Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of CMC Invest vs Robinhood UK, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, investment options, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
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, Robinhood UK offers better pricing than CMC Invest for share dealing.
Assuming a £30,000 portfolio size, here are the total annual costs for share dealing with both brokers, given different monthly activity scenarios.
5 trades per year - CMC Invest would cost £0 / £120 / £300 per year, while Robinhood UK would cost £0 per year.
12 trades per year - CMC Invest would cost £0 / £120 / £300 per year, while Robinhood UK would cost £0 per year.
36 trades per year - CMC Invest would cost £0 / £120 / £300 per year, while Robinhood UK would cost £0 per year.
120 trades per year - CMC Invest would cost £0 / £120 / £300 per year, while Robinhood UK would cost £0 per year.
3 fund trades per year - CMC Invest would cost £0 per year, while Robinhood UK would cost £0 per year.
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 UK investors exploring online brokerage options, CMC Invest and Robinhood UK present distinct choices based on their available investment products. CMC Invest allows access to share trading, ETFs, funds, and investment trusts, which presents a wider selection for diversified portfolios. Meanwhile, Robinhood UK provides share trading, but lacks options for ETFs, funds, and investment trusts. Both platforms, however, do not offer crypto trading, spread betting, CFDs, or advisor services.
According to UK.StockBrokers.com, CMC Invest earns a commendable rating of 4.5 stars for its investment choices, ranking it 14th out of 18 brokers surveyed. On the other hand, Robinhood UK trails behind with a 3-star rating, placing it in the 20th position. For investors prioritizing a broader range of investments, CMC Invest might be the more appealing option compared to Robinhood UK.
| Feature |
CMC Invest
|
Robinhood UK
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | No |
| Funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Investment Choices |
|
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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
When comparing the trading tools of CMC Invest and Robinhood UK, it's clear that both platforms lack certain advanced features. Neither offers the ability to display corporate events like earnings, splits, or dividends on charts. Both CMC Invest and Robinhood UK fall short in providing drawing tools, and while CMC Invest lacks any technical indicators, Robinhood UK offers three. Neither platform supports adding notes, index overlays, or stock overlays to charts, which might limit users looking for in-depth chart customization.
However, Robinhood UK does have a distinct edge with its browser-based trading platform, an option not available with CMC Invest. Despite these differences, both platforms do allow users to create alerts for stock price updates and provide real-time market data, ensuring that traders can stay informed with up-to-date information on the go.
| Feature |
CMC Invest
|
Robinhood UK
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | No | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | 3 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | No | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
When comparing CMC Invest and Robinhood UK in terms of retirement account offerings, UK investors will find CMC Invest provides more options. CMC Invest offers both Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), catering to those seeking tax-efficient savings and personal pension management. In contrast, Robinhood UK does not offer these types of accounts, limiting your retirement investment choices. This makes CMC Invest a more versatile option for those looking to manage their financial futures with ISAs and SIPPs in the UK.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing the mobile app offerings from CMC Invest and Robinhood UK, both apps are available for iPhone and Android users, making them accessible for most smartphone owners. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, CMC Invest's mobile app is highly rated at 4.5 stars, placing it in the 11th position out of 18 brokers, while Robinhood UK trails slightly with a 4-star rating and ranks 13th. This suggests that while both platforms provide functional trading tools on mobile, CMC Invest might deliver a slightly more polished experience for UK traders on the go.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors exploring educational resources, CMC Invest and Robinhood UK both offer insights into share trading. However, CMC Invest stands out by also providing information on funds and retirement, areas where Robinhood UK lacks content. Neither platform offers educational webinars or on-demand viewing options, which might limit interactive learning opportunities. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, CMC Invest is rated 4 stars and ranks 15th out of 18, slightly ahead of Robinhood UK, which holds a 3.5-star rating and ranks 20th. These ratings highlight CMC Invest's broader educational offerings and slightly higher ranking, appealing more to those seeking comprehensive beginner support.
| Feature |
CMC Invest
|
Robinhood UK
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing the market research features of CMC Invest and Robinhood UK for investors in the United Kingdom, CMC Invest stands out with its comprehensive research offerings. CMC Invest provides valuable research reports for both shares and ETFs, and uniquely includes reports for funds, which Robinhood UK does not provide. However, neither platform offers insights into portfolio allocation by asset class, nor do they provide research on CFDs or Bonds. Both platforms equally offer accessible shares and ETFs research, yet CMC Invest may appeal more to those who seek thorough fund research resources.
| Feature |
CMC Invest
|
Robinhood UK
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | No | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | No | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | No | No |
Which broker is better overall, CMC Invest or Robinhood UK? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found CMC Invest to be a better trading platform overall.
CMC Invest offers commission-free trading of U.K.-listed shares and U.S. equities via a mobile app only. Though a newer entrant to the U.K. share dealing market and currently somewhat limited, it’s powered by global contender CMC Markets, making it likely that its offerings will expand.
| Feature |
CMC Invest
|
Robinhood UK
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Charges & Fees |
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| Mobile App |
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| Website |
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| Ease of Use |
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| Education |
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Both CMC Invest and Robinhood UK do not offer crypto trading options, making them less suitable for investors specifically interested in cryptocurrencies.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | CMC Invest | Robinhood UK | |
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| Review | CMC Invest Review | Robinhood UK Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | CMC Invest | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | No | |
| SIPP | Yes | No | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Funds | Yes | No | |
| ETFs | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Corporate | No | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | No | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | No | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | CMC Invest | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £0 | £0 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 / £120 / £300 | £0 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 / £120 / £300 | £0 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 / £120 / £300 | £0 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 / £120 / £300 | £0 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £120 | N/A | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £120 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £120 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £120 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £120 | £0 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £0 | £0 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £0 | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £0 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | CMC Invest | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | CMC Invest | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | No | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | 3 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | No | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | CMC Invest | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | No | No | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | No | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | No | No |
| Education | CMC Invest | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Overall Summary | CMC Invest | Robinhood UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Charges & Fees |
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| Investment Choices |
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| Mobile App |
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| Website |
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| Ease of Use |
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| Education |
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| Review | CMC Invest Review | Robinhood UK Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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