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Freetrade ReviewRevolut Review
Written by Elizabeth Anderson
Edited by Jeff Anberg
Fact-checked by Steven Hatzakis, Joey Shadeck
Your capital is at risk.
Revolut launched in 2015 as an app-based alternative to traditional banks, with one of its main selling points being low or no fees when spending abroad. Since then, the platform has expanded and you can now invest in stocks and cryptocurrency through the app.
After thorough testing for this review, my opinion is that while Revolut offers an easy way for its existing customers to dip their toe into investing, I believe you are better off looking at one of the many other UK investing platforms if you do not already have a Revolut account. Other platforms offer a much wider range of investments, more in-depth educational materials, and cheaper fees for frequent traders.
-
Minimum Deposit:
£0 - £540 -
ISA:
No -
SIPP:
No
Revolut pros & cons
Pros
- Zero-commission trading.
- Easy to invest if you are an existing Revolut customer.
- Invest from as little as £1.
Cons
- No website.
- Limited investment options beyond US stocks.
- Cannot buy UK shares.
- No ISA or SIPP.
- No FSCS protection.
Overall summary
| Feature |
Revolut
|
|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| Charges & Fees |
|
| Investment Choices |
|
| Mobile App |
|
| Website |
|
| Ease of Use |
|
| Education |
|
Charges and Fees
Revolut UK offers zero-commission investing, meaning you won’t pay any trading fees when buying or selling shares.
However, Revolut is primarily a banking service and its accounts have a tiered pricing structure. The number of free trades you get each month will depend on the type of Revolut account you have.
If you have Revolut’s standard plan, where you pay no monthly fees for your account, you’ll only get one free trade a month. At the most expensive end, with an Ultra account costing £45 a month, you get 10 free trades every month.
The fees are summarised below:
| Plan | Cost per month to hold account | Number of free trades per month | Charge for extra trades outside allowance |
| Standard | £0 | 1 | 0.25% or £1 – whichever is higher |
| Plus | £3.99 | 3 | 0.25% or £1 |
| Premium | £7.99 | 5 | 0.25% or £1 |
| Metal | £14.99 | 10 | 0.25% or £1 |
| Ultra | £45 | 10 | 0.12% or £1 |
The fees mean you may be better off looking at other platforms such as Trading 212 or eToro if you are looking for free share trading. These platforms offer unlimited commission-free trades, unlike Revolut where you may only get one for free each month.
It’s worth pointing out that Revolut is primarily a banking service and many use the app for its low fees when spending abroad. Investing is an additional add-on that some may be tempted to use while already a Revolut customer. The best use-case for Revolut is likely as an additional investing account as it does not offer ISAs, which should generally be prioritised by investors due to their tax-free benefits.
Revolut is also one of the few major UK investing platforms we review that offers cryptocurrency investments. The charges for buying crypto are £1.49 or 1.49%, whichever is higher. So if you invested £200, for example, you’d pay £2.98. The percentage fee drops to 0.99% if you have a Premium or Metal account or 0.49% for an Ultra account. These fees are on the low side. Rival eToro, which also offers crypto trading, charges 1% per trade.
There are no inactivity, withdrawal, or ongoing management fees on Revolut Invest beyond the plan fees.
Scenario pricing: When calculating annual share dealing costs, trading frequency and account balance are the two most important factors to consider. Assuming a £30,000 portfolio in a traditional, taxable share dealing account, here are five scenarios of how much Revolut would cost based on trade frequency:
- 5 trades per year = £0
- 12 trades per year = £0
- 36 trades per year = £47.88
- 120 trades per year = £540
- 3 fund trades per year = N/A
| Feature |
Revolut
|
|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 - £540 |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £0 |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | 0.25% or £1 |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | 0.25% or £1 |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 - £45 |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 - £45 |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 - £45 |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 - £45 |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | N/A |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | N/A |
| ETFs - Fee | N/A |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | N/A |
What type of trader are you?
New to the world of investing? See my picks for the best UK trading platforms for beginners. More experienced traders should check out my guide to the best UK Trading Platforms for Active Traders. If you're looking to trade shares on the go, read my guide to the best UK stock trading apps.
Mobile Trading Apps
The Revolut UK investing platform is contained within the general Revolut banking app. When you log into your account, you see a summary of your ‘total wealth’ – the total amount across your accounts. The investing tabs are at the bottom of the screen, where you have the option to invest in stocks, commodities, or crypto.
Through the ‘discover’ tab on the app you can see the day’s top movers - the stocks that have gained or lost the most since markets opened. You can also see recently added stocks under ‘collections’ and view the most popular stocks bought by other investors. You can see the same for crypto – the day’s top gainers or losers, the currencies most traded, and the latest news.
A useful feature of the Revolut mobile app is that you can see upcoming corporate events that may influence the price of a company’s stock. However, there were only three upcoming corporate events listed for the next two months when I checked in early July, as Revolut doesn’t have the range of stocks offered by other platforms.
Overall, the Revolut app allows you to do the investing basics: view basic research on an investment, buy or sell, view your account, create a watchlist, and get investment inspiration. However, the chart features are very basic. For example, I was able to view the recent price performance of an investment but I couldn’t overlay different investments on a single chart to compare performance.
Website
Revolut’s investment platform is app-only, meaning you can’t trade or view your account on a web browser.
The Revolut website has information about the different accounts, pricing structure, and investment options. It is a good starting point for learning more about the platform, but you’ll have to download the mobile app to open an account and make any trades.
The lack of a web platform is a big downside of Revolut. I certainly sometimes find it easier to research and compare investments on a large screen so I consider a web option necessary for serious investing.
| Feature |
Revolut
|
|---|---|
| Web Platform | No |
| iPhone App | Yes |
| Android App | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No |
Investment Choices
You can invest in the world’s biggest companies through Revolut, including the likes of Coca-Cola, Disney, and Apple. Overall, Revolut offers 2,367 stocks on its platform but no UK companies – they are all based in the US.
When searching for stocks, one useful feature is the ‘advanced search’ tool. You can filter companies by sector, size, dividend yield, or P/E ratio. Tapping on the ‘i’ information toggle gives you a brief description of what these terms mean. You can then save these companies to your collection or buy shares right away if markets are open.
Revolut also offers the option to invest in commodities such as gold or silver. You can also buy digital currencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum through Revolut. These are high-risk investments and Revolut makes this clear by asking a few questions before you can buy crypto to assess your understanding of the risks.
There are around 180 cryptocurrencies available through Revolut. You can buy a fraction of a ‘coin’, meaning you can buy from as little as £1.
It was announced in June 2024 that Revolut has signed a partnership with CMC Markets (which also has a platform for the UK named CMC Invest) to offer some of CMC’s trading services through the Revolut app. We did ask Revolut for further information about the partnership but the company did not respond by the time we published this review.
| Feature |
Revolut
|
|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No |
| Funds | No |
| Research - ETFs | No |
| Bonds - Corporate | No |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No |
| Investment Trusts | No |
| Spread Betting | No |
| Crypto Trading | Yes |
| Advisor Services | No |
Education
Revolut offers the basics in terms of education. You can learn about the basics of investing and cryptocurrency trading through the main website but this isn’t prominent on the app. Other apps, such as AJ Bell’s Dodl app, Saxo, and Hargreaves Lansdown, have much better educational materials for new investors in a range of formats from video and podcasts to written articles and quizzes.
There is, however, a useful educational tool in the Revolut app called ‘Crypto Learn’. Here there are various articles on the basics of cryptocurrency and the risks involved.
| Feature |
Revolut
|
|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | No |
| Education (Funds) | No |
| Education (Retirement) | No |
| Client Webinars | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No |
Are you new to investing?
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Final Thoughts
Revolut’s investment offering is likely to appeal to people who already have the Revolut app for their everyday banking and spending needs. Revolut has made it very easy for its customers to take their first steps into investing, and the fact that it’s free to buy and sell shares is great for new or small-scale investors.
That said, I’m not sure there is enough to justify signing up to Revolut simply to use its investing service – particularly because if you have a basic account you only get one free trade per month. There are many other apps or platforms that offer more choices than Revolut while still offering zero fees on a greater range of tradeable instruments.
About Revolut
Revolut was founded in 2015 by entrepreneur Nik Storonsky and is headquartered in London. Originally a global money transfer platform known for its low fees when exchanging money into other currencies, Revolut has since expanded into investing and cryptocurrency trading. Revolut is estimated to have around 8 million customers in the UK, and 45 million customers worldwide.
FAQs
Is Revolut a bank?
Revolut is not officially a bank. It is an ‘e-money institution’ that offers bank-like services. Revolut is in the process of applying for a banking licence, but the company’s complex organisational structure means the process has already been ongoing for more than 3 years with no end date in sight.
Is Revolut safe?
Yes, Revolut is a legitimate company with millions of customers. Be aware though that because Revolut is not a bank, it is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). This means if it goes out of business owing you money, you will not be able to claim compensation from the FSCS. This could be a risk for investors looking to invest significant sums of money through Revolut.
Is Revolut good for a business account?
Revolut doesn’t stand out as a top provider for business accounts if your work or orders are all in the UK, especially as it is not an official bank and does not offer an overdraft or credit card. However, if you trade a lot overseas then the potential for no-fee international payments may appeal to you. The cost for an account that offers free international transfers starts at £19 a month.
Can I deposit cash into Revolut?
No, you cannot deposit cash into your Revolut account, nor can you pay in cheques.
Can I use the Revolut card at shops and venues in the UK?
Yes, you should find that most shops and venues accept Revolut. You can have both a physical card and a digital card. Revolut charges £4.99 in delivery fees when ordering a physical card if you have a free Standard account.
Can I use Revolut abroad?
Yes, you can use Revolut when you go abroad. You can use your Revolut card to make purchases or to withdraw money from ATMs. You can also convert pound sterling into 36 other currencies in the app, meaning you can line up spending money in the local currency before you go abroad.
Does Revolut charge fees for currency exchange?
There are three ways to convert money with Revolut: by sending money to an overseas account with a currency different from yours, through the Revolut app to hold in your digital wallet, and when you spend on your card abroad. You may pay a currency exchange fee depending on the type of account you have with Revolut. For example, if you are a Standard customer and go above the £1,000 monthly currency exchange limit, a 1% fee applies on top of a 1% surcharge for currency exchange over the weekend.
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Methodology
For the UK.StockBrokers.com Annual Review, we assessed, rated, and ranked 17 U.K. share dealing platforms over a 10-week time period. Each broker’s platforms and features were exhaustively tested by hand and graded on 53 different variables. In total, over 25,000 words of research were produced.
We thoroughly tested and compared features of prime interest to everyday investors, including but not limited to:
- Investment choices, such as whether the broker offers trading of shares, ETFs, funds, bonds, and CFDs; and offers SIPP and ISA accounts.
- The broker’s charges and fees for investing.
- Functionality and design of mobile apps and website platform, and a fluid experience moving between app and web.
- Usability of tools such as charting and watch lists.
- Market research, such as screening, news and analysis.
- Educational resources including tutorials, online courses, videos, webinars and articles.
Our rigorous data validation process yields an error rate of less than .001% each year, providing site visitors with quality data they can trust. Our lead researcher and writer, Elizabeth Anderson, has more than a decade’s experience as a financial journalist and market researcher. Elizabeth’s expertise is backed by a team of veteran fellow traders, data auditors, editors and project managers who work to ensure that UK.StockBrokers.com reviews and guides are the most unbiased and complete in the industry. Read more about our team.
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Show allAbout the Editorial Team
Elizabeth Anderson, lead writer and researcher, has been a financial journalist for more than a decade. In addition to her work with UK.StockBrokers.com, she has written extensively for major publications including BBC, The Times and Bloomberg. A keen investor herself, she is passionate about helping people understand finance and investing.
Jeff Anberg is a Staff Editor at UK.StockBrokers.com. Along with years of experience in media distribution at a global newsroom, Jeff has a versatile knowledge base encompassing the technology and financial markets. He is a long-time active investor and engages in research on emerging markets like cryptocurrency. Jeff holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature with a minor in Philosophy from San Francisco State University.
Steven Hatzakis is the Global Director of Online Broker Research for UK.StockBrokers.com and ForexBrokers.com. Steven previously served as an Editor for Finance Magnates, where he authored over 1,000 published articles about the online finance industry. Steven is an active fintech and crypto industry researcher and advises blockchain companies at the board level. Over the past 20 years, Steven has held numerous positions within the international forex markets, from writing to consulting to serving as a registered commodity futures representative.
Joey Shadeck is a Content Strategist and Research Analyst for UK.StockBrokers.com. He holds dual degrees in Finance and Marketing from Oakland University, and has been an active trader and investor for close to ten years. An industry veteran, Joey obtains and verifies data, conducts research, and analyzes and validates our content.