Best for
0% commission
Best for
US shares
Best for
Beginner investments
Best for
Beginners
There are a lot of different trading apps available if you plan to start share trading – We’ve rounded up the UK’s leading stock trading apps for you to help you find the one that suits your profile best. If you’re in a bit of a hurry you can jump straight to the bottom where we’ve summarised the best trading apps. We’ve also covered how to choose one. (We’ve also updated this page to reflect the best apps available in 2022).
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 is a commission-free platform that lets you buy shares, currencies, exchange traded funds (ETFs) and bonds. There are a few additional fees, such as withdrawal and foreign exchange fees.
eToro offers shares from some of the world’s biggest stock exchanges, including the London Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, New York Stock Exchange and Euronext. It also has great charting tools, suitable for intermediate investors that want to see their investments on desktop, rather than in a titchy app. It’s free to create an account, and there’s no limit on how much you can trade.
Out of all the commission-free trading platforms we’ve reviewed, eToro scored the highest overall, with 5 stars out of 5, making it the best 0% commission trading app.
eToro offers shares from some of the world’s biggest stock exchanges, including the London Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, New York Stock Exchange and Euronext. It also has great charting tools, suitable for intermediate investors that want to see their investments on desktop, rather than in a titchy app. It’s free to create an account, and there’s no limit on how much you can trade.
Out of all the commission-free trading platforms we’ve reviewed, eToro scored the highest overall, with 5 stars out of 5, making it the best 0% commission trading app.
- 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
- You can't invest in an ISA
| 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 all rounder trading app: IG
Best all rounder trading app
Zero commission on US shares
£3 on UK shares
24 hours support
IG is a great provider to choose if you want to learn how to invest. It helps you learn with a few different angles. The first, and our favourite, is its free demo account. Investors can learn how to trade the same way you’d learn any other skill, by having a go at it. The demo account is completely risk free as it uses virtual money, but it works in exactly the same way as the real thing. Once you’ve got the knack of it, you can get going with real money.
Secondly, it has a learning tool called “IG Academy”. This takes you through specific topics, with videos, guides and quizzes to help you learn, without being patronising or repetitive. The academy has its own app, so you can learn to trade wherever you want.
IG has a lot of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) available to invest in, which are a type of fund that's listed on a stock exchange, similar to shares. ETFs and funds are great investments for beginner investors, as they're already well diversified, so you can invest in lots of different things with just one transaction.
In terms of its investment platform, IG is an investing all rounder — you can invest in an ISA, pension and a general investment account. For beginners, it has ready made portfolios, as well as individual shares for those that want to choose their own investments. There are some additional investment types for experienced investors as well. Its platform goes into a lot of depth and with so many options it can be a bit overwhelming for beginners, at least to start with.
Secondly, it has a learning tool called “IG Academy”. This takes you through specific topics, with videos, guides and quizzes to help you learn, without being patronising or repetitive. The academy has its own app, so you can learn to trade wherever you want.
IG has a lot of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) available to invest in, which are a type of fund that's listed on a stock exchange, similar to shares. ETFs and funds are great investments for beginner investors, as they're already well diversified, so you can invest in lots of different things with just one transaction.
In terms of its investment platform, IG is an investing all rounder — you can invest in an ISA, pension and a general investment account. For beginners, it has ready made portfolios, as well as individual shares for those that want to choose their own investments. There are some additional investment types for experienced investors as well. Its platform goes into a lot of depth and with so many options it can be a bit overwhelming for beginners, at least to start with.
- Great learning resources
- Demo account
- Options for beginner and experienced investors
- Slow process when opening your account
- Inactivity fees
| 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
Comprehensive platform
ISA and pension products
Great research
Hargreaves Lansdown was a winner in the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards 2023.
With Hargreaves Lansdown, you can invest in an ISA and a SIPP and any junior accounts, if you have children you’d like to invest for. We’ve found that it’s typically more expensive than some providers, with a trading fee of £11.95, or £5.95 for frequent traders. If you’re trading less than £1,000, you could end up paying more fees than you’re making in profits.
In return for the pricier commission you get significantly more features, including detailed information about individual investments 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).
With Hargreaves Lansdown, you can invest in an ISA and a SIPP and any junior accounts, if you have children you’d like to invest for. We’ve found that it’s typically more expensive than some providers, with a trading fee of £11.95, or £5.95 for frequent traders. If you’re trading less than £1,000, you could end up paying more fees than you’re making in profits.
In return for the pricier commission you get significantly more features, including detailed information about individual investments 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 eight different accounts including ISAs, pensions and junior accounts to help you manage both your investments and your family’s, all in one place with one flat fee. It's recently launched "Friends and Family", which lets you give 5 people a free subscription for an additional £5 per month, which adds extra value for families.
One of the things we like about interactive investor is that it has a screener for choosing ethical or ESG funds. You can browse and compare ethical investments to help you choose ones that match the ethical investment style you want. Interactive investor also has ready-made portfolios, including ethical options.
You can invest in shares on the main stock exchanges, as well as funds, investment trusts, exchange traded funds (ETFs), venture capital trusts (VCTs), bonds and gilts. Instead of charging a percentage fee on the amount you invest, interactive investor charges a flat monthly fee, which is great if you have a lot to invest, but can be expensive if you're only investing small amounts.
One of the things we like about interactive investor is that it has a screener for choosing ethical or ESG funds. You can browse and compare ethical investments to help you choose ones that match the ethical investment style you want. Interactive investor also has ready-made portfolios, including ethical options.
You can invest in shares on the main stock exchanges, as well as funds, investment trusts, exchange traded funds (ETFs), venture capital trusts (VCTs), bonds and gilts. Instead of charging a percentage fee on the amount you invest, interactive investor charges a flat monthly fee, which is great if you have a lot to invest, but can be expensive if you're only investing small amounts.
- 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 | £5.99 (plus 1 free trade each month) |
|---|---|
| Frequent trader rate | £0 |
| 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
Low foreign exchange fee
DEGIRO lets you trade on more than 50 stock exchanges in 30 countries worldwide for relatively low fees.
We’ve worked out that DEGIRO often works out best for fees for international trading, despite its pretty confusing fee structure. It has the best score for its fees among platforms that also offered international trading that we’ve reviewed on our site, with a fees score of 4.81 out of 5, even scoring higher than commission-free platforms, as these providers often charge a higher foreign exchange fee (typically between 0.5% and 1% of the traded amount, compared with DEGIRO’s foreign exchange fee of 0.25%. DEGIRO has recently changed its fees to make US shares commission free, with just a small handling fee per share.
DEGIRO lets you invest in shares, bonds and ETFs, which can help you diversify across different financial instruments. The trading platform is more suited to more sophisticated investors rather than beginners, with excellent charting tools and company financials. It’s worth noting that you can’t invest in an ISA or pensions product with DEGIRO.
We’ve worked out that DEGIRO often works out best for fees for international trading, despite its pretty confusing fee structure. It has the best score for its fees among platforms that also offered international trading that we’ve reviewed on our site, with a fees score of 4.81 out of 5, even scoring higher than commission-free platforms, as these providers often charge a higher foreign exchange fee (typically between 0.5% and 1% of the traded amount, compared with DEGIRO’s foreign exchange fee of 0.25%. DEGIRO has recently changed its fees to make US shares commission free, with just a small handling fee per share.
DEGIRO lets you invest in shares, bonds and ETFs, which can help you diversify across different financial instruments. The trading platform is more suited to more sophisticated investors rather than beginners, with excellent charting tools and company financials. 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 |
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.
Compare trading platforms
Table: sorted by promoted deals first
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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