In this article, we look at the individual features that make each platform so popular and help you decide which may suit your specific investment needs. We also include details on how readers can take advantage of an Interactive Investor offer. Check out the table below for more information.
Interactive Investor vs Hargreaves Lansdown - which is better?
| Interactive Investor | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
| Minimum investment | £25 per month | £1 for a fund and share account
£100 for an ISA or SIPP (or a regular £25 per month) |
| Services | Company account
Pension trading account Model portfolios Quick Start funds |
Invest in funds and shares
Wealth Shortlist Ready-made portfolios Foreign currency exchange Spread betting and CFDs |
| Products | ISA, General Investment Account, Junior ISA, SIPP
Trading account |
Active Savings
Cash ISA Fund and share account ISA, General Investment Account, Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, SIPP, Junior SIPP Ready-made personal pension Ready-made Stocks and Shares ISA |
| Platform fees |
£5.99 per month (Core plan - Invest up to £100,000) £14.99 per month (Plus plan - Invest over £100,000 plus get one free trade per month and 5 free family accounts) £39.99 per month (Premium Plan - Invest over £100,000 plus additional free trades, free fund trading and unlimited free family accounts) No charge for a Junior ISA on the Plus or Premium plans Fund trades & UK / US Share dealing - £3.99 per trade on Core Plan Reduced dealing/FX fees on Plus and Premium plans |
Up to £250,000 - 0.35% per annum charge
Between £250,000-£1m - 0.25% per annum charge Between £1m-£2m - 0.10% per annum charge Over £2m - 0% per annum charge Additional underlying fund charges Reduced fees of 0.25% for Lifetime ISA (capped at £45 per year) No charge for Junior ISAs Account charge for holding shares, ETFs, investment trusts and bonds in a fund and share account, ISA or SIPP - 0.35% capped at £150 per year Dealing charges for shares, ETFs, investment trusts and bonds (based on deals completed in previous month): 0-20 deals - £6.95 20+ deals - £3.95 A dealing charge of £1.95 for funds was introduced on 1st March 2026 |
| Customer reviews (Trustpilot) | 4.5/5.0 | 4.4/5.0 |
| Money to the Masses offer | See our full Interactive Investor review for our latest offers | n/a |
Interactive Investor vs Hargreaves Lansdown - services
Both Interactive Investor and Hargreaves Lansdown have a good range of services available to investors, although Hargreaves Lansdown is arguably more targeted specifically at beginners, with a useful range of guides, as well as its Wealth Shortlist and Ready-Made portfolios. Having said that, Interactive Investor also offers model portfolios, as well as the rarer option of a Company Account, which allows limited companies to trade.
Interactive Investor vs Hargreaves - products
Hargreaves Lansdown has a full range of savings and investment products available, including both cash and stocks and shares ISAs, GIAs, LISAs, JISAs, SIPPs and Junior SIPPs. It also has a fund and share account, as well as a variety of savings accounts. For Interactive Investor, meanwhile, while it has a trading account, ISA, GIA, JISA and SIPP, it doesn't offer a Junior SIPP or LISA.
If you are specifically interested in a LISA, you may find our article "Lifetime ISAs explained - are they the best way to save?" useful.
Interactive Investor vs Hargreaves Lansdown - minimum investment
Interactive Investor doesn't have a minimum lump-sum investment requirement in order to open an account, although if you want to make a regular monthly payment, you need to put in at least £25 per month. In contrast, Hargreaves Lansdown has different minimum investments depending on the type of account, ranging from £1 for a fund and share account to £100 for ISAs and SIPPs (or £25 per month).
Interactive Investor vs Hargreaves Lansdown - fees
Interactive Investor and Hargreaves Lansdown structure their fees differently from one another, with Interactive Investor charging a flat monthly fee, starting at £5.99, while Hargreaves Lansdown charges a percentage of the amount invested. For Hargreaves Lansdown, this operates on a sliding scale, starting at 0.35% for investments up to £250,000 and going to 0.10% for investment pots between £1m-£2m (there is no charge on amounts over £2m).
Another difference between the two is the fund and share dealing charges. Interactive Investor charges £3.99 for fund trades on its Core plan, £1.49 on its Plus plan and it is free on its Premium plan. Investors subscribed to the Plus plan also get 1 free trade per month, while Premium subscribers get 2 free trades per month.
In terms of share dealing, Hargreaves Lansdown has a dealing charge of £6.95 for buying and selling shares, discounted to £3.95 per transaction if you complete more than 20 deals in the previous month. It also charges £1.95 per fund trade. The cost with Interactive Investor is £3.99 per trade on its Core and Plus plan and £2.99 per trade on its Premium plan. Again, investors subscribed to Interactive Investor's Plus and Premium plans get 1 and 2 free trades per month, respectively.
In order to decide between the two, you need to consider whether you are likely to be making a large enough investment to warrant the minimum £5.99 charge with Interactive Investor and if you are likely to be making a lot of changes to your portfolio, which will result in further charges.
Interactive Investor vs Hargreaves Lansdown - customer reviews
According to independent customer review site Trustpilot, both Interactive Investor and Hargreaves Lansdown are highly rated by the majority of reviewers. Indeed, Interactive Investor scored 4.5 out of 5.0 stars based on over 27,000 reviews, while Hargreaves Lansdown scored 4.4 out of 5.0 based on approximately 20,000 reviews. Of those, 82% of Interactive Investor's reviewers categorised the company as "Excellent", with 66% of Hargreaves Lansdown's reviewers stating the same. They both generally scored well for customer service, as well as the level of choice available.
Summary: Interactive Investor vs Hargreaves Lansdown
The key differences between Interactive Investor* and Hargreaves Lansdown* boil down to investment choice, usability and cost. If you are looking for the widest possible range of investment types, including more esoteric options, Interactive Investor will probably be more appealing. However, Hargreaves Lansdown has built an impressive reputation for its customer service and the support it gives to individuals on their investment journeys, including a wealth of research tools and guides. Where cost is a key consideration, you are likely to pay less in fees and charges with Hargreaves Lansdown for portfolios up to around £20,000, while Interactive Investor is well suited to those with larger pots who aren't looking to make many changes to their portfolios over the course of the average year.
For in depth analysis of each platform, read our Hargreaves Lansdown review and Interactive Investor review.
When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than invested. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results.
If a link has an * beside it this means that it is an affiliated link. If you go via the link Money to the Masses may receive a small fee which helps keep Money to the Masses free to use. But as you can clearly see this has in no way influenced this independent and balanced review of the product. The following link can be used if you do not wish to help Money to the Masses - Hargreaves Lansdown, Interactive Investor
£200 Pension Cashback Offer
Make a qualifying deposit or transfer a pension to our partner Interactive Investor.
- Deposit or transfer a pension of at least £20k and you could earn £200 cashback
- Terms and Fees apply, Capital at risk
- New & Existing customers opening a SIPP
- Offer ends 30th June 2026
Before starting your transfer, check you won't lose any valuable benefits (such as guaranteed annuity rates or a lower protected pension age) and find out what exit fees you might have to pay
