If it’s about saving for a first home as quickly as possible, then a
My independent analysis of fees, assets, features, platforms, and
5/5
Moneybox – Best performing ready-made
Join over 1 million other investors and start investing from as little as £1
Fully featured platform including S&S ISA, LISA, SIPP, Cash ISA
Capital at risk.
4.5/5
AJ Bell – Best for investors looking for DIY and fully managed options.
Switch your account and receive up to £500
Refer a friend who transfers at least £10,000 and you both receive £100 in Amazon vouchers
Capital at risk.
4.5/5
Dodl – Best for beginners looking for a simple, low-cost entry point and best interest rate (5.09%) on uninvested cash.
Zero-commission stock trading
4.84% AER variable on cash (ISA and LISA)
Capital at risk.
4.0/5
Nutmeg – Best for access to human wealth managers.
Extremely user friendly for beginners
Full range of account types including S&S ISA, SIPP, JISA and LISA
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.
2.0/5
Hargreaves Lansdown – Best premium service from an established brand.
Longest established investment platform
One of the most comprehensive ranges of investment options
Capital at risk.
My tip: Be aware of the rules surrounding this product before you open an account as there are penalties involved should you access your money for anything other than purchasing your first home, or retirement.
*Not sure how to choose? Skip to my tips on how to choose the best
5/5
– Best performing ready-made
Join over 1 million other investors and start investing from as little as £1
Fully featured platform including S&S ISA, LISA, SIPP, Cash ISA
Capital at risk.
Our independent research of historical returns has identified Moneybox as the best-performing
This is also a solid option for those seeking a safer alternative, as the Cash LISA at Moneybox currently has an interest rate of 5%
.
The app is super easy to use, and of course, Moneybox comes with loads of great savings features such as round-ups, which could just help you purchase your new home that little bit quicker. There is also mortgage advice, a free deposit calculator, automatic deposits, and a Home-buying ‘Gifts’ feature that allows friends and family to contribute towards your home deposit.
Use this if
Fees
Investments
3.5
4.0
5.0
3.5
3.5
3.5
For a detailed analysis of Monebox, check out our review for 2024
Read full review5out of 5
4.5/5
– Best for investors looking for DIY and fully managed options.
Switch your account and receive up to £500
Refer a friend who transfers at least £10,000 and you both receive £100 in Amazon vouchers
Capital at risk.
AJ Bell offers a really low-cost option for a
The average historical returns on their
Investors with a bit more knowledge will enjoy the range of shares, funds, investment trusts and ETFs to choose from.
You won’t find a
Use this if
Fees
Investments
4.5
4.5
5.0
4.5
5.0
5.0
For a detailed analysis of AJ Bell, check out our review for 2024
Read full review4.5/5
– Best for beginners looking for a simple, low-cost entry point and best interest rate (5.09%) on uninvested cash.
Zero-commission stock trading
4.84% AER variable on cash (ISA and LISA)
Capital at risk.
This is one of the best value
In fact Dodl provide market leading education and will even pay 5.09% on any uninvested cash while you get the hang of investing.
At Dodl there is also the added comfort of knowing that they are part of a big legacy brand, making this a reliable option. They also provide a great level of customer service so newbies are fully supported along the way.
Investors can pick from
Use this if
You are looking for a really pared-back, cheap and easy service that is quick to get up and running.
Fees
Investments
5.0
4.5
5.0
1.5
5.0
3.5
For a detailed analysis of Dodl, check out our review for 2024
Read full review4.0/5
– Best for access to human wealth managers.
Extremely user friendly for beginners
Full range of account types including S&S ISA, SIPP, JISA and LISA
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.
Nutmeg are a great option for home savers who would like the maximum amount of assistance with investment decisions. As a robo-advisor, they will take you through a series of questions that are designed to match you with a portfolio to suit your circumstances and risk tolerance.
It would be remiss not to mention that their managed portfolios have seen fairly poor returns so, here at Investing Insiders we had a look at how these returns compared to the less expensive fixed allocation portfolios. We were surprised to learn that with the exception of the lowest risk portfolio, fixed allocation has actually outperformed fully managed for the past five years net of fees. This could help some investors make a more informed decision.
Use this if
Fees
Investments
4.0
4.5
4.5
4.0
3.0
5.0
Click here to read a full review
Read full review2.0/5
– Best premium service from an established brand.
Longest established investment platform
One of the most comprehensive ranges of investment options
Capital at risk.
Hargreaves Lansdown has a long-standing reputation for offering a best-in-class service, albeit at a significant cost. This is the largest fund supermarket in the UK, with over 3,500 funds to choose from, so if you are the sort of investor who finds this breath of choice intimidating, you may be best served elsewhere.
Education is excellent here and there is the option to access financial advice
on the phone or in person; however, this does come at a cost that is akin to the industry standard.
Hargreaves Lansdown has recently reduced their account fees for the
Use this if
Fees
Management Fees:
Share Dealing fees:
Investments
2.5
4.0
3.5
3.5
3.5
4.0
To read our detailed no stone left unturned review of Hargreaves Lansdown
Read full reviewA Lifetime ISA is an account designed to help people save for their first home or for retirement. Every deposit you make into a Lifetime ISA will attract a healthy government bonus of 25%, making this the most efficient way to save. However, you must be between the ages of 18 and 39 to open one of these accounts and there are a number of additional rules that you should familiarise yourself with before you open a Lifetime ISA. For more information please refer to my article Everything you need to know about Lifetime ISAs.
The cost to hold a stocks and shares
Of course, it is important to remember that cost is not the only factor to take into consideration. How your investments perform is equally important when it comes to making your money grow. For new investors seeking a ready-made portfolio that is managed by experts, this becomes particularly crucial.
Ready-made portfolio performance
The following analysis has been conducted in-house and is exclusive to Investing Insiders.
In order to help you select the very best vehicle for your Lifetime ISA, we have analysed the portfolio performance across the platforms offering this account. Please note that as part of AJ Bell, Dodl offers the same portfolios, and therefore they have been omitted from this analysis.
As you can see, Moneybox has retained the lead when it comes to performance across all time scales. Of course, this does not mean that Moneybox will continue to lead the way when it comes to returns, as past performance can never guarantee future returns, however, it can indicate consistency in the management of the portfolio.
It’s actually surprising how few providers offer stocks and shares
Right at the top of this list is Moneybox. Almost certainly, if I was still within the age range to open a Lifetime ISA, Moneybox would be my first choice. The performance of their ready-made portfolios is just too obvious to ignore and in my youth, I knew too little of how to make good investment decisions to warrant picking my own assets.
That being said, if you are knowledgeable about the stock market and think you could beat those returns, (a simple tracker fund could suffice), then AJ Bell has an excellent choice of assets which still come within a reasonable price range.
This quite simply comes down to experience. How much knowledge do you have of the stock market? Would you be able to resist making emotional decisions should your investments fall?
Beginners
If you have little to no experience and are looking for an easy, time-efficient way to invest your money in a
Of these three choices, Nutmeg is the most expensive option with the poorest performing portfolios so that would be easy to discount as an option. Net of fees, Moneybox would have seen the best return on your investment for the last 10 years and would therefore be an obvious choice.
Intermediate/experienced
For those with more investment experience, your choices would be between:
Of these two options, AJ Bell is the most cost-effective solution in almost every circumstance and would therefore be my first choice.
Then your decision is easy. Investing should always be considered a long-term endeavour with a minimum period of 5 years in order to ride out any volatility in the market. If you are holding your
It is my finding that Moneybox is offering the best Lifetime ISA for beginners and AJ Bell are a compelling alternative for experienced investors. This is based on price, portfolio performance, range of assets and features.
Yes, Moneybox has all the correct levels of authorisation and regulation and was deemed completely safe during our review. They also offer protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £85,000 should the platform fail for any reason.
It is my opinion that this is an under-utilised product for those saving for their first home. The government bonus would have a significant impact on growing your savings. However, you should be aware of the price cap on the value of the property you buy, especially for those living in London. I would also be more reluctant to recommend it as a vehicle for saving for retirement. For more information on this please refer to my guide on Lifetime ISAs.
Yes, you can swap providers at any time and as often as you wish. If you currently have a Lifetime ISA and have doubts about the performance or costs associated with your current provider then you should definitely consider transferring your Lifetime ISA to one of the providers above.
No, the maximum you can put into a Lifetime ISA in any one financial year is £4,000. However, if you wish to save more than this towards a property, you can put a further £16,000 into any other ISA product including a Stocks and Shares ISA or a Cash ISA. While this won’t attract the government bonus, these products will still provide you with the opportunity to grow your wealth either via interest or by investing in the stock market. If you do decide to do this, Moneybox have an excellent interest rate on their cash ISA which I utilise myself. You could also access the same ready-made portfolios, and their historically favourable returns, with the stocks and shares ISA.
* 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.
Due to the rules laid out by HMRC, which stipulate that individuals only contribute to one Lifetime ISA in any one tax year, there are occasions whereby I have opened a General Investment Account in order to test the platforms and the services they offer. This has, in no way, hindered my research of the platforms in order to provide you with this list.