Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Hargreaves Lansdown vs Freetrade, 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 Freetrade 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 Freetrade both provide UK investors with the opportunity to engage in share trading and trade ETFs and investment trusts. While neither platform offers trading in cryptocurrencies, spread betting, or CFDs, Hargreaves Lansdown stands out with a broader selection of investment choices, including funds trading and corporate and government bonds. Freetrade, in contrast, limits its offerings, excluding these options but still maintains a user-friendly approach for newer investors.
Hargreaves Lansdown also provides advisor services, which can be beneficial for those looking for guidance in their investment journey, whereas Freetrade caters more to self-directed investors. With a five-star rating for investment choices, Hargreaves Lansdown is ranked 4th out of 21 brokers by UK.StockBrokers.com, making it a preferred choice for seasoned investors. Freetrade, achieving four stars and ranking 17th, offers a more straightforward platform, appealing to those who prefer simplicity and minimal options. Despite these differences, both platforms serve as viable options for share and ETF trading in the UK.
| Feature |
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | Yes | No |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Hargreaves Lansdown vs Freetrade: trading tools for UK investors. For charting, Hargreaves Lansdown is far more capable, offering 11 drawing tools, 109 technical indicators and the option to add stock overlays. Freetrade has no drawing tools or indicators and does not support stock overlays. Neither broker shows corporate events on charts (earnings, splits, dividends), allows adding notes to charts, or supports index overlays.
Both brokers provide a browser-based platform, real-time market data and the ability to set price alerts. If you want deeper chart analysis, Hargreaves Lansdown will suit you better; if you prefer a straightforward setup with live prices and alerts, Freetrade may be sufficient.
| Feature |
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 109 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 11 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | No | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
When comparing online brokers for retirement accounts in the UK, both Hargreaves Lansdown and Freetrade offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), making them strong options for those looking to save for the future. Hargreaves Lansdown, with its well-established presence, provides a range of investment options to suit various financial goals. Freetrade, known for its user-friendly platform, offers a straightforward, app-based approach, appealing to both seasoned investors and those new to the investing scene. Both brokers give UK investors flexibility and accessibility when managing their retirement savings.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Hargreaves Lansdown vs Freetrade: both UK brokers offer iPhone and Android apps, each earning 4 out of 5 stars from UK.StockBrokers.com. In the site’s Mobile Apps ranking of 21 brokers, Hargreaves Lansdown places 10th while Freetrade is 12th, giving Hargreaves Lansdown a slight edge. For UK investors comparing mobile trading, both apps are well rated on iOS and Android, with Hargreaves Lansdown narrowly ahead in overall ranking.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For UK beginner investors comparing Hargreaves Lansdown and Freetrade, Hargreaves Lansdown provides a fuller learning experience. It hosts live educational client webinars and offers an on-demand archive; Freetrade does not provide webinars or replays. Both brokers publish guides on share trading, funds and retirement. However, UK.StockBrokers.com rates Hargreaves Lansdown 5 stars and ranks it #4 of 21 for beginner education, while Freetrade earns 3.5 stars and ranks #16, making Hargreaves Lansdown the stronger choice for structured learning.
| Feature |
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| 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 Freetrade, several key differences emerge for UK investors. Hargreaves Lansdown provides comprehensive research reports on funds, shares, ETFs, bonds, and offers the ability to see portfolio allocation by asset class. In contrast, while Freetrade matches Hargreaves Lansdown in offering shares and ETFs research, as well as portfolio allocation viewing, it lacks research reports on funds and bonds. This makes Hargreaves Lansdown a more thorough option for those seeking in-depth market insights across a wider range of investments.
| Feature |
Hargreaves Lansdown
|
Freetrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Hargreaves Lansdown or Freetrade? 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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Freetrade
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Hargreaves Lansdown and Freetrade both do not offer crypto trading, providing distinct options for investors seeking traditional assets through user-friendly online platforms.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Hargreaves Lansdown | Freetrade | |
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| Review | Hargreaves Lansdown Review | Freetrade Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Hargreaves Lansdown | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | No | |
| 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 | No |
| Trading Fees | Hargreaves Lansdown | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £100 | £1 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £11.95 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £8.95 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £5.95 | £0 | |
| 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 | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £1125 - £1750 | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £1750 - £3000 | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £3,000 - £4,000 | £0 (Basic plan), £59.88 (Standard), £119.88 (Plus) | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £20 - £50 | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £20 - £50 | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £11.95 | £0 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £11.95 | £0 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £20 - £50 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Hargreaves Lansdown | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Platforms & Tools | Hargreaves Lansdown | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 109 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 11 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | No | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | Hargreaves Lansdown | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | No | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Hargreaves Lansdown | Freetrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Overall Summary | Hargreaves Lansdown | Freetrade | |
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| Review | Hargreaves Lansdown Review | Freetrade Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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