The 7 best stock trading apps and platforms in the UK

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. Capital is at risk.

Picking the best share trading platform from the multitude of options out there can seem overwhelming. But it’s just a matter of finding the one that best matches your preferences.

We’ve rounded up the UK’s leading stock trading apps for you to help you find the one that suits your profile best.

Best all-rounder trading app: Fineco Bank

Get your first 50 trades commission free with Fineco

Fees apply. Your capital is at risk.

• Market leading platform
• No minimum deposit, no conversion fee, no monthly fee
• Your first 50 share trades are free until 31/12/2020

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In a nutshell

Fineco Bank is a newbie for UK traders, but it’s actually one of Europe’s largest banks, founded in Italy back in 1999. Fineco operates in the UK too, as an all-rounder that lets you trade futures, stocks, currencies, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), options and funds. Find out more about Fineco in our review.

Pros and cons of Fineco

Best trading app for low-cost trading: eToro

Invest in shares with 0% commission on eToro

Other fees may apply. Your capital is at risk.

• Unlimited trades, with no dealing charges or management fees
• If your trades get copied you can earn extra money
• Create an account today in a few minutes

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In a nutshell

Etoro's CopyTrader system brings a social side to trading. CopyTrade lets you, erm, copy the movements of other traders. This gives you a good opportunity to learn from someone else’s experience and knowledge. It’s pretty social as users can ask questions about trades on their feed. This makes eToro a good platform for improving your understanding of share trading.

Pros and cons of eToro

Best trading app for buying US shares: IG

IG trading account

Capital at risk, investments may fall

• Invest in over 10,000 shares, funds and investment trusts
• Low costs - Zero commission on US shares, £3 on UK shares
• Support available 24 hours a day from Sunday to Friday
• Open an account in a few minutes through website or app

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In a nutshell

IG charges no platform fees and, just like Interactive Investor, will become cheaper if you trade more – dropping from £8 per trade to £5 per trade (for UK shares) if you make at least 10 operations a month.

It’s also known for its wide choice of advanced and riskier trading options, which allow you to speculate on market trends and are thus considered a risky form of investment.

A solid perk of using IG is the fact it charges no commission on US shares, if you’ve made 3 trades in the previous month. This is great for active traders.

Pros and cons of IG

Best trading app for beginners: Hargreaves Lansdown

Hargreaves Lansdown trading account

Capital at risk, investments may fall

• Low cost share dealing
• Free live share prices online or through the HL app
• Wide investment choice, including overseas dealing
• Set stop loss and limit orders up to 90 days in advance
• Interactive charts and tools for research purposes

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In a nutshell

Again, Hargreaves Lansdown is more expensive than some providers, especially if you don’t trade often. However, in return you get a whole lot of information and guides that can help you make trading decisions.

The Hargreaves app lets you handle the trading according to your expertise: you can get a pre-selected portfolio, get some suggestions from them or simply do your own thing. But beginners are the ones who can make the most of the education offered by Hargreaves Lansdown. You can read more about its services in our review.

Pros and cons of Hargreaves Lansdown

Best trading app for tools and research: Trading 212

In a nutshell

With a tagline like “Learn. Trade. Invest”, you expect Trading 212 to have all the resources required to learn all about trading and how it works. It definitely delivers on the educational front.
Trading 212 is quite new to the scene. It has 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 and how share trading works as a whole. Once you’re ready to get started for real, you just hit “Real Money”.

Pros and cons of Trading 212

Best trading app for investing in funds: interactive investor

interactive investor

Capital at risk, investments may fall

• Over 40,000 UK and global stocks to choose from
• Reduce FX costs by managing money in 9 currencies
• One free trade per month
• Start investing today for a flat fee £9.99 a month

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In a nutshell

Interactive Investor charges a £9.99 a month platform fee on the Investor Service Plan. It isn’t the cheapest option available. You’ll pay £7.99 or more for every trade.

If you’re investing in shares directly but are looking to move to funds at some point, interactive investor may be a good choice – it’s got a very respectable selection of them. You can take a look at our dedicated review to learn more.

Pros and cons of interactive investor

Best trading app for ease of use: Fidelity

In a nutshell

Fidelity’s platform is clear and easy to use, with everything laid out well. It’s got a nice “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.

Pros and cons of Fidelity

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 2020

• Hargreaves Lansdown: Best for beginners
• IG: Best for US shares
• 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
• Fineco: Best all rounder

Compare trading platforms

• Share dealing platforms
• Stocks and shares ISAs
• Pensions

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. Capital is at risk.

• What is the best trading app in the UK?

  It’s difficult to say which trading app is best, as it depends on what exactly you are looking for. We’ve detailed above which apps we reckon are the best for specific things, such as ease of use and social trading.

• Which banks are best for share trading?

  Loads of banks are getting into the share trading market, from high street banks like Barclays and Lloyds to digital banks, like Revolut. You don’t have to limit your options to high street banks though, there are loads of different platforms available. Consider some different factors such as the fees and charges and the types of investing available to decide which platform is best for you.

• What is the best stock investing app?

  It’s difficult to say stock investing app is the best. This depends on what you’re looking for – whether it’s one that’s good for beginners or experienced investors. Take a look at our factors above to consider when choosing which one is best for you.

• Is online trading safe?

  Investments are risky, that’s how they have the potential returns that they do. There’s always a chance that your investments will lose value.

  To protect your money in the case of your chosen platform going bust, you should ensure that you use a platform that’s covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Look out for whether it’s regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

Investing in a coronavirus world

Finder published a paper in May 2020 on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting retail investing, and how the industry is evolving. Our paper includes original research and predictions from experts including Holly Mackay, CEO of Boring Money, Matt Leibowitz, founder of Stake, Viktor Nebehaj, Freetrade co-founder and CMO, Tom Stevenson, investment director at Fidelity Personal Investing, and Danny Cox, head of communications at Hargreaves Lansdown.

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