.png){kind=logo}
Always remember that investments can go down as well as up in value, so you could get back less than you put in. A rule of thumb is to hang on to your investments for at least five years to give them the best chance of providing the returns you are hoping for.
Contents:
Compare some of the best investment platforms in the UK below:
Capital at risk. ISA rules apply. Other charges apply.
AJ Bell Youinvest has thousands of investments for you to choose from, including shares, funds, investment trusts, and ETFs. And you can manage them online or with its mobile app. If you need help choosing, it has four ready-made portfolios and other investment ideas. AJ Bell Youinvest also offers Dealing Account, Lifetime ISA Junior ISA, and SIPP.
Interactive Investor has more than 40,000 investments to choose from, including UK and overseas shares, funds, investment trusts, and ETFs. You get a free trade every month, which you can use to buy or sell any investment. It is free to top up your ISA each month, and there are no trading fees with its regular investing service. It also has several ready-made funds and expert ideas to make it easy to choose investments. Interactive Investor also offers Trading Account, SIPP, and Junior ISA.
Kickstart your investing with an award-winning ISA. Hargreaves Lansdown has thousands of investments to choose from, including UK and overseas shares, funds, investment trusts, and ETFs. Choose your own investments with expert research and ideas to help you, or simply pick a ready-made portfolio. Manage via website, app or phone. Hargreaves Lansdown also offers Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, Fund and Share Account, and SIPP. These services are intended for investors happy at making their own decisions. Capital at risk. Other charges apply.
Moneyfarm has seven risk-rated portfolios that are recommended to you using your online investor profile. You also benefit from free and personalised digital investment advice from Moneyfarm’s investment consultants - chat, phone, email, or meet your consultant in person. Moneyfarm’s products include Stocks and Shares ISA, General Investment Account, and Personal Pension.
When you subscribe to Plum Plus or Plum Pro (from £1 a month), you can choose to invest your money in a variety of funds. Plum calculates how much you can afford to set aside and automatically invests that amount for you. You choose your investments based on what matters to you. For example, you could choose to invest in emerging markets, technology, ethical companies, etc. Plum offers Stocks and Shares ISA, SIPP, and other money management tools.
To make sense of these charges, use our full investment platform, or robo advisor comparison tables.
Typically, your annual charge depends on whether you hold funds or shares in your stocks and shares ISA. Here, we assume you will invest in funds only.
If you plan to invest in individual stocks and shares, use our dedicated investment comparison tool for shares. If you are considering robo-advisors, compare their fees here.
The investment platform comparison tool below shows the annual charges (platform and dealing charges only) for holding funds in a self-select ISA.
Self-select ISAs are a type of stocks and shares ISA that give you the freedom to select the specific investments that make up your portfolio.
And depending on the provider you choose, you'll have the option to either select individual shares, bonds, funds, etc., and manage your portfolio yourself or choose from a range of managed and ready-made portfolios.
To make the best use of the table below, click on the column headers to sort from the most expensive to the cheapest ISA and vice versa.
For example, if you want to see the cheapest platforms for regular investments of £100 per month, click once on the £100 per month header. To see the most expensive platform for a lump sum investment of £20k, click twice on the £20,000 lump sum header.
Continue this exercise on all the headers until you find what you are looking for. Then scroll down to read our assumptions and to learn more about Self-select ISAs.
Capital at risk. ISA rules apply. Other charges apply.
| Platform | £100 per Month | £500 per Month | £1,000 per Month | £20,000 Lump Sum | £100,000 Lump Sum | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 26 | 34 | 56 | 256 | DETAILS |
.png) | 3 | 13 | 26 | 80 | 375 | DETAILS |
 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 212 | DETAILS |
 | 3 | 13 | 26 | 80 | 400 | DETAILS |
 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 70 | 350 | DETAILS |
 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 50 | 250 | DETAILS |
 1 | 39 | 53 | 71 | 95 | 310 | DETAILS |
 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 70 | 350 | DETAILS |
 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 74 | 74 | DETAILS |
| 3 | 15 | 29 | 90 | 450 | DETAILS |
 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 50 | 250 | DETAILS |
| 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | DETAILS |
| 168 | 168 | 168 | 168 | 168 | DETAILS |
| 240 | 240 | 240 | 240 | 240 | DETAILS |
 2 | 160 | 160 | 160 | 120 | 120 | DETAILS |
 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 70 | 275 | DETAILS |
 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 70 | 350 | DETAILS |
 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 60 | 250 | DETAILS |
 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 30 | 150 | DETAILS |
 | 3 | 13 | 26 | 80 | 350 | DETAILS |
When you invest in a fund, please note, the fund manager will add various charges within the fund, including a fund management fee. We haven't included any fund management fees in our calculations, just the platform and dealing fees.
If you would like an idea of how fund management fees could impact the total amount you pay to a platform, have a look at our other stocks and shares ISA comparison tool - Compare the best Robo Advisors.
The calculations above are based on the following scenarios:
For regular investments, we assume you'll make 12 deals each year or one deal every month.
For lump sums, we assume you'll make four deals a year.
A deal is either one of buying or selling an investment. It is also called a trade.
We use the colours green, amber, and red to indicate how expensive or cheap an investment platform is compared to the others. The cheapest investment platforms are coloured green, the more expensive ones red, and the others amber.
That a platform is green doesn't make it the best investment platform for you as cheap doesn't always equal good. Some of the more expensive platforms could have a wider variety of stocks, bonds, funds, ETFs, etc., depending on what you are looking for.
If you are investing small amounts and choose to go with the cheapest Stocks and Shares ISA platform for that amount, note that some of the more expensive platforms become cheaper as your pot increases. Consider Interactive Investor and Halifax Share Dealing, for example.
Additionally, we show the costs which apply to the first year only. It is important to mention this because, with platforms like iWeb, your charges reduce after the first year. Whereas with platforms like EQi, your charges might increase after the first year.
Finally, for each provider listed in our stocks and shares ISA comparison table, your money is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
An investment ISA (Individual Savings Account) is a tax-free account for buying, selling, and holding investments such as shares, bonds, and funds. This tax year (2021-22), you can invest up to £20,000 in one investment ISA or split the money between an investment ISA and other ISAs. An investment ISA is also called a Stocks and Shares ISA.
The main Investment ISA charges are annual platform fee, fund management fee, trading fee, and transfer out fee. Depending on your investment provider and how you choose to invest, there might be some other charges.
If you have a large amount of money to invest, go with fixed fees. For people with smaller pots, pick platforms with percentage-based charges. Use our investment fees calculator above to visualise the charges before you buy.
A self-select ISA is a type of Investment ISA that gives you the freedom to choose the specific investments that make up your portfolio. And depending on the provider you choose, you'll have the option to either select individual investments and manage your portfolio yourself or choose from a range of ready-made portfolios.
Self-select ISAs providers are also called Do-It-Yourself (DIY) investment platforms.
When you open a self-select ISA, you can invest in a range of assets, including:
Use our investment platform comparison tool above to select the best investment platform for you. Then visit the platform's website to apply for an account. Once your account is open, you will be able to choose funds and start building your portfolio.
If you need help choosing investments, most providers in the table above offer ready-made portfolios and financial advice. Financial advice typically attracts an extra charge.
If you are unsure about choosing a self-select ISA, it might be worth seeking independent financial advice from a suitably qualified financial adviser.
Here are some of the best investment platforms in the UK:
Here are some of the best investment platforms for beginners in the UK:
Every month, we'll send you The Plug - a curation of the best personal finance content in the UK. We share real-life stories, how-to guides, top personal finance news, popular community questions, and tips to help you stay on top of your money.
