Independent · fee-focused
Best Investing Apps in the UK in 2026
For UK investors, the best app combines low fees with the right account type — most importantly a Stocks and Shares ISA for tax-efficient investing. We ranked platforms available to UK residents on cost, ISA availability, and overall experience. Here is our top UK pick, followed by the full list.
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. Robinhood
4.9/5Robinhood 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.
Read the full Robinhood review →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. Revolut
4.8/5Revolut bolts simple stock investing onto its popular banking app. Convenient if you already use Revolut, with one free trade per month on Standard, but the 0.25% per-trade commission makes it pricier than dedicated low-cost brokers for active investors.
Read the full Revolut review →Visit RevolutRevolut
Best for investing inside an all-in-one money app
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. Fidelity
3.5/5Fidelity 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.
Read the full Fidelity review →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.
12. 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.
13. interactive investor
3.3/5interactive 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.
Read the full interactive investor review →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.
14. Hargreaves Lansdown
3.2/5Hargreaves 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.
Read the full Hargreaves Lansdown review →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 side by side
| Feature | Lightyear | Trading 212 | Robinhood | Revolut | XTB | InvestEngine | eToro | Interactive Brokers | Freetrade | Vanguard UK | Fidelity | AJ Bell | interactive investor | Hargreaves Lansdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 5 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 | 3.8 / 5 | 3.5 / 5 | 3.4 / 5 | 3.3 / 5 | 3.2 / 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 / £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 | 1 commission-free order a month on Standard (3 on Plus, 5 on Premium, 10 on Metal and Ultra); beyond the allowance 0.25% of the order amount, or 0.12% on Ultra, minimum GBP 0.01; the Stocks and Shares ISA shares the same allowance and rates | 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 | £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 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 | 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 | 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 (eToro removed the inactivity fee in 2026) | None on the standard account (the inactivity fee was removed in 2021) | None | None | None | None | None | None |
| Min deposit | None | £1 | None | None | None | £100 | $50 | None | None | £500 | £25 | £500 | None | £100 |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Demo account | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Regulators | FCA, EFSA | FCA, CySEC | SEC, FINRA, SIPC, FCA | FCA, CySEC | FCA, CySEC, KNF | FCA | FCA, CySEC, ASIC | FCA, SEC | FCA | FCA | FCA | FCA | FCA | FCA |
How to choose
In the UK, two things matter most: whether the platform offers an ISA, and at what cost; and the currency-conversion fee if you buy US or overseas shares. Then weigh commissions and withdrawal fees. Our fee calculator estimates your real annual cost so you can compare like for like.
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 investing apps 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 21 September 2026.