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12 January 2023: US stocks rose overnight as investors predicted mild CPI figures. Based on low CPI predictions investors sought to front run official inflation figures which will be released this morning US time. Learn more.
29 December 2022: S&P 500 futures rose slightly on Wednesday night, as investors head into the final trading days of 2022. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures declined fractionally, losing 8 points. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.12% and 0.28%, respectively. The action follows a broad sell-off during the regular session on Wednesday as recession fears weighed on investor sentiment.
US stocks make up 55.9% of the global stock market, so it’s a fantastic chance to diversify your portfolio a little and get access to some of the world’s largest stocks. It’s really easy to get started, too, as it’s not much different to investing in UK stocks. US stocks have historically seen higher returns than those in the UK – not to say that this is an indication of the future results, but it’s drawn investors towards it like a moth to a flame.
For those of us that are in the UK, this means you need a stock broker that lets you trade US shares. Luckily, there are plenty available to choose from, including commission-free and low-fee providers. Find out how to invest in US stocks, more on why you might choose to and some things to keep in mind.
You just need a broker that lets you invest in US stocks. We’ve listed some of these below with links to our reviews of them – check these out to find one that suits you. There are some things you need to take into consideration when investing in US stocks, including the fees involved and whether you need to fill out a W-8BEN form.
Here are some UK trading platforms that offer US stocks, along with some of the key fees to do so. We’ve written in more detail about the fees you’ll come across when investing in US stocks.
Provider | ISA? | US commission | Foreign exchange fee | Learn more |
---|---|---|---|---|
Trading 212 | Yes | £0.00 | 0.15% | Capital at risk |
Hargreaves Lansdown | Yes | £11.95 | 1.00% | Go to site Capital at risk |
IG | Yes | £10.00 | 0.50% | Go to site Capital at risk |
interactive investor | Yes | £7.99 | 1.50% | Go to site Capital at risk |
Fineco | Yes | £3.95 | 1.00% | Go to site Capital at risk |
Saxo trader | Yes | £10.00 | 1.00% | Go to site Capital at risk |
Freetrade | Yes | £0.00 | 0.45% | Go to site Capital at risk |
Barclays | Yes | £6.00 | 1.00% | Go to site Capital at risk |
Halifax | Yes | £0.00 | 1.25% | Capital at risk |
AJ Bell | Yes | £9.95 | 0.75% | Go to site Capital at risk |
Wombat | Yes | £0.00 | 0.65% | Go to site Capital at risk |
iWeb | Yes | £0.00 | 1.50% | Capital at risk |
eToro | No | £0.00 | 0.50% | Go to site Capital at risk |
Degiro | No | £0.50 | 0.25% | Go to site Capital at risk |
Stake | No | £0.00 | 0.50% | Capital at risk |
Revolut | No | £1.00 | 1.00% | Capital at risk |
Capital | No | £0.00 | 0.00% | Capital at risk |
You can invest in US stocks using a number of trading apps, brokerages, online share-trading platforms or by buying exchange traded funds. Each will give you different levels of access to the US stock market as well as trading options and features.
There are 2 key fees you need to consider when trading US stocks: the commission and the foreign exchange fees. Commission is the cost that a platform charges to allow you to make the trade. The foreign exchange fee, which you wouldn’t encounter when buying UK stocks (unless you’re abroad, of course), is the fee the provider charges you to change your money to US dollars. There may be other fees you need to consider as well, but these are the key ones.
Our table above of UK brokers that let you trade US stocks shows the fee for a US trade and foreign exchange fees of key providers. You can also check out an example, below, of how these fees work in practice.
Say you want to invest in Tesla – you’ve done your research, you’ve looked into the risks and potential rewards involved and have decided to buy 5 shares.
At the time of writing, a Tesla share costs $774.39, so 5 shares would cost $3,871.95. You’re interested in 3 popular providers, including 2 that are commission free, and 1 that charges fees for trading, and wish to compare the fees you’d pay. The providers are Freetrade, eToro and Degiro.
Provider | Fee | What the fee is made up of |
---|---|---|
Freetrade | £15.06 | 0.45 foreign exchange fee |
eToro | £16.74 | 0.5% foreign exchange fee |
Degiro | £10.54 | €1, plus a 0.25% foreign exchange fee |
* This is a fictional, but realistic, example.
A commission-free platform might appear to be the cheapest way to buy US stocks, but that’s not necessarily the case. Once you’ve factored in foreign exchange fees, it appears that Degiro offers the cheapest option when buying US stocks, based on buying 5 shares of Tesla at the time of writing.
Over the last decade, the leading US stock indices have given investors much higher returns compared to those in the UK, typically because of the rise of technology — investors that were only invested in UK or European stocks may have missed out on bigger gains. Of course, past performance is no guarantee of future results, so you’re not going to make huge gains by investing in these stocks, but you can add additional diversification and get a chance to get hold of some of the most recognisable companies in the world.
The US stock market is home to many of the largest companies on the planet, such as Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Facebook. Along with access to the world’s leading companies, the US stock market also includes the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, which are 2 of the world’s largest stock exchanges and offer deep liquidity and extensive trading opportunities.
“It’s just a really dynamic, exciting market with the broadest range of products,” Stake co-founder and CEO Matt Leibowitz told Finder. “It lets people diversify the way they invest.”
A couple of decades ago, it was difficult and costly to invest in foreign stocks. These days, many trading platforms and brokers offer low-cost access to many international markets, including the US stock market.
The best way to understand how US stocks perform is to take a look at the 2 major US stock exchanges: NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
Finder survey of 2,000 people, May 2020
Choosing to invest in US stocks can be a great way to get access to some rising tech stocks and diversify your portfolio. It’s a popular market for investors, but you need to make sure you know about additional fees, such as for currency exchange, that you’ll have to pay as well as commission. Work out how much you’ll spend before buying the stocks. You need to make sure you choose a broker that lets you trade US stocks.
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.
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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Why is it so difficult to find a US broker where I can buy shares. I don’t want EFT’s or CFD’s I want to buy a specific share and hold the share certificate.
Help!!!
Hi Mannie,
Thanks for your question. These days, there are a number of online trading apps and brokers that let you buy US shares directly. If you’re looking for a low-cost way to invest in the US stock market, you may want to consider apps like Robinhood, Freetrade or Stake, all which offer the ability to buy US stocks directly.
I hope this helps, but please let me know if you have any other questions.
Regards,
Tom