Independent · fee-focused
Best Investment Platforms UK (2026)
Reviewed by Yaniv Barshaf, CPA · Fees verified August 2026 · Our methodology
Disclosure: FeesWizard may earn a commission if you open an account through links on this page. This never affects our fee data or rankings — how we make money.
The UK market splits cleanly into two pricing models, and which one is cheaper depends almost entirely on the size of your portfolio. Percentage-fee platforms such as Hargreaves Lansdown, AJ Bell, Fidelity and Vanguard charge a slice of everything you hold, which is fine on a small pot and painful on a large one. Flat-fee platforms such as interactive investor charge a fixed monthly subscription that looks expensive at £5,000 and cheap at £250,000. App-based brokers such as Trading 212, InvestEngine and Lightyear charge no platform fee at all and make their money elsewhere, usually on currency conversion. The calculator below prices all three models against the portfolio you actually hold.
What will each broker actually cost you?
Enter the portfolio you actually hold. We calculate every charge — dealing commission, platform and custody fees, subscriptions, FX, dividend and withdrawal fees — and rank the brokers by what you would really pay.
On a £10,000 portfolio with 12 trades a year, the cheapest option is InvestEngine at £0.00/year. The most expensive charges £188/year.
Choosing the cheapest saves £188 a year — and £940 over five years, once you account for the growth those fees never earned.
| Broker | Plan | Per year | Over 5 years | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| InvestEngineCheapest | DIY portfolio | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Robinhood | Robinhood UK | £1.00 | £5.52 | |
| Lightyear | UK GIA / ISA | £1.00 | £5.52 | |
| Trading 212 | Invest account | £1.50 | £8.29 | |
| Webull | Webull Go (UK) | £5.00 | £28 | |
| Revolut | Standard plan | £5.00 | £28 | |
| XTB | XTB account | £5.00 | £28 | |
| Freetrade | Basic (free) | £9.90 | £55 | |
| eToro | eToro account | £11 | £61 | |
| Interactive Brokers(we earn nothing from this platform) | IBKR Fixed pricing | £36 | £182 | |
| Vanguard UK(we earn nothing from this platform) | Vanguard account | £48 | £240 | |
| AJ Bell(we earn nothing from this platform) | AJ Bell account | £93 | £476 | |
| interactive investor(we earn nothing from this platform) | Core (£5.99/mo) | £127 | £639 | |
| Hargreaves Lansdown(we earn nothing from this platform) | HL account | £128 | £659 | |
| Fidelity(we earn nothing from this platform) | Fidelity account | £188 | £940 |
What five years of fees adds up to
Includes the growth those fees would have earned had they stayed invested.
- InvestEngine£0.00
- Robinhood£5.52
- Lightyear£5.52
- Trading 212£8.29
- Webull£28
Estimates only, based on each broker's published fee schedule as verified in August 2026. Fund ongoing charges are shown separately because they are paid to the fund manager and are the same whichever broker you use. Fees quoted in another currency are converted at a fixed reference rate so that every figure on this site is reproducible. See our methodology. Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
The platforms that matter in the UK
Every platform below is included on merit, not on whether we earn from it. Where we earn nothing, we say so on the row.
| Platform | Ongoing charge | Dealing | FX | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trading 212 | None | 0% | 0.15% | Best for low fees and UK investors |
| InvestEngine | None | £0 dealing commission on all ETFs (DIY portfolios) | None | Best for zero-fee DIY ETF investing with a free ISA and SIPP |
| AJ BellNo affiliate relationship | 0.25% a year | £5.00 per online share deal (£3.50 if you made 10+ share deals in the previous month) | 0.75% | Cheaper than HL on shares, with a low monthly cap |
| Vanguard UKNo affiliate relationship | 0.15% a year | No dealing charge on Vanguard funds and ETFs at the scheduled daily trade | None | Cheap index investing, but only in Vanguard's own funds |
| interactive investorNo affiliate relationship | £5.99/month | £3.99 per UK share trade (£2.99 on Premium) | 0.75% | Flat monthly fee — the cheapest option for large portfolios |
| Hargreaves LansdownNo affiliate relationship | 0.35% a year | £6.95 per online share deal (£3.95 if you dealt 20+ times in the previous month) | 0.99% | The UK's largest platform, with research to match its charges |
| FidelityNo affiliate relationship | 0.35% a year | £7.50 per online share, ETF or investment trust deal | 0.75% | Broad fund range with a capped charge on shares and ETFs |
| Interactive BrokersNo affiliate relationship | None | UK shares 0.05% of trade value, minimum £3 | 0.03% | The cheapest FX and the widest market access, for confident investors |
| Freetrade | None | £0 commission on all UK & US stocks, ETFs and investment trusts (all plans) | 0.99% | Best free ISA and SIPP for commission-free UK investing |
| Lightyear | None | 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. | 0.1% | Best low-FX investing app for the UK and EU with interest on cash |
Fees last verified 31 July 2026against each provider's published schedule — see every source and who checked it
- Trading 212 (checked 2026-07-31 by FeesWizard automated source check): Trading 212 — fees in the Invest, ISAs and SIPP, Trading 212 — what is the FX fee, Trading 212 — funding fees, Trading 212 — withdrawal fees
- InvestEngine (checked 2026-07-31 by FeesWizard automated source check): InvestEngine costs, InvestEngine Managed Portfolios, InvestEngine SIPP
- AJ Bell (checked 2026-07-27 by Yaniv Barshaf, CPA): AJ Bell Stocks and Shares ISA charges, AJ Bell charges and rates
- Vanguard UK (checked 2026-07-27 by Yaniv Barshaf, CPA): Vanguard UK fees explained
- interactive investor (checked 2026-07-27 by Yaniv Barshaf, CPA): ii charges
- Hargreaves Lansdown (checked 2026-07-27 by Yaniv Barshaf, CPA): HL Stocks and Shares ISA charges, HL share dealing charges
- Fidelity (checked 2026-07-27 by Yaniv Barshaf, CPA): Fidelity charges and fees, Fidelity ISA fees and charges
- Interactive Brokers (checked 2026-07-27 by Yaniv Barshaf, CPA): IBKR stock commissions, IBKR US stock trading costs for UK and EU residents
- Freetrade (checked 2026-07-31 by FeesWizard automated source check): Freetrade pricing, Freetrade compare plans, Freetrade SIPP charges schedule
- Lightyear (checked 2026-07-31 by FeesWizard automated source check): Lightyear UK pricing, Lightyear EU pricing, Lightyear UK — fees and taxes
We read each provider's own published charges page rather than relying on third-party summaries. If you find a figure that is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Stocks and Shares ISA
A Stocks and Shares ISA lets you invest up to £20,000 in the 2026/27 tax year with no UK tax on dividends, interest or capital gains, ever. For most UK investors it should be the default account, and the platform charge on an ISA is the single most important number on this page — it is levied every year, on everything you hold, whether or not the market goes up. A SIPP works similarly for retirement money and adds tax relief on contributions, at the cost of locking the money away until pension age.
Regulation and protection in the UK
Platforms serving British investors are supervised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Investments held with an FCA-authorised firm are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to £85,000 per person per firm. Note that the FSCS protects you against the firm failing, not against your investments falling in value.
The words British investors need to know
- Platform fee / account charge
- An annual percentage of everything you hold, usually billed monthly. The largest cost for most buy-and-hold investors, and the one that compounds against you.
- Dealing commission
- A charge per buy or sell order, typically £3 to £11.95 on UK platforms.
- Stamp duty (SDRT)
- 0.5% government tax on purchases of UK shares. It is a tax rather than a broker charge, so it is not included in the platform comparison below.
- PTM levy
- £1.50 charged on UK share trades over £10,000, funding the Takeover Panel.
Ready to open an account?
Trading 212 is one of the lower-cost options for British investors — best for low fees and uk investors. Run your own numbers in the calculator above before you commit.
Visit Trading 212Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which UK investment platform is cheapest?
There is no single answer, which is why this page is a calculator rather than a league table. Below roughly £25,000, app-based platforms with no account charge — InvestEngine, Trading 212 and Lightyear — are usually cheapest. Between £25,000 and £100,000 the picture depends on whether you hold funds or ETFs, because AJ Bell caps its charge on shares and ETFs at £42 a year. Above roughly £100,000 a flat-fee platform such as interactive investor typically wins, because its charge stops growing while a percentage fee does not.
Do I pay platform fees inside an ISA?
Yes. The ISA shelters you from tax, not from your platform's charges. The account charge, dealing commission and FX charge all apply exactly as they would in a general account, which is why the platform you choose matters as much as the wrapper.
Is my money safe if a UK platform goes bust?
Client assets must be held separately from the firm's own money, and the FSCS covers up to £85,000 per person per firm if something goes wrong with the firm itself. That protection does not cover investment losses. We set out how each platform holds client assets on our page about what happens if a broker goes bust.