Compare UK investment platforms

The platform is where your ISA or SIPP lives. They all hold the same funds, what differs is what they charge you. Here's the whole market, side by side.

The one rule that picks your table Small pot: a low percentage fee (or a £0 platform) keeps costs tiny. Big pot: a flat fee stops your costs growing with it. A 0.25% fee on £5,000 is only £12.50 a year. The same 0.25% on £200,000 is £500 a year, when a flat £72 would do. Use the calculator to see what that difference compounds to.

New to this? Start with these If I were starting from scratch with a small pot, these are the three I'd look at first, because they're simple and cheap:

InvestEngine: £0 platform fee, ETFs only, easy app.
Vanguard Investor: one big, well-known name, simple index funds.
Interactive Investor: a flat monthly fee, which wins as your pot grows. It's where my own SIPP lives.

That's what I'd do, not advice. Check the fees below, and with the provider, before you choose.

Honest note: there are no paid links on this page today. If that changes, I'll mark them clearly, and it will never change which platforms appear here or what I say about them.

Last checked: 19 October 2026. Every row marked ✔ was checked against the provider's own website on that date. Anything marked "to verify" I couldn't confirm yet. Always confirm with the provider, fees change.

Zero and flat-fee platforms

Fixed cost (or nothing at all) no matter how big your pot gets.

✔ = checked on the provider's own website, 19 October 2026
Platform	Platform fee	Dealing	FX fee	ISA / SIPP
IG ✔ I use this	£0 (ISA + trading)	£0 all global shares*	0.7%	ISA ✓ · SIPP £205/yr (via Options Pensions)
Trading 212 ✔ I use this	£0	£0	0.15%	ISA ✓ · SIPP ✓ (drawdown to verify)
InvestEngine ✔	£0 (DIY, ETFs only)	£0, fixed daily times	£0	ISA ✓ · SIPP ✓ (drawdown to verify)
Prosper ✔	£0 (restricted fund list)	£0	£0	ISA ✓ · SIPP ✓ (drawdown by offline request)
Freetrade ✔	£0 Basic plan (ISA + SIPP included)	£0	0.99% Basic / 0.59% Standard / 0.39% Plus	ISA ✓ · SIPP ✓ (no drawdown)
Lightyear ✔	£0 (shares and ETFs, no other funds)	£0	0.1%	ISA ✓ · SIPP ✗
Interactive Investor ✔ I use this	£5.99/month Core (portfolios under £100k, incl. ISA + SIPP + trading)	£3.99; £0 regular investing	0.75%	ISA ✓ · SIPP ✓ (£0 drawdown)
Lloyds Bank Share Dealing ✔	£36/yr (ISA + trading; free ages 18-25)	£1.50 funds / £9.50 UK shares / £0 overseas	1%	ISA ✓ · SIPP 0.25% capped £198
Halifax Share Dealing ✔	£36/yr (ISA + trading; free ages 18-25)	£9.50 UK / £0 overseas	1.25%	ISA ✓ · SIPP to verify
Scottish Widows Share Dealing (was iWeb) ✔	£0 ISA & trading	£5 UK / £0 overseas	1.5%	ISA ✓ · SIPP to verify

One roof, one protection limit Lloyds, Halifax and Scottish Widows/iWeb are the same firm underneath, they share a single £85,000 FSCS protection limit between them. *IG's free dealing applies on its default instant currency conversion setting.

Percentage-fee platforms

They take a slice of your pot each year, gentle on small pots, expensive on big ones unless capped. Some (like Vanguard and Fidelity) charge a small flat fee on small pots, then switch to a percentage.

✔ = checked on the provider's own website, 19 October 2026
Platform	Platform fee	Dealing	FX fee	ISA / SIPP
Vanguard Investor ✔	£4/month under £32k; 0.15% above, capped £375 (Vanguard funds only)	£0 funds; ETFs £0 at fixed times	£0	ISA ✓ · SIPP ✓ (£0 drawdown)
Dodl (AJ Bell) ✔	0.15%, min £1/month per account (restricted list)	£0	to verify	ISA + LISA ✓ · SIPP ✓ (no drawdown)
AJ Bell ✔	0.25% max (ISA cap £42/yr, SIPP cap £120/yr for shares & ETFs)	£1.50 funds / £5 shares; £0 regular investing	to verify	ISA + LISA ✓ · SIPP ✓ (£0 drawdown)
Fidelity ✔	£90/yr flat below £25k (or 0.35% with a monthly savings plan); 0.35% above (shares and ETF fee capped £90)	£0 funds / £7.50 shares	to verify	ISA ✓ (free JISA) · SIPP ✓ (£0 drawdown)
HSBC Global Investment Centre ✔	0.25% (restricted index fund list)	£0	n/a	ISA ✓ · SIPP ✗
Aviva ✔	0.35% on first £500k, £0 above	£0 funds / £4.99 shares	to verify	ISA ✓ · SIPP ✓ (£0 drawdown)
Santander Investment Hub ✔	0.35% on first £50k; 0.2% £50k to £500k; 0.1% above (funds only)	£0	£0	ISA ✓ · SIPP ✓
Charles Stanley Direct ✔	0.3%, min £5/month, max £600/yr (£50 of trades included every 6 months)	to verify	to verify	ISA ✓ · SIPP ✓ (extra fee to verify)
Bestinvest ✔	0.4% up to £250k	£0 funds / £4.95 UK shares / £0 US shares	0.95%	ISA ✓ · SIPP ✓ (min £10/month)
Hargreaves Lansdown ✔	Up to 0.35% (shares and ETF fee capped £150/yr in ISA and SIPP)	£1.95 funds / £6.95 shares; £0 monthly Direct Debit	0.99% (up to £10k)	ISA + LISA ✓ · SIPP ✓ (£0 drawdown)

Trading apps

Built for people who buy and sell often. Fine for long-term investing too if the fees suit, but the apps are designed to make you trade, and trading a lot is how most people lose. Know yourself.

Trading 212 and IG are trading apps too. They're in the first table because they're also £0 platforms for an ISA.

✔ = checked on the provider's own website, 19 October 2026
Platform	Platform fee	Dealing	FX fee	ISA / SIPP
Interactive Brokers ✔	£0 (ISA: £3/month minimum fee)	UK from £3 (0.05% over £6k) / US $0.005 a share, min $1	0.03%	ISA ✓ · SIPP to verify
XTB ✔	£0	£0 up to €100k/month volume	0.5% (0.8% weekends)	ISA ✓ · SIPP ✗
Webull UK ✔	£0	£0 US shares; UK shares to verify	0.35% Meridian / 0.5% Go	ISA ✓ (Meridian plan) · SIPP ✗
eToro ✔	£0	ISA: £0. Other accounts: $1-2 per stock trade	0.7% on non-GBP (ISA)	ISA ✓ (no custody fee since 29 Jul 2026) · SIPP ✗

Where's Capital.com, Plus500 and the CFD crowd? Deliberately not here. CFD and spread-betting platforms are for leveraged short-term trading, a different sport with different risks, where most retail accounts lose money. This page is about long-term investing in ISAs and pensions.

See what I use

Or see what those fees cost over 30 years.