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.
Bestinvest vs Hargreaves Lansdown: At a glance
![]() | ![]() | |
| Finder Score | 8.9Great | 8.7Great |
| Customer satisfaction survey | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Fees score | 7.9Great | 6.6Standard |
| Stocks and shares ISA available? | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to Site | Go to Site |
Round 1: Products
![]() | ![]() | |
| Stocks and shares ISA | ||
| Lifetime ISA (LISA) | ||
| Interest on cash balances | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to Site | Go to Site |
Round 2: Investment choice
![]() | ![]() | |
| Investment choice score | 8.5Great | 9.1Excellent |
| Available markets | 3 | 4+ |
| Tradeable assets | 3,700+ | 11,000+ |
| Number of ETFs/funds | 1,930 | 1,500 |
| Fractional shares | ||
| Min. initial deposit | £0 | £1 |
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to Site | Go to Site |
Round 3: Fees
![]() | ![]() | |
| Fees score | 7.9Great | 6.6Standard |
| Platform fees | 0% - 0.4% | 0.35% |
| Price per trade | UK: £4.95 US: £0 | £6.95 |
| Funds/ETFs | £0 | £1.95 funds £6.95 ETFs (frequent trader discounts apply) |
| Foreign exchange fee | 0.95% | 0.99% |
| Regular investing | Yes (free but no commission discounts) | Yes from £25/month (no commission) £3.95 (20 or more trades in previous month) |
| Withdrawal fee | £0 | £0 |
| Deposit fee | £0 | £0 |
| Inactivity fee | £0 | £0 |
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to Site | Go to Site |
Round 4: Ease of use
![]() | ![]() | |
| Ease of use score | 9.6Excellent | 10Excellent |
| Apple iOS rating | 4.8/5 | 4.7/5 |
| Google Play rating | 3.4/5 | 3.2/5 |
| UI/UX | Good | Good |
| Desktop or web access | ||
| Mobile app | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to Site | Go to Site |
Round 5: Tools, resources and features
![]() | ![]() | |
| Features score | 8.3Great | 8.3Great |
| Analysis features | ||
| Social features | ||
| Learning resources | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to Site | Go to Site |
Overall winner: Is Bestinvest better than Hargreaves Lansdown?
It’s tough to separate these two, but depending on how you invest, each comes with lower fees.
However, if you want all the account types available, a larger investment choice and plenty of research and tools to dig into – you might prefer HL.
Both platforms provide good value for different types of investors, so the winner is going to depend largely on how you plan to invest and what’s most important to you.
There are ways to invest more cheaply with HL, for example sticking to funds or setting up a regular monthly investment. But it you plan on ad-hoc share trading, steer clear because the commissions are sky-high.
Winner: Hargreaves Lansdown
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