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AJ Bell: Best investment platform all-rounder

Insiders score

infoMore info
This is the score our team have awarded the platform based on our own personal experiences and other important factors, such as fees and ease of use.

4.5out of 5

AJ Bell was formed in 1995 and is now one of the UK’s leading online investment platforms. AJ Bell serves more than 484,000 customers, providing them with investment portfolios within SIPPs, ISAs and dealing accounts. It holds £76.2 billion of assets under administration and is listed on the FTSE 250.

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By Clare West

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4.5out of 5

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The Verdict

Average Success Rate

32.6%

infoAJ Bell 5-Year Avg
The following dataset includes the performances of ready-made portfolios/funds offered by investment platforms and may include both actively and passively managed ready-made portfolios/funds. Performance indicated is also net of all fees to 31st January 2024, unless stated otherwise; any tiered fee structure will be disclosed. Ready-made portfolios/funds that include cryptocurrencies or any other securities outside cash and equities are not included in the dataset. The dataset only includes ready-made portfolios/funds which are explicitly advertised by their respective platforms as being for ‘beginners’, and which are exclusively offered by the platform itself. Funds which are managed by other providers and may be identically offered across multiple platforms were not included in this dataset. For example, the Vanguard UK All Share Acc. ETF was offered by Plum, but as it is not directly managed by Plum and customers could reasonably access it on multiple platforms, it was not included for the purposes of this research. Other discretely advertised securities or investments are not included.

24.8%

infoIndustry avg.
The industry average is the median average of all fund/ready-made portfolio performance figures we collated from 23 investment providers. To see the full dataset, visit X page.
AJ Bell’s low fees, good choice of investment assets, and excellent customer service make it a frontrunner in many categories.

It’s a large and well-established provider, listed on the London Stock Exchange so investing here comes with a sense of security.

You can deal in most UK markets, and markets in 24 other countries, so it’s a wide range. It’s a shame, however, that you can’t buy fractional shares as those just starting out investing, with smaller budgets, could find themselves unable to get a slice of popular and expensive big-name stocks.

On cost overall, however, AJ Bell is cheap - arguably the cheapest UK investment platform for a SIPP or an ISA. It used to be the case that those low custody fees could be cancelled out by high dealing fees, but thanks to a recent price slash by AJ Bell (£9.99 down to £5.00 per trade for infrequent traders, and a drop-down to £3.50 for more than 10 trades per month), trading with AJ Bell no longer comes with a hefty price tag.

Low prices often mean poor service, but not so at AJ Bell. The customer service team quite rightly deserve their reputation as one of the best in the business.

Add in the excellent research functionality, its easy-to-use platform, and free educational guides, and it really is one of the best value platform choices on the UK market.

I chose AJ Bell to open a SIPP because their cost model suited my modest portfolio size, I felt comfortable using the platform, and the choice of assets and tools gave me plenty of room to grow as an investor. My only niggle - the lack of fractional share dealing. Other than that, I’ve found plenty to like about AJ Bell and can see why they remain one of the most popular platforms in the UK, although I urge you to read my full review if you plan on investing in funds as there’s a possibility you could end up paying over the odds for those.


arrow-down-orangeRead More
  • Verdict4.5
  • Ready-made Portfolio3.5
  • Fees4.5
  • Trading Platform4.5
  • Research4.5
  • Safety5.0
  • Education5.0
  • Customer Service5.0
  • Corporate Actions4.5

Who do I recommend it for?

Average Success Rate

32.6%

infoAJ Bell 5-Year Avg
The following dataset includes the performances of ready-made portfolios/funds offered by investment platforms and may include both actively and passively managed ready-made portfolios/funds. Performance indicated is also net of all fees to 31st January 2024, unless stated otherwise; any tiered fee structure will be disclosed. Ready-made portfolios/funds that include cryptocurrencies or any other securities outside cash and equities are not included in the dataset. The dataset only includes ready-made portfolios/funds which are explicitly advertised by their respective platforms as being for ‘beginners’, and which are exclusively offered by the platform itself. Funds which are managed by other providers and may be identically offered across multiple platforms were not included in this dataset. For example, the Vanguard UK All Share Acc. ETF was offered by Plum, but as it is not directly managed by Plum and customers could reasonably access it on multiple platforms, it was not included for the purposes of this research. Other discretely advertised securities or investments are not included.

24.8%

info Industry avg.
The industry average is the median average of all fund/ready-made portfolio performance figures we collated from 23 investment providers. To see the full dataset, visit X page.
arrow-down-orangeRead More
  • arrowVerdict
    4.5
  • arrowReady-made Portfolio:
    3.5
  • arrow Fees:
    4.5
  • arrowTrading Platform:
    4.5
  • arrowResearch:
    4.5
  • arrowSafety:
    5.0
  • arrowEducation:
    5.0
  • arrowCustomer Service:
    5.0
  • arrowCorporate Actions
    4.5

* 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.

update-icon

Updates

1 April 2024 AJ Bell improves the rates of interest paid on cash balances. Rates now extend to 2.70% for ISAs, and 3.95% for SIPPs.

1 April 2024 AJ Bell also announces reductions in dealing fees to £5.00 per trade, or £3.50 per trade if you trade more than ten times per month.

10 May 2024 Junior SIPP information updated based on feedback from James D.

Who do I recommend AJ Bell for?


AJ Bell is a great option for both experienced and inexperienced investors alike.

Although AJ Bell is pushing those who are new to investing towards their streamlined, ultra-low-cost investment service, Dodl, the main AJ Bell platform is still a solid option for beginners. The platform design is smart, making it simple to use, and oodles of FAQs, explainers, articles and guides mean it’s easy to get to grips with the hows, whys and whats of investing.

AJ Bell’s low-cost fees, charged on a percentage basis, means it’s a viable option for those with smaller portfolios, who won’t be disproportionately impacted by the flat fees charged by some competitors. A note of caution on fees, though: while custody fees are capped for those holding shares in their account, if you add funds, the custody fees on that proportion of your account value will not be capped until you reach the £500k threshold, beyond which, custody fees are no longer applied: that can work out pricey! (See my ‘Fees’ section for just how pricey.)

Even though AJ Bell provides some suggestions in the form of ‘Starter portfolios’ and ‘Favourite funds’, this is still very much a platform for those who have the time and confidence to manage their own investments. If you are looking for tailored advice on an investment strategy, this kind of DIY platform isn’t right for you. You could try a robo-advisor instead, such as Moneyfarm which offers human advice alongside its robo-advice.

Accounts and assets


At AJ Bell, you can invest in any of the following products:

  • 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 allowanceGeneral dealing accountinfo
  • 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 ISAStocks and shares ISAinfo
  • Junior ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts) (JISAs) are tax-free savings accounts for children under the age of 18. Only a parent can open a JISA but anyone can contribute. You can choose to save for your children through either a cash Junior ISA where you will earn interest on any cash in the account, or a stocks and shares Junior ISA where you will invest your child’s savings on their behalfJunior ISA (JISA)info
  • Lifetime ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts) (LISAs) are designed to help you save for your first home or retirement and come with an automatic 25% government bonus on all contributions up to the value of £4,000. There are stocks and shares LISAs – where you invest your savings – and cash LISAs – where you earn interest on your savings. You must be between 18 and 40 to open a LISA and all income, capital gains and interest earned within LISAs is tax-free, although these funds can only be used to purchase your first home or for retirement. Ensure you are familiar with the rules surrounding this account before utilising itLifetime ISA (LISA)info
  • 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 fundSelf-invested personal pension (SIPP)info
  • It’s one of the widest selections in the UK investment market as you can see, although it’s a shame they don’t offer a A junior self-invested personal pension (SIPP) is a way of investing money for your child’s future retirement, free from capital gains and dividend tax. As it is designed to be started before a child turns 18, it must be opened by a parent or guardian although anyone can contribute. Once the beneficiary turns 18, they take control of the account, however, the money within the account cannot usually be accessed until age 55 (rising to 57 in 2028 and likely to rise further)Junior SIPPinfoto stay competitive with Vanguard and Fidelity in that area:

    All AJ Bell investment accounts are free to open and there’s no account minimum unless you choose an AJ Bell fund. You can pay into your account whenever you want by setting up a direct debit, or by using your debit card. If you want to save smaller amounts regularly, the regular investment service lets you put in as little as £25 every month.

    Note, AJ Bell’s LISA is a stocks and shares LISA, and not a cash LISA. That means you’ll need to feel confident choosing stocks or funds to invest your savings into. Read our guide to LISAs for more information on the different types of LISAs available and who they may be suitable for.

    Assets

    You’ll find an impressive choice of investment options at AJ Bell, including the majority of UK shares, 24 international share markets, over 2,000 funds as well as investment trusts, bonds and exchange-traded funds (Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are traded in much the same way as stocks. Instead of an individual stock, however, you own a basket of different assets which track the performance of a particular index or market. ETFsinfo).

    You can also invest in:

    – Warrants and covered warrants (you'll need to complete an online test to demonstrate your ability to trade in these)

    – Exchange-traded commodities (which are similar to ETFs, but track a commodity instead of an index).

    One real disappointment with AJ Bell’s asset offering, however, is that it does not offer fractional shares. So, if you want to invest in big-ticket stocks, you’ll need to be willing to spend enough to buy at least one full share, which can be hundreds of pounds in some cases. You may not want to commit that much to just one stock if you’re building a diversified portfolio on a small budget.

    Ready-made portfolios

    While AJ Bell doesn’t offer any personal financial advice service, if you’re looking for guidance selecting investments, there is some help in the form of AJ Bell funds. You pick your fund and then let AJ Bell do the management legwork.

    Funds can make investing easier as they avoid the need to pick individual stocks and shares. However, with thousands of funds to choose from, this can turn into an arduous task. To help with selection if you’re feeling in the dark, AJ Bell has a ‘Favourite funds’ list. The list, compiled by AJ Bell analysts, highlights the funds from across their whole selection that they believe are most likely to provide you with an income, or with medium- to long-term growth.

    Alternatively, you can reduce the number of decisions you need to take by choosing an AJ Bell Starter portfolio. These are ready-made portfolios which are built by AJ Bell’s in-house investment research team. This option might be suitable if you're finding it difficult to choose investments for your ISA or SIPP, but remember, once you’ve invested in a Starter portfolio, the responsibility for managing it rests with you. In that sense, this is still only an option for those who have the time, knowledge and confidence to keep on top of their investments.

    These portfolios aren’t completely rigid – you can still top up with other funds from the ‘favourite funds’ list, making them a good middle ground for those who wouldn’t know where to start with a list of thousands of available funds, but would still like the option to tailor their portfolio in some way.

    You’ll need to make a minimum investment of £1,000 with these funds though, and each portfolio is designed to be held for the long term – five years or more – so they’re not suited for those pursuing short-term income growth goals.

    We conducted in-depth fund research into AJ Bell’s ready-made portfolio performance, to analyse the performance of AJ Bell’s funds over the past five years against the industry average. To find out whether AJ Bell performs well or not, skip to the portfolio performance section below.

    Savings account

    AJ Bell also offers a ‘Cash savings hub’ where you can browse competitive interest rates for your cash savings.

    This is a really nicely designed feature – ideal for those who have money left over after reaching the limit on their tax wrappers, and want the best possible fixed interest on savings. (Remember that even at interest rates of 5%, it’s very unusual for cash to outperform the stock market.)

    It’s free to use as AJ Bell is paid by their partner banks, not customers, although you’ll need a minimum of £1,000 to get started. And you’ll need to be an existing AJ Bell customer – you can’t open a savings account in isolation.

    Joint account

    AJ Bell allows for Dealing accounts to be opened in joint names. ISAs and SIPPs cannot be opened in joint names (as is standard).

    Corporate account

    Directors of limited companies can apply for a corporate AJ Bell Dealing account. That’s helpful for those wishing to use their limited company status to take advantage of more favourable capital gains tax rates or offset losses against personal income.

Portfolio performance


We've conducted in-depth fund performance research, gathering data from 160 different funds across 24 different providers. Here’s how AJ Bell’s 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 portfoliosinfo performed – and how they compare to the industry average:

AJ Bell's ready-made portfolios have averaged 32.6% returns over the past 5 years. Compared with the median industry average of 24.8%, that's an excellent average return rate.

However, there is some considerable variation across different portfolio risk categories. The more adventurous and Global Growth funds have performed particularly well with AJ Bell's Passive Adventurous fund seeing returns of 53.7% over 5 years. Cautious funds have not seen returns as high as that, although they are in line with the industry average for cautiously structured portfolios.

Of course, it's important to remember that past performance does not guarantee future performance and that you should not, therefore, base decisions entirely on this analysis.

4.5out of 5

Trading platform


Mobile platform

The AJ Bell mobile app is great. You can manage and monitor your portfolio, apply for new accounts and fund your account. You can deal on the go with ‘at best’, ‘A stop-loss order is an instruction to sell an asset automatically once it reaches a certain price point. The aim of a stop-loss order is to limit losses. stop-lossinfo‘ or ‘A limit order is an instruction to automatically buy or sell a stock once it reaches a certain threshold. With a limit order, you’re saying there’s a limit on the maximum price you’ll pay (if you’re buying) or a minimum price you’re willing to receive (if you’re selling).limitinfo’ orders, create watchlists and view the live prices of shares.

It’s available on both iOS and Android and is well-designed with a clean and tidy user interface, making it worthwhile downloading for use on the go. It doesn’t have exactly the same functionality as the website, however, so there are some requests (such as requesting a transfer of an old pension into your SIPP) that you'll need to do on the web platform.

Biometric authentication can be enabled to protect you in the event someone tries to hack into your account.

On the Google Play Store, the AJ Bell app scores an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars.

AJ Bell Tesco plc

Web platform

I find the web platform very intuitive and easy to navigate with a bit of practice. The same amount of information is accessible on the mobile platform, but there’s more space for more data to be displayed on one screen on the web platform, making it my preference.

AJ Bell my account

Demo account

There is no AJ Bell demo account.

4.5out of 5

Fees


On the whole, AJ Bell’s fees are very low. Charges primarily consist of a custody charge, paid monthly, with an additional ‘dealing charge’ which you pay each time you buy or sell shares or funds.

I’ve discovered a couple of areas you don’t want to get caught out on, however. I’ll explain more in my verdict on fees, below.

SIPPs / Junior SIPP / Stocks and shares ISA

For 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 fundSIPPsinfo,A junior self-invested personal pension (SIPP) is a way of investing money for your child’s future retirement, free from capital gains and dividend tax. As it is designed to be started before a child turns 18, it must be opened by a parent or guardian although anyone can contribute. Once the beneficiary turns 18, they take control of the account, however, the money within the account cannot usually be accessed until age 55 (rising to 57 in 2028 and likely to rise further)Junior SIPPsinfo and 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 ISAstocks and shares ISAsinfo, the same fees apply, and they consist of:

Custody fees

  • For shares / ETFs / investment trusts / gilts / bonds: 0.25% (max £10 per month)
  • For funds: 0.25% on value up to £250k
  • 0.10% on value £250k – £500k
  • 0% for value over £500k

Share dealing fees:

  • Standard share dealing charge: £5.00
  • Frequent shares dealing charge (10 or more trades in the previous month): £3.50
  • Funds dealing charge: £1.50
  • AJ Bell fund: no dealing charge

AJ Bell charges calculator

Lifetime ISA

If you open a Lifetime ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts) (LISAs) are designed to help you save for your first home or retirement and come with an automatic 25% government bonus on all contributions up to the value of £4,000. There are stocks and shares LISAs – where you invest your savings – and cash LISAs – where you earn interest on your savings. You must be between 18 and 40 to open a LISA and all income, capital gains and interest earned within LISAs is tax-free, although these funds can only be used to purchase your first home or for retirement. Ensure you are familiar with the rules surrounding this account before utilising itLifetime ISAinfo, you’ll need to pay:

Custody charge:

  • For shares / ETFs / investment trusts / gilts / bonds: 0.25% (max £3.50 per month)
  • For funds: 0.25% (no cap)

If you want to trade, you’ll need to pay dealing charges:

  • Shares dealing charge: £5.00
  • Frequent shares dealing charge (10 or more trades in the previous month): £3.50
  • Funds dealing charge: £1.50
  • AJ Bell fund: no dealing charge

Junior ISA

Unlike Hargreaves Lansdown, which offers a fee-free Junior ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts) (JISAs) are tax-free savings accounts for children under the age of 18. Only a parent can open a JISA but anyone can contribute. You can choose to save for your children through either a cash Junior ISA where you will earn interest on any cash in the account, or a stocks and shares Junior ISA where you will invest your child’s savings on their behalfJunior ISAinfo, AJ Bell charges fees of:

Custody charge:

  • shares / ETFs / investment trusts / gilts / bonds: 0.25% (max £2.50 per month)
  • Funds: 0.25% (no cap)

Shares dealing charge:

  • Regular shares dealing charge: £5.00
  • Frequent shares dealing charge (10 or more trades in the previous month): £3.50
  • Funds dealing charge: £1.50

The verdict?

AJ Bell’s custody fees come with one of the lowest headline rates in the UK market – 0.25% – and thanks to a recent reduction in dealing fee rates, it’s possible to keep overall fees lower than those of most other investment providers.

However, there are a couple of things it’s worth noting:

  • Funds!

You may have noticed from the fee listings above, that there is a cap on how much you can be charged when your account consists of shares / ETFs / investment trusts / gilts / bonds. This is not the case where you hold funds. Therefore, if you intend to solely invest in funds, beware: your custody charge could work out far more expensive with AJ Bell, than with their competitors. Just take a look at these examples to see the differences I’m talking about:

£625 to hold funds vs £42 to hold shares is crazy! Of course, this is assuming you only hold shares / ETFs / investment trusts / gilts / bonds, or funds. Many people will hold a mixture of assets so your fees will be somewhere between the two extremes listed in the table above.

I should also point out that once you own over £500k of assets in funds, AJ Bell scraps the custody charge on anything above that amount, so you won’t find yourself paying ever increasing amounts if you hold millions. For those somewhere in the middle, however, it’s a pricey way to hold funds.

  • Dealing fees

Dealing fees of £5 / £3.50 per trade soon add up. If you want to trade shares regularly, it might make more financial sense to look at one of the newer trading platforms offering zero commission. Trading 212, Freetrade, and AJ Bell's pared-back, no-frills investment app Dodl, offer zero dealing fees on shares. More on Dodl, below.

  • There is a cheaper way to trade with AJ Bell

If you’re happy having a slimmed down selection of assets to trade, you could check out AJ Bell’s ultra-low-fee brand, Dodl. It’s well-suited to those wanting to start small and keep costs to the bare minimum (custody fees are 0.15% vs 0.25% with the mainstream AJ Bell accounts). And, as I pointed out above, there are no dealing fees on shares and funds either.

Interest paid on cash

AJ Bell pays interest on uninvested cash in SIPPs and ISAs, and additionally, doesn’t apply its annual platform custody charge to cash balances.

Current rates are:

Although not bad at the top end, these are far from the highest rates available, especially for those with smaller balances. For comparison:

All figures were correct at the time of publishing. While we attempt to update figures as soon as we become aware of changes, the most accurate way to obtain the latest data is to check with the provider directly.

Transfer fees

There are no fees for transferring in or out of your AJ Bell account.

Deposit fees

There are no charges for depositing money into your AJ Bell account.

Minimum deposit

The minimum amount you can deposit into a cash savings account is £1,000. For all other accounts, there is no minimum; you can pay in what you want, when you want. If you want to save smaller amounts regularly, you’ll need to commit to a minimum of £25 per month.

A foreign exchange (FX) fee is added to all trades involving foreign currencies. If you buy a stock that trades in US dollars, for example, and your home account is in GB pounds, you'll need to pay an FX fee.FX feesinfo

A foreign exchange charge is levied when trading in an international currency. At AJ Bell, the rates charged are:

  • 0.75% for the first £10k
  • 0.50% for the next £10k
  • 0.25% on values over £20k

Those rates, especially on the higher amounts, compare very well to other providers:

4.5out of 5

Research and tools


AJ Bell provides excellent research tools that will more than meet the needs of the average investor.

With the help of a stock screener, you can select the stock you want to research and view insights such as:

  • Price data including One way to determine a stock's value is by comparing the company’s share price (P) to its earnings (E). The lower the P/E ratio, the better value it is deemed to be.P/Einfo, P/S, The price-to-book ratio compares the stock market value of a company with the value of its assets on paper. It is used by some investors as a way to spot undervalued stocks.P/Binfo, P/C ratios
  • Recent news about the company
  • Interactive and customisable charts

Events and indicators including:

  • Simple Moving Average (SMA)
  • MA Envelope
  • Exponential Moving Average (EMA)
  • Momentum
  • Bollinger Bands
  • ULT Oscillator
  • Parabolic SAR
  • Directional Moving Index
  • MACD
  • Money Flow Index
  • Relative Strength Index
  • On Balance Volume
  • Rate of Change
  • Volume Accumulation
  • Commodity Channel Index
  • UP/Down Ratio
  • Williams %R
  • Volume by Price
  • Slow & Fast Stochastic
  • Fast Volatility
  • Price Channel
  • Weighted Moving Average
  • Accumulation/Distribution
  • Volatility
  • Mass Index
  • Force Index
  • Average True Range
  • Keltner Index

There are also customisable and interactive charts which give you the ability to draw trend lines, Fibonacci Arcs, and Fibonacci Fans, among others.

You won’t find any analysts ‘Buy’/’Sell’/’Hold’ ratings or forecasts for stocks, however. But those can be accessed externally without cost quite easily.

You won’t have access to some of the bells and whistles of an advanced trading platform like Interactive Brokers. But that isn’t what AJ Bell is set up to do. AJ Bell products are designed primarily for people looking for medium- and long-term investments and not day-traders.

 

AJ Bell chart

All round, an excellent research offering that is designed to be clear enough on first view to be helpful to new investors, with a toolset which allows that first view to become so much more detailed for those seeking in-depth data.

4.5out of 5

Trade execution


Executing a trade is clear and simple with AJ Bell.

You can set up a limit order which automates trades to happen at specific buy or sell prices. I couldn’t, however, find any way of setting price alerts which is a real shame as they’re useful for keeping an eye on prices without committing to a limit order.

For shares, investment trusts and exchange traded funds (ETFs), your deal will be processed immediately, but it could take 1-2 working days for the deal to settle after a trade.

Trades on funds are processed each business day at a time that is dictated by the fund in question (check the research page for that particular fund for more details). Trades placed after the dealing cut off time, will be executed the next working day.

Order types

You can execute trades using the following order types at AJ Bell:

  • At-best orders (also known as ‘market orders’) instruct a broker to buy / sell at whatever the most advantageous price is at the time of dealing.At-best orderinfo
  • A limit order is an instruction to automatically buy or sell a stock once it reaches a certain threshold. With a limit order, you’re saying there’s a limit on the maximum price you’ll pay (if you’re buying) or a minimum price you’re willing to receive (if you’re selling).Limit orderinfo
  • A stop-loss order is an instruction to sell an asset automatically once it reaches a certain price point. The aim of a stop-loss order is to limit losses. Stop loss orderinfo

AJ Bell deal confirmation

5.0out of 5

Safety


When selecting a provider for your investments, it is very important to first ensure they meet certain minimum safety standards. We judge AJ Bell to meet the threshold for a ‘safe’ provider because:

  • AJ Bell is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
  • It is part of the AJ Bell Group, which is a financially secure and regulated company. AJ Bell has 499,000 customers who trust the company with £81.6 billion in assets under administration. This makes it one of the biggest low-cost online investment platforms and stockbroker services in the UK.
  • AJ Bell is part of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). That means, in the unlikely event that something were to happen to AJ Bell, your money would be protected up to a maximum of £85,000 per eligible person and claim.
  • Cash is held in FCA-approved banks.
    • Account safety

      AJ Bell uses biometric authentication to secure mobile app login, and two-factor authentication whenever you login using a new device or browser.

      Remember that investing involves risk. The value of your investment can go up as well as down, and you could get back less than you put in.

      More information on AJ Bell and whether this platform might be a good addition to your portfolio can be found here:

      AJ Bell: Company performance analysis

Awards


5.0out of 5

Education


AJ Bell’s new ‘Learn to Invest’ hub contains a mountain of helpful information and insights on useful topics. There are detailed investment guides, a ‘jargon buster’ feature, and two podcasts: the Money and Markets podcast; and the Money Matters podcast aimed at closing the gender investment gap with advice tailored to women.

It’s all delivered in a welcoming and easy-to-digest format. As AJ Bell describes it: it’s the “hows, whys, and whats of investing, from the basics to the nitty gritty.” Perfect for beginners.

You'll also have the chance to join regular webinars on a variety of useful topics, which are recorded so you have the opportunity to watch back at your convenience if you miss the live event. Again, these are pitched just right considering their audience includes investors at all different experience levels.

AJ Bell  investing essentials

 

5.0out of 5

Customer service


AJ Bell does really well on customer service with a very quick response time when I called their UK-based customer service phone line, and a similarly quick response when I used their web chat service.

AJ Bell has an exceptional score of 4.8 stars on Trustpilot (at the time of writing) from over 5,000 reviews.

The three options for contacting AJ Bell are:

  • Webchat in the app
  • Email
  • Telephone: 0345 54 32 600
  • Monday to Friday: 8am to 7pm
  • Saturday: 10am to 2pm

Phone lines are open 6 days per week and there’s a choice of email addresses to help you get straight to the department you need:

A solid 5 out of 5 for AJ Bell’s customer service.

5.0out of 5

Account opening


Account opening

Opening an account with AJ Bell is straightforward and fully digital. You’ll just need your personal details, National Insurance number and details of any account you want to transfer.

Closing your account

It’s not possible to close an account without getting the help of AJ Bell customer services. You can either log in and contact them via a secure message in your account, or via the customer services team at help@ajbell.co.uk.

You can only cancel a 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 fundSIPPinfo within the first 30 days if you haven't made any investments in it. Unfortunately, for an account you close within the first month, you’ll still need to pay AJ Bell’s custody charges on a pro rata basis from the beginning of the month.

Transferring accounts

Transferring into AJ Bell is easy. First you’ll need to open the account you want to transfer to, if you haven’t opened it already. It takes less than ten minutes to open an account, and you can do it online. During the application, you'll be asked to enter the details of the account(s) you want to transfer.

If you already have an account you want to transfer into, you can start the transfer process by logging in and from the ‘My account’ menu, choosing ‘Transfers’ and entering the details of the account(s) you want to transfer.

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AJ Bell vs interactive investor


AJ Bell and interactive investor (ii) are two of the largest UK-based investment platforms. Both have been around for three decades and have reputations for high standard of customer service, bringing a sense of reliability and trustworthiness. The two providers offer the same product range, with the exception of the Lifetime ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts) (LISAs) are designed to help you save for your first home or retirement and come with an automatic 25% government bonus on all contributions up to the value of £4,000. There are stocks and shares LISAs – where you invest your savings – and cash LISAs – where you earn interest on your savings. You must be between 18 and 40 to open a LISA and all income, capital gains and interest earned within LISAs is tax-free, although these funds can only be used to purchase your first home or for retirement. Ensure you are familiar with the rules surrounding this account before utilising itLifetime ISAinfo, which ii doesn’t currently offer its customers.

On price, both are known for being low-cost platforms. But how much it’ll cost you to become a customer does vary significantly depending on the amount you have to invest. While AJ Bell charges fees as a percentage of invested assets, ii is a flat-fee platform. That means that for those with larger portfolios, ii could work out cheaper. It also means that for investors with smaller pots, the inverse could be true. To test both theories, I calculated the costs of a 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 fundSIPPinfo and 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 ISAISAinfo, imagining I was investing, first £20k, and then £250k. Here are the results:

AJ Bell is cheaper for 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 ISAstocks and shares ISAsinfo, assuming you invest in stocks and shares, whatever portfolio size you have. (If you invest solely in funds, AJ Bell is crazily expensive once you tip into a large portfolio because the £10 monthly custody fee cap that applies to shares, doesn’t apply to funds.) AJ Bell also works out cheaper for a 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 fundSIPPinfo, whatever portfolio size you have, unless you’re completely investing in funds.

In interactive investor’s favour, it is unbeatable on asset selection, offering 40,000 UK, US and international shares on 17 global exchanges plus funds, ETFs, investment trusts and VCTs. AJ Bell can’t compete with that range of assets although its offering is also plenty wide enough to satisfy the average investor, with almost every share from the London Stock Exchange and 24 other global markets.

Ultimately your choice will probably come down to how much you have to invest and which is therefore the best on price, as there isn’t much between them in most other respects.

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AJ Bell vs Dodl


Wondering about the difference between opening a Dodl account and opening an AJ Bell account?

Well, despite the latter being owned by the former, there are some quite big differences between the two brands.

All the shares and funds you can trade on Dodl are taken from AJ Bell’s full menu of tradeable assets – there are just far fewer of them. That’s the first major difference; the amount of investment options you have. Think of a Dodl as a simplified, slimmed down version of AJ Bell. Great if you’re new to investing and don’t know where to start: not great if you want to invest in some under-the-radar Asian stock you think will go on to achieve great things. You won’t have access to anything other than seven AJ Bell funds, and the most popular US and UK stocks with Dodl.

Because of that simplicity, however, you’ll pay less to invest through Dodl. Dodl’s annual account fee is just 0.15%, whereas the minimum you’ll pay to invest on the main AJ Bell platform is 0.25%. Of course there are fund fees to add on top for both, but the other major advantage of Dodl is the absence of dealing fees. You’ll have to pay these separately with AJ Bell.

Trade execution tools and research tools are very basic on Dodl. As basic as they can be. AJ Bell has all the research capabilities and different order types you’d expect from a large, well-established investment house.

Think of Dodl as a platform to build confidence as you learn what kind of investing works for your future. You may choose to graduate onto AJ Bell or one of its competitors in time, or you may decide Dodl suits your needs just fine.

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AJ Bell vs Vanguard


AJ Bell and Vanguard are both large, well-established, well-regarded investment brands, and both offer a quality service for a reasonable price.

Vanguard might suit you better if you don’t want to face too many choices and don’t want a lot of maintenance to keep your portfolio ticking over. That’s because while AJ Bell offers a wide choice of assets, Vanguard only offers funds, and only offers its own funds. They are incredibly popular funds, however, making them a solid choice whether you have an adventurous approach to risk, or more on the cautious end of the scale.

If you do decide to go for 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 portfolioinfo, data on past performance can be helpful in making a decision (while obviously not being a guarantee of future performance). In the case of AJ Bell and Vanguard, both providers have performed equally as well over the past five years – around the industry average, so there’s not much between them there.

Both offer well-designed, user-friendly platforms and websites, although Vanguard inexplicably doesn’t have a mobile app, so if you live on your phone and want instant access to your accounts wherever you are, AJ Bell is your one.

On cost, both are hard to beat on price, but Vanguard’s no-frills service is generally cheaper. You don’t get as much as you do with AJ Bell though, so it really does depend on what you’re looking for. And, as I’ve pointed out in my Vanguard review, it’s actually possible to get Vanguard funds cheaper on other platforms than directly through Vanguard. So it’s worth reading the full review if you’re considering a Vanguard fund.

FAQs

AJ Bell is good for those looking for an investment platform offering a wide range of products and assets to invest in, at a reasonable price. It offers great customer service, helpful education materials and a strong selection of research tools for investors of all experience levels.

No, AJ Bell does not offer a A cash ISA is a type of individual savings account where you can earn tax-free interest on your saved cashcash ISAinfo. It offers a 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 ISAstocks and shares ISAinfo, and a stocks and shares Lifetime ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts) (LISAs) are designed to help you save for your first home or retirement and come with an automatic 25% government bonus on all contributions up to the value of £4,000. There are stocks and shares LISAs – where you invest your savings – and cash LISAs – where you earn interest on your savings. You must be between 18 and 40 to open a LISA and all income, capital gains and interest earned within LISAs is tax-free, although these funds can only be used to purchase your first home or for retirement. Ensure you are familiar with the rules surrounding this account before utilising itLifetime ISAinfo instead. With a Stocks and Shares LISA, rather than earning interest like you do with a Cash LISA, you invest your money in funds.

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This review is the result of my first-hand experience as an account holder at AJ Bell and in no way represents financial advice.

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