Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Hargreaves Lansdown vs Charles Stanley Direct, 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 Charles Stanley Direct 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.
Hargreaves Lansdown and Charles Stanley Direct are two popular online brokers in the UK that offer a wide range of investment options for users looking to diversify their portfolios. Both platforms provide access to share trading, ETF trading, funds trading, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts. However, neither broker offers crypto trading, spread betting, or CFD trading. Each platform also provides advisory services, adding value for those seeking professional guidance with their investments.
When it comes to their rating on investment choices, both Hargreaves Lansdown and Charles Stanley Direct have earned a commendable 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com. Nevertheless, Hargreaves Lansdown edges out with a ranking of 4th out of 21 brokers, while Charles Stanley Direct is close behind in 6th place. This makes both brokers solid choices for UK investors, although Hargreaves Lansdown holds a slightly higher ranking in overall investment offerings.
| Feature |
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes |
| 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.
For charting, Hargreaves Lansdown offers far more to work with than Charles Stanley Direct: 11 drawing tools and 109 technical indicators versus 1 drawing tool and 14 indicators. Both let you add stock overlays, but neither shows corporate events on charts or supports notes. Only Charles Stanley Direct provides index overlays; Hargreaves Lansdown does not.
Beyond charts, both brokers give UK investors a browser-based trading platform, real-time market data, and price alerts. Choose Hargreaves Lansdown if you want deeper technical analysis within the chart, or Charles Stanley Direct if having index overlays is more important than a wide range of drawing tools and indicators.
| Feature |
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 109 | 14 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 11 | 1 |
| Charting - Notes | No | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | Yes |
When comparing Hargreaves Lansdown and Charles Stanley Direct, both online brokers provide a solid array of retirement accounts that cater to UK investors. Hargreaves Lansdown offers Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), ensuring customers have options tailored to their savings and retirement needs. Similarly, Charles Stanley Direct matches these offerings, providing both ISA and SIPP accounts, making it easy for UK investors to manage and grow their retirement funds effectively. Whether you are planning to save with tax efficiency or aiming for a self-managed pension plan, both brokers present valuable choices for varied financial goals.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Comparing Hargreaves Lansdown and Charles Stanley Direct for UK mobile investing: both offer iPhone and Android apps, but there’s a clear difference in reviews. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, the Hargreaves Lansdown app earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks 10th of 21 brokers for Mobile Apps, while the Charles Stanley Direct app scores 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks 20th. If app quality matters most, Hargreaves Lansdown has the edge; if you just need iOS and Android access, both deliver.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For UK beginner investors comparing educational resources, Hargreaves Lansdown stands out with live client webinars and an on-demand archive, plus guides on share trading, funds and retirement. Charles Stanley Direct also covers share trading, funds and retirement and offers an on-demand webinar archive, but it does not run live client webinars. In UK.StockBrokers.com’s latest review, Hargreaves Lansdown scores 5 out of 5 stars and ranks 4th of 21 brokers for beginner education, while Charles Stanley Direct earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and places 12th of 21.
| Feature |
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| 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 market research features between Hargreaves Lansdown and Charles Stanley Direct, both online brokers provide extensive research support across various investment options, including funds, shares, and ETFs, making them attractive choices for UK investors. They each offer the ability to see detailed portfolio allocations by asset class to help investors make informed decisions. Furthermore, both provide research reports for funds to guide investment strategies. However, a key difference lies in their coverage of bonds research, where Hargreaves Lansdown holds an advantage by offering more comprehensive insights in this area compared to Charles Stanley Direct. Overall, both platforms stand well in offering a broad array of research features tailored to the needs of individual investors.
| Feature |
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
Charles Stanley Direct
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Hargreaves Lansdown or Charles Stanley Direct? 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.
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Hargreaves Lansdown
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Charles Stanley Direct
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When comparing online brokers Hargreaves Lansdown and Charles Stanley Direct, both platforms do not offer cryptocurrency trading, focusing instead on a range of traditional investment options.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Hargreaves Lansdown | Charles Stanley Direct | |
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| Review | Hargreaves Lansdown Review | Charles Stanley Direct Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Hargreaves Lansdown | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Hargreaves Lansdown | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £100 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £11.95 | £0 - £10 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £8.95 | £10 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £5.95 | £10 | |
| 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 | £60 - £600 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £1125 - £1750 | £600 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £1750 - £3000 | £600 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £3,000 - £4,000 | £600 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £20 - £50 | £25 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £20 - £50 | £25 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £11.95 | £10 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £11.95 | £10 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £20 - £50 | £25 minimum |
| Broker Screenshots | Hargreaves Lansdown | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 109 | 14 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 11 | 1 | |
| Charting - Notes | No | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | Yes |
| Research | Hargreaves Lansdown | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | ||
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Hargreaves Lansdown | Charles Stanley Direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Overall Summary | Hargreaves Lansdown | Charles Stanley Direct | |
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| Review | Hargreaves Lansdown Review | Charles Stanley Direct Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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