Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Hargreaves Lansdown vs Bestinvest, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, investment options, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
Your capital is at risk.
Alongside the cost per trade, most UK online brokers also charge a monthly, quarterly, or annual management fee, which varies based on the account type and balance. Based on our thorough review, Hargreaves Lansdown offers better pricing than Bestinvest for share dealing.
What type of trader are you?
New to the world of investing? See our picks for the Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners. More experienced traders should read our guide to the Best UK Trading Platforms for Active Traders.
For United Kingdom investors exploring online broker platforms, Hargreaves Lansdown and Bestinvest offer several investment choices tailored to various financial goals. Both Hargreaves Lansdown and Bestinvest provide share and ETF trading, along with funds and investment trusts, giving you diverse options to build your portfolio. While neither platform supports crypto trading, spread betting, or CFD trading, Hargreaves Lansdown stands out by offering trading in corporate and government bonds, which Bestinvest does not currently provide. If advisory services are a priority, investors will find offerings from both brokers to cater to their needs.
When it comes to reputation and ratings, Hargreaves Lansdown receives a full five-star rating for its investment choices from UK.StockBrokers.com, securing the fourth position out of 21 brokers in the UK. Conversely, Bestinvest maintains a respectable 4.5-star rating, placing it tenth in the same ranking. Whether your focus is on comprehensive bond trading or seeking slightly more focused investment options, understanding these distinctions can help inform your platform choice.
| Feature |
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
Bestinvest
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | Yes | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Comparing Hargreaves Lansdown vs Bestinvest for trading tools, Hargreaves Lansdown offers more depth for charting with 11 drawing tools and 109 technical indicators, while Bestinvest has 9 drawing tools and 36 indicators. Neither broker shows corporate events or index overlays on charts, but both support stock overlays, browser-based platforms and price alerts. Hargreaves Lansdown supplies real-time market data; Bestinvest does not.
For UK investors who rely on technical analysis and live pricing, Hargreaves Lansdown is the stronger fit. If you prefer to add notes directly to charts, Bestinvest has that feature, making it appealing for simple annotations alongside basic web trading.
| Feature |
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
Bestinvest
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 109 | 36 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 11 | 9 |
| Charting - Notes | No | Yes |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
When comparing Hargreaves Lansdown and Bestinvest for your retirement account needs in the UK, both platforms present appealing options. Both Hargreaves Lansdown and Bestinvest offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), allowing you to grow your investments tax-efficiently. Furthermore, if you're looking to secure your future with a pension plan, both brokers provide Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), giving you control over your retirement savings with a range of investment choices. Whether you're starting an ISA or planning for retirement with a SIPP, both Hargreaves Lansdown and Bestinvest have accessible options to help tailor your financial strategy.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For UK investors comparing mobile apps, both Hargreaves Lansdown and Bestinvest offer iPhone and Android apps; however, UK.StockBrokers.com rates Hargreaves Lansdown higher at 4/5 stars with a Mobile Apps ranking of #10 out of 21 brokers, while Bestinvest scores 3.5/5 stars and ranks #16. If app experience and ratings matter, Hargreaves Lansdown has the edge, though both let you manage investments on the go across iOS and Android.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
Comparing online brokers Hargreaves Lansdown and Bestinvest for beginner investor education in the UK: both provide client webinars with on-demand replays and cover key topics including share trading, funds, and retirement. UK.StockBrokers.com rates each 5 out of 5 for beginner education, but Hargreaves Lansdown is ranked #4 out of 21 brokers, while Bestinvest is #6. With the same breadth of topics and accessible webinar libraries, Hargreaves Lansdown edges ahead on ranking, though Bestinvest remains an excellent choice for similar resources.
| Feature |
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
Bestinvest
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing the online brokers Hargreaves Lansdown and Bestinvest in terms of market research features, UK investors will find both platforms provide comprehensive resources. They each offer research reports for funds and allow users to assess their portfolio allocation by asset class. Moreover, both Hargreaves Lansdown and Bestinvest provide detailed research on shares, ETFs, and funds. However, a key difference lies in bond research; Hargreaves Lansdown offers insights into bonds while Bestinvest does not, making Hargreaves Lansdown a more complete option for those interested in bond investments.
| Feature |
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
Bestinvest
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Hargreaves Lansdown or Bestinvest? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Hargreaves Lansdown to be a better trading platform overall.
As the U.K.’s biggest investment platform for individual investors, Hargreaves Lansdown offers a wide range of investment choices for either beginners or seasoned investors. However, its fees are generally more expensive than rival brokers, which can become an issue for large investment pots.
| Feature |
Hargreaves Lansdown
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Bestinvest
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Mobile App |
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| Website |
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Neither Hargreaves Lansdown nor Bestinvest offer crypto trading, directing users to explore alternative platforms for cryptocurrency investments.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Hargreaves Lansdown | Bestinvest | |
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| Review | Hargreaves Lansdown Review | Bestinvest Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Hargreaves Lansdown | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Hargreaves Lansdown | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £100 | £50 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £11.95 | £0 - £4.95 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £8.95 | £0 - £4.95 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £5.95 | £0 - £4.95 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £0 - £250,000 | Up to £1,125 | Up to £500 or £1,000 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £1125 - £1750 | £500 - £1,000 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £1750 - £3000 | £100 - £1,000 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £3,000 - £4,000 | £0 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £20 - £50 | £4.95 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £20 - £50 | £4.95 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £11.95 | £4.95 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £11.95 | £4.95 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £20 - £50 | £30 |
| Broker Screenshots | Hargreaves Lansdown | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Hargreaves Lansdown | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 109 | 36 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 11 | 9 | |
| Charting - Notes | No | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | Hargreaves Lansdown | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Hargreaves Lansdown | Bestinvest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Overall Summary | Hargreaves Lansdown | Bestinvest | |
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| Review | Hargreaves Lansdown Review | Bestinvest Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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