Best trading apps and platforms UK

Today's best platform deals:
Β£0.00 Trade fees 0.15% Forex fees

We compare 35+ platforms, from old-faithful banks to new fintechs.

Hargreaves Lansdown logo
eToro logo
XTB logo
Barclays logo
ii logo
Robin Hood logo
Freetrade logo
Trading 212 logo
Vanguard logo
We don’t compare every single brand on the market. We’ve focused on platforms that are about actively trading stocks, ETFs and funds.

Finder Scores help you choose

Our scores and top picks reflect what investors told us they care about. We analysed the data then George, one of our experts, tested and invested with 33 apps to score them and decide the best.

Millions of people use Finder to make better money decisions

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1,100+ user reviews

Our top picks by category

Trading app users George and Louise fight over a trophy

Best for 0% commission

Several platforms let you trade without paying any commission, but we pick one that lets you do it on global exchanges like the Nasdaq, and offers a special feature like 0% commission on ready-made portfolios.

eToro
Finder Fees Score
4.0 β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
George Sweeney, DipFA's headshot
eToro offers 0% commission for buying/selling stocks, and also for investing in its ready-made "Smart Portfolios" or using its unique "CopyTrader" feature.

Best for fractional shares

Just want a piece of a share? Investment choice and low fees will be a priority for you. So we pick a platform with no or low platform fees that also lets you buy fractional shares from the US and the UK.

XTB logo
Finder Score
4.4 β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
George Sweeney, DipFA's headshot
Most platforms have restrictions around fractional shares, but XTB gives you complete access. Trade fractional pieces in 3,000+ stocks from 16 global exchanges.

Best for customer satisfaction

Every year we survey hundreds of investors just like you and ask them if they'd recommend their platform. Our top pick for customer satisfaction is the provider voted top.

Hargreaves Lansdown Fund and Share Account logo
Customer Score
4.6 β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
George Sweeney, DipFA's headshot
HL not only topped our customer satisfaction table this year, it’s also won for the past 3 years. It’s definitely the platform to beat when it comes to customer service.

Best for US shares

The US stocks crowd want trading to be both easy and cheap. Our top pick must take zero commission if you invest across the pond, have a low currency conversion fee and allow you to hold stocks in an ISA.

CMC Invest share dealing account logo
Finder Score
4.4 β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
George Sweeney, DipFA's headshot
As well as 0% commission on 3,000+ US shares, CMC Invest has great features like personalised ESG preferences, low FX fees and a USD multi-currency wallet (for Plus and Premium subscribers).

Best for beginners

If you're just starting out, you'll want to use a platform that makes the investing process as smooth as possible. Our top pick for beginners has to be simple to use and packed with features that make it easy for investors with smaller portfolios.

Freetrade logo
Finder Score
4.4 β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
George Sweeney, DipFA's headshot
Scoring highly in our ease of use testing, Freetrade makes investing approachable for all. It’s painless to open a free account and trade fractional shares with as little as Β£2.

Best for ETFs

You'll want to keep costs low and have lots of ETFs to choose from. So our pick for ETFs offers the best value we can find - a great range of ETFs and low commission on trades.

Saxo Share Dealing Account logo
Finder Score
4.3 β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
George Sweeney, DipFA's headshot
Saxo offers the largest library of ETFs, giving you unparalleled access to the ETF market. It also has low fees for trading ETFs, making it diverse and affordable.

Best for ready-made and managed portfolios

Investing in ready-made or managed portfolios should be simple and offer you great value. Our top pick for ready-made portfolios has to beat its rivals on fees and ease of use.

InvestEngine logo
Finder Score
4.4 β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
George Sweeney, DipFA's headshot
InvestEngine does what most robo-advisors do, but cheaper. Its experts find the best way to offer you a ready-made ETF portfolio for the lowest management fees on the market.

Best for safety and security features

When it comes to investing, you'll sleep easier at night knowing your portfolio is in good hands. Our top pick for safety and security must have a perfect score in this category and offer extra safeguarding features.

interactive investor Trading Account logo
Finder Score
4.1 β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
George Sweeney, DipFA's headshot
ii has been around over 30 years and is now part of FTSE 250 firm, abrdn. Its app uses 128-bit SSL encryption, constant system monitoring and biometric logins.

Best for low fees

Who doesn't want low fees? It means your investments go further, especially if you're investing smaller amounts. Our top pick for low fees offers the lowest costs across the board for a variety of investing styles.

Trading212 logo
Finder Fees Score
4.9 β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
George Sweeney, DipFA's headshot
Every type of investor can benefit from Trading 212’s low fees. There’s no fee to invest using an ISA, zero trading commissions and the 0.15% FX fee is one of the lowest around.

Best for social and community features

Plenty of investors want to chew over their strategies with like-minded people. We've got you covered. Our top pick for social features has to offer at least 2 unique and useful ways for you to be part of an active investing community.

Webull logo
Finder Score
4.1 β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
George Sweeney, DipFA's headshot
There’s loads of social features packed into Webull’s app. Keep on top of the latest stock news, view other investors’ posts, create your own discussions or polls and more.

Frequently asked questions

First-time investing

Trading apps and platforms 101

Investment safety and protection

How we choose the best apps

When comparing the features of trading platforms, you might think it’s a simple process, but unfortunately not. Although most providers share similarities in the overall service provided (allowing you to invest), comparing them can be an apples and oranges situation. This is due to the stark differences in target audiences and investing approaches. To use another turn of phrase – there’s more than one way to skin a cat.

So, we choose our best picks by looking at all the available data and combine the black-and-white figures with our expert opinions. Investing can be highly nuanced, it’s not a binary topic. If you want to see more details about how we score and platforms, check out our full methodology here. For our best trading apps, where platforms are tied in a category and it’s difficult to set them apart, we won’t hand out multiple awards. The reason for this is that just like it’s important to be diverse with your investments, we want to provide you with a range of brokerage options, rather than telling you to put all your eggs into one basket.

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.


Ready to get started?

Let’s look at which trading platorms the experts rate best by category.

Our top picks

Georgie Frost's headshot
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been reviewed by Georgie Frost, a member of Finder's Editorial Review Board.
George Sweeney, DipFA's headshot
Deputy editor

George is a deputy editor at Finder. He has previously written for The Motley Fool UK, Nasdaq, Freetrade, Investing in the Web, MoneyMagpie, Online Mortgage Advisor, Wealth, and Compare Forex Brokers. He's focused on making personal finance and investing engaging for everyone. To do this he draws from previous work and his Level 4 Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA), sharing what he’s learnt. When he’s not geeking out about money, you’ll find him playing sports and staying active. See full bio

George's expertise
George has written 173 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Investing
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4 Responses

    Default Gravatar
    DJune 8, 2023

    Are all these platform you have listed FCA check ? and trusted?

      AvatarFinder
      LizJune 8, 2023Finder

      Hi. All the platforms we list are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK, or deemed as authorised by the FCA. We include ratings from customers to show what they think of platforms they’ve used. Deposits on platforms which are based in the UK would be covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme if the provider went bust, but that’s not the case for platforms based abroad, eg DEGIRO. More on this in the box about safety in our best trading apps guide.

    Default Gravatar
    michaelJune 6, 2023

    Is Tradervesta a reliable trading platform

      AvatarFinder
      LizJune 6, 2023Finder

      Hi Michael. This isn’t a platform we’ve reviewed. If you’ve decided to invest, we’d recommend choosing a trading platform that’s regulated by the FCA.

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