee.
With ii Family, eligible family members can invest under a single monthly fee. Plus includes up to five additional family members, while Premium offers unlimited family memberships.
Whether you're investing for your children, supporting parents or helping the next generation get started, ii Family helps your whole family invest together.
A worked example: Meet the Dickinsons
Mark and Joanne invest alongside their two adult children, their children's partners and two grandchildren with Junior ISAs.
Together, the family holds around £618,000 across ISAs, SIPPs, Trading Accounts and JISAs. By linking five family investors under a single ii Plus plan:
- ii Plus: £180 per year
- AJ Bell: £1,461 per year
Potential saving: £1,281 per year
*Illustrative example based on a qualifying ii Plus subscription. Assumes family members hold up to £100,000 each with a 50/50 split between funds and shares. Trading charges excluded.
Why Oliver & Jess chose ii Family
“I almost didn't believe it at first, but the fact that it’s one fee and then you have your whole family together under that, I mean, that’s really unique.”
With ii, Oliver and Jess have Junior ISAs for all 3 of their sons, without having to pay any extra account fees.
With ii Family, Oliver and Jess manage Junior ISAs for all three of their sons under one subscription, making it easier to keep their family's investments together.
Take more control when you invest globally
Investing internationally isn't just about which markets you can access – it's about how you access them. This determines how much control you have and the costs you save.
With ii you can trade directly on global exchanges, hold foreign currencies and avoid unnecessary FX conversions.
With ii, you’re not investing alone.
Unlike AJ Bell, ii offers a dedicated social investing community, free for all our customers.
Exchange ideas, benchmark your portfolio anonymously and discuss markets with more than 40,000 fellow investors.
You can also follow ii’s market experts and investment specialists as they share regular commentary and ideas.
How to transfer from AJ Bell to ii
If you’re new to ii, you can apply online in minutes. Simply join ii and select the account you want to open.
If you’re already with us, you can log in to add another account and begin your transfer from AJ Bell.
You can start your transfer when opening your ii account, or once your account is set up. Simply log in and select ‘Transfers’ under your ‘Portfolio’ menu.
When completing your transfer request, you’ll need to tell us:
- Your AJ Bell account number
- Whether you're transferring cash or investments (an 'in specie' transfer)
- The approximate value of your transfer
Once you've submitted your request, we'll take it from there.
Once your transfer request is submitted, your dedicated case handler will oversee your transfer from start to finish.
They'll introduce themselves by phone or secure message, keep you updated throughout the process and let you know if they need anything else from you.
Depending on your AJ Bell account, you may be asked to complete some additional paperwork before your transfer can proceed. If that's the case, your case handler will explain what's needed and guide you through the process.
ii vs AJ Bell FAQs
It depends on how you invest. For many investors, ii’s flat monthly fee can work out cheaper than AJ Bell’s percentage-based charging, especially as portfolios grow.
The ii fee offers far more than simply access to investments. ii Family, direct access to global markets, and multi-currency investing may offer additional value.
AJ Bell allows you to link accounts to view family wealth in one place, but each family member pays their own full account fees. With ii Family (on the Plus plan at £14.99/month), up to five family members can invest for free — including ISAs, SIPPs, and Junior ISAs.
For example:
Mark and Joanne invest alongside their two adult children, their children's partners and two grandchildren with Junior ISAs.
Together, the family holds around £618,000 across ISAs, SIPPs, Trading Accounts and JISAs. By linking five family investors under a single ii Plus plan:
- ii Plus: £180 per year
- AJ Bell: £1,461 per year
Potential saving: £1,281 per year
*Illustrative example based on a qualifying ii Plus subscription. Assumes family members hold up to £100,000 each with a 50/50 split between funds and shares. Trading charges excluded.
No — AJ Bell automatically converts international trades and dividends back to GBP. With ii, you can hold up to 9 currencies in your Trading Account and SIPP, saving on repeated FX conversion costs if you trade internationally.
The time it takes can vary depending on your account type and whether you’re transferring investments (known as an ‘in specie’ transfer).
If you’re transferring cash only, this typically takes 2-6 weeks to complete. If your transfer involves moving investments from your AJ Bell account to your ii account, this could take 8-12 weeks to complete.
Our dedicated transfers team work hard to make the process as quick and easy as possible, but a smooth and speedy transfer also relies on some work from the provider your leaving. For AJ Bell, we regularly receive transfers and have systems that allow the process to run as smoothly as possible.
AJ Bell does not charge exit fees for transferring away.
