Best Alternatives to Hargreaves Lansdown in 2026
People look for Hargreaves Lansdown alternatives for different reasons — fees, missing features, or a simpler experience. Here are the closest options, ranked.
1. Lightyear
Lightyear is a UK- and EU-available investing app offering commission-free stocks and ETFs, and a very low currency-conversion fee. Cash does not earn interest on its own: to get a yield you move it into a Vault, which is an investment in a BlackRock money market fund rather than a deposit. UK personal accounts (GIA and Stocks & Shares ISA) pay just 0.10% FX; EU accounts pay 0.35%. There are no account, withdrawal or inactivity fees, and no minimum deposit — making it one of the cheapest ways to hold a global portfolio.
Compare Hargreaves Lansdown and Lightyear side by side →Visit LightyearLightyear
Best low-FX investing app for the UK and EU
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
2. InvestEngine
InvestEngine is a UK ETF-only investment platform with no platform fee, no dealing commission and no FX fee on its DIY portfolios, across ISA, SIPP and General accounts. All ETFs are GBP-denominated, so you pay only the underlying ETF's ongoing charge. ETFs only — no individual stocks.
Compare Hargreaves Lansdown and InvestEngine side by side →Visit InvestEngineInvestEngine
Best for zero-fee DIY ETF investing with a free ISA and SIPP
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
3. Freetrade
Freetrade is a UK mobile-first investing app offering commission-free trading on stocks, ETFs and investment trusts, with a genuinely free Stocks & Shares ISA and SIPP on its Basic plan. The main cost for most users is the FX fee on non-GBP trades: 0.99% on the free plan, dropping to 0.59% (Standard, £5.99/mo) and 0.39% (Plus, £11.99/mo). Both paid plans can be bought a year up front instead — £59.88 for Standard and £119.88 for Plus, about 17% off the monthly price.
Compare Hargreaves Lansdown and Freetrade side by side →Visit FreetradeFreetrade
Best free ISA and SIPP for commission-free UK investing
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
4. Vanguard UK
Vanguard's UK platform charges 0.15% a year capped at £375, with no dealing charges on its funds. It is one of the cheapest ways to hold a simple index portfolio, with two significant caveats: you can only buy Vanguard's own funds and ETFs, and accounts below £32,000 now pay a £4 monthly minimum fee, which is expensive on a small pot.
Compare Hargreaves Lansdown and Vanguard UK side by side →Vanguard UK
Cheap index investing, but only in Vanguard's own funds
Visit the Vanguard UK website →We earn no commission from Vanguard UK. It is listed here because a fee comparison that leaves out the market leaders is not a fee comparison.
5. Fidelity
Fidelity Personal Investing charges a 0.35% service fee that tiers down above £250,000, with a flat £7.50 a month for accounts under £25,000 that have no regular savings plan. Its most useful feature for cost-conscious investors is how it treats exchange-traded investments: the service fee on shares, ETFs and investment trusts is capped at £90 a year in an ISA or SIPP, and is not charged at all on those holdings in a taxable Investment Account. An ETF investor who has used up their ISA allowance therefore pays Fidelity nothing to hold, and only the £7.50 dealing charge to trade.
Compare Hargreaves Lansdown and Fidelity side by side →Fidelity
Broad fund range with a capped charge on shares and ETFs
Visit the Fidelity website →We earn no commission from Fidelity. It is listed here because a fee comparison that leaves out the market leaders is not a fee comparison.
6. AJ Bell
AJ Bell is a long-established UK platform that repriced on 1 May 2026. Its custody charge is 0.25%, tiering down on funds above £250,000, and — crucially — capped on shares, ETFs and investment trusts. The cap depends on the wrapper: £3.50 a month in a dealing account or ISA, and £10 a month in a SIPP. The ISA cap is the lowest of the mainstream platforms, which makes AJ Bell one of the cheapest places to hold a large ETF or share portfolio in an ISA; the SIPP cap is nearly three times higher, though still below Hargreaves Lansdown's £150 a year.
Compare Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell side by side →AJ Bell
Cheaper than HL on shares, with a low monthly cap
Visit the AJ Bell website →We earn no commission from AJ Bell. It is listed here because a fee comparison that leaves out the market leaders is not a fee comparison.
7. interactive investor
interactive investor is the UK's main flat-fee platform: you pay a fixed monthly subscription rather than a percentage of your portfolio. That makes it expensive for a small pot and progressively cheaper as the portfolio grows, with the crossover against percentage-fee rivals typically falling somewhere in the low tens of thousands of pounds.
Compare Hargreaves Lansdown and interactive investor side by side →interactive investor
Flat monthly fee — the cheapest option for large portfolios
Visit the interactive investor website →We earn no commission from interactive investor. It is listed here because a fee comparison that leaves out the market leaders is not a fee comparison.
Compare alternatives
| Feature | Hargreaves Lansdown | Lightyear | InvestEngine | Freetrade | Vanguard UK | Fidelity | AJ Bell | interactive investor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.2 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 | 3.8 / 5 | 3.5 / 5 | 3.4 / 5 | 3.3 / 5 |
| Stock commission | £6.95 per online share deal (£3.95 if you dealt 20+ times in the previous month); £1.95 per online fund deal; free via monthly direct debit or dividend reinvestment | UK personal accounts (GIA and ISA): no execution fee on UK, US and European stocks or ETFs. EU accounts: GBP 1 per order on UK stocks, EUR 1 per order on EUR-denominated stocks, 0.1% on other European stocks, and 0.10% (min $0.10, max $1) on US stocks. ETFs are execution-fee-free on both. | £0 dealing commission on all ETFs (DIY portfolios); no platform fee | £0 commission on all UK & US stocks, ETFs and investment trusts (all plans); mutual funds also dealt free with no holding fee since 22 January 2026 (all plans) | No dealing charge on Vanguard funds and ETFs at the scheduled daily trade; £7.50 for optional live 'quote and deal' ETF trades | £7.50 per online share, ETF or investment trust deal (£30.00 by phone); £1.50 for regular savings plan trades and dividend reinvestment; funds free | £5.00 per online share deal (£3.50 if you made 10+ share deals in the previous month); regular investing is free | £3.99 per UK or US share and ETF trade on Core and Plus (£2.99 on Premium); other international shares, including European exchanges, £9.99 on Core, £7.99 on Plus and £5.99 on Premium; funds £3.99 on Core, £1.49 on Plus, free on Premium |
| Withdrawal fee | Free to a linked UK bank account | Free by local bank transfer. USD wire payments are charged (up to $8.50 UK, $6.11 EU). | Free — no withdrawal fee | Free standard withdrawals; £5 for same-day withdrawal, which is included free on the Plus plan | Free to a linked UK bank account | Free to a linked UK bank account | Free to a linked UK bank account | Free to a linked UK bank account (next-day GBP and EUR); £15 for a same-day GBP or EUR withdrawal |
| Inactivity fee | None | None | None | None | None | None | None | None |
| Min deposit | £100 | None | £100 | None | £500 | £25 | £500 | None |
| Fractional shares | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Demo account | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Regulators | FCA | FCA, EFSA | FCA | FCA | FCA | FCA | FCA | FCA |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best alternative to Hargreaves Lansdown?
Lightyear is the strongest alternative for most users — best low-fx investing app for the uk and eu.
Why switch from Hargreaves Lansdown?
Common reasons include lower fees, different account types, or a simpler interface. Compare the options above against what matters to you.