Webull review 2024

How we rated Webull's investment features

After making a big splash across the pond, Webull has launched in the UK. But does the Webull platform have what it takes to rival the UK incumbents?

We spent some time testing and analysing Webull’s platform and our review explores all the features, fees, benefits and drawbacks we discovered when using the Webull app.

What is Webull?

Webull is a relatively new investing platform. It first started in 2017, and the parent group is owned by Fumi Technology, a Chinese holding company. The UK arm of the business began in 2021, but the Webull UK app launch only took place in July 2023.

Webull Securities (UK) Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Expert test: I tried out Webull's investing platform

George Sweeney

Deputy editor

Webull is an exciting platform with a lot going for it. Although there's plenty of great features and information packed into the app, it can feel like sensory overload. A little bit of a 'less is more' approach may have led to a cleaner investing app with a clear style and direction.

I like that Webull offers so much for a free investing app, but because it's limited to US stocks, and the interface feels a bit jumbled, it wouldn't be my go-to investing platform.

Webull fees

Webull offers competitively low fees. Unlike the US version of the platform, there is a commission to pay when buying or selling stocks.

However, this is an extremely small amount. To give you an example, if you were to buy $100 worth of stock, the fee would work out to be $0.03 (rounded up to the nearest cent).

Other than the small investing commissions, there’s not much else in the way of fees with Webull. It’s free to open and hold an account. Along with no platform charge, there’s no cost to withdraw or deposit money either.

Currently, Webull is running an ongoing promotion that means you’ll pay 0% commission for the first 90 days after you open your account. So, plenty of time to test out the platform and see what you think.

Webull investment choice and stocks

With Webull, you can only invest in US-listed stocks. Bad news for any of you who want to invest in the best British shares, or explore some more exotic choices from developed and emerging global markets.

This is probably Webull’s biggest limitation. It’s unusual for a new investing app to be so restrictive in its stock offering. That being said, if you are purely interested in US stocks, Webull has plenty of options – more than 5,000.

So you’d be hard-pressed to miss out on any US investing opportunities from the Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with Webull.

Also, you can deposit from just £1 and buy fractional shares with as little as $1, so it’s worth checking out if you want to trade US stocks from the UK with small amounts.

Is Webull safe and legit?

Webull is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It also comes with Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protection. So your deposits of up to £85,000 are covered should Webull go bust.

Keep in mind that the FSCS protection doesn’t cover the value of your investments dropping.

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

Webull account types and products

Sadly, Webull only offers a general investment account (GIA). This is a basic type of investing account that comes with no unique benefits or tax-efficient features, such as you’d get with a stocks and shares ISA or a self-invested personal pension (SIPP).

With a Webull account, you can invest as much as you like. However, it’s important to be aware that any (potentially bullish) gains you make may be subject to tax.

In the 2023/24 tax year, you have a capital gains tax (CGT) allowance of £6,000 – any profit over this amount could mean handing over some of those hard-won investing gains to the taxman.

Similarly, if you hold any stocks or shares that pay dividends, anything over £1,000 could also be taxed. These allowances can change each tax year.

Webull ease of use

Webull scored well in our ease of use assessment. We particularly like that there are a few ways to get hold of the support team and you can invest using either the mobile app or the desktop platform.

If you need to get hold of the customer support team, you can do it via the email address “clientservices@webull-uk.com” or on its telephone number. You’re also able to get hold of the Webull team through in-app chat, and we found them to be responsive and helpful with our queries.

On the App Store, Webull scores 4.3 out of 5, but on Google Play it has a lower 3.9 out of 5 (as of January 2024). Keep in mind these are from a relatively small number of reviews since Webull only became available in the UK in July 2023. However, the US and global platforms have positive reviews from hundreds of thousands of users.

Webull customer reviews

Trustpilot reviewers gave Webull a low 1.5 out of 5 “bad” rating (as of January 2024), from just under 200 reviews.

Most of the negative reviews tend to revolve around slow trades, slippage, and confusion with customer service teams.

Webull tools, resources and features

This area is where Webull really takes charge. As the saying goes, when you mess with the bull, you’ll get free in-depth stock analysis. Right?

Webull has plenty to offer in terms of tools and research on the app. There’s lots of details like interactive charting, stock-specific news feeds, analysis, and company fundamentals.

What’s particularly great is that there are some really useful visuals showing financial snapshots with quarterly (and annual) graphs of:

• Earnings per share (EPS)
• Income statement
• Balance sheet
• Cash flow

It’s helpful to see all this info displayed to track how a company has performed across past periods. There’s even a “peer comparison” tool showing you how a stock compares to other firms in the same sector and what its overall ranking is.

The only downside of having so much jam-packed into the Webull app means it does feel quite overcrowded and busy. Everything you need is there, but we found it takes some time to learn where to find things.

Webull uses a layout where the bottom of the app has 5 options:

• Feeds
• Watchlists
• Webull logo (shows your funding and order history)
• Markets
• Menu

This sounds straightforward enough but there’s just so much going on under each tab, making it quite difficult to navigate and the process of actually making a trade isn’t particularly intuitive.

There’s no simple journey for finding and buying a stock, it feels a bit all over the place. It’s definitely an app geared more towards experienced traders than complete beginners.

How to sign up for Webull

The sign-up process for Webull isn’t the slickest, but it’s quite straightforward. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Head to the Webull app or website. You can begin the registration process on the web desktop or by downloading the app, and you’ll need your phone number.
2. Enter your details. You’ll need to provide your personal information, including your employment details, investing habits, and current net wealth.
3. Get verified. The next step is to show proof of address, and verify your identity with current ID and a selfie.
4. Agree to terms and sign W-8BEN. As you’d expect, there’s a bunch of terms and conditions to sign, along with an electronic W-8BEN form, which confirms you’re not a US tax resident.
5. Submit and await verification. Once you’ve submitted all your details, the Webull team will verify everything. This took around 20 minutes for us.
6. Set up security details. After being verified, Webull will prompt you to set up a “trading password” which is a 6-digit pin, and also pick some security questions.
7. Deposit funds. When everything is set up, you can deposit funds in-app or on the website. We struggled with the in-app service and had to use the web option, but this may just be some teething problems.

What does the Webull app look like?

Frequently asked questions

• Can you use Webull in the UK?

  Yes. UK investors are now able to trade and invest using Webull.

• What is the downside to Webull?

  The biggest downside is that you can only trade US stocks on the Webull app and it’s not completely free – there are small trading and foreign exchange (FX) commissions to pay.

• Can you actually make money on Webull?

  Yes, but whether you make money or not will come down to the strength of your investments rather than the app or platform you’re using.

• Do I actually own my shares on Webull?

  Yes, it’s real stocks and shares, not derivatives.

• How much money do you need to start trading on Webull?

  There’s no minimum deposit, however, any trade you place must be for at least $5 worth of stock.