Best trading apps for beginners

We’ve looked at a range of investing platforms to find the best apps for beginners looking to trade and invest in a straightforward way.

Best for 0% commission stocks
eToro logo
Finder Award
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Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.
Copy picks from top traders
9 Excellent
Commission-free trades
Fractional shares
Get dividend payments
Best for international trading
IG logo
Go to site
Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.
4.5% interest on uninvested cash
9 Excellent
11,000+ stocks & ETFs
Commission-free investing
Advanced trading tools
Best for fractional shares
XTB logo
Go to site
Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.
Earn 4.5% on uninvested funds
9.2 Excellent
Commission-free trades
Fractional shares
5,400+ stocks/ETFs
Best for interest
Lightyear logo
Go to site
Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.
Free FX with code FXFINDER2025
8.7 Great
4.57% interest in vaults
Over 5,000 investments
0% commission for ETFs

★★★★★
1,100+ customer reviews

If you’re just starting to invest, you’ll want to use a platform that makes the whole process as simple as possible while you find your feet. Using a trading app that’s geared towards beginners is one of the best ways to make sure there’s no hurdles to put you off investing.

Beginner-friendly trading apps will usually have a straightforward sign up process, an easy-to-use interface, and ideally, low fees. Check out our top picks for beginners looking to invest.

Compare trading apps best suited to beginners

Table: sorted by promoted deals first
1 - 10 of 11
Product Finder Score Min. initial deposit Price per trade Frequent trader rate Platform fees Offer
eToro
Finder AwardFree Trades
eToro logo
4.3
★★★★★
$100
£0
N/A
£0
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
Robinhood
Free TradesOffer
Robinhood logo
Not yet rated
£0
£0
N/A
£0
Get a free share worth up to $175 when you join. T&Cs apply.
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
IG
Free Trades
IG logo
4.1
★★★★★
£0
£0
From £0
From £0
Earn 4.5% AER interest on uninvested cash. T&Cs apply. Capital at risk.
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
XTB
Free Trades
XTB logo
4.4
★★★★★
£0
£0
N/A
£0
Earn up to 4.5% interest on uninvested cash.
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
Lightyear logo
4.0
★★★★★
£0
ETFs: £0
UK: £1
US: 0.1%
(min 1¢, max $1)
EU: €1
N/A
£0
Invest up to £5,000 in overseas stocks without FX fees when you sign up with Finder’s link, deposit at least £100 and use the code "FXFINDER2025". T&Cs apply.
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Capital at risk

Platform details
interactive investor logo
4.2
★★★★★
£0
£3.99 (free regular investing)
£0
From £4.99 a month
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
Freetrade
Free TradesOffer
Freetrade logo
4.4
★★★★★
£0
£0
N/A
£0
Get a free share worth up to £100 when you sign up and deposit at least £50. T&Cs apply. Capital at risk.
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
Hargreaves Lansdown logo
4.2
★★★★★
£1
£11.95
£5.95
£0 (0.45% for funds)
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Capital at risk

Platform details
InvestEngine
Finder AwardFunds OnlyOffer
InvestEngine logo
4.4
★★★★★
£100
£0
N/A
0% - 0.25%
Get a welcome bonus of up to £100 when you invest at least £100. Use code "FINDER". T&Cs apply.
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
Charles Stanley logo
3.6
★★★★★
£0
£11.50
N/A
0.35%
Get up to £1,500 cashback when you transfer your cash and/or investments to Charles Stanley Direct. T&Cs apply. Capital at risk.
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
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Finder Score for trading platforms

To make comparing even easier we came up with the Finder Score. Costs, features, ease and range of investments across 30+ platforms are all weighted and scaled to produce a score out of 10. The higher the score the better the platform – simple.

Read the full methodology

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.


What makes an app beginner friendly?

Here’s a quick rundown of the main areas that set the best beginner trading apps apart from other platforms designed for more experienced investors or traders:

  • Smaller minimum deposits. Lower deposits make trading apps more accessible because you can try them with a small amount of money.
  • Low fees. A trading app with no platform fee or low commissions for investing makes it easier to get started with minimal costs.
  • Easy to use. If you’re a beginner, you’ll want your trading app to be simple to use.
  • Learning materials. Some educational resources means you can better understand investing and how the platform works.
  • Limited trading tools. Beginners won’t want complicated analysis and charts that might look confusing or daunting.
  • Choice of investments. Some investments are better for beginners than others, and it’s usually best to stick with stocks, funds or ready-made portfolios to begin with.
  • Fractional shares. Buying fractional shares means you can own smaller pieces of a full share, which is great if a stock has a high price tag.
  • Stocks and shares ISA. From the get-go it’s worth using a stocks and shares ISA to protect your investments from tax down the line.

How to choose the best trading app if you’re a beginner

Even if you’ve decided you want to go with a more beginner-friendly platform, there will still be differences across your choices.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to help narrow down which app might suit you best as a beginner:

  • Do you want an app with no platform fees? Some apps are free to download and use but there can be limitations compared to other options
  • How much are you willing to invest? If it’s only a small amount to start with, you will want a platform that allows smaller investments and ideally no commissions so the fees don’t take a big bite out of your investments.
  • How easy the platform is to use. Some platforms are designed for more experienced investors, so might be quite complicated and difficult to use.
  • What do you want to invest in? Each platform will have differing investments available. Think about what you’d like to invest in and find an app that offers what you want.
  • Are you looking to practice first? Some trading apps let you use a demo account so you can learn how things work before investing with real money.

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