In this guide

  • Our verdict
  • How we rated Stake's investment features
  • Stake fees
  • Stake investment choice and stocks
  • Is Stake safe and legit?
  • Stake account types and products
  • Stake ease of use
  • Stake customer reviews
  • Stake tools, resources and features
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Your reviews
Stake
3.9
★★★★★
Finder score
3.7
★★★★★
Capital at risk
Price per trade
US: £0
Min. initial deposit
£50
Offer
Join and receive a free share worth up to £100

Our verdict

Stake is a low-cost investing app that’s useful for buying and selling US stocks, but there are some costs and limitations UK investors should be aware of.

Stake has made a name for itself by helping open up the US stock market to international retail investors. With its straightforward account system and simple, transparent fee structure, it’s a good choice for investors of all stripes wanting to invest in thousands of US stocks.

While there are probably cheaper options for those just looking to get started or make a small number of trades, the paid Stake account plan offers more bells and whistles at a reasonable price.

Investors looking to diversify will need another brokerage or platform to access non-US stocks, but if you’re looking to expand your portfolio options, or are only interested in US stocks, Stake is worth checking out.

Pros

  • Free plan available with no platform fee
  • Unlimited free trades on all accounts
  • Over 6,000 US stocks and ETFs
  • Low commissions
  • Fractional shares

Cons

  • Need to use paid plan to access all features
  • US stocks only
  • Only a GIA available, no tax-efficient accounts
  • Deposit and withdrawal fees

In this guide

  • Our verdict
  • How we rated Stake's investment features
  • Stake fees
  • Stake investment choice and stocks
  • Is Stake safe and legit?
  • Stake account types and products
  • Stake ease of use
  • Stake customer reviews
  • Stake tools, resources and features
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Your reviews

How we rated Stake's investment features

FeatureRatingDetails
Fees

★★★★★ 3.7/5

Stake offers quite good value for investors but it’s not the cheapest place to invest.
Investment choice

★★★★★4.1/5

It offers plenty of US stocks, but is limited in the investments available.
Safety and security

★★★★★ 3.6/5

Overall, Stake offers a secure place to invest but the only concern is lack of FSCS protection.
Account types and products

★★★★★ 2.9/5

The platform is limited when it comes to account types, with only a GIA.
Ease of use

★★★★★ 4/5

Stake offers an investing experience that most users seem happy with.
Tools, resources and features

★★★★★ 3/5

Stake offers a limited range of tools and additional features.

Stake lets you invest in thousands of US stocks and ETFs with its mobile and desktop apps. It has a range of features designed to help you along the way. Stake has 2 tiers to choose between: Stake and Stake Black. We’ve summed up the features of the different tiers available and some pros and cons of Stake.

Stake fees

Fees score

★★★★★

Platform fee Stake
£0

Stake Black
£8.50/month (or £90 yearly)
UK sharesN/A
US stocks$3 (0.1% for trades over $30,000)
International sharesN/A
Funds/ETFs$3 (0.1% for trades over $30,000)
Foreign exchange (FX) fee0.5% ($2 minimum)
Regular investingNo
Withdrawal/deposit feeDeposits
£0 (0.5% FX fee applies to deposits/withdrawals, and additional 0.5% for instant funding)

Withdrawals
$2 (minimum withdrawal $10)
Inactivity fee£0

Stake offers pretty low fees for investing in US stocks but some of the best trading apps are cheaper (or free). And there are a few little charges scattered around Stake that are worth being aware of.

With the free Stake account, there’s no platform fee, but there is a $3 commission to pay when buying or selling stocks and ETFs. For any high rollers who make trades worth more than $30,000 – the commission is 0.1%.

Another slight drag with Stake is that although the 0.5% FX fee is quite competitive, the $2 minimum fee isn’t ideal if you wanted to make smaller deposits to buy fractional shares. Rather than paying the FX when you make trades, you’ll pay it on deposits and withdrawals as the accounts are denominated in USD.

There’s also an additional 0.5% (£2 minimum) for instant deposits. And, a cheeky $2 withdrawal fee that’s buried in the smallprint as a “bank processing” fee (with $10 minimum withdrawals).

If you want a Stake Black account, you’ll need to pay a £8.50 monthly account fee (or £90 yearly), but will also get more advanced trading features.

Stake investment choice and stocks

Investment choice score

★★★★★

Asset options2+
Markets1+
Number of investments6,000+
Number of ETFs/funds1,500+
Fractional shares
Minimum deposit£50
Minimum investment$1

Stake focuses purely on US-listed stocks and this is one of the biggest limitations with the trading app.

It may suit those who want to concentrate on US stocks and ETFs, there are more than 6,000 available, but investors looking to trade UK shares or investments from further afield will need to look elsewhere.

The lack of other asset types isn’t ideal, but Stake could still act as your one-stop-shop to invest in US stocks. Keep in mind your first minimum deposit must be at least £50.

Is Stake safe and legit?

Safety and security score

★★★★★

Biometric login/2FA
FCA regulated
FSCS protection
SSL certificate
Public company

Stake is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and executes your trades through a 3rd party broker called DriveWealth. One major downside with Stake is that it doesn’t come with Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protection.

One upside is that for your US investments, because Stake’s US broker-dealer, DriveWealth is FINRA regulated and a registered member of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) – your US securities are protected up to the value of $500,000 (and $250,000 for cash claims) should Stake fail.

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

Stake account types and products

Account types and products score

★★★★★

General investment account (GIA)
Stock and shares ISA
Self-invested personal pension (SIPP)
Lifetime ISA (LISA)
Junior ISA (JISA)/Junior SIPP (JSIPP)
Business Account
Interest on cash balances

Unfortunately, Stake offers UK investors access only to a general investment account (GIA). This is common practice among international platforms launching in the UK and is definitely a downside compared with most UK-based share dealing platforms.

So, you’ll need to look elsewhere if you want to make the most of a tax-efficient “wrapper” like a stocks and shares ISA for investments or a self-invested personal pension (SIPP) for your retirement portfolio.

With a Stake account, you can invest as much as you like. However, you should be aware that if your stock portfolio grows, any potential gains 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.

You should also brush up on US tax rules. When you sign up and submit your W-8BEN, you make a declaration that you’re not a US tax resident, so you don’t need to file a tax return there. However, dividends from US stocks will automatically be subject to a 15% withholding tax (WHT), but Stake will handle this on your behalf. But Stake does pass on some other small US taxes like a $0.01 SEC fee and a $0.01 TAF fee.

Stake ease of use

Ease of use score

★★★★★

Apple iOS rating4.5/5
Google Play rating3.9/5
Ways to contact customer serviceContact form
UI/UXGood
Desktop or mobile appBoth

Stake scored fairly well in our ease of use assessment. The app has pretty positive reviews, however we’re not big fans of the fact that you can only get hold of customer support through an online contact form.

The app is well-designed and you’re also able to invest using either the mobile app or the web desktop platform. On the App Store, Stake scores 4.5 out of 5, but on Google Play it has a lower 3.9 out of 5 (as of January 2024).

Stake customer reviews

ScoreRating
Trustpilot1.9/5
User reviews3.7/5

Unfortunately, Stake scores a pretty lowly 1.9 out of 5, with a “poor” rating on Trustpilot, but only from just over 100 reviews (as of January 2024).

For other user reviews submitted to Finder, Stake scores 3.7 out of 5.

Stake tools, resources and features

Tools, resources and features

★★★★★

Analysis features
Tools for investing/trading
Social features
Learning resources
Additional Features

Stake offers a decent range of investing tools and analysis features but it’s not the complete package.

If you sign up for Stake Black, you do get access to more features but we’re not entirely convinced it’s worth the monthly fee. With Stake Black you get all the features of the free plan plus:

Price targets. You can see what experts are valuing stocks at.
Pro level data. Full financial data on every company.
Analyst ratings. See what Wall St pros are saying about each stock.
Instant buying power. Your funds from sell trades can be invested right away.

Here’s a quick view of the two brokerage packs that Stake offers:

FeatureStandardBlack
CostFree£8.50/month
Fractional shares
Advanced order types
Trade on unsettled funds
Analyst ratingsPartialFull
Company financialsPartialFull

Frequently asked questions

Share dealing platform scores

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

Finder scores, in blue, are based on our expert analysis. We also show reviews from users, where we've received more than 10, with a score in yellow. We gather more reviews from customers every year in Finder's customer satisfaction survey.

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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