The best stocks & shares ISA for investing in 2026
Financial Interest was founded by Damien Talks Money (379,000 YouTube subscribers) to teach the personal finance lessons he wished he'd been taught at school.
Last updated 12th March 2026
23 min read
Choosing your first stocks & shares ISA or wondering whether your current investment platform still earns its keep? This guide is for you.
To find the best ISA for every type of investor, we've split this list into different categories:
- Best for ETF investing
- Best for shares
- Best for mutual funds
- Best traditional brokers
- Best robo advisors.
Fees compound just as reliably as returns, so that's the main thing we've focused on for each category – complete with costing examples based on realistic investing scenarios, so you can see what you'll actually pay without wading through pages of confusing small print.
Financial Interest provides guidance, not advice. If you’re unsure about anything, speak with a qualified adviser. When investing, your capital is always at risk. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Platform | Account and trading charges for ETFs (any balance) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Trading 212 | £0 | No account or trading fees |
| 2. InvestEngine | £0 | No account or trading fees, ETF-only platform |
| 3. Prosper | £0 | No account or trading fees, fund rebates on 30+ ETFs |
Our top three picks will charge nothing in platform fees assuming you only invest in ETFs. The only charge you’d face is fund fees, which you could eliminate altogether with Prosper.
Please note: We do not – and never will – take direct sponsorship from brokers. People trust what we say and we value that more than anything. We use affiliate links; here's our affiliate disclosure for more information on that.
1. Trading 212
Trading 212 takes the top spot here thanks to the way it combines ultra-low costs, ease of use, and one of the widest ETF selections available in a stocks & shares ISA.
You get access to hundreds of ETFs across global equities, bonds, regions, sectors and themes – all with zero platform fees and no dealing charges. For ETF investors who want flexibility without complexity, it's a tough combination to beat.
Key details
- No account or trading fees
- Over 4,600 ETFs to choose from
- Fractional investing, so you can start with as little as £1
- 4.05% interest on uninvested cash.
The only fee you'll pay with Trading 212 – aside from the underlying fund charges that apply wherever you invest – is a 0.15% FX fee when buying investments priced in a foreign currency.
One of Trading 212's standout features is its pie system. This lets you build your own portfolio of up to 50 ETFs, choose from ready-made portfolios, or pick one created by other users. You can then automate contributions with Autoinvest, making it a low-effort way to invest regularly without constantly making decisions.
We’re legally required to say: pies and autoinvest is an execution-only service, following your own investment decisions. You probably don’t know what that means – trust us, we get it. To simplify, it means Trading 212 is not responsible for the performance of your pies/investment portfolio.
The platform also leans heavily into social features. You can follow other investors, join discussions, and even view or copy other users' pies.
Uninvested cash held in a Trading 212 ISA or Invest account currently earns 4.05% interest too, so money sitting on the sidelines still earns something.
There is a catch though, so it's worth understanding how this interest is generated before relying on it.
One important downside to flag: Trading 212 offers (and even encourages) CFD trading. CFDs are complex, high-risk products that behave much more like speculation than long-term investing. The vast majority of retail investors lose money using them, and they're best avoided entirely.
Finally, Trading 212 doesn't currently offer mutual funds. If you want access to actively managed funds or traditional OEICs, you’ll need to look elsewhere (or skip to the next section!)
If you’re interested in setting up an account, check out our beginner's guide.
Get free fractional shares worth up to £100 when you join Trading 212 and deposit at least £1 via our link, or use promo code FIN within your account. Terms apply. Affiliate link.Promo code worth up to £100 with Trading 212
2. InvestEngine
InvestEngine calls itself "the ETF investing platform" for a reason – it only offers ETFs.
For the right investor, that focus is a real strength, removing much of the noise and the temptation that can derail a long-term investment plan.
If your goal is simple, low-cost, long-term investing, this single-minded approach makes InvestEngine one of the best platforms around.
Key details
- No account or trading fees
- A choice of 800+ ETFs
- Fractional investing, so you can start with as little as £1.
Like Trading 212, InvestEngine lets you build a portfolio made up of multiple ETFs with different weightings, then automate regular monthly contributions. You can either set up a savings plan, or autoinvest any spare cash in your account.
We’ve put together a full step-by-step guide to getting started with InvestEngine, which is worth a look if you’re new to ETF portfolios.
All platforms listed on this page are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and qualify for FSCS protection.
3. Prosper
Founded in 2021, Prosper is a relatively new entrant to the UK investing scene – and one that still flies under the radar compared with the bigger names.
That's a shame, because under the right circumstances, it's actually possible to invest with Prosper and pay no fees whatsoever.
Key details
- No account or trading fees
- 200+ funds, including ETFs and mutual funds
- Fractional investing available
- Fund fee rebates on 30+ ETFs.
Refunding fund management fees is genuinely unique in the stocks & shares ISA world, and it's clearly something Prosper is positioning as a core differentiator.
In practical terms, if you invest in one of these eligible funds, your investing fees are reduced to zero.
The list includes funds that many long-term investors already use, such as the Fidelity World Index Fund, Vanguard FTSE 100, and the iShares S&P 500 ETF.
So if Prosper can be the cheapest option on paper, why isn’t it our number one pick?
It mainly comes down to choice. Compared with some of the other platforms on this list, Prosper offers a more limited fund universe.
You won't find thousands of ETFs to browse through, and there’s less scope for hyper-specific regional or thematic investing. That said, unlike InvestEngine and Trading 212, Prosper does give you access to mutual funds, which will matter to some investors.
Within Prosper's stocks & shares ISA, you could also opt for their standard fund, which invests in BlackRock's MyMap 6 – an actively managed, multi-asset fund holding a mix of equities, bonds and cash.
We were also impressed by how quick and easy it is to get setup with Prosper. We were able to open an account in less than five minutes, and bank account connection is automated via TrueLayer (something many bigger platforms still don’t do).
Lightyear are definitely worth an honourable mention here, too. They're also a commission-free platform with a great app and hundreds of ETFs to choose from.
However, at the moment, you can only fractionally invest in the most frequently-traded GBP and EUR priced ETFs. That makes them a little less flexible than platforms that offer fractional investing across the board.
| Platform | £500 trade, GBP-listed stocks | £500 trade, non-GBP listed stocks | Fractional shares |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Trading 212 | £0 | 75p (0.15% FX fee) | ✅ |
| 2. Lightyear | £0 | 50p (0.10% FX fee) | ✅* |
| 3. Freetrade | £0 | £1.75 (0.99% FX fee) | ✅ |
None of our top picks for buying shares in individual companies charge account or trading fees, so the only cost you'd face when buying shares is potential FX fees when buying non-GBP listed stocks. With fractional shares, you can also buy parts of a share (rather than a whole unit) which makes investing significantly more accessible – and leaves less leftover cash sat in your account waiting until you can afford another one.
1. Trading 212
Once again, Trading 212 takes the top spot in this category thanks to its huge range of shares, low FX fees, and detailed information that makes researching and managing individual stocks really easy.
Key details
- No account or trading fees
- Access to 8,000+ global stocks
- 0.15% FX fee based on the true interbank rate
- Extended market hours on US stocks
- Free demo account to practise without risking real money
- 4.05% interest on uninvested cash.
Trading 212 really stands out for the depth of its research and screening tools. You can build personalised watchlists, filter stocks by theme or sector, and drill down into more niche criteria like companies reporting earnings before tomorrow's bell.
Price alerts let you track sudden moves without constantly checking the app, with notifications triggered if a share price rises or falls by a set percentage.
Each stock also comes with a detailed financials section, including key fundamentals, performance metrics and historical data, making it easier to understand what you're buying.
If you're new to buying shares, the free demo account is particularly valuable. It lets you practise investing with up to £50,000 of virtual money, so you can get comfortable placing trades and using the tools before committing real cash.
2. Lightyear
Another newer entrant to the fintech scene, Lightyear has no account fees, no trading fees and rock-bottom FX fees, making them another excellent low-cost option for share investors.
Key features
- No account or trading fees
- 0.10% FX fee
- Access to over 6,000 global stocks
- Extended trading hours for selected stocks
- Earn interest on uninvested cash
- Fractional investing only on selected US and EU stocks.
Lightyear's app is genuinely well designed and packed with features share investors will appreciate. You can browse stocks by popularity, sector, or region, set up watchlists, and get access to detailed financials, analyst ratings, and even AI-powered overviews for each company.
Lightyear has also now caught up with other platforms and finally started offering fractional investing on selected, popular US and EU stocks within their ISA.
While this is great news, it means you won't have as many options for fractional investing with Lightyear as you would on other platforms... at least, not yet. Almost all of the funds on the platform are available as fractional investments, but only around half of the shares are.
Lightyear also has a smaller range of stocks than Trading 212 – including around 400 fewer stocks priced in GBP. This can be slightly restrictive for investors who'd rather avoid the extra faff of currency conversion.
However, Lightyear does offer one of the lowest FX fees on the market – down from 0.35% to a barely noticeable 0.10%.
Get up to £100 of a US fractional share when joining Lightyear via our link, or using promo code ‘FIN’. Minimum deposit £100. T&Cs apply. Affiliate link.Free fractional shares worth up to £100 with Lightyear
3. Freetrade
Freetrade has enjoyed something of a resurgence after moving its stocks & shares ISA onto its Free plan. Until recently, investors had to pay £4.99 a month just to hold an ISA.
That shift puts them back in contention with platforms like Trading 212 for buying individual shares, as the only fee you'd face when trading is potential FX fees when trading in foreign currencies.
Key features
- No account or trading fees with Basic plan
- 0.99% FX fee
- Access to around 6,000 global stocks
- Earn interest on up to £1,000 of uninvested cash
- Extended trading hours on selected US stocks.
Only two features let Freetrade down somewhat.
Firstly, FX fees. On Freetrade's free plan, foreign currency trades come with a 0.99% FX fee – significantly higher than Trading 212's 0.15%. Over time, that difference can add up.
Secondly, while Freetrade’s interface is clean and beginner-friendly, Trading 212 offers a broader and more powerful set of tools to all users, while Freetrade still reserves some features (like analyst ratings and estimates) for paid users.
That said, Freetrade has now included access to a SIPP on its free plan plus the ability to invest in mutual funds – neither of which are currently offered by Trading 212.
Contribute £10,000 or more to your Freetrade ISA and/or SIPP and get 1% cashback. Sign up and claim the offer within the Rewards Hub. Terms apply. Affiliate link. Expiry date: 06/04/2026 Claim a free share worth between £10-£100 when joining Freetrade. Minimum deposit £50. Terms apply. Affiliate link.Get up to £5,000 cashback with Freetrade
Free share worth £10-£100 with Freetrade
| Platform | Regular investment (any balance) | 1 x yearly investment (any balance) | 3 x yearly investment (any balance) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Freetrade | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| 2. Scottish Widows | £0 | £5 (trading fee) | £15 (trading fee) |
| 3. Lloyds | £36 (account fee) | £37.50 (account plus trading fee) | £40.50 (account fee plus trading fees) |
Thanks to recent changes, Freetrade are the cheapest option for mutual funds as they don't charge account or trading fees.
Scottish Widows don’t charge account fees but do charge per trade if you don't use their regular investment service. Lloyds do charge an account fee but also give a discount to regular investors, and are a solid option for investors who prefer the reassurance of a larger provider.
1. Freetrade
You can now buy mutual funds and gilts on Freetrade's free plan – features that previously sat behind the £9.99-a-month tier.
Its app is also more information-rich, with decent filters and flexibility for investors who like to stay engaged – though it remains to be seen how much analysis they’ll reserve for paid users.
Freetrade offers 500+ mutual funds, including popular ranges such as Vanguard's LifeStrategy. That's a smaller selection than Scottish Widows, but enough to cover the funds most investors will want.
2. Scottish Widows (formerly iWeb)
We gave Scottish Widows (then iWeb) the crown for best platform for mutual funds in our 2025 awards video and since then, they've only improved.
There’s no platform fee, and you can even eliminate trading fees entirely:
Key features
- £5 per trade on UK shares and funds
- No trading fees when using a Regular Investment Plan
- No account fees
- A large selection of mutual funds (2,500 funds available in total).
Scottish Widows' Regular Investment Plan means you invest automatically, either by setting a fixed cash amount or by allocating a percentage of the available balance in your account.
Used this way, trades are free, which is a big deal for mutual fund investors who contribute regularly. Without a plan in place, the £5 dealing fee would start to add up quickly – but for anyone investing monthly or quarterly, this structure keeps costs very low with minimal effort.
3. Lloyds
Lloyds is also a decent pick for mutual fund investors who are happy to pay a bit more for the familiarity and perceived reassurance of a large, traditional provider.
Costs are higher than some of the newer platforms because they do charge an account fee. Like Scottish Widows, Lloyds waives dealing fees on funds when you use its regular investment service, though they charge a small-but-unavoidable account fee.
Key features
- £1.50 per fund trade, free when using the regular investment service
- Nearly 3,000 mutual funds, including a curated "select list" of 60 funds
- £36 annual account fee, charged as £18 twice a year.
If you're only investing in mutual funds through Lloyds and you use a regular investment plan, the £36 annual account charge would be your only cost (aside from standard fund fees).
ISA offers
You may lose money when investing.
Contribute £10,000 or more to your Freetrade ISA and/or SIPP and get 1% cashback. Sign up and claim the offer within the Rewards Hub. Terms apply. Affiliate link. Expiry date: 06/04/2026 Get free fractional shares worth up to £100 when you join Trading 212 and deposit at least £1 via our link, or use promo code FIN within your account. Terms apply. Affiliate link. Get 5% cashback up to £200 when you open a new IG account using the code CASHBACK200, invest at least £100, and hold it until 30th June 2026. Terms apply. Affiliate link. Expiry date: 30/03/2026 Get 1% cashback up to £3,000 when you transfer to IG using the code TRANSFER3K, make an investment, and hold it until 31st October 2026. Terms apply. Affiliate link. Expiry date: 05/04/2026 Claim a free share worth between £10-£100 when joining Freetrade. Minimum deposit £50. Terms apply. Affiliate link. Get up to £100 of a US fractional share when joining Lightyear via our link, or using promo code ‘FIN’. Minimum deposit £100. T&Cs apply. Affiliate link. Get £100 to £3,000 cashback with an Interactive Investor ISA, SIPP or Trading Account. Terms and fees apply. Affiliate link. Expiry date: 01/04/2026Get up to £5,000 cashback with Freetrade
Promo code worth up to £100 with Trading 212
Up to £200 cashback when you open a new IG account
Up to £3,000 cashback when you transfer to IG
Free share worth £10-£100 with Freetrade
Free fractional shares worth up to £100 with Lightyear
Get up to £3,000 cashback with Interactive Investor
Best traditional brokers
| Broker | One monthly ETF investment (direct debit), 10k pot | Once monthly ETF investment (direct debit), £300k pot | One monthly mutual fund investment (direct debit) 10k pot | Once monthly mutual fund investment (direct debit) £300k pot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. AJ Bell | £43 (0.25% account fee, 1.50 monthly trading fee) | £60 (£3.50 capped account fee, 1.50 monthly trading fee) | £43 (0.25% account fee, 1.50 monthly trading fee) | £693 (0.10% account fee on £250k+, £1.50 monthly trading fee) |
| 2. Fidelity | £53 (0.35% account fee £1.50 monthly trading fee) | £108 (£90 capped fee + £1.50 monthly trading fee) | £35 (0.35%, no trading fees apply) | £900 (0.20%, no trading fees apply) |
If you're looking for a broker you can pick up the phone and call rather than waiting around for a chatbot to respond, a more established broker might be the way to go.
For 2026, our two top picks are AJ Bell and Fidelity, due to their combination of (relatively) low fees, ease of use, and top-notch customer service for investors who want a bit more support.
However, which of these brokers is cheaper will depend on how you're investing, and how much you have in your pot.
Fidelity usually works out a bit more expensive than AJ Bell – but there are a couple of important exceptions.
For most investors, AJ Bell's lower 0.25% platform fee beats Fidelity's 0.35%, even once you factor in AJ Bell's unavoidable £1.50 trading charges for a monthly investment.
However, small pots are one exception.
If you're investing in mutual funds and your ISA is below around £18,000, Fidelity can actually be cheaper. That's because the £18 a year you'd pay in AJ Bell trading fees (but wouldn't be charged by Fidelity) will have more of an impact than Fidelity's slightly higher percentage fee at that size.
Large pots are the other exception.
Once your ISA grows beyond £250,000, Fidelity cuts its platform fee to 0.20% on the entire balance. At that point, Fidelity undercuts AJ Bell – at least for a while. For portfolios between roughly £250,000 and £390,000, Fidelity is the cheaper option.
Above that level, AJ Bell's tiered pricing kicks in more aggressively, and it once again pulls ahead on cost.
You'd also be better off with Fidelity if your total pot is £1 million or more, as at that point, you'd pay no account fees at all.
💡Compare fees, funds and more in a couple of clicks across all major brokers with our broker comparison tool.
1. AJ Bell
Around for 30 years and counting, AJ Bell is one of the UK's heavyweight brokers, and one of the biggest platforms out there. You'll find the whole investment menu, with a large range of ETFs, mutual funds, shares, bonds and more.
They're also a winner for investors looking for a bit more support: you can talk to a member of their team through their online chat function, or call their customer services team Monday to Saturday if you'd prefer.
Key details
- Must start with a £250 lump sum or £25 per month by direct debit
- Account fees for shares and ETFs are 0.25% (capped at £3.50 per month)
- Account fees for mutual funds are 0.25% up to £250,000, then 0.10% up to £500,000
- Dealing fees on shares, ETFs and mutual funds are £5, reduced to £3.50 if you make 10 or more trades in the previous month
- Regular investing drops the dealing fee to just £1.50 per trade.
How expensive it is to invest with AJ Bell will depend on what you’re buying and the amount you have to invest.
For example, if you're only investing in ETFs, you'd pay £42 in annual account fees plus dealing fees. However, if you were buying mutual funds and had a balance of say, £20,000, you could end up paying £50 in annual account fees, plus dealing fees. And if you can't commit to investing regularly, and don't like to trade often, the £5 dealing fees could prove pretty steep.
Their app is pretty slick and user-friendly, with some nice features like a charges calculator to help you figure out exactly how much you'll pay before you invest.
2. Fidelity
Fidelity has been around a long time. It launched in the UK in 1969 – the same year humans first walked on the moon – and now has nearly two million UK customers.
Again, its stocks & shares ISA is a full-service offering, with access to ETFs, mutual funds, gilts, bonds and individual shares.
Key details
- Minimum £1,000 lump sum investment or from £25 per month with a regular savings plan
- Account fees for mutual funds: 0.35% on balances up to £25,000, with a regular savings plan; 0.35% fee on balances between £25,000 and £250,000; 0.20% on balances between £250,000-£1 million
- Account fees for ETFs of 0.35% on balances up to £250,000 and 0.20% on £250,000+, capped at £7.50 per month
- No trading fees on mutual funds
- Trading fees of £7.50 for ETFs or shares, reduced to £1.50 with regular savings plan via direct debit.
If you're thinking about using Fidelity, it’s again worth paying close attention to the small print.
Dealing fees for shares and ETFs can be steep if you're placing ad-hoc trades, at £7.50 per trade. That drops to £1.50 if you invest regularly via direct debit. Mutual funds are different: there are no trading fees at all when buying or selling them.
That fee structure means Fidelity can actually work out surprisingly cost-effective for some investors, despite its higher headline platform charge – particularly if you're investing in mutual funds, or if you're not using a regular savings plan.
If all that sounds a bit complicated, they've got a fee calculator to help you estimate what you're likely to pay in practice.
Finally, a couple of extra positives: they don't charge platform fees on their junior ISA or junior SIPP, which makes them a strong option for long-term investing for children.
Vanguard: still a decent option for larger pots
Despite not making our top picks for traditional brokers – thanks to the £4-a-month minimum platform fee on balances under £32,000 and a higher all-round fee cap for ETF investors – Vanguard can still be the cheapest "traditional" option in certain situations.
The most you'll ever pay in Vanguard platform fees is £375 a year, and there are no trading fees.
For investors building a large mutual fund portfolio, that cap becomes increasingly valuable. Once your pot is in the mid-six figures and beyond, Vanguard's costs stop rising altogether, while both AJ Bell and Fidelity continue charging a percentage of your balance.
So, where you'd pay £693 on a £300,000 mutual fund pot with AJ Bell and £900 with Fidelity, with Vanguard, you'd pay the fixed £375.
Best robo advisors
| Platform | £10,000 investment | £50,000 investment | £100,000 investment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. IG Smart Portfolio ISA | £50 | £250 | £250 (capped fee) |
| 2. Moneybox | £57 (0.45% plus £1 monthly subscription fee) | £237 (0.45% plus £1 monthly subscription fee) | £462 (0.45% plus £1 monthly subscription fee) |
| 3. Moneyfarm | £70 (0.25% platform fee plus 0.45% management fee) | £350 (0.25% platform fee plus 0.45% management fee) | £575 (0.25% platform fee, reduced 0.20% management fee over £50,000) |
If you want a hands-off approach and would prefer a portfolio built and managed for you by experts, a robo advisor could make sense. While these services do make investing more expensive, our top three picks are about as cheap as it gets.
For the fee comparison above, we've assumed you opt for active management (though Moneyfarm offers a cheaper, more passive approach), and that you pay Moneybox's £1 per month subscription fee, which can be waived if you hold £5,000 in their cash ISA.
Because IG caps management fees at £250 and they don’t charge a platform fee, they're the cheapest across the board for all balances.
1. IG Smart Portfolio ISA
IG is best known as a heavyweight in the trading world, but their Smart Portfolio ISA offers a simple, managed route for hands-off investors. You can start with as little as £50, and everything's built from BlackRock’s iShares ETFs.
Key features
- 0.50% account fee, capped at £250 per year (once your pot hits £50,000)
- Start investing from £50
- Earn interest on uninvested cash.
IG offers five portfolio options, ranging from conservative to adventurous, all automatically rebalanced for you. Another handy bonus: you'll earn interest on any cash that isn't invested.
You'll be asked to complete a five-minute questionnaire, then you'll be asigned a portfolio based on your investment goals and timeline.
You can also mix and match – run a managed Smart Portfolio alongside IG's DIY investing service if you want more control. Just be aware the DIY platform is set up for confident investors with access to CFDs and spread betting, which most investors will want to steer well clear of.
Get 5% cashback up to £200 when you open a new IG account using the code CASHBACK200, invest at least £100, and hold it until 30th June 2026. Terms apply. Affiliate link. Expiry date: 30/03/2026 Get 1% cashback up to £3,000 when you transfer to IG using the code TRANSFER3K, make an investment, and hold it until 31st October 2026. Terms apply. Affiliate link. Expiry date: 05/04/2026Up to £200 cashback when you open a new IG account
Up to £3,000 cashback when you transfer to IG
2. Moneybox
Moneybox set out to help people "build wealth with confidence, whatever their starting point". They were one of the first apps to make roundups a thing, letting you invest your spare change automatically.
Key features
- £1 per month subscription fee (waived if you hold £5,000 or more in Moneybox's cash ISA)
- 0.45% platform fee
- Earn interest on uninvested cash
- Start investing with as little as £1.
Moneybox offers three portfolios, from cautious to adventurous, recommended based on your goals and risk tolerance. If you prefer, you can customise your asset allocation to build a personalised portfolio.
The flat 0.45% platform fee isn’t the lowest for bigger balances, but for smaller pots they're competitive – invest £10,000 and you’ll pay £57 a year, but this drops to £45 if you open a cash ISA and keep £5,000 in it. Their cash ISA also currently pays one of the most competitive interest rates on the market.
You'll also earn interest on uninvested cash, and you only need £1 to start. Portfolio options are simpler than some rivals, but you do get the option to customise, and the app is pretty slick and easy to use, too.
3. Moneyfarm
Moneyfarm started life in Italy and expanded to the UK in 2016. Investors can pick between actively managed portfolios or a lower-cost "fixed allocation" option, and fees go down as your balance grows.
Key details
- 0.25% platform fee (minimum £1.25 per month)
- Tiered pricing for active management: 0.45% on the first £50,000, dropping to 0.20% up to £100,000
- £500 minimum investment.
If you choose Moneyfarm's active management service, you’ll pay 0.45% for balances up to £50,000, plus platform fees of 0.25%.
If you prefer their "fixed" management option, which sticks to passive index trackers with less day-to-day tinkering, the fee drops to 0.15% per month for all balances – again, plus platform fees.
Although this does make Moneyfarm a more expensive option than Moneybox, one nice bonus is that once your balance is over £10,000, you get access to Moneyfarm's Investment Consultant team. That means you can actually speak to a real person for help or guidance if you need it. Plus, the option to choose a more passive investment style can bring prices down significantly.
We also need to give a nod to InvestEngine here, which would otherwise be one of our top robo advisor picks thanks to their low 0.25% annual charge for managed funds, all-round great user experience, and low fund fees.
Unfortunately, their "managed for you" portfolios have been unavailable for a while as they work on updating their portfolio questionnaire. We’ll be sure to update as soon as they’re back.
A few platforms we haven't included (and why)
You might notice a few popular platforms missing from this list, which is worth a quick explanation.
Firstly, XTB. They offer commission-free trading, and supports fractional shares. On paper, that puts them in similar territory to Trading 212, InvestEngine, and Freetrade.
However, whether fairly or not, XTB currently has the lowest Trustpilot score of any platform we reviewed, suggesting a more... mixed user experience.
It's also very heavily geared towards CFDs, which makes it harder to recommend confidently as a straightforward, long-term ISA platform.
We've also chosen not to include eToro. While they're growing in popularity, they aren't among the cheapest options – their monthly inactivity fee effectively penalises you for forgetting to log in.
Their stocks & shares ISA is actually provided by Moneyfarm, and the app experience makes it annoyingly easy to click out of the ISA wrapper and into CFD trading without realising.
And why haven't Vanguard made the traditional brokers list?
Well, as we noted earlier, after shifting from a 0.15% platform fee to a flat £4 a month for balances under £32,000, they're just not competitive on price any more, especially for smaller portfolios. On top of that, the Vanguard app remains incredibly bare-bones: limited features, clunky to use, and not what we’d expect from a brand of their size. Hopefully they’ll do more to impress us in the year ahead.
As for Hargreaves Lansdown, they would have made the list had it not been for the fee changes set to come into effect from March 2026, which reduce their headline platform fee but increase their fee cap.
This change is just a bit sneaky if you ask us, and will hit ETF investors with medium and large pots especially hard.
That said, we'll continue to keep a close eye on all four platforms and revisit if things change.
Financial Interest provides guidance, not advice. If you’re unsure about anything, speak with a qualified adviser. When investing, your capital is always at risk. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
