Best trading platform for beginners – Interactive Investor
Interactive Investor (ii) is my top pick for the best investment platform in the U.K. for beginners. Interactive Investor offers every asset a new investor is likely to need, has extensive educational material and is very competitive on price too. Interactive Investor charges £3.99 per trade — lower than most other traditional platforms — and this is reduced to zero if trading at least £25 regularly every month. It also has flat fee annual management fees, making Interactive Investor a particularly good value if you have a portfolio above £25,000. If you'd like to learn more, check out my Interactive Investor review.
Best choice for low fees – Trading 212
Best choice for ease of use – eToro
Best range of investment choices – AJ Bell
Best for accessibility – Hargreaves Lansdown
Hargreaves Lansdown is the U.K.’s biggest investment platform for everyday investors. As you’d expect from an industry leader, it offers very good investment options and is rated highly by users who like its ease of use. Hargreaves Lansdown can be a great place to start if you are looking to invest in mutual funds, or one of its managed funds, through a general dealing account, ISA or SIPP. Mutual fund trades are free, with annual management charges of 0.45%. Stocks are £11.95 per trade, which works out very expensive if you are investing a small amount (perhaps under £100). Check out my Hargreaves Lansdown review.
Best choice for research – Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers is a great choice for those looking to access a wide range of global markets. You have access to 48,000 funds worldwide and more than 90 stock markets. Shares and ETFs are priced at a fixed £3 per trade up to the value of £6,000. Transaction fees on around 8,000 funds are free, and there are also no custody charges. This could make Interactive Brokers a good choice if you plan to invest solely in funds. Read my Interactive Brokers review to learn more.
Compare the best UK trading platforms for beginners
FAQs
What is a trading platform?
A trading platform, also called an investment platform or broker, is where you buy and sell investments such as shares, funds and bonds. You may also be able to trade alternative assets such as currencies, oil, gold and crypto. Beginners may want to consider sticking to traditional investments — shares, funds and bonds — to begin with, as alternative assets can be more volatile.
How do I choose a UK trading platform?
I've found that some of the most important considerations for choosing a UK trading platform include the broker's fees and the available investment options. If you are savings or retirement-focused, I'd recommend seeing whether they offer ISAs (like a stocks and shares ISA or a cash ISA) or SIPPs. It's worth noting that there's nothing stopping you from opening separate accounts with different platforms, if you like aspects of different brokers and want to try out several. Some platforms offer commission-free trading but may have more limited investment options or accounts. I recommend taking the time to read some of my U.K. broker reviews to help you pick the best platform for your needs.
How do I open a UK trading account?
First, you'll want to choose the best platform for your needs – whether you are a beginner trader, an active trader, or you just want the best broker for mobile trading. Then, you'll want to open the broker's website or app and select the ‘open account’ option. Most platforms will allow you to sign up and fund your account within minutes. You’ll need to provide ID such as a photo of your driving licence or passport, along with providing your National Insurance number and proof of address. You can then pay money into your account through a bank transfer or using your debit card.
How does regular investing work?
Regular investing is where you invest a fixed amount on a monthly basis, to be paid directly into your investment or investments of choice. You benefit from saving little and often, which feels more achievable for some, and you can benefit from pound cost averaging to help smooth out fluctuations in the stock market. Most U.K. investment platforms offer discounted fees — or charge nothing at all — for regular investing.
Are online trading platforms safe?
All the U.K. trading platforms we review are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, which means they comply with stringent regulatory requirements. Your money is protected up to the value of £85,000 should a platform go out of business. However, be aware that all investing comes with an element of risk and your returns will depend on your own investment decisions.
What is the best crypto trading platform for beginners in the UK?
If you are just becoming familiar with investing, I recommend starting out with traditional investing in instruments such as stocks and funds. Cryptocurrencies are complex products, and, moreover, the cryptocurrency market tends toward the volatile, carrying a high risk of loss. If you do want to try your hand at trading crypto, use a regulated broker. eToro is one of our top recommendations; other reputable brokers that offer crypto in the U.K. include Saxo, Interactive Brokers and XTB.
What is an ISA?
What is a SIPP?
A Self-Invested Personal Pension, or SIPP, is a tax-efficient means of saving funds for retirement in the U.K. SIPPs are government approved, and enable individuals to make their own investment decisions. Unlike more traditional pension models where investment choice is often restricted to a limited number of funds, a SIPP offers investors the ability to self-direct their investments.
Other trading platforms tested
In addition to our top picks, I fully analysed 11 additional regulated brokers in the U.K.
Barclays: Barclays Smart Investor offers a wide range of investments and accounts. The platform is good value for those with a midsize portfolio who like flat fees, but the mobile app is limited if you don’t have a Barclays current account.
Capital.com: Capital.com no longer offers direct share ownership, so you’ll have to trade through CFDs.
CMC Invest: One to watch, CMC Invest is relatively new and still in development. It offers low fees and you can interest on uninvested cash.
Fidelity: Fidelity offers thousands of investments to choose from and great research material. It is also one of few investment platforms to offer financial advice.
Freetrade: Freetrade is another good option for new investors, as it offers commission-free stock trading. The ISA option costs £4.99 a month, which can work out quite expensive if you have less than £10,000 to invest.
Halifax: If you are already a Halifax bank customer, it may be worth signing up to Halifax’s online share dealing service for simplicity. But fees can work out high for infrequent or low trades.
IG: The IG platform is more aimed at experienced investors looking to make frequent trades. It may not be the best option for beginners.
Lloyds Bank: Trading fees are among the highest of any broker, at £11 to buy and sell U.K. shares. The broker is most likely to be of use if you are already a Lloyds Bank customer.
Saxo: Saxo’s trading platform is highly sophisticated and used by private and professional investors. The biggest downside is the cost, as its charges are significantly higher than its U.K. competitors.
Vanguard: Vanguard’s U.K. platform does not offer access to share dealing. You can only invest in Vanguard ETFs and funds. But the platform is popular among those looking for low fees and who don’t want to be overwhelmed by choice.
XTB: XTB is relatively new to share dealing and is a strong competitor to the likes of Trading 212 and Freetrade. However, it does not yet offer an ISA or SIPP.
Why you should trust us
Elizabeth Anderson has been a financial journalist for more than a decade. She’s written for major national newspapers, contributed to corporate reports and research, and reviewed dozens of share dealing platforms, SIPP providers, ISAs, and brokerage firms. Elizabeth started her career at Bloomberg and has worked for the BBC, The Telegraph, The Times and the i newspaper. She is passionate about helping people understand finance and investing. A keen investor herself, Elizabeth invests through general dealing accounts, ISAs and several SIPPs.
Steven Hatzakis is a well-known finance writer with 25+ years of experience in the foreign exchange and financial markets. He is the Global Director of Online Broker Research for Reink Media Group, leading research efforts for ForexBrokers.com since 2016. He has served as a registered commodity futures representative for domestic and internationally-regulated brokerages. Steven holds a Series III license in the US as a Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA).
All content on UK.StockBrokers.com is handwritten by a writer, fact-checked by a member of our research team, and edited and published by an editor. Our ratings, rankings, and opinions are entirely our own, and the result of our extensive research and decades of collective experience covering the U.K. brokerage industry.
Ultimately, our rigorous data validation process yields an error rate of less than .1% each year, providing site visitors with quality data they can trust. Click here to learn more about how we test.
How we tested
At UK.StockBrokers.com, our online broker reviews are based on our collected quantitative data as well as the observations and qualified opinions of our expert researchers. Each year we publish tens of thousands of words of research and collect hundreds of data points while testing brokerage firms, share dealing platforms, SIPP providers, ISA providers, and other financial service providers relevant to U.K. investors.
Mobile testing is conducted on modern devices that run the most up-to-date operating systems available:
- For Apple, we use MacBook Pro laptops running macOS 14.5, and the iPhone 15 running iOS 17.6.1
- For Android, we use the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra devices running Android OS 14.
All websites and web-based platforms are tested using the latest version of the Google Chrome browser.
Our researchers thoroughly test a wide range of key features, such as the availability and quality of trading platforms for web, desktop, and mobile, charting, real-time and streaming quotes, and educational resources – among other important variables. We also evaluate the overall design of the mobile experience, and look for a fluid user experience moving between mobile and desktop platforms.
IG Group Review
Saxo Review
eToro Review
Interactive Brokers Review
Trading 212 Review
XTB Review
CMC Invest Review
Vanguard Review
Hargreaves Lansdown Review
Halifax Review
Freetrade Review
