Which Robo-Advisor is Best in the UK? – Expert Analysis
My independent analysis of fees, assets, features, platforms, and ready-made portfolio returns to identify the best robo-advisors available in the UK. Read my full article for a complete breakdown of each platform’s strengths and weaknesses.
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All investing carries risk, the information provided is for educational purposes only. Investing Insiders does not offer advisory services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell stocks, securities or other investment vehicles. Some or all of the products displayed on this page are from partners that compensate us. It does not influence the products we review or the location of the product on the page. Our research and analysis is 100% independent
All investing carries risk, the information provided is for educational purposes only. Investing Insiders does not offer advisory services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell stocks, securities or other investment vehicles. Some or all of the products displayed on this page are from partners that compensate us. It does not influence the products we review or the location of the product on the page. Our research and analysis is 100% independent
Last Update: 4 months ago
My top picks
4.5/5
InvestEngine – Lowest-cost robo-advisor with access to 690 ETFs
As with all investing, your capital is at risk. Tax treatments depend on your individual circumstances and may change in the future. The value of your portfolio with Nutmeg can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invest.
4.0/5
Moneyfarm – Best for 5.3% gross annualised yield on savings (variable)
Human investment consultants are available free of charge
Account types including S&S ISA, Cash ISA, Junior ISA, SIPP and general investing
As with all investing, your capital is at risk. Tax treatments depend on your individual circumstances and may change in the future. The value of your portfolio with Moneyfarm can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invest.
My tip: Robo-advisors are great platforms if you are completely new to investing. However, if you don’t mind choosing your risk level yourself, there are other platforms offering A ready-made portfolio is a pre-made collection of investments that have been put together by investment experts. They are designed to be a simple option for those who don’t want to choose individual stocks or funds for themselves.ready-made portfolios that have historically performed better. Skip to the bottom of this article for more detail.
With investments, your capital is at risk. This could mean the value of your investments goes down as well as up. T&Cs apply.
Reasons to use
Very low cost with zero fees for DIY investing
DIY and fully managed portfolios
690 ETFs to choose from
Reasons to avoid
Limited education
Only ETFs available
No live chat
No historical performance data available
Antonia says:
These are the lowest fees you will find anywhere. Low fees mean you get to keep more of your investment gains, so that’s a major plus.
The fees are at their lowest when you choose your own investments. However, in the 3 months since I opened my account, my DIY portfolio has continued to outperform the ready-made option. Head over to my main review for more details on this.
It’s important to point out that InvestEngine has refused to provide us with data relating to the historical performance of its A ready-made portfolio is a pre-made collection of investments that have been put together by investment experts. They are designed to be a simple option for those who don’t want to choose individual stocks or funds for themselves.ready-made portfolios.
This platform is limited to ETFs; however, ETFs are an easy way to gain exposure to hundreds of assets, offering immediate diversification.
Use this if
You are a long-term investor looking for very low costs
You are happy to only invest in ETFs
You may like the option to choose your own funds
Fees
Zero account fees Sometimes called an investment ISA, a stocks and shares ISA is an individual savings account that allows you to invest in shares, unit trusts, investment funds, and bonds. You will not need to pay tax on any income or capital gains earned on investments within an ISAISA, General investment account (GIA) is an account designed to provide access to investments. You may be liable for tax on any income or capital gains earned within a general investment account but this can be a useful vehicle for anyone who has maxed out their ISA allowanceGIA and Business Account
0.15% A self-invested personal pension (SIPP) is a type of private pension that allows you to control the specific investments that make up your pension fundSIPP fee capped at £200
Zero fees on DIY portfolio
0.25% managed portfolio fee
ETF fees start at 0.03%
Market spread averaging 0.07%
ETF Investments
ESG is an investment approach that takes environmental, social and ethical governance factors into account alongside more traditional financial factors.ESG
Thematics
Dividend focused funds
Emerging markets
Small cap
Scores
Fees:
5.0
Trading platform:
4.0
Account opening:
4.5
Research:
4.0
Education:
3.0
Customer service:
4.0
For a detailed analysis of InvestEngine services, check out our review for 2025
A ready-made portfolio is a pre-made collection of investments that have been put together by investment experts. They are designed to be a simple option for those who don’t want to choose individual stocks or funds for themselves.Ready-made portfolios have historically done better than any other robo-advisors
Cash ISA interest rate of 5.00% The annual equivalent rate (AER) is used to describe the percentage of interest you’ll receive on your savings and investments. AER accounts for compound interest whereas the gross interest rate does not. AER is also known as APY (the annual percentage yield). AER
Good savings tools
Reasons to avoid
£1 monthly subscription fee
Limited to mobile app
Does not match you to a portfolio
Antonia says
This isn’t strictly a robo-advisor, and it definitely isn’t cheap, so why have I made it my top choice?
Moneybox has the best-performing ready-made portfolios cumulatively for the last 5 years in any Sometimes called an investment ISA, a stocks and shares ISA is an individual savings account that allows you to invest in shares, unit trusts, investment funds, and bonds. You will not need to pay tax on any income or capital gains earned on investments within an ISAISA online. That means that they are still an excellent starting option for a complete beginner who would rather have their investments managed for them, and this would have represented the best return on investment while still being shielded from the taxman.
Moneybox also offers 5.00% AER for the first 12 months on their A Cash ISA (Individual Savings Account) is a tax-free savings account where you earn interest without having to pay tax on it, allowing you to grow your savings more efficiently. Cash ISA. So, while they won’t match you with a risk-rated portfolio, this is still a great option for lots of savers and investors.
Use this if
You are looking for a very simple option where all the decisions are made for you
You would like to access complimentary assistance from a wealth manager
Fees
0.7% – 1.15% for portfolios ranging from fully managed to fixed allocation.
As with all investing, your capital is at risk. Tax treatments depend on your individual circumstances and may change in the future. The value of your portfolio with Moneyfarm can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invest.
Reasons to use
Good place to earn income on savings you may need to access
If an ISA is flexible, you’re able to withdraw money and pay it back in, without it counting twice within your annual ISA allowance. It must be repaid within the same tax year it’s withdrawn to be eligible, however.Flexible ISA
Complimentary access to investment consultants
Reasons to avoid
Below-average historical performance on A ready-made portfolio is a pre-made collection of investments that have been put together by investment experts. They are designed to be a simple option for those who don’t want to choose individual stocks or funds for themselves.ready-made portfolios
£500 minimum investment
Expensive for small portfolios
Antonia says:
Below-average performance of the ready-made portfolios at Moneyfarm, coupled with higher-than-average fees, is a cause for concern. However, there is plenty of choice for those who would like to take a bit more of an active role, with the added bonus of a team of investment consultants on hand with complimentary advice.
Moneyfarm has recently launched direct access to stocks, ETFs, and Mutual funds enable you to pool your money with other investors to ‘mutually’ buy stocks, bonds, and other investments. They are run by professional money managers.mutual funds. There is also Liquidity+, a money market fund that invests in very low-risk debt securities and is currently offering a 5.3% variable, making this a good option for funds you may need to get your hands on.
However, a word of advice. You have two options for a ‘done for you’ service here, one which is passively managed and one which is actively managed. The actively managed portfolio is, as you would expect, the more expensive of the two, but our analysis has shown that this won’t necessarily result in greater gains. Read my full review for more information on this.
Use this if
You feel your finances would benefit from the advice of a human investment consultant.
You may like to branch out into picking your own investments alongside a fully managed service.
Fees
£3.95 flat fee on all share dealing trades
£5.95 trades on bonds
0.70% FX fee
Sometimes called an investment ISA, a stocks and shares ISA is an individual savings account that allows you to invest in shares, unit trusts, investment funds, and bonds. You will not need to pay tax on any income or capital gains earned on investments within an ISAISA custody fee of 0.35% capped at £45 a year for share investing
A bit like a ready-made meal that you can select straight off the shelf, a ready-made portfolio is a collection of assets that have been selected by an investment expert. They utilise financial planning and investment strategies in order to provide investors with a simplified way to enter the market in a diversified way and in line with their appetite for risk. Investors simply select their risk level themselves, or alternatively, are recommended a portfolio by a robo-advisor.
For more information on ready-made portfolios and to see a complete picture of performance across the entire industry, click here.
Ready-made portfolio performance
Ultimately, the goal of investing is to grow your wealth, and in the case of a robo-advisor, this all comes down to the performance of the ready-made portfolio you are matched with.
Here at Investing Insiders, we have conducted independent research into the performance of the portfolios for 1, 3, 5, and 10 years cumulatively so you can see where your money would have grown the most during that time period. Click the toggle at the top of the graph to change the time frame.
It’s important to remember that while past performance can provide you with insight into how effectively the portfolio in question is being managed, it is not a guarantee of future results.
Actively Managed vs. Passively Managed
As you can see from the table above, you will pay more for an actively managed portfolio. This is because actively managed portfolios require regular human intervention in order to tweak the asset allocation within the portfolio in response to changes in the market. Here at Investing Insiders, we are currently conducting analysis into whether having your portfolio actively managed is worth the additional cost you will incur.
Whilst this research is ongoing, preliminary results from 2023 on Moneyfarm portfolios have indicated that the passively managed portfolios actually outperformed the actively managed portfolios. This is especially true for lower-risk portfolios.
What is a robo-advisor?
A robo-advisor is an online investment platform that is designed to make investing as easy as possible. They are a solution for people who would like to invest but don’t know where to start and would rather avoid the cost of a wealth manager.
Robo-advisors aim to keep costs low when compared to traditional wealth management by employing algorithms, hence requiring minimal human intervention. They typically use data collected when a user opens their account in order to offer tailored advice on how to invest their money in line with their financial goals and risk tolerance.
Typically, an account is very easy to set up, requiring the user to answer a series of questions about their financial situation and future goals via an online survey. This information is then used to offer investment strategies that are inexpensive.
How I score the platforms on this list
Robo advisors are intended as a solution for beginners and intermediate investors looking for low-cost opportunities to grow their wealth. With this in mind, I have personally downloaded, deposited, and invested funds on all the platforms on this list. There are additional robo-advisors that I have tested in this way that have not made it onto my list, such as Wealthify. This is because, for whatever reason, I have not found them worthy of recommendation.
To find out more about each of these platforms, you can go to the main reviews, where I go into considerable detail on the features, fees, performance, and services of each platform.
For more information on how we conduct our reviews and score the platforms, click here
Ready-made portfolios that have performed better
Outside of robo-advisors, the platform that has achieved the best returns over the past 5 years, net of fees, with a A ready-made portfolio is a pre-made collection of investments that have been put together by investment experts. They are designed to be a simple option for those who don’t want to choose individual stocks or funds for themselves.ready-made portfolio, is eToro. The portfolio that has performed the best is called Four Largest Tech Giants (@Four-Horsemen). Before you rush to buy shares in that portfolio, it is important to know that this is a very risky investment, as this portfolio only holds 4 assets and is lacking in any sort of diversification:
MSFT – Microsoft
GOOGL – Alphabet
AMZN – Amazon
AAPL – Apple
However, had you held shares in that portfolio for the last five years, you would have experienced returns of 230.2%. When you pitch that against the best-performing portfolio from the robo-advisor category of 64.9% (Moneybox’s adventurous portfolio), you see just how well it has done.
Even if you were to take a less risky strategy and decide to put your money into an index fund that tracks the S&P 500, you would have returned 83.2%, which still outperforms the top robo-advisor portfolio.
What our independent analysis has revealed is that, more often than not, ready-made portfolios are underperforming the market.
* Wondering whether we get paid for writing good things about platforms? Good question! It’s how many comparison sites get paid.
The answer is – no, we proudly do things a little differently at Investing Insiders. Our sole criteria is what’s best for you – the consumer. So, although we do receive a commission if you choose to click through and open an account from any of our reviews, we will never bend our opinions to suit the requests of providers, or the needs of our bank balance. Bottom line – what you read on this page is what I’d recommend to my family, friends and colleagues, and indeed, what I choose for my own money.
Moneybox has the best returns of all the platforms on this list; however, it is missing some of the robo-advisory services, such as identifying your risk profile and matching you to an appropriate portfolio. The second highest-performing robo-advisor is Nutmeg.
If your major obstacle to starting your investing journey is confidence, then a robo advisor is a great place to start. Also, robo-advisors will often offer additional services, such as high-interest savings accounts and tools to help you put money aside for investing. However, the cost associated with these services will start to erode your gains over time, and therefore you should be aware of fees. InvestEngine is one of the cheapest ways to invest, but it only offers ETFs.
The biggest downfall of robo-advisors is almost certainly the performance of their ready-made portfolios. Some of the options I’ve listed also offer access to tracker funds and ETFs, which, whilst more volatile, will almost certainly increase your gains over the long term.
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