Best Alternatives to Vanguard UK in 2026
People look for Vanguard UK alternatives for different reasons — fees, missing features, or a simpler experience. Here are the closest options, ranked.
XTB: 74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with XTB Limited (UK); 77% with XTB Limited (CY).
XTB Limited (UK) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 522157). XTB Limited (CY) is authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (169/12).
Capital.com: 65% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with Capital.com UK; 74% with Capital.com EU (CySEC).
Capital Com (UK) Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 793714). Capital Com SV Investments Limited is authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (Licence 319/17). Capital Com Online Investments Ltd is authorised by the Securities Commission of The Bahamas (SIA-F245).
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 Vanguard UK 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. Trading 212
Trading 212 offers genuinely commission-free investing with no withdrawal fee and an Invest/ISA account for UK users. A strong low-cost pick, though product depth is narrower than full-service brokers.
Compare Vanguard UK and Trading 212 side by side →Visit Trading 212Trading 212
Best for low fees and UK investors
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
3. Robinhood
Robinhood pioneered commission-free trading in the US and now offers UK investors commission-free US shares with a very low 0.10% FX fee and a free Stocks & Shares ISA. It trades US-listed stocks, ETFs and options — no UK-listed shares, and no crypto in the UK. A clean app that is light on research; note the $100 account-transfer-out fee.
Compare Vanguard UK and Robinhood side by side →Visit RobinhoodRobinhood
Best for commission-free US-stock investing in the US and UK
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
4. XTB
XTB offers commission-free real stocks and ETFs up to €100,000 monthly turnover, a polished platform, and strong regulation. UK investors can hold it in a flexible Stocks & Shares ISA. A low-cost choice for EU and UK investors, with a 0.5% FX fee being the main cost to watch.
Compare Vanguard UK and XTB side by side →Visit XTBXTB
Best for low-cost stock and ETF investing in the EU/UK
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with XTB Limited (UK); 77% with XTB Limited (CY), which serves clients outside the UK. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
5. Webull
Webull pairs commission-free US stocks, ETFs and options with surprisingly advanced charting and analysis tools. Strong for active US traders; available in the UK with a 0.50% FX fee (0.35% on its paid Meridian plan) and a flexible Stocks and Shares ISA with no account fee. Only regulatory fees apply on sells. UK-listed shares are the one market Webull does not trade commission-free: new accounts get 90 days free, after which a commission with a 50p minimum applies.
Compare Vanguard UK and Webull side by side →Visit WebullWebull
Best for active traders who want advanced tools free
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
6. 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 Vanguard UK 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.
7. Trade Republic
Trade Republic is a German neobroker and licensed bank offering stocks, ETFs, bonds and crypto at a flat €1 external-settlement fee per trade, with completely free ETF savings-plan executions. It also pays interest on uninvested cash (linked to ECB rates) and runs a Saveback card scheme. Available across most of the eurozone; a mobile-first, no-frills platform.
Compare Vanguard UK and Trade Republic side by side →Visit Trade RepublicTrade Republic
Best €1-flat neobroker for low-cost investing in the eurozone
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
8. Scalable Capital
Scalable Capital is a German neobroker offering real stocks and ETFs on two plans. The FREE Broker charges €0.99 per trade (free for €250+ purchases of PRIME ETFs) with no account fee, while PRIME+ Broker (€4.99/month) gives a trading flat rate with €0 per-trade commission. ETF savings-plan executions are free on both plans. Those prices apply only on Scalable's own European Investor Exchange, which is now the sole cheap route: gettex and Xetra both cost a flat €1.99 per order on either plan.
Compare Vanguard UK and Scalable Capital side by side →Visit Scalable CapitalScalable Capital
Best broker with a free savings-plan tier and an optional flat-rate plan
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
9. Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers is the professional-grade choice: no percentage platform fee, dealing from £3, access to more than 150 markets, and a 0.03% currency conversion charge that is an order of magnitude below every UK platform. The trade-off is complexity — the platform and its statements assume you know what you are doing.
Compare Vanguard UK and Interactive Brokers side by side →Interactive Brokers
The cheapest FX and the widest market access, for confident investors
Visit the Interactive Brokers website →We earn no commission from Interactive Brokers. It is listed here because a fee comparison that leaves out the market leaders is not a fee comparison.
10. 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 Vanguard UK 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.
11. DEGIRO
DEGIRO (part of flatexDEGIRO Bank, BaFin-regulated) is one of Europe's cheapest brokers for real stocks and ETFs. A €1 handling fee applies to most trades, and its Core Selection ETFs — the ones listed on Tradegate — carry €0 commission, so the €1 handling fee is the whole cost. The costs to watch are the 0.25% AutoFX currency-conversion mark-up and a €2.50 per-exchange, per-year connectivity fee.
Compare Vanguard UK and DEGIRO side by side →Visit DEGIRODEGIRO
Best low-cost broker for buy-and-hold ETF investors in the EU
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
12. Capital.com
Capital.com is a CFD broker with tight spreads (from 0.6 pips on EUR/USD), no commission, and no inactivity or withdrawal fees. A low-cost, well-regulated choice for CFD traders — but it is CFD-only, not a share-ownership investing platform.
Compare Vanguard UK and Capital.com side by side →Visit Capital.comCapital.com
Best for low-cost CFD trading with tight spreads
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 65% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with Capital.com UK; 74% with Capital.com EU. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
13. 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 Vanguard UK 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.
14. 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 Vanguard UK 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.
15. 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 Vanguard UK 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.
16. Hargreaves Lansdown
Hargreaves Lansdown is the largest investment platform in the UK, offering the widest fund range, strong research and well-regarded service. It repriced on 1 March 2026, cutting the account charge from 0.45% to 0.35% and capping the charge on shares at £12.50 a month. It remains a percentage-fee platform, so it is competitive for smaller portfolios of funds and expensive for large ones.
Compare Vanguard UK and Hargreaves Lansdown side by side →Hargreaves Lansdown
The UK's largest platform, with research to match its charges
Visit the Hargreaves Lansdown website →We earn no commission from Hargreaves Lansdown. It is listed here because a fee comparison that leaves out the market leaders is not a fee comparison.
Compare alternatives
| Feature | Vanguard UK | Lightyear | Trading 212 | Robinhood | XTB | Webull | InvestEngine | Trade Republic | Scalable Capital | Interactive Brokers | Freetrade | DEGIRO | Capital.comCFD | Fidelity | AJ Bell | interactive investor | Hargreaves Lansdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.8 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 | 3.6 / 5 | 3.5 / 5 | 3.4 / 5 | 3.3 / 5 | 3.2 / 5 |
| Stock commission | No dealing charge on Vanguard funds and ETFs at the scheduled daily trade; £7.50 for optional live 'quote and deal' ETF trades | 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% | $0 / £0 commission on US stocks and ETFs; options are $0 commission in the US and $0.50 per contract (buys and sells) in the UK; crypto in the US only | 0% up to €100k monthly turnover, then 0.2% (min €10) | $0 on stocks, ETFs and options (regulatory fees on sells). UK: $0 commission on US and Hong Kong / China-A shares and ETFs, on both the free Go tier and Meridian. UK shares are the exception and are not commission-free - Webull markets them as "50p minimum commission", and new accounts get 90 days of commission-free UK trading before the standard rate applies. Webull does not publish the percentage above that 50p floor on its pricing page | £0 dealing commission on all ETFs (DIY portfolios); no platform fee | €1 flat per trade (Best Price execution); €2 per order for Direct Price routing to a chosen exchange (Xetra, NYSE, etc., since July 2026) | Price depends on the venue. European Investor Exchange (EIX) — FREE Broker: €0.99 per trade, or €0 on purchases of €250 or more in PRIME ETFs (Amundi, iShares, Vanguard, Xtrackers); PRIME+ Broker (€4.99/mo): €0 per trade from €250, else €0.99. Xetra and gettex: €1.99 flat per order on both plans, PRIME ETFs included, with no free-trade threshold and trading-venue fees waived. EIX is the only venue where the €0.99 and free-above-€250 pricing still applies | UK shares 0.05% of trade value, minimum £3; European shares 0.05%, minimum €3; US shares from $0.005 per share, minimum $1 (Fixed pricing) | £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) | Commission plus a EUR 1 handling fee per trade: EUR 2 total on US and Canadian exchanges, EUR 4.90 on London and on any European exchange outside your own country, EUR 6 on Australia, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo. ETFs EUR 3, or EUR 1 handling only for the Core Selection (the ETFs listed on Tradegate). Your domestic market is priced separately and the discount is not the same everywhere: Euronext Milan, Bolsa de Madrid and Euronext Paris all cost EUR 2 on their national schedules, Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels EUR 3 on the Dutch one and Euronext Dublin EUR 3 on the Irish one, Nasdaq Stockholm SEK 20 all-in on the Swedish one, while the German schedule gives XETRA no discount at all and charges the full EUR 4.90 | No commission; cost is in the spread (from 0.6 pips on EUR/USD) | £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 | £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 |
| 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 | Free (bank/ACH); instant withdrawal 1.75% (US); account transfer out $100 | Free, with no minimum withdrawal amount - XTB charges no withdrawal commission, including on foreign-currency withdrawals | Free (ACH); wires $25 to send; account transfer out $75 | Free — no withdrawal fee | Free to a linked bank account | Free to a linked bank account | Two free withdrawal requests per calendar month; after that GBP 7.00 by bank transfer or GBP 1.00 by BACS/GIRO (EUR 8.00 / EUR 1.00; USD 10.00 / USD 1.00) | Free standard withdrawals; £5 for same-day withdrawal, which is included free on the Plus plan | Free to a linked bank account | Free | 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 | Free to a linked UK bank account |
| Inactivity fee | None | None | None | None | EUR 10/month, only after 365 days with no trade AND no deposit in the previous 90 days. Not charged on ISA accounts, where open positions are held, or on a zero balance. | None | None | None | None | None on the standard account (the inactivity fee was removed in 2021) | None | None (DEGIRO publishes EUR 0 inactivity, custody, deposit and withdrawal fees) | None | None | None | None | None |
| Min deposit | £500 | None | £1 | None | None | None | £100 | None | None | None | None | None | $20, €20 or £20 by card or Apple Pay ($50 by bank transfer) | £25 | £500 | None | £100 |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Demo account | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Regulators | FCA | FCA, EFSA | FCA, CySEC | SEC, FINRA, SIPC, FCA | FCA, CySEC, KNF | SEC, FINRA, SIPC, FCA | FCA | BaFin, Bundesbank | BaFin, Bundesbank | FCA, SEC | FCA | BaFin, AFM, DNB | FCA, CySEC, ASIC, SCB | FCA | FCA | FCA | FCA |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best alternative to Vanguard UK?
Lightyear is the strongest alternative for most users — best low-fx investing app for the uk and eu.
Why switch from Vanguard UK?
Common reasons include lower fees, different account types, or a simpler interface. Compare the options above against what matters to you.