BrokerCue

Broker Comparison

AJ Bell vs InstaForex

Compare AJ Bell and InstaForex side by side: fees, regulation, platforms.

AJ Bell

AJ Bell

UK long-term investors and pension savers

AJ Bell is a UK investment platform founded in 1995, offering stocks, ETFs, funds, bonds, ISAs and SIPPs acroโ€ฆ

VS
InstaForex

InstaForex

Forex and CFD traders globally

InstaForex is a forex and multi-asset CFD broker founded in 2007, offering MT4, MT5 and WebTrader access to oโ€ฆ

Head-to-head comparison

AJ Bell vs InstaForex
Feature AJ Bell InstaForex
Minimum deposit - -
Stock trading fee ยฃ5 per trade; ยฃ3.50 per trade for frequent dealers (10+ deals in previous month); ยฃ25 by telephone -
Regulators FCA CySEC, BVI FSC
Best for UK long-term investors and pension savers Forex and CFD traders globally
Markets & account
Stocks
ETFs
-
Forex
-
CFDs
-
Crypto
-
Bonds
-
Funds
Ready Made Portfolios
-
Investment Plans
-
Isa
-
Sipp
-
Savings Vaults
-
Margin
-
Demo Account
-

Pros & cons

AJ Bell

AJ Bell

Pros

  • FCA-regulated with FSCS protection up to ยฃ85,000
  • Share and ETF custody capped at ยฃ3.50/month in ISA and dealing accounts
  • SIPP platform fee capped at ยฃ10/month
  • Wide investment range: 4,000+ funds, 3,500+ ETFs, 16,000+ shares across 24 markets
  • No withdrawal or inactivity fees
  • Regular investing with no dealing charge from ยฃ25/month
  • Which? Recommended Provider for eight consecutive years (2019-2026)
  • ISA, SIPP, Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA and dealing accounts all on one platform

Cons

  • No demo or practice account
  • No fractional shares
  • No cryptocurrency trading
  • Fund platform fee is not capped, making it expensive for large fund portfolios
  • FX conversion fee up to 0.75% on international trades
  • Basic charting tools compared to dedicated trading platforms
  • No multi-currency account - all holdings converted to GBP
InstaForex

InstaForex

Pros

  • Minimum deposit from $1 across all account types
  • Zero spread on major forex pairs and select crypto CFDs on EU entity
  • No deposit fee and no inactivity fee
  • MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 supported
  • Swap-free (Islamic) account option available
  • Demo account available
  • Over 300 instruments including forex, indices, commodities and crypto CFDs

Cons

  • CySEC fined EU entity EUR 130,000 in 2018 for compliance failures
  • Multiple regulator warnings issued against InstaForex entities globally
  • Withdrawal fees apply, varying by method (up to 2.5% for bank cards)
  • Spread widths on Standard accounts are wide relative to raw-spread ECN brokers
  • Primary operating entity registered in BVI, an offshore jurisdiction
  • US clients are not accepted
  • Research and educational tools are more limited than comparable multi-asset brokers
AJ Bell

AJ Bell

AJ Bell is a UK investment platform founded in 1995, offering stocks, ETFs, funds, bonds, ISAs and SIPPs across 24 international markets.

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

InstaForex

InstaForex

InstaForex is a forex and multi-asset CFD broker founded in 2007, offering MT4, MT5 and WebTrader access to over 300 instruments including forex pairs, indices, commodities and crypto.

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

Not the right match?

Line up any two brokers side by side, or browse the full list to find your next platform.