interactive investor (ii) review

How we rated interactive investor's investment features

If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for all your investing needs, we think interactive investor is definitely worth checking out. However, it’s not a perfect platform. In our interactive investor review, we take a look at the costs, investment options, the plans available, and the types of accounts you can use.

What is interactive investor?

Launched in 1995, interactive investor (yes, that’s intentionally all lower case, sometimes referred to as “ii”) is an online investment service offering a range of different investment plans, all with flat fees. As of May 2022, the company became part of abrdn (again, all lower case), but still operates as an individually regulated entity.

It has more than 400,000 customers and plenty of investment products available, over 40,000. So, you’ll have the opportunity to invest in just about every type of asset you can think of. From the ever popular stocks and shares to the more niche options like venture capital trusts (VCTs) and gilts.

How does interactive investor work?

For a flat fee starting at £4.99 per month, interactive investor takes care of your assets and gives you a range of investing options and accounts. Exactly what you get depends on which plan you choose (we’ll cover all the plans shortly).

A big bonus is that you don’t have to pay additional fees if you want to have more than one type of account with interactive investor. So you can have a general investment account (trading account), a stocks and shares ISA, and a Junior ISA (JISA) – all for one flat fee. Although, the JISA isn’t included with the cheapest Investor Essentials plan. The only additional cost is if you want to add on a self-invested personal pension (SIPP).

Hands-on test: I tried out interactive investor's desktop platform and mobile app

"I like that the sign up process for interactive investor (ii) is clear and straightforward, and these traits translate over to its desktop investing platform and mobile trading app. Personally, I prefer its desktop platform, which has a better integration of all the tools, features and research on offer from ii, whereas the mobile app is more simplistic. Overall, it does a brilliant job of providing loads of investments and features, but presenting everything in a way that makes it a painless process to invest and manage a portfolio."

George Sweeney, DipFA

Deputy editor

interactive investor fees

interactive investor has a fairly complicated fee structure to go with its comprehensive platform, so bear with us as we relay everything to you.

The first thing to understand is that ii has 3 subscription plans and which one you pick can impact your investing costs. The flat monthly fee structure can work out cheaper if you have a larger portfolio (although there’s a £50,000 portfolio limit for the Investor Essentials plan).

interactive investor plans

Altogether, there are 3 plans available with interactive investor and you can choose one that suits you:

• Investor Essentials
• Investor
• Super Investor

Here’s the main differences between each of interactive investor’s plans:

Each plan gives you the option to add on “friends and family”, meaning you can invite people to join on an Investor Essentials plan without paying a monthly fee. If you’re on the Investor Essentials, this costs an extra £5 per month. On the Investor plan, you get 2 free additional accounts and if you’re on the Super Investor plan, this friends and family feature is free for 5 people.

If you want to use a SIPP, this costs an additional £12.99 per month, or a reduced fee of £10 per month if you’re on the “Investor” or “Super Investor” plan. You can now use a standalone “Pension Essentials” plan, with access to a SIPP for a flat £5.99 per month. The one caveat is that your portfolio must be under £50,000.

ii’s trading commissions are better than they once were, but they’re still not the cheapest at £3.99 for most investments. One major bonus is that the Investor and Super Investor plans allow you at least one free trade each month. Also, if you use the regular investing feature (from £25/month), this removes any commission for that investment. So, if you’re smart about it, you can squeeze some value out of the platform.

Other interactive investor fees

• Buying or selling UK shares over the value of £100,000

  Trade value	Cost
  Over £100,000	£40

• Buying or selling US shares over the value of £100,000

  Trade value	Cost
  Over £100,000	0.04% of trade value

• Buying or selling other international shares over the value of £25,000

  Trade value	Cost
  Over £25,000	0.1% of trade value

• Withdrawing cash

  Cash withdrawals are free for sterling and euro withdrawals, unless you require an urgent bank transfer in which case it is £15 (for sterling the cost is £25 if you are withdrawing over £100,000).

  All other currencies are detailed below.

  Currency	Withdrawal charge
  US dollar	US$35
  Canadian dollar	CAD$45
  Australian dollar	AUD$45
  Singapore dollar	SGD$50
  Hong Kong dollar	HKD$250
  Swiss franc	CHF35
  Swedish krona	Kr250

• Admin charges

  Service	Fee
  Transfer investments from another provider	Free
  Deposit a share certificate	Free
  Holding funds	Free
  Transferring investments to another provider	Free
  Share certificate withdrawal	£35 + VAT per certificate
  Failed payments (e.g. bounced payments and failed direct debits)	£25
  Late settlement	£25 or currency equivalent + 15% above Bank of England Base Rate
  Sell out fee (due to non payment)	£40 + trading commission
  Paper documents	£3 + VAT per document
  Contract notes sent by post	£1.50 + VAT per document
  Registered post	£10
  Valuation of holdings for probate	£10 + VAT per line of stock
  VCTs processing charge	£30 per application
  CREST personal membership account fee	£4.99 + VAT per month
  Non UK resident	£4 per month
  Non-personal accounts (such as company accounts and trust accounts)	£30 per month

• SIPP fees

  Service	Fee
  Set-up	Free
  Transfers in	Free
  SIPP fee	£5.99 per month until portfolio reaches £50,000 and then £12.99 per month (in addition to service plan charge)
  Transfer to another pension provider (UK)	Free
  Transfer to another pension provider (overseas)	£500 + VAT
  Pension sharing on divorce	£300 + VAT
  Closing your SIPP	Free
  Payment of death benefits	Based on time spend and complexity – typically between £200 and £500 + VAT
  Pension drawdown fee	£10 per month (in addition to SIPP fee)
  Single payment outside monthly payment date	Free
  Changing between flexi-access and capped drawdown	Free
  Additional amount allocated to capped drawdown	Free
  Review of capped income drawdown	£50 + VAT
  Uncrystallised funds pension lump sum	£50 + VAT
  Small pots	£50 +VAT
  Annuity purchase	£75 + VAT per transfer

• Government charges

  Service	Fee
  UK Stamp Duty	0.5%
  Irish Stamp Duty	1%
  UK PTM levy	£1
  ITP levy	€1.25
  Hong Kong transaction levy	0.0027%
  Hong Kong trading fee	0.005%
  Hong Kong Stamp Duty	0.1%
  Singapore clearing fee	0.0325%
  French Financial Transaction Tax	0.3%
  Italian Financial Transaction Tax	0.1%
  Spanish Financial Transaction Tax	0.2%

interactive investor investment choice and stocks

interactive investor has thousands of options when you’re choosing the companies to invest in. There are more than 40,000 UK, US and international shares – from 17 global exchanges.

On top of this, there’s also over 3,000 funds to choose from, alongside exchange-traded funds (ETFs), bonds, gilts and VCTs. The only blemish on ii’s investment choice resume is the lack of fractional shares.

• Stocks and shares

  A share is an investment in a company, which can offer the potential for returns through capital growth or dividends.

  • No set-up fees or percentage-based custody charges.
  • Get interactive investor’s lowest share dealing rate when using the Investor or Super Investor plans.
  • Use its mobile app to trade on the move.
  • Buy and sell shares in the UK, US, Canada, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and elsewhere.

• Unit trusts and OEICs

  Unit trusts and open-ended investment companies (OEICs) are a collective investment.

  • Pool your money with other investors to invest more efficiently in bond and stock markets.
  • Open-ended funds are where more shares are issued each time someone invests, and then sold when they exit.
  • You may be charged an up-front fee and then ongoing annual management charges.

• Investment trusts

  Choose an investment trust that aligns itself with your goals, investing strategy, and risk appetite.

  • Purchasing a share in an investment trusts means expert management of your investment.
  • Free regular investing.
  • Use its “Quickrank Tool” to find information, performance data and statistics about all 600+ of its investment trusts.
  • Build your holdings by making investments from as little as £25 per month and avoid the hassle of deciding on the best time to buy.

• Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)

  These are collective funds traded on the stock exchange.

  • Bought and sold in the same way as normal shares, but you won’t have to pay stamp duty as this has already been paid on the underlying investments held by the ETF.
  • You will need to pay tax on profits made from investment in an ETF unless you hold it in an ISA.

• Bonds and gilts

  These are typically low-risk fixed income investments.

  • Corporate bonds are issued by companies, and gilts are bonds issued by the British government.
  • There are various types of gilts but most will typically pay a fixed coupon biannually and mature on a set date in the future.
  • All gilts and some corporate bonds are exempt from capital gains tax (CGT). However, you’ll still be liable to pay income tax on interest you earn, unless your bonds are held in an ISA.

• New issues and IPOs

  These are investments available to the public before they trade on the open market.

  • Introduced by companies to expand business, raise capital, pay down debt and finance other activities.
  • You won’t have to pay commission on your investment.
  • Exclusive IPOs available to interactive investor.
  • Get access to the best deals from private company offers to investment trusts.

• Values-based investing

  This is investment that takes into consideration ethical, environmental, social and governance values as well as their potential financial returns.

  • Invest in projects that deliver positive change.
  • Incorporates a range of strategies from listed equity funds through to private equity investments.

Is interactive investor safe?

interactive investor is a secure company that has been managing investments since 1995. The company is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Your deposits are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protection up to the value of £85,000 if interactive investor were to go bust. This does not cover your money in the event that your investments go down in value.

interactive investor offers features like 128-bit SSL encryption, constant system monitoring, and biometric login provide some peace of mind, but, you can also draw comfort from the fact that ii has been around for over 30 years and is now part of a publicly traded FTSE 250 firm, abrdn (ABDN).

Although as always when you invest, your capital is at risk.

interactive investor account types and products

interactive investor has 8 different account types and products available, including:

• Stocks and shares ISA
• Trading account (GIA)
• Self-invested personal pension (SIPP)
• Junior ISA (JISA)
• Joint trading account
• Cash savings
• Company account
• Multi-currency account

interactive investor general investment account

interactive investor’s general investment options, such as the trading account, joint trading account and company account, allow you to invest without an upper limit (unless you’re on the Investor Essentials plan which has a £50,000 limit).

Key features include:

• You can withdraw your money whenever you like
• 40,000 UK and global stocks to choose from

You can manage your money in up to 9 currencies. It’s worth noting that you may need to pay capital gains or dividend tax on your profits. Generally, you would use your ISA allowance before trading in a general investment account.

If you invest in a general investment account, you could be subject to capital gains tax. This is a tax that you have to pay on any gains over £3,000 in each tax year. You also have to pay tax on any dividends once you reach your £1,000 yearly allowance.

interactive investor ISAs

interactive investor’s ISAs (including the stocks and shares ISA and the JISA), allow you to invest up to your yearly allowances. This is £20,000 in the 2024/2025 tax year) for your investment ISA and then the JISA allowance for 2024/2025 tax year is £9,000.

Key features of the interactive investor ISA include:

• You can use your whole ISA allowance
• Flat subscription fees
• No withdrawal penalties
• Tax efficiency (gains are protected from UK tax)
• Generates impartial intelligence daily to help you make decisions
• You choose your own investments – if you want some help then the interactive investor’s investment experts provide ready-made portfolios and fund recommendations

interactive investor SIPP

interactive investor’s self-invested personal pension allows you to invest for retirement with the benefit of tax relief on your contributions. It’s suitable for experienced investors who are happy to make their own investment decisions for retirement. Your pension is locked until you turn 55 (rising to 57 in 2028) after which you have several drawdown options.

The ii SIPP structure is now slightly different. You can get set up on the Pension Essentials plan for £5.99 a month until your retirement portfolio hits £50,000. Once you reach that threshold, you’ll get upgraded to the Pension Builder plan for £12.99 a month.

Or if you have an ISA or trading account on the Investor Essentials plan, you can add a SIPP for £5 extra a month and this way, you can invest up to £75,000 across all your accounts before needing to upgrade.

Key features include:

• Freedom to choose and manage your own retirement portfolio
• More than 40,000 UK and global stocks
• Expert tips and information, including impartial information, selected funds, ready-made portfolios and newsletters
• Invest in multiple currencies
• Pay £5.99 a month for Pension Essentials plan and invest up to £50,000. You can also add a stocks and shares ISA and trading account for £5 a month extra.
• A standalone SIPP will be automatically upgraded to the full Pension Builder plan for £12.99 a month once your portfolio breaches £50,000.
• You can add the SIPP for £10 per month with Investor and Super Investor plans, or for £5 with the Investor Essentials plan.

interactive investor ease of use

interactive investor scored well in our ease of use assessment. We particularly like that there are a few ways to get hold of the support team.

On the App Store, interactive investor scores 4.4 out of 5, and similarly on Google Play it scores 4.4 out of 5 (as of September 2024). It’s interesting to note that ii seems to have upped its Android game recently: In December 2023 it was clear that Android users didn’t like the app nearly as much as Apple users, rating it just 2.5 out of 5 (against App Store’s 4.4 at that time).

With ii, you can invest on the app or on the desktop if you prefer and after a few sitewide refreshes in recent years, ii is a pleasant place to put your money to work.

interactive investor customer reviews

In our 2024 customer satisfaction survey, 91% of interactive investor customers said they’d recommend the platform to a friend.

Feedback included praise for its reliable and efficient service, and many customers described interactive investor as “easy to use”.

One customer commented interactive investor has “a comprehensive and informative interface that makes buying and selling shares fast and easy”.

On Trustpilot, users seem to agree and interactive investor has a score of 4.7 out of 5 – rated “excellent” – from over 25,000 reviews (last updated: September 2024).

interactive investor tools, resources and features

interactive investor has a wide range of investing tools and resources to match its unparalleled library of investment options. interactive investor offers things like:

Alongside all the investment charts and tools, ii also offers articles, ESG screening, podcasts, model portfolios, video guides and much more. On top of all the investment tools available, it also puts together some excellent research and investing inspiration for you:

• Quick-start funds. interactive investor has 6 ready-made funds to get you started. There are 3 passive Vanguard LifeStrategy funds (20%, 60%, and 80% equity). Then, there are 3 actively-managed Columbia Threadneedle (CT) sustainable funds categorised by risk appetite (cautious, balanced, or growth).
• ii Super 60. This is a wide range of (you guessed it) 60 active and passive funds, investment trusts and ETFs. These have a good track record and cover a range of regions. You can choose between risk appetites and if you’re not sure what to go with, there is a huge amount of information on the different options available on the website.
• ii ACE 40. A similar concept to the Super 60 except that the choices are all sustainable options.
• Model Portfolios. There are also 5 model portfolios available, 3 growth options and 2 income options.
• Trading tips and ideas. interactive investor regularly puts together inspiration, tips and ideas in the form of videos, articles, and podcasts to help you make investment decisions.
• ii Community. A recent addition to the interactive investor was “ii Community”, a free social trading network app with public and private groups to discuss investments with like-minded investors.

On the mobile app, you can trade, get quotes and manage your portfolio. Here’s a quick glimpse of how it looks and some of the features are below:

• Trading. You can access all the investment options that are accessible on the web app.
• Orders. You can see the status of all of your orders and can close or cancel orders.
• Funding. Allows you to see summaries of your accounts and add more funds.
• Quick quotes. Obtain stock quotes, view price charts and save stocks for later.
• Newsfeed, watchlist and market overview. Helps you stay up to date with the news, have a list of stocks to keep an eye on and shows you the latest market developments.
• Security. It uses Face and Touch ID for a quick log-in.

Who might interactive investor (ii) suit?

This platform is going to be best-suited for those who want access to a wide range of investments and want a one-stop investing solution. The flat fee structure will best suit those with mid to large-sized portfolios, so you might want to start investing here once you’ve learnt the basics and built up a decent portfolio.

If that’s not you, why not compare share trading platforms to find the right fit to match your style.

Frequently asked questions

• Does interactive investor offer investment advice?

  No, interactive investor is not a financial advice service but it does offer limited guidance and education.

• Do I have to pay tax on my investment profits?

  You may need to pay tax on any gains you make from buying and selling shares. This depends on your personal tax band and whether you’ve used any of your yearly tax-free allowances. Each of the tax-efficient accounts can shield you from most taxes but it will depend on your situation.

• Is there an interactive investor app?

  Yes. The interactive investor app is available on iOS and Android.

• How do I contact interactive investor?

  If you’re an interactive investor customer, you can use the secure message function. Just go to your account and select “secure messages”.
  Email: interactivehelp@ii.co.uk

  Telephone from the UK: 0345 607 6001
  Phoning from overseas: +44 113 346 2309

• How do I top up my account?

  You can top up your account by debit card, bank transfer, internal transfer or by cheque.

• What happens if interactive investor goes bust?

  Up to £85,000 of your investments are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).

• Who owns interactive investor?

  interactive investor is now owned by abrdn.

• Where are the interactive investor headquarters?

  interactive investor is based in Manchester, with offices in London and Leeds.