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Whether you’re a seasoned stock trader or just getting started, finding the best stock trading platform is essential to help you generate the best return. We’ve analysed the top stock trading platforms available in the UK to help you compare providers. Read on to find out the pros and cons of each.
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A stock trading platform is an online portal that enables you to invest in the stock market by purchasing shares, bonds, and funds.
Each platform offers a range of investment options, features and educational resources to help you make the best investment decisions.
You’ll also have to pay fees to use a stock trading platform, which covers the cost of running your account and buying or selling investments
*We don’t make any money from the platforms for recommending them on this list. These are my totally impartial views that I think represent the best value for money.
5.0/5
Interactive Brokers – advanced trading platform with beginner-friendly features, low trading costs.
Pricing on stocks from just 0.015% of monthly trade value
Refer a Friend Get $200
Warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 60% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with IBKR. You must consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing money.
4.5/5
XTB – zero commission on stocks and ETFs
0% commission investing/trading
4.5% on GBP uninvested funds held in a Flexible Stocks and Shares ISA
Capital at risk. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 72% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
4.5/5
eToro – commission-free stocks, powerful copy trading tools
0% commission on stocks and ETFs
Innovative social trading
Warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 51% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with eToro. Consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
4.5/5
Trading 212 – competitive fees, beginner-friendly, extensive choice
Free fractional shares worth up to £100
4.05% AER on cash, paid daily
When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than invested. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results
4.5/5
Saxo Markets – extensive asset choice, top-tier research and competitive commission
Trade UK stocks from £3 per trade
Trade US stocks from $1 per trade
Capital at risk.
5.0/5
– advanced trading platform with beginner-friendly features, low trading costs.
Pricing on stocks from just 0.015% of monthly trade value
Refer a Friend Get $200
Warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 60% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with IBKR. You must consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing money.
Interactive Brokers offers a powerful trading platform with advanced tools and features. It’s great for experienced traders looking to execute a comprehensive strategy. However, beginners may find the suite of tools available complicated to navigate.
It provides access to a wide range of stocks and other investment assets across 160 markets, 36 countries and 28 currencies.
The platform offers competitive FX fees and spreads. It also provides unparalleled research and educational resources hosted in its learning hub.
For a detailed analysis of Interactive Brokers, check out our review for 2024
Read full review
5.0out of 5
Pricing on stocks from just 0.015% of monthly trade value
Refer a Friend Get $200
4.5/5
– zero commission on stocks and ETFs
0% commission investing/trading
4.5% on GBP uninvested funds held in a Flexible Stocks and Shares ISA
Capital at risk. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 72% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
XTB is a great all-round platform with a competitive pricing structure. There are no annual account fees and 0% commission on stocks and ETFs. You also don’t have to pay withdrawal fees on sums of over £50.
If you want to invest in a non-UK currency, you’ll have to pay a 0.5% FX fee, which is quite competitive. However, there’s an option to set up an account in different currencies which could help you lower your currency conversion costs (or avoid them altogether.) An added bonus is that you can earn 4.5% interest in your uninvested cash.
XTB isn’t as beginner-friendly as some of the other options listed in our top picks. It also doesn’t offer ready-made portfolios so it might not be the best option for beginners.
Read Clare’s full review of XTB’s commission-free investing
Read full review
4.5/5
– commission-free stocks, powerful copy trading tools
0% commission on stocks and ETFs
Innovative social trading
Warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 51% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with eToro. Consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
eToro is a user-friendly platform offering access to over 6,000 stocks from 20 exchanges around the world.
Its platform is simple to use and a great option for beginners. It offers a copy-trading feature which allows users to mirror the trades of successful people on the platform. There are also ready-made portfolios available which can help those new to trading get started.
eToro offers a suite of comprehensive educational resources to help users understand the investing process and equip them with knowledge to make the best trading decisions.
There’s 0% commission on stock trades or ready-made portfolios, making it one of the better value platforms out there. One thing to watch out for are the relatively high FX fees of 1.5%.
Read our full review of eToro
Read full review
4.5/5
– competitive fees, beginner-friendly, extensive choice
Free fractional shares worth up to £100
4.05% AER on cash, paid daily
When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than invested. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results
Trading 212 is a highly acclaimed trading platform, with streamlined beginner-friendly tools and features.
It offers very competitive fee structure and great value for money. There’s 0% commission on stock trades, no platform fees and FX fees as low as 0.15%.
Trading 212 also offers 4.35% on uninvested cash, which is a decent return. It doesn’t offer ready-made portfolios which means if you plan on switching to Trading 212, you won’t be able to transfer them over.
Read my full review of Trading 212
Read full review
4.5/5
– extensive asset choice, top-tier research and competitive commission
Trade UK stocks from £3 per trade
Trade US stocks from $1 per trade
Capital at risk.
Saxo offers access to the most extensive range of tradable assets (over 72,000!) Giving traders a wide choice of stocks to work into their strategy. It provides different trading platforms for different levels of experience and comprehensive research and trading tools.
Saxo charges moderate FX fees at 0.25%. You’ll also have to pay an annual custody fee and commission on trades. The fees for these depend on the account tier you fall into.Saxo’s tiered pricing model means that it offers better rates as your trading volume increases.
There are three tiers: Classic, Platinum and VIP:
Although Saxo has introduced a more streamlined version of the platform, overall it’s more geared towards intermediate and experienced investors. If you’re just starting out, platforms such as Trading 212 and eToro might offer a better gateway into investing.
For a detailed analysis of Saxo Markets, check out our review for 2024
Read full reviewAll Investing Insiders reviews are conducted using a standardised scorecard. Using a standardised scoring system ensures that every review we undertake is comprehensive and rigorous, and fair – because providers are being judged against the same set of criteria.
Visit our How we review page if you’d like more information on exactly how we go about putting reviews together and how our values shape our editorial policy.
Here’s around up of the fees charged by the stock trading platforms mentioned above.
Some of the pros and cons to consider when looking for a stock trading platform include:
To help you compare the FX fees charged by different UK investment providers, we’ve created this interactive chart. Use the slider to see whether the rates change as the size of the trade increases.
Stock trading can form part of a wider investment strategy to grow your wealth. Generally speaking, stock trading focuses on short-term investment opportunities while investing is a longer term process spanning a minimum of five years.
The best stock trading platforms for beginners offer an accessible way to invest your money. eToro, Trading 212 and IG provide excellent educational resources to help beginners get started. eToro and Trading 212 also have copy-trading features that allow you to mirror successful strategies used by other investors on the platform.
Although trading platforms and an investment platform are often used interchangeably, we differentiate between them. That’s because traders and investors have slightly different objectives for their money. For instance, traders tend to be more interested in making short term goals from price fluctuations, while investors are looking for long term growth.
The cheapest stock trading platform for you will depend on the size of your portfolio and the frequency that you make trades. Trading 212 and Interactive Brokers are some of the lower cost trading platforms available now.
To open a stock trading account you’ll need to choose a platform and register your details. Most trading platforms are online now and you can sign up and have your account approved in minutes.
Some stock trading platforms allow you to earn interest on any uninvested cash in your account. When shopping around for a platform, be sure to check if you could earn an added bonus on your cash.
Shopping around can help you find the best stock trading platform for your circumstances. Make a note of the features that are most important to you, for example: do you want more stock options, a beginner-friendly user experience or great customer service? Having these factors in mind can help you compare different providers.
How are stock trading platforms regulated?
Stock trading platforms are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK. This means that your money is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Under FSCS, up to £85,000 is protected if the platform goes bust. You can use the official FCA firm checker to make sure you’re protected. We don’t recommend any stock trading platforms that aren’t fully regulated by the FCA or covered by the FSCS.