Independent · fee-focused
Best ETF Platforms in the UK in 2026
For UK investors building an ETF portfolio, the platform's job is simple: charge you as close to nothing as possible, because every pound of fees compounds against you for decades. We ranked UK-available platforms on ETF dealing costs, FX fees, platform charges, and ISA availability. Here is our top pick for ETF investing, followed by the full ranking.
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).
Best overall: Lightyear
Lightyear is our top pick for this category: best low-fx investing app for the uk and eu.
Get started with LightyearCapital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
The ranked list
1. Lightyear
5/5Lightyear 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.
Read the full Lightyear review →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
4.9/5Trading 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.
Read the full Trading 212 review →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. XTB
4.7/5XTB 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.
Read the full XTB review →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.
4. InvestEngine
4.7/5InvestEngine 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.
Read the full InvestEngine review →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.
5. eToro
4.6/5eToro is a multi-asset platform best known for copy trading and an extremely beginner-friendly interface. ETF investing is commission-free, but stock positions carry a $1–$2 charge on opening and again on closing, and the withdrawal and currency-conversion fees matter.
Read the full eToro review →Visit eToroeToro
Best for beginners and social/copy trading
eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. 51% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
6. Interactive Brokers
4.5/5Interactive 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.
Read the full Interactive Brokers review →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.
7. Freetrade
4.4/5Freetrade 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.
Read the full Freetrade review →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.
8. Vanguard UK
3.8/5Vanguard'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.
Read the full Vanguard UK review →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.
9. AJ Bell
3.4/5AJ 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.
Read the full AJ Bell review →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.
Compare side by side
| Feature | Lightyear | Trading 212 | XTB | InvestEngine | eToro | Interactive Brokers | Freetrade | Vanguard UK | AJ Bell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 5 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 | 3.8 / 5 | 3.4 / 5 |
| Stock commission | 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% up to €100k monthly turnover, then 0.2% (min €10) | £0 dealing commission on all ETFs (DIY portfolios); no platform fee | $1–$2 per side on stock positions (charged on opening and on closing, varies by country of residence); ETFs 0% | 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) | No dealing charge on Vanguard funds and ETFs at the scheduled daily trade; £7.50 for optional live 'quote and deal' ETF trades | £5.00 per online share deal (£3.50 if you made 10+ share deals in the previous month); regular investing is free |
| Withdrawal fee | Free by local bank transfer. USD wire payments are charged (up to $8.50 UK, $6.11 EU). | Free | Free, with no minimum withdrawal amount - XTB charges no withdrawal commission, including on foreign-currency withdrawals | Free — no withdrawal fee | $5 per withdrawal on USD accounts ($30 min); free on GBP/EUR accounts | 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 UK bank account | Free to a linked UK bank account |
| Inactivity fee | 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 (eToro removed the inactivity fee in 2026) | None on the standard account (the inactivity fee was removed in 2021) | None | None | None |
| Min deposit | None | £1 | None | £100 | $50 | None | None | £500 | £250 (£500 for a SIPP) |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Demo account | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Regulators | FCA, EFSA | FCA, CySEC | FCA, CySEC, KNF | FCA | FCA, CySEC, ASIC | FCA, SEC | FCA | FCA | FCA |
How to choose
For ETFs, three costs matter: platform and dealing fees (several platforms now charge zero), the FX fee if you buy dollar-denominated ETFs (GBP-denominated ETFs avoid it entirely), and each fund's own ongoing charge, which you pay regardless of platform. An ISA wrapper shields gains and dividends from tax. Our fee calculator shows the real annual cost for your pattern.
How we rank
Rankings are based on published fees, regulatory standing, available features, and the real cost of common actions (trading, withdrawing, currency conversion). We do not accept payment for placement; affiliate relationships do not influence the order. The fee data behind this ranking comes from the same verified dataset as our UK Broker Fee Index — a quarterly data study where FX fees alone vary almost tenfold between platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of the etf platforms in the uk should you choose?
Lightyear is our top pick — best low-fx investing app for the uk and eu. The best choice still depends on your priorities around fees and features.
Do these rankings change?
Yes. Fees and features change, so we update this page regularly — the fee data behind this ranking was last verified on 6 October 2026.