UK trading platforms are used by millions of investors to gain access to global stock markets. Now new analysis has ranked the most expensive, best for customer service and most appropriate for high volume traders.
A trading platform allows the new army of DIY investors to buy and sell shares, funds, investment trusts and exchange traded funds (ETFs) directly rather than through a financial adviser or traditional stockbroker.
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How much do investment platforms charge?
|
Portfolio value |
£1,000 |
£10,000 |
£20,000 |
|
Freetrade |
£0 |
£0 |
£0 |
|
Trading 212 |
£0 |
£0 |
£0 |
|
IG |
£0 |
£0 |
£0 |
|
eToro |
£0 |
£0 |
£0 |
|
CMC Invest |
£0 |
£0 |
£0 |
|
Bestinvest |
£62 |
£89 |
£119 |
|
interactive investor |
£156 |
£156 |
£156 |
|
AJ Bell |
£123 |
£145 |
£162 |
|
Fidelity |
£180 |
£180 |
£180 |
|
Hargreaves Lansdown (HL) |
£287 |
£287 |
£287 |
Which UK trading platform is best?
Best trading platform overall: Freetrade
|
Trading fee on UK shares |
Platform fee on shares (up to £250,000) |
Indicative portfolio fees |
|
No charge |
No charge |
£1,000: £0 £10,000: £0 £20,000: £0 |
Best for high-value portfolios: Interactive Investor
|
Trading fee on UK shares |
Platform fee on shares |
Indicative portfolio fees |
|
£3.99 |
Investor Essentials (up to £50,000): £4.99 per month |
£1,000: £156 £10,000: £156 £20,000: £156 |
Best for customer service: AJ Bell
|
Trading fee on shares |
Platform fee on shares |
Indicative portfolio fees |
|
£5.00 |
0.25% (capped at £3.50 per month) |
£1,000: £123 £10,000: £145 £20,000: £162 |
Best for professional traders: IG
|
Trading fee on UK shares |
Platform fee on shares |
Indicative portfolio fees |
|---|---|---|
|
No charge |
£96 per year (if fewer than 3 trades per quarter), otherwise no fee |
£1,000: £0 £10,000: £0 £20,000: £0 |
Best for US shares: Bestinvest
|
Trading fee on UK shares |
Platform fee on shares |
Indicative portfolio fees |
|---|---|---|
|
£4.95 |
0.4% (UK shares) 0.2% (US shares) |
£1,000: £62 £10,000: £89 |
| Row 1 – Cell 0 |
(Up to £250,000) |
£20,000: £119 |
