Best trading apps for beginners

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

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10 of 11 results

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Finder Score	Min. initial deposit	Price per trade	Frequent trader rate	Platform fees	Offer
9Excellent eToro Finder AwardFree Trades	9Excellent	$50	£0	N/A	£0	Go to Site Capital at risk More info Compare product selection Compare	loading
9.2Excellent XTB Free Trades	9.2Excellent	£0	£0	N/A	£0	Free share: Free Rolls-Royce share for new XTB customers who join and make a deposit. Choose from 5 UK stocks when you sign-up with code FNSHARE. T&Cs apply. Capital at risk.	Go to Site Capital at risk More info Compare product selection Compare	loading
9Excellent IG Free Trades	9Excellent	£0	£0	N/A	£0	Cashback: Get up to £3,000 cashback when you transfer your electronic stocks, shares and investments for free. Use code TRANS3K. Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site Capital at risk More info Compare product selection Compare	loading
9.1Excellent Freetrade Free Trades	9.1Excellent	£0	£0	N/A	£0	Free share: Get a free share worth up to £100 when you sign up and deposit at least £50. Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site Capital at risk More info Compare product selection Compare	loading
8.7Great Hargreaves Lansdown Finder Award	8.7Great	£1	£6.95	£3.95	0.35%	Go to Site Capital at risk More info Compare product selection Compare	loading
9.3Excellent InvestEngine Finder AwardFree TradesFunds Only	9.3Excellent	£100	£0	N/A	0% - 0.25%	Welcome bonus: Get a welcome bonus of up to £200 when you invest at least £100. Use code 'FINDER'. Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site Capital at risk More info Compare product selection Compare	loading
8.8Great Robinhood Free Trades	8.8Great	£0	£0	N/A	£0	Free share: Get a free share worth up to $175 when you join. Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site Capital at risk More info Compare product selection Compare	loading
8.5Great interactive investor	8.5Great	£1	£3.99 (free regular investing available)	£0	From £5.99 a month	Cashback: New or existing customers can get £100-£3,000 cashback when opening an Stocks & Shares ISA/GIA with at least £20,000 before 5 April. Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site Capital at risk More info Compare product selection Compare	loading
9.2Excellent Lightyear	9.2Excellent	£0	£0	N/A	£0	Free share: Get up to £100 in a US stock to your GIA when you sign up and deposit at least £100 and use the code "FFLIGHTYEAR26". T&Cs apply. Capital at risk.	Go to Site Capital at risk More info Compare product selection Compare	loading
6.9Standard Charles Stanley	6.9Standard	£0	£11.50	N/A	0.35%	Cashback: 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 More info Compare product selection Compare	loading

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How we picked these

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.

• What is the best trading app in the UK?

  This will depend on what you’re looking for as an investor. Each platform is designed with a target audience in mind, so it’s best to think about what type of investor you want to be and then you can find the best app to suit your style.

• Is online trading safe?

  In most cases, yes. We only include apps and platforms on Finder that are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK’s top tier regulator.

  However, it’s worth keeping in mind that when investing, you could get out less than what you put into an investment. So always take plenty of time to research your investments and try to keep a long-term outlook.

• Is it worth getting an expert trading app?

  At some stage you might want to do this. But if you’re a beginner, try out one of the apps designed for investors like you first. You can always upgrade to a more sophisticated app once you learn more about trading and investing.

  There’s usually no fee to close your account so there’s nothing to stop you moving to another platform later.

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