Freetrade

Freetrade review | App, pricing and features

Freetrade is cheap, offering a low-cost investing app for beginners and experienced investors, is there a catch?

4.1 ★★★★★ (46 reviews) Write a review

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Easy to use and commission free
ISA isn't free

Our verdict

Freetrade's fees are the shining star here. Buying stocks and ETFs for free? Doesn't get much better than that. No monthly fee or inactivity fee is also great, which stops your portfolio from being slowly eroded over time.

By slashing costs, Freetrade undercuts traditional stockbrokers such as Hargreaves Lansdown, Interactive Investor and AJ Bell. A single trade with Freetrade costs £0 (plus FX fees for international trades like US stocks). Hargreaves Lansdown charges £11.95, interactive investor charges £7.99 and AJ Bell charges £9.95.

It's really easy to open a Freetrade account, meaning that you're quickly ready to go. The app is slick and satisfying to use. However, the graphs are more pretty than helpful, and the app is quite limited. Equally, the app only covers products from the UK, the US, and Europe, so it is a bit limiting. We did have a few problems with the app being laggy when loading money and getting the free referral share.

Best for: Beginners

Pros
  • Easy to sign up
  • 0% commission on trades
  • Option to invest in an ISA
  • Easy to navigate app and buy stocks
Cons
  • 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
Freetrade
★★★★★
User survey
★★★★★
Finder score

How we rated Freetrade’s investment features

FeatureRatingDetails
Customer support★★★★★Reach customer support via email, within the app and through community forums.
Tools and research★★★★★Freetrade has some limited tools available, mostly for the paid plans.
Mobile app★★★★★Freetrade’s app is well-designed, easy to use, and has a high rating on both the App Store and Google Play store.
Stock exchanges★★★★★Freetrade covers all major exchanges in the UK, US and Europe.
Fees★★★★★Trade stocks and ETFs commission-free but note the FX fee. There’s a free account and 2 paid options.
Customer satisfaction★★★★★Freetrade scored highly in our 2023 customer satisfaction survey with 4.5 stars.

Freetrade is a commission-free trading platform with a slick interface and pink colour scheme. It’s a popular choice for new investors and beginners looking for an attractive app and easy to use platform.

Freetrade uses the “freemium” model – which means that it has features that are free for users, but additional features come at a cost. Along with paying no commission to buy or sell shares, you can even get free shares for referring friends.

Freetrade was a winner in the Finder Investing and Saving Innovation Awards 2022. Our Freetrade review takes an in-depth look at the features and fees, along with explaining what you get with each of Freetrade’s 3 plans.

How free is Freetrade?

Pick a stock, select a quantity and our calculator will give you a guide to the total cost of that trade on Freetrade. We regularly check fees, but bear in mind that stock prices, exchange rates and spreads fluctuate in real-time.

Stock

Quantity of shares

2
Platform Finder score Account fee Min. initial deposit Trade cost Link

Full comparison of share dealing platforms

Freetrade products

Freetrade
Stocks and shares ISA
Lifetime ISA (LISA)
Pension (SIPP)
Keep in mindCapital at risk
More Info

You can invest in 3 account types with Freetrade:

  • Freetrade general investment account (GIA)
  • Freetrade stocks and shares ISA
  • Self-invested personal pension (SIPP)

The GIA is available for free with the Freetrade Basic plan. But if you want to use the stocks and shares ISA or SIPP, you should check out the 2 premium accounts – Freetrade Standard and Freetrade Plus. These have extra benefits, but there’s no such thing as a free lunch, so they come with an additional fee (paid monthly or annually).

Freetrade general investment account

This is included with all of Freetrade’s plans — you can trade as many stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as you like, commission-free.

People usually choose to go with the general investment account after they have used up their ISA allowance for the year, as you may need to pay capital gains tax on any profits you make. Capital gains tax is payable on gains over the allowance of £6,000 in each tax year.

Compare share dealing accounts

Freetrade stocks and shares ISA

The Freetrade stocks and shares ISA is an individual savings account where you can invest up to your yearly allowance each tax year and protect the majority of your profits from tax. The allowance for the 2023/2024 tax year is £20,000. This means you can invest £20,000 in the available stocks and ETFs and minimise the tax on the profits you make.

You can open an ISA with the Freetrade app. It’s part of the Freetrade Standard plan which costs £5.99 per month (or £59.88 per year paid annually, equal to £4.99 per month).

Freetrade has a slightly limiting stock universe. The only asset type you can trade is stocks and shares from the UK, US, and Europe. It’s not ideal for those who want to hold a variety of securities in an ISA (namely, funds and shares from various markets).

Yet, for beginners, this can be a benefit because it means the investment choice isn’t overhwhelming (there’s still over 6,000 stocks to choose from!).

On cost it’s tough to beat, especially if you’re looking to invest serious money over the long-term. You can also transfer your existing ISA into your Freetrade account.

Compare stocks and shares ISAs

Freetrade self-invested personal pension (SIPP)

Freetrade has made self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) available to Plus users. A SIPP is a type of personal pension that allows you the freedom to choose what you want to invest in.

How much does the Freetrade SIPP cost?

The Freetrade SIPP is included in the Plus subscription, so it costs £11.99 per month (or £119.88 if you pay annually).

What features does the Freetrade SIPP have?

Here are some of the features of the Freetrade SIPP:

  • Flat fee. Some SIPPs are charged as a percentage of what you invest – a flat fee can work out cheaper if you have a bigger retirement portfolio.
  • Fractional shares. You can buy fractions of shares of US stocks – great for when even just one share of a company is expensive.
  • Transfer in other pension pots. You can transfer in old pots to Freetrade.
  • Tax relief. You can claim tax relief on up to £60,000 of contributions each year.

Keep in mind, your money is locked in until you turn 55 (rising to 57 in 2028).

What stocks can I trade on Freetrade?

Freetrade
Exchanges covered score★★★★★
UK - London Stock Exchange
US - NASDAQ
US - New York Stock Exchange
Canada - Toronto Stock Exchange
Japan - Japan Exchange Group
Euronext
Germany - Deutsche Börse
Keep in mindCapital at risk
More Info

Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Tesco… on Freetrade there’s over 6,000 (2,000 with the “Basic” plan) stocks and ETFs from the UK, US, and Europe. And it’s adding to this regularly. You can see Freetrade’s full stock list on its website. The table lets you search for stocks and check which ones are tradeable with Freetrade Standard and Plus.

The minimum deposit for the Freetrade app is £1, but the minimum investment you can make is £2 with fractional US shares. For UK shares, only whole shares can be bought.

Freetrade fees

Although Freetrade charges no commission for buying or selling stocks, there are some fees to be aware of.

If you decided to buy US or European stocks, you’ll need to pay an FX fee which works on a tiered system. You’ll also still have to pay UK stamp duty (like with other platforms for some investments), and things like ETFs and investment trusts will have ongoing fees. But neither of these are under Freetrade’s control.

As Freetrade works with a “freemium” model, there’s the opportunity to upgrade your account to get access to tax-efficient accounts, extra stocks and shares, interest on idle cash, and additional features like stock analysis. We’ve listed these details under “Compare Freetrade accounts”.

Fee typeCost
Buying or selling stocksFree
Basic planFree
Standard plan£5.99 per month (£4.99 per month if paid annually)
Plus plan£11.99 per month (£9.99 per month if paid annually)
FX feeSpot rate plus 0.99% (basic), plus 0.59% (standard), plus 0.39% (plus)
Outgoing bank transferFree
Outgoing bank transfer (same day)£5

Freetrade customer reviews

Freetrade
Customer satisfaction score★★★★★
Customer help in app
Customer help via email
Customer help over the phone
Community or forums
Keep in mindCapital at risk
More Info

Customers who took part in Finder’s 2023 customer satisfaction survey were overwhelmingly positive about Freetrade, with many highlighting its “simple” app and good customer service.

One customer said: “It is very easy to use and ideal for beginners.”

Freetrade scored of 4.5 out of 5 for customer satisfaction, and 82% of customers would recommend the brand to a friend.

On Trustpilot, Freetrade has 3.7 out of 5 stars and a rating of “Average”, based on more than 3,000 reviews (last updated August 2023).

Negative reviews mainly focused on the fee structure — customers found that it was expensive for the additional upgrades. Customers also advised that the app could be improved, but this didn’t stop many from saying they would recommend it.

Freetrade doesn’t offer financial advice or any financial guidance, so you would need to get this help externally if you need it. Its customer service is available over email and in-chat, but not over the phone.

How to set up your account

Setting up is super easy. You can download the Freetrade app on the App Store and Google Play.

Once you open the app, you’ll need to provide:

  • Your name
  • Your address
  • Your national insurance (NI) number

Some of our team also had to provide additional info:

  • Proof of address
  • ID (driving licence or passport)

Once you’ve done that, you can then choose an account type.

Compare Freetrade plans

Freetrade has a couple of different options to upgrade your features and the stocks you can buy. These plans are called Freetrade Basic, Freetrade Standard and Freetrade Plus.

There’s a monthly cost for Standard and Plus, but in exchange you get access to more stocks, tax-free wrappers (ISA and SIPP), interest on cash, and extra stock analysis. Here’s the difference between the 3 Freetrade plans:

Freetrade BasicFreetrade StandardFreetrade Plus
CostFree£5.99 per month (£4.99 per month paid annually)£11.99 per month (£9.99 per month paid annually)
ISA available?
SIPP available?
Stocks available2,0006,0006,000
Stop loss and limit orders
Interest on cash – 1% on up to £2,000 – 3% on up to £4,000
Priority customer service

Freetrade Standard review

Freetrade standard is a new addition from Freetrade that’s a middle ground between its free Basic offering and its Plus subscription. It costs half of what you’d pay for Freetrade Plus at £5.99 (£4.99 per month if you pay annually). You can invest using an ISA and access the full stock universe.

You also get 1% interest on cash held (up to £2,000). However, you don’t get priority customer service, access to the Freetrade web beta, a SIPP, or the lowest FX fees.

So it’s pretty good value for investors that don’t want the additional features (like a SIPP) that Freetrade Plus offers.

What’s included with Freetrade Standard?

Features of Freetrade Standard include:

  • Stocks and shares ISA. You get access to an investment ISA.
  • 1% interest on cash. You can get 1% interest on cash held in your account, up to £2,000 maximum deposit.
  • Access more stocks. 4,000+ stocks are exclusive to Freetrade Standard and Plus customers.
  • More control. You get access to tools that give you more control over your investments, such as stop loss and limit orders.
  • Advanced stock fundamentals. You get to see more detailed insights on stocks, ETFs, and investment trusts. This includes analyst ratings and company financials, forecasts for earnings per share (EPS) and share price, plus key ratios.

Freetrade Plus review

Freetrade Plus is Freetrade’s premium account. It has all the bells and whistles Freetrade can provide, including access to both the stocks and shares ISA and the SIPP.

How much does Freetrade Plus cost?

Freetrade Plus costs £11.99 per month (£9.99 per month if you pay annually which works out as just short of £120 per year).

What’s included with Freetrade Plus?

Features of Freetrade Plus include:

  • Stocks and shares ISA. You get access to an investment ISA.
  • SIPP. You can invest for your retirement using a self-invested personal pension with the Plus account.
  • 3% interest on cash. You can recieve an interest rate of 3% for cash held in your account, up to £4,000 maximum balance. Interest will be paid first into your ISA and then GIA.
  • Access more stocks. 4,000+ stocks are exclusive to Freetrade Standard and Plus customers. There’s also exclusive stock collections, which are groups of stocks that have similar aims.
  • More control. You get access to tools that give you more control over your investments, such as stop loss and limit orders.
  • Web beta access. You can use the Freetrade web desktop platform while it’s being tested.
  • Priority customer service You’re prioritised when you need customer service.
  • Advanced stock fundamentals and analyst ratings. You get to see more detailed insights on stocks, ETFs, and investment trusts. This includes analyst ratings and company financials, forecasts for earnings per share (EPS) and share price, plus key ratios. The analyst ratings show how analysts rate individual shares (favourable, neutral, and unfavourable), which it refreshes daily.

On top of this all, Freetrade creatively refers to you as a Plustomer. If that doesn’t sell it to you then I don’t know what will.

Is Freetrade Plus worth it?

This really depends on what you want to invest in and how much you want to invest. If you’ve not got much to invest and are alright with not having access to some stocks, a free account or just the ISA is probably fine for you. If you think you can make the most out of all the perks of Freetrade Plus and have a decent amount to invest, then it could be worthwhile.

As boring as it seems, it’s often worthwhile to get out a calculator and work out the costs for exactly what you want to do.

Freetrade features

Freetrade’s main features include:

  • You can trade UK and US shares and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) commission-free.
  • It’s free to open and hold a GIA with the Basic plan.
  • During stock market hours, all orders are instant. Outside of stock market hours, orders are executed at 10am the following day for UK stock and 3pm the following day for US stocks.
  • You can start with as little as £2 and can buy fractional shares.
  • The referral program can get you a free share when you refer a friend.

Freetrade stock analysis features

Freetrade has a range of ways that you can research and analyse investments, either to analyse the performance of shares that you already own or decide whether to invest at all.

Some features are exclusively for Standard and Plus members, but you can access the basics with its free account. Here’s what it has available:

  • Market capitalisation. This is the market value of the company. It’s worked out by multiplying the share price by the number of shares outstanding.
  • Dividend yield. This is the dividend per share that investors are entitled to. It’s relative to the share price and is calculated by dividing the total dividends by the number of shares outstanding.
  • Price/earnings (P/E) ratio. This is a ratio to represent the stock price relative to its earnings per share (EPS). Earnings per share is the total profit after tax divided by the number of shares outstanding. P/E ratio is the stock price divided by the EPS.
  • Beta. This is an indication of the market risk that the stock faces. It assesses how exposed a company is to factors that are impacting the whole market.
  • Price-to-book (P/B) ratio. This assesses the stock price in relation to its “book value” per share (BVPS). Book value per share is common equity (assets minus liabilities) divided by shares outstanding.
  • Price earnings to growth (PEG) ratio. This is the P/E ratio divided by the growth rate of earnings over 3 or 5 years. The growth rate is either average growth or compound annual growth (CAGR).
  • Standard and Plus only: Analyst ratings and advanced stock fundamentals. This shows how analysts rate individual shares (favourable, neutral and unfavourable), which it refreshes daily.

How do Freetrade’s analyst ratings work?

Freetrade has launched analyst ratings — these show how analysts feel towards stocks, between favourable, neutral and unfavourable. Analysts will constantly research certain stocks in order to determine a current view (a rating) on the company and its share price, stating whether it believes the stock is undervalued (likely to rise in price), overvalued (likely to decrease in price) or just right (like Goldilocks’ porridge).

There are a few different ways this might be presented. Some companies label stocks as “overweight”, “buy”, or “outperform” — these are all positive terms to use about stocks. In contrast, you may hear a stock labelled as “underweight”, sell” or “underperform”, which are all negative terms to use about stocks.

Freetrade’s new analyst ratings tell you how analysts feel about the future prospects of the company in relation to the current stock price.

Freetrade app review

Freetrade is mobile only – which means you can’t access your investments on a desktop device. It has a website, but this is generally for information about the platform. Plus members are currently able to beta test a desktop version, more on this below.

You can get insights about your investments through the app, with Freetrade aiming to give you tools to make well-informed investing choices.

There’s also features on the app to get some investment ideas through the “Discover” tab. Here, Freetrade has divided the stocks, shares and ETFs by popularity and sectors. It also has a list of the newest added stocks.

If you lose track of what you’ve been up to, you can see your activity on the “Activity” tab.

Freetrade desktop – currently in beta

Freetrade Plus members are currently able to test Freetrade desktop, which gets users additional insights and more detailed charts. We’ll add more details as they become available.

How to fund your Freetrade account

Once your account is set up you can use Apple Pay, Google Pay or a bank transfer to fund it.

We did have a mixed bag when it came to depositing money in the app. For some it took about 10 minutes, while others waited for the top-up to come through for 6 or 7 hours.

That is one of our main criticisms of the platform, you can spend a lot of time in limbo wondering when your money will be topped up or when you’ll get your free share.

Freetrade free shares

After you buy your first share, you’ll be able to refer a friend. Send your lucky pal a link, and once they’ve signed up, filled out the W-8BEN form and funded their account, you’ll both get a free share worth between £10 and £100. You can get up to 10 free shares each month. Your friend will need to fund your account within 30 days of signing up.

Freetrade dishes out the free shares on Fridays.

Is Freetrade safe?

Yes. Freetrade is regulated and authorised by the FCA and covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protection, so up to £85,000 of your deposits are protected if the company goes bust.

Although as always when you invest, your capital is at risk.

How does Freetrade make money?

Freetrade makes money in three ways:

  1. FX fees for buying shares in other countries.
  2. £5 for same day withdrawals.
  3. Fees for Freetrade Standard and Plus.

Freetrade: Reddit’s review

Reddit users liked that the Freetrade app is easy to use and, of course, that it’s free. They share that it has great customer service, with really quick response rates with its in-app chat feature. The Freetrade team is known to give loads of information about what’s upcoming with the product.

Reddit users were frustrated with the limited list of investments available and that there aren’t any options or leveraged products, but on the whole, they like the app and look forward to what’s coming next.

What is the Freetrade community?

The Freetrade community is a forum for all Freetraders to share investing tips, chat about other startups, the economy and share their ideas on what can help make Freetrade better.

You can also make stock requests and stay up to date with the latest platform updates.

Freetrade vs Trading 212

Another free trading option is Trading 212 — here’s how it compares to Freetrade on some key features.

We decided that these are both pretty good free-trading options. Trading 212 is more suitable for those with a bit more experience, as it’s a bit more complicated. We’ve compared both platforms in our Freetrade vs Trading 212 article.

FreetradeTrading212
Finder score★★★★★★★★★★
Customer satisfaction score★★★★★★★★★★
Stocks and shares ISA available?
FSCS protected?
Costs score★★★★★★★★★★
Keep in mindCapital at riskCapital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money
More InfoMore Info

Frequently asked questions

The tax you need to pay depends on your individual circumstances and can change over time. This content is for information only - it's not tax advice. You're responsible for carrying out your own checks and for getting professional advice before making financial decisions.

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.

Share dealing platform ratings

★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor

Our customer satisfaction scores ("Customers say") are based on a survey of 805 customers carried out in December 2022.

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