.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:
We've compiled a list of some of the best investment platforms in the UK. These are apps, websites and fund supermarkets where you can buy, sell and hold a range of investments in one place, including shares, funds, bonds, commodities, properties, CFDs and more. You can think of them as a combination of robo advisors, trading apps and much more. They are quite powerful, and you can buy and sell almost any type of investment with them.
Capital at risk. ISA rules apply. Other charges apply.
Here are some of the best investment platforms in the UK:
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.
Capital at risk.
eToro is a multi-asset platform that offers both investing in stocks and cryptoassets, as well as trading CFDs. It is entirely free to open an account with eToro, and all registered users receive a US$100,000 demo account for free, which you can use to practice trading until you become confident. eToro gives you real-time access to thousands of stocks, ETFs and cryptocurrencies from top exchanges worldwide. If you prefer to select a ready-made portfolio, eToro has over 40 fully allocated, balanced investment portfolios, focusing on market segments you can understand and to which you can relate. Some of the portfolios include MetaverseLife, BigTech, GoldWorldWide, Vaccine-Med, BitcoinWorldWide, Diabetes-Med, Driverless, GigEconomy, and many more. These portfolios are a grouping of several assets, such as stocks, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, and even people, bundled together based on a predetermined theme or strategy. Withdrawals incur a fee of US$5, and FX rates apply to non-USD deposits and withdrawals. eToro does not offer an ISA or SIPP.
Please note: Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product with no UK or EU investor protection. Your capital is at risk. Additionally, 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply. For more information, visit eToro.
InvestEngine is a UK low-cost investment platform providing a choice of managed portfolios tailored to you and commission-free DIY investing to help you build long-term wealth. Users can invest in over 500 exchange-traded funds (ETFs) from iShares, Vanguard and other leading brands. With InvestEngine, you can invest in two ways depending on your investing savviness: Beginner investors or those who prefer to choose a ready-made investment portfolio can select from one of the Managed Portfolios on offer where the team of experts at InvestEngine will take care of the day-to-day investment decisions for you. These portfolios attract a platform fee of 0.25% per year. Advanced or more confident investors can choose from 500+ commission-free ETFs and build their portfolios themselves. With the DIY Portfolio, there are no platform fees. All InvestEngine portfolios are free of setup fees, dealing fees, ISA fees or withdrawal fees.
InvestEngine allows you to invest via a Stocks and Shares ISA, Personal Account or Business Account. Capital at risk.
Promo: £25 welcome bonus for new customers who invest at least £100. Terms apply.
Fineco Bank is one of Europe's largest banks, with 20 years of leadership history in brokerage and over 30 million orders processed every year. Its core mission is to make online trading simple by providing direct access to the markets in just one click. With Fineco, you can access 26 global markets and trade over 20,000 financial instruments worldwide on a single account, including UK and overseas shares, ETFs, funds, bonds, and CFDs. Users can also invest and trade directly in GBP, EUR, USD, Swiss Franc and 20+ currencies. Fineco Bank's products include a Trading Account and Stocks and Shares ISA.
Promo: Apply for a Fineco ISA by 30 April 2022 and enjoy a 0% ISA platform fee until 5 April 2023. Terms apply.
Please note: When you invest money, your capital is at risk. 68.16% of retail investors lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
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.
Freedom24 is an online trading platform by Freedom Finance offering access to over 1,000,000 trading instruments. Its unique value proposition is that it allows everyday investors to participate in IPOs directly, with as little as US$2,000. Freedom Finance Europe Ltd is the only EU-based stockbroker listed on Nasdaq, which allows retail investors to participate in "big name" IPOs (like Airbnb, Snowflake, Robinhood). Since launching in 2008 with the Facebook IPO, Freedom Finance has offered its 400,000+ worldwide clients participation in 250+ IPOs through an easy-to-use online platform. Freedom24 gives its customers access to over 1,000,000 trading instruments, including 35,000 stocks, 3,100 ETFs, 147,000 bonds, 855,000 options and 500 futures across 15 stock exchanges. Customers also have access to a free demo terminal which you can use to practice your trades before committing real money. In terms of pricing, Freedom24 has four service plans to choose from, with varying costs per plan. Freedom Finance (Freedom24) does not offer an ISA or SIPP.
Please note: Investments in securities and other financial instruments always involve the risk of loss of capital.
AJ Bell Youinvest has thousands of investments to choose from, including shares, funds, investment trusts and ETFs. And you can manage them both online or through the mobile app. If you need help choosing, it has four ready-made portfolios and other investment ideas. AJ Bell Youinvest offers Stocks and Shares ISA, Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, Dealing Account and SIPP.
Capital at risk.
Bestinvest is a UK investment platform offering about 2,500 funds, UK shares, investment trusts and ETFs. With Bestinvest, you can invest in one of two ways depending on your investing savviness: Beginner investors or those who prefer to choose a ready-made investment portfolio can build their investment pot by selecting one of Bestinvest’s ready-made investments. These investments are fully diversified and created and managed by the team at Bestinvest. Once you’ve picked one, you don’t need to do anything else. Advanced or more confident investors can choose from a wide range of funds, shares, ETFs and ITs and build their investment portfolios themselves. Bestinvest also has an investment search tool that makes it easy to browse and filter all of the investments, and you can use their free guides and articles if you need any inspiration. They are quite popular for their Spot the Dog guide which shows a list of poorly performing funds you probably want to avoid.
Bestinvest’s products include a Stocks and Shares ISA, General Investment Account and SIPP. Capital at risk.
Moneyfarm is a UK robo advisor that provides you with a personalised investment plan based on your risk preferences. It has seven globally diversified risk-rated portfolios, including ethical investments. The team at Moneyfarm actively manages your investments, so you can be sure you've got a good mix of hard-working assets handpicked from around the world. You also benefit from free and personalised digital financial advice from Moneyfarm's investment consultants, and you can chat, phone, email, or meet your consultant in person. Moneyfarm's products include Stocks and Shares ISA, General Investment Account, and Personal Pension. Moneyfarm recently introduced the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investment style to its portfolios. Capital at risk.
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 or DIY ISAs.
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 |
| 2 | 8 | 16 | 50 | 250 | 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 |
| 240 | 240 | 240 | 240 | 240 | DETAILS |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | DETAILS |
 3 | 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.
Keep in mind that a platform showing up as 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. 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.
