Best for
Mobile trading
Best for
Low-cost
Best for
US shares
Best for
Beginners
Our experts have analysed features and fees, and rounded up the UK’s leading stock trading apps for you to help you find the one that suits your profile best. You can jump straight to where we’ve summarised the best trading apps if you don’t want to read the details for each one. We’ve also covered how to choose one. (We’ve updated this page to reflect the best apps available in 2021).
Best trading app for low-cost trading: eToro
Best trading app for low-cost trading
0% commission on stocks
Top stocks and ETFs
No management fees
eToro lets you buy and sell a range of financial instruments, including stocks, currencies, exchange traded funds (ETFs) and bonds without paying any commission. It has shares from the world’s biggest stock exchanges and advanced charting tools. It’s free to create an account, and there’s no limit on how much you can trade.
- Commission-fee trades
- Huge range of stocks
- Free to use and set up
- No trade limits
- Mandatory withdrawal fees
- Fees apply on all leveraged, short or CFD orders
- Verification process is very detailed
- Trading platform can be confusing
| Price per trade | £0 |
|---|---|
| Frequent trader rate | N/A |
| Annual custody fee | 0.00% |
| Bonds fee | £0.00 |
| ETFs fee | £0.00 |
| Investment trusts fee | £0.00 |
| Phone dealing fee | £0.00 |
Best trading app for US shares: Freetrade
Best trading app for US shares
One free share
0% commission on trades
Fractional shares
Freetrade is a modern-take on retail investing. It’s got a clean and easy to use app with a hot-pink colour scheme. Freetrade’s fees are its main draw - you can trade with zero commission on a huge selection of shares, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and investment trusts, including US shares. If you want to invest in an ISA, you can do so with a small monthly fee.
- Easy to sign up
- 0% commission on trades
- Option to invest in an ISA
- Easy to navigate app and buy stocks
- The graphs and charts aren’t very helpful
- Not much data or research to help you decide
- ISA option isn’t free
- Some stocks are hidden behind a paywall.
| Price per trade | £0 |
|---|---|
| Frequent trader rate | N/A |
| Annual custody fee | N/A |
| Bonds fee | N/A |
| ETFs fee | N/A |
| Investment trusts fee | N/A |
| Phone dealing fee | N/A |
Best trading app for mobile trading: Fineco
Best mobile trading app
First 100 trades in your first three months are free
No dealing charge for buying or selling funds
0.25% max annual platform fee
Fineco lets you access more than 26 markets worldwide and trade more than 20,000 financial instruments. It’s pretty new for UK traders but is one of Europe’s largest banks.
Fineco lets you trade futures, stocks, currencies, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), options and funds. It has an advanced platform on offer with great charting tools and notifications. For beginners it’s got free webinars, live events and videos to teach you all about share trading and keep you in the loop about what’s going on in the stock market.
- Flat fees on UK, EU and US stocks and shares
- Great charting tools
- Can be quite complex and daunting for beginners
| Price per trade | UK: £2.95 US: $3.95 EU: €3.95 |
|---|---|
| Frequent trader rate | N/A |
| Bonds fee | £6.95 |
| ETFs fee | £2.95/$3.95 |
| Phone dealing fee | N/A |
Best all rounder trading app: IG
Best all rounder trading app
Zero commission on US shares
£3 on UK shares
24 hours support
IG is an investing all rounder - it’s got an ISA, a pension and general investment account and offers ready made portfolios, individual shares, contracts for difference (CFDs) and spread betting. This makes it suitable for everyone, from beginners all the way to experienced investors.
Its platform goes into a lot of depth and with so many options it can be a bit overwhelming for beginners, but it has some great learning resources that are free to access, including a fantastic “IG Academy” which takes you through specific topics, with videos, guides and quizzes to help you learn.
- Suits beginner and experienced investors
- Low fees
- Mobile app lets you manage your investments on the go
- Opening your account is a slow process
- Fees charged for inactivity
| Price per trade | UK: £8 US: £10 EU: 0.1% (min €10) |
|---|---|
| Frequent trader rate | UK: £3 US: £0 EU: 0.1% (min €10) |
| Annual custody fee | £96 (can reduce by trading) |
| Bonds fee | N/A |
| ETFs fee | £3.00 |
| Investment trusts fee | £8.00 |
| Phone dealing fee | £40.00 |
Best trading app for beginners: Hargreaves Lansdown
Best for beginners
Max. £11.95 per trade
No platform fees
Award-winning service
Hargreaves Lansdown is an all-rounder in the investing universe. It has an ISA, SIPP and junior accounts all on offer. It’s more expensive than some providers, especially if you don’t trade often, but in return you get a lot of information and guides that can help you make trading decisions.
The Hargreaves Lansdown app lets you keep track of your investments from anywhere in the world - from your bed to the top of Mount Everest (assuming you have the mobile data).
- A wide range of available products, including ISA and SIPP.
- No platform fee.
- Easy to use and makes a vast knowledge base available to users.
- You can trade on your smartphone with its mobile app.
- Cheaper if you trade more.
- Not the cheapest option around, especially if you’re trading small amounts.
- No demo account available.
- Fees can be quite high for ETFs.
| Price per trade | £11.95 |
|---|---|
| Frequent trader rate | £5.95 |
| Annual custody fee | 0.45% |
| Bonds fee | £11.95 |
| ETFs fee | £11.95 |
| Investment trusts fee | £11.95 |
| Phone dealing fee | £20 - £50 |
Best trading app for investing in funds: interactive investor
Best trading app for investing in funds
One free trade per month
£9.99 a month
Free regular investing
interactive investor offers nine different accounts including ISAs, pensions and junior accounts to help you manage you and your family’s investments all in one place with one flat fee. You can invest in shares, funds, investment trusts, exchange traded funds (ETFs), venture capital trusts (VCTs), bonds and gilts.
interactive investor has a great fund offering, with nearly 3,000 funds available to invest in, a screener that lets you search for funds and get more information as well as lists of popular funds, news and insights.
- A wide range of available products, including ISA and SIPP.
- Many funds you can choose among.
- You’re given the platform fee back.
- You can trade on your smartphone with its mobile app.
- Cheaper if you trade more.
- Not the cheapest option around, especially if you’re trading small amounts.
| Price per trade | £7.99 (with one free trade per month) |
|---|---|
| Frequent trader rate | N/A |
| Annual custody fee | £119.88 (£9.99 monthly) |
| Bonds fee | £40.00 |
| ETFs fee | £7.99 |
| Investment trusts fee | £7.99 |
| Phone dealing fee | £49.00 |
Best trading app for international trading: DEGIRO
Best trading app for international trading: DEGIRO
Low fees
No minimum deposit
Award-winning platform
DEGIRO lets you trade on more than 50 stock exchanges in 30 countries worldwide. We’ve found that, despite having a bit of a confusing fee structure, it often works out cheapest for international shares among the platforms we’ve reviewed.
International shares give you the opportunity to diversify your portfolio geographically. It lets you invest in shares, bonds and ETFs, which can help you diversify across different financial instruments. It’s worth noting that you can’t invest in an ISA or pensions product with DEGIRO.
- Access to millions of shares in international markets
- Mobile app that allows you to access your portfolio anytime and anywhere you are
- Low fees
- Complicated fee structure
- No stocks and shares ISA or pension product
- No educational tools
| Annual custody fee | 0 |
|---|---|
| Bonds fee | 0 |
| ETFs fee | €2.00 |
| Investment trusts fee | €7.50 |
| Phone dealing fee | €10.00 |
Best trading app for ease of use: Fidelity
Best for ease of use
No account fees
Learning resources available
No minimums to open an account
Fidelity offers your typical stocks and shares ISA and self invested personal pension (SIPP) as well as junior products, including a junior SIPP, if you’re organised enough to pay into your child’s pension.
Fidelity’s platform is the easiest to use of the platforms we’ve tried. It’s got everything laid out well and an easy to use “step by step” approach, instead of just throwing you in at the deep end. If you’re a bit new to the investing game, then it gives you loads of options to invest based on your risk profile and your investment goals, these allow you to try it out without the depth of knowledge that experienced investors have.
- The platform is clear and easy to use
- Plenty of choices of where your money is invested
- Guidance and tools available to help you
- Slow onboarding process
| Price per trade | £10 |
|---|---|
| Frequent trader rate | N/A |
| Annual custody fee | £10 |
| Bonds fee | £10 |
| ETFs fee | £10 |
| Investment trusts fee | £10 |
| Phone dealing fee | £30 |
Best trading app for tools and research: Trading 212
Best for research and tools
No fees
Fractional shares
24/7 support
Trading 212 has all the tools you need to learn about trading and how it works. It definitely delivers on the educational front. It’s got a huge wealth of information on trading in the “learn” tab on its website, where you can find videos, guides and an alphabetical index to find out everything you ever wanted to know about share trading. On top of this, it has a great demo feature. This lets you trade with £50,000 in virtual funds to see more about how the platform works.
Once you’re ready to get started for real, you just hit “Real Money”. You can trade more than 10,000 stocks and ETFs with Trading 212 and get access to 7 different markets. It’s got access to some advanced charting tools in its desktop and mobile apps.
- Free to use – there aren’t any fees for trading with Trading 212.
- Can be used in the web browser and on a mobile app.
- Practise mode allows you to give it a go without putting down any money.
- Loads of educational tools and guides to teach you more about trading.
- No personal pension, lifetime ISA or junior ISA.
- The tutorial for demo mode isn’t comprehensive, you do need to have a little play around to work it out.
| Price per trade | 0% commission |
|---|---|
| Frequent trader rate | £0 |
| Annual custody fee | 0.00% |
| Bonds fee | £0.00 |
| ETFs fee | £0.00 |
| Investment trusts fee | £0.00 |
| Phone dealing fee | N/A |
How to choose the best trading app
Sometimes, a trading app is considered the best because…well, it’s a great app and has loads of features. A lot of the time, it’s down to you, and what features you’re looking for. You wouldn’t judge a goldfish on how well it can climb a tree, would you?
There are loads of different things that you should consider when choosing the best trading app for you, such as:
- Fees and charges. Some platforms charge a flat fee, while others charge based on how much you invest.
- What you can trade. Such as shares, ETFs and funds.
- How easy the platform is to use. Some platforms are designed for more experienced investors, so might be quite complicated and difficult to use.
- Market research and tools. The tools available on the platform can be helpful in understanding your investments.
- Demo account. If there’s a demo account available then you can give it a go without putting down any real money, this is a nice touch if you’re a newbie to investing.
Summary: Finder’s best trading apps and platforms in the UK 2021
- Hargreaves Lansdown: Best for beginners
- Freetrade: Best for US shares
- Fineco: Best for mobile trading
- IG: Best all rounder
- eToro: Best for low-cost trading
- interactive investor: Best for investing in funds
- Fidelity: Best for ease of use
- Trading 212: Best for research and tools
- DEGIRO: Best for international trading
From 2019 to 2020, the average search interest in share trading increased by 121%.
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All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
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