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Hargreaves Lansdown vs CMC Invest 2025

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

July 31, 2025

In this head to head comparison of Hargreaves Lansdown vs CMC Invest, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, investment options, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.

Hargreaves Lansdown
4.5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: £1
  • ISA: Yes
  • SIPP: Yes
CMC Invest
3.5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: £1
  • ISA: Yes
  • SIPP: Yes

Your capital is at risk.

Fees

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 CMC Invest for share dealing.

query_stats 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.

Investment Choices

Hargreaves Lansdown vs CMC Invest: both support share dealing, ETFs, funds, and investment trusts. Neither offers crypto or CFD trading. Hargreaves Lansdown goes further with access to corporate bonds and UK government bonds (gilts), plus the option to use adviser services; CMC Invest does not offer these extras.

For investment choice, UK.StockBrokers.com rates Hargreaves Lansdown 5 stars (ranked 4th of 21) and CMC Invest 4 stars (ranked 14th of 21). If you want a wider menu that includes bonds and guidance, Hargreaves Lansdown may suit you; if you prefer core investments like shares, ETFs, funds, and trusts without add-ons, CMC Invest is a straightforward pick.

Feature Hargreaves Lansdown logoHargreaves Lansdown
CMC Invest logoCMC Invest
Share Trading info Yes Yes
CFD Trading info No No
ETFs info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Bonds - Government (Gilts) info Yes No
Investment Trusts info Yes Yes
Spread Betting info No No
Crypto Trading info No No
Advisor Services info Yes No
Investment Choices 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars

Featured Offers


4.5/5 Stars

Low-cost US and UK shares.

4.5/5 Stars

Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.

Trading Tools

When it comes to trading tools, Hargreaves Lansdown clearly outshines CMC Invest with a variety of features tailored for active traders. Hargreaves Lansdown allows users to display corporate events like earnings, splits, and dividends directly on charts, providing valuable context for informed decision-making—something CMC Invest does not offer. Additionally, with 11 drawing tools and 15 technical indicators at your disposal, charting becomes a powerful way to visualize market trends on Hargreaves Lansdown. Conversely, CMC Invest lacks these options entirely, offering neither drawing tools nor technical indicators to improve your trading experience.

Both platforms allow the creation of alerts for stock price updates and provide real-time market data, ensuring you're always informed of the latest changes. However, Hargreaves Lansdown goes a step further by supporting features like index and stock overlays on charts, unlike CMC Invest, which does not include these functionalities. Furthermore, Hargreaves Lansdown offers a convenient browser-based trading platform, enabling seamless access through any web browser, while CMC Invest does not have this feature. In summary, Hargreaves Lansdown provides a more comprehensive set of trading tools, ideal for users who seek a richer and more interactive trading environment.

Feature Hargreaves Lansdown logoHargreaves Lansdown
CMC Invest logoCMC Invest
Web Platform info Yes No
Stock Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 15 0
Charting - Drawing Tools info 11 0
Charting - Notes info No No
Charting - Display Corporate Events info Yes No
Charting - Stock Overlays info Yes No
Charting - Index Overlays info Yes No

ISAs and SIPPs

When comparing retirement account offerings between Hargreaves Lansdown and CMC Invest, UK investors will find that both online brokers provide Individual Savings Accounts (ISA) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPP). With these account types available at both platforms, users can easily save and invest for their retirement goals. However, while the account options are similar, the choice between them may depend on other factors like fees, customer service, and additional features that each broker might offer, allowing you to align your investment choice with personal preferences.

Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.

Mobile App

UK investors comparing mobile trading options will find that both Hargreaves Lansdown and CMC Invest offer iPhone and Android apps. UK.StockBrokers.com rates the Hargreaves Lansdown app at 4.5/5 and ranks it 10th out of 21 brokers for Mobile Apps, while the CMC Invest app is rated 3.5/5 and ranked 11th. In short, the Hargreaves Lansdown app edges ahead on both rating and ranking, though both provide convenient on-the-go access across iOS and Android.

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.

Beginners and Education

UK beginners comparing Hargreaves Lansdown and CMC Invest for beginner investor educational resources will find that Hargreaves Lansdown runs client webinars (not archived on demand), while CMC Invest offers no webinars or on-demand archive. Both cover share trading and retirement, but only Hargreaves Lansdown teaches funds. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Hargreaves Lansdown scores 5/5 and ranks 4th of 21 for beginner education, whereas CMC Invest scores 2.5/5 and ranks 15th, making Hargreaves Lansdown the stronger choice for learning.

Feature Hargreaves Lansdown logoHargreaves Lansdown
CMC Invest logoCMC Invest
Client Webinars info Yes No
Client Webinars (Archived) info No No
Education (Share Trading) info Yes Yes
Education (Funds) info Yes No
Education (Retirement) info Yes Yes
Education 5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.

Market Research

Hargreaves Lansdown vs CMC Invest: for market research features, both platforms provide shares, ETFs and funds research, but only Hargreaves Lansdown adds fund research reports, a portfolio allocation view by asset class, and bonds research. CMC Invest does not offer fund research reports, asset class allocation views, or bonds research, though it still covers shares, ETFs and funds. UK investors wanting clearer portfolio breakdowns and bond analysis may favour Hargreaves Lansdown, while those after straightforward research on shares and ETFs may find CMC Invest sufficient.

Feature Hargreaves Lansdown logoHargreaves Lansdown
CMC Invest logoCMC Invest
Research - Shares info Yes Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Bonds info Yes No
Research - Funds info Yes Yes
Fund Research - Research Reports info Yes No
Portfolio Allocation Breakdown info Yes No

Hargreaves Lansdown vs CMC Invest Winner

Which broker is better overall, Hargreaves Lansdown or CMC Invest? 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 logoHargreaves Lansdown
CMC Invest logoCMC Invest
Overall Rating 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Charges & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Choices 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile App 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Website 5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Hargreaves Lansdown or CMC Invest?

When comparing online brokers, both Hargreaves Lansdown and CMC Invest do not offer crypto trading, positioning themselves as traditional investment platforms.

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Compare

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Overall Rating Hargreaves Lansdown CMC Invest
Overall Rating 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Charges & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Choices 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile App 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Website 5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Review Hargreaves Lansdown Review CMC Invest Review
Winner check_circle
Investments Hargreaves Lansdown CMC Invest
ISA info Yes Yes
SIPP info Yes Yes
Share Trading info Yes Yes
CFD Trading info No No
Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
ETFs info Yes Yes
Bonds - Corporate info Yes No
Bonds - Government (Gilts) info Yes No
Investment Trusts info Yes Yes
Spread Betting info No No
Crypto Trading info
Advisor Services info Yes No
Trading Fees Hargreaves Lansdown CMC Invest
Minimum Deposit info £1 £1
Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month info £11.95 £0
Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month info £8.95 £0
Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month info £5.95 £0
5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info
12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info
36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info
120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info
3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) info
Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £0 - £250,000 info Up to £1,125 £83.88 / £131.88 info
Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K info Up to £625 £83.88 / £131.88 info
Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m info Up to £1,250 £83.88 / £131.88 info
Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over info Up to £1,000 £83.88 / £131.88 info
Bonds - Corporate - Fee info £20 - £50 N/A
Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee info £20 - £50 N/A
ETFs - Fee info £5.95 - £11.95 £0
Investment Trusts - Fee info £5.95 - £11.95 £0
Telephone Dealing Fee info £20 - £50 info £0
Broker Screenshots Hargreaves Lansdown CMC Invest
Website Gallery (click to expand)
Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand)
Education Gallery (click to expand)
Platforms & Tools Hargreaves Lansdown CMC Invest
Web Platform info Yes No
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Stock Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 15 0
Charting - Drawing Tools info 11 0
Charting - Notes info No No
Charting - Display Corporate Events info Yes No
Charting - Stock Overlays info Yes No
Charting - Index Overlays info Yes No
Research Hargreaves Lansdown CMC Invest
Research - Shares info Yes Yes
Research - CFDs info
Research - Funds info Yes Yes
Fund Research - Research Reports info Yes No
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Bonds info Yes No
Portfolio Allocation Breakdown info Yes No
Education Hargreaves Lansdown CMC Invest
Education (Share Trading) info Yes Yes
Education (Funds) info Yes No
Education (Retirement) info Yes Yes
Client Webinars info Yes No
Client Webinars (Archived) info No No
Overall Summary Hargreaves Lansdown CMC Invest
Overall Rating 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Charges & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Choices 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile App 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Website 5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Review Hargreaves Lansdown Review CMC Invest Review
Winner check_circle
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