Insiders score
More info4.0out of 5
With over 1.8 million customers, Hargreaves Lansdown has the largest market share of any investment platform available in the UK. The extensive range of investment options and account types makes this a one-stop shop for all your trading and investment needs.
12.3%
10.4%
12.3%
10.4%
August 2024 Readymade portfolio returns and interest rates updated
May 2024 £100 of free trades promotion added
March 2024 Hargreaves Lansdown introduces ready-made pension plans to customers with a SIPP
January 2024 Hargreaves Lansdown launches first direct response campaign for active savings
This would be my first choice for anyone looking for a
Dealing costs are the highest I’ve encountered to date. However, if you are the sort of investor who buys large amounts of specific securities in one go and holds them for the long term, then this may not be a factor.
You can also swerve all dealing fees and account fees by investing by direct debit for as little as £25 a month straight into a Fund and Share Account which is akin to a GIA, but remember you won’t be protected from tax in this account.
Low-value investment pots will also benefit from the percentage-based account charges. In addition, pots over £250k in value will benefit from a reduced annual rate.
If your investment pot is worth over £2 million, then this is a no-brainer. You will automatically slide into the zero account fees bracket, and an investment pot of that size probably won't feel the sting of the high dealing charges. Equally, those looking for a massive selection of investment options won't be disappointed.
Investors won't be left wanting for account types at Hargreaves Lansdown, as this is one of the most comprehensive offerings I have encountered to date, as this table demonstrates:
General Investment Account (GIA)
Referred to as a
There is also the option to transfer investments from elsewhere into your HL Fund and Share account.
ISA
As with any ISA, the Hargreaves Lansdown
One of the advantages of the HL ISA is the extensive range of investment options, in addition to the excellent range of educational material for those who are new to investing.
Lifetime ISA
For those between 18 and 39, this is an excellent account specifically designed to help you save to purchase your first home or for retirement. What makes this account so special is the 25% bonus from the government of up to £1,000 per year.
What makes the Hargreaves Lansdown
SIPP
The Hargreaves Lansdown
In March 2024, Hargreaves Lansdown introduced their ready-made pension plan, which is a simple and low-cost solution for inexperienced investors. It aims to invest in growth funds while you are young, gradually decreasing your exposure to risk as you reach retirement age.
The HL SIPP will set you back 0.45%, and it is free to buy and sell funds. However, if your pension pot is just under £250k, you could be paying up to £1125 a year for the SIPP, which is extremely high when compared to other providers. However, over £250k and the fee drops to 0.25% which is much more favourable.
Junior ISA
This is probably the best value product being offered at Hargreaves Lansdown. All account charges have been removed, and it's free to buy and sell investments within this account. This really is exceptionally good value for a premium product.
To demonstrate what excellent value I think this is, I have gone through the process of transferring my child’s trust fund to this account.
Read more about the transfer process below.
One of the advantages of using this account is that once your child turns 18, it will be a very simple process to transfer the funds from their
Of course, you should remember that when a child turns 18, they take the reins on a Junior ISA and are at liberty to withdraw the full amount.
Junior SIPP (child's pension)
It's not often that I see this account option when reviewing these platforms, which demonstrates how comprehensive Hargreaves Lansdown's account options are. This is a nice add-on for parents who have already maxed out the Junior ISA allowance and would like to continue saving for their children in a tax-efficient way. Of course, it is worth remembering that your child cannot access this money until they retire, so you really are locking it away for the long term. However, the advantage of this account is that contributions to your child's pension fall under one of the inheritance tax exemptions and could therefore fall outside of your estate for inheritance tax purposes.
The limits on this account are fairly low, as you can only pay £2,880 each tax year into the account. Your child will get a 20% automatic boost from the government, and account charges are low at just 0.45% for funds and shares.
Active Savings Account
There are several options, depending on how long you can lock this money away. As of January 2024, interest rates are as follows:
Hargreaves Lansdown partners with multiple banks in order to provide their users with these rates. However, at the time of writing this review, they still aren't the best rates out there. Plum and Moneybox are usually competing for the best rates so be sure to check my reviews of those platforms.
Cash ISA
A partnership with Coventry Building Society allows users to spread their ISA allowance across different products, including limited access and fixed terms.
As of January 2024, interest rates are as follows:
I can’t recommend this product as these are fairly low rates. As an example, at the time of writing this review, I was able to locate an easy-access ISA with a rate of 4.75% at Moneybox.
Markets
As mentioned, you will struggle to find a more comprehensive selection of investment options on any other platform. There really is something for everyone here, regardless of their experience or knowledge of investing. One of the only things you won't be able to access here are cryptocurrencies.
Some of the options available include:
For investors who find all this overwhelming, help is at hand with the following:
Ready-made investments
For those without the expertise or time to manage their own investments, HL provides a range of ready-made funds that are chosen and managed by in-house experts. All you do is pick the fund and then leave the professionals to manage the rest.
It's important to stipulate that these investments have been put together for people who can leave their money in the market for a minimum of five years. If you think you're going to need your money before the five years are up, then you may be better off with a high-interest savings account.
Funds are separated between 4 funds for growth and 1 for income, and can then be matched to your appetite for risk.
There is a decent amount of information available on each fund, including a fact sheet that details the objectives, historical performance, and assets held within the fund.
Ready-made investments performance
As you can see, there is a lot of historical data missing due to the longevity of the portfolios. With only 1 year of portfolio performance available it is difficult to provide investors with any useful comparisons.
The Wealth Shortlist
As I mentioned, the range of assets at HL is considered extensive. This could feel overwhelming for many investors. However, HL has addressed this issue by providing the wealth shortlist, which is essentially a whittled-down group of funds that have been specially selected by the in-house analysts. If a fund fails to perform, it is removed from this list, and I have seen this happen. In January 2024, the abrdn Asia-Pacific Equity Fund was removed from the Wealth Shortlist for failing to outperform the regional benchmark.
A range of sectors and risk levels are represented in this list and the analysts take into consideration the managers behind the fund, the performance of the fund, processes for buying and selling assets within the fund, and the approach to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors.
Ready-made pension plan
Anyone opening an HL SIPP can access the ready-made pension plan, which has been designed by experts to grow your money when you're younger, gradually moving to a low-risk investment as you approach retirement. It's an easy solution, and you can choose to invest as much of your pension as you like into this ready-made option.
There is a fee of 0.30% on top of the 0.45% that you pay for your SIPP account.
All that's left is to see how the pension has performed across the past few years. It isn't good news for Hargreaves Lansdown. In fact, with the total cost coming to 0.75% of your pension pot, alongside poor historical performance, this could be the last place I would choose to keep my retirement savings.
2.5out of 5
This is where Hargreaves Lansdown gains much criticism among users and industry professionals. While account fees aren’t too out of the ordinary, dealing fees are the highest out there.
Account fees are calculated as a percentage of the value of your investments and apply to any account that you have at Hargraves Lansdown, with the exception of the
For the Share Trading Account and
Funds:
Shares, investment trusts, ETFs, gilts and bonds:
If you invest using the Direct Debit service on the Share Dealing Account, then there are no account charges at all.
For the Lifetime ISA, you will pay:
Funds:
Shares, investment trusts, ETFs, gilts and bonds:
For the SIPP, you will pay:
Funds
Shares, investment trusts, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), gilts and bonds
To provide you with an indication of how this stacks up against other SIPP providers, here is a comparison table of platform fees (and additional trading fees for buying and selling stocks and funds):
This table highlights just how expensive Hargreaves Lansdown is for pension pots of £250k, and how much more, with no cap on fund costs until you reach the £2 million threshold, it costs to hold funds rather than shares. £1,125 for holding funds vs £200 for holding shares is a quite staggering, and unjustifiable, difference.
For the junior SIPP, you will pay:
Funds
Shares, investment trusts, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), gilts and bonds
Dealing fees
Dealing fees are notoriously high on this platform and are charged whenever you place a trade on shares, investment trusts, ETFs, gilts, and bonds. Trading funds are completely free of charge, and should you use the Direct Debit service to invest, all dealing fees are free. The only other exception is the junior SIPP, where trades are always £5.95.
In every other instance, you can expect to pay the following:
The other fee to be aware of is the
Please note: all published fees are correct at the time of publishing. However, we suggest checking Hargreaves Lansdowns’ website for the most up-to-date figures.
4.0out of 5
There are two platforms to choose from at Hargreaves Lansdown, which I will go into in more detail below.
Web Trading Platform
While it does lack some customisation, the web trading platform is still well-designed and easy to use. You can link various accounts from your dashboard as well as access all the relevant information you may need about your portfolio, including history analysis, watch lists, investment reports, ready-made portfolios, and market movements. In addition, any messages regarding your account can be accessed from the dashboard.
There is a helpful search function that allows you to look for shares, funds, bonds and gilts, ETFs, and overseas stocks. You can also search by manager or sector.
Placing a trade was effortless, and accessing your account simply requires a password and a secure six-digit number. No issues from me.
Mobile App
I enjoyed the simplicity and ease of navigation on the app. You can access your holdings and create and monitor watchlists of funds and stocks. There is a helpful overview of the markets, a search function where you can access ready-made investments and the Wealth Shortlist, and a news section with all the latest relevant articles.
While you can access your messages and view things like live prices, there are no options to set alerts, which is a shame.
That being said, most of the necessary functionality is there for buy-and-hold investors, and, therefore, I can comfortably score the app highly.
3.5out of 5
I chose to open a
I didn't find the account opening process as slick and modern as some of the newer competitor platforms. HL has a slightly dated, clunky feel to it.
The other thing to note is that you will not be able to access your account immediately. Hargreaves Lansdown did send me an email informing me that it would take them a few hours to open my account or up to one business day. In addition, there is a pin and client number that are sent in the mail.
My tip: Unless you are particularly eagle-eyed, I would recommend opening an account via a computer or laptop, as the account opening process directly from the app redirects you to a web page where everything is tiny and very difficult to read.
In order to test the transfer process, I decided to transfer my son's Child Trust Fund into a
The transfer can be initiated via your Hargreaves Lansdown account. However, you will be asked to download a PDF form, which then needs to be printed, filled out, and posted back to Hargreaves Lansdown.
I have tested transfers on a number of other platforms, so I know that this can all be done electronically. Transfers are the bread and butter for these types of platforms; they literally represent taking business from competitors. It seems very strange that the process here is so archaic. Anything that relies on a slightly sluggish service from Royal Mail is going to set things back.
That being said, I did get in touch with the HL customer service team, who informed me that this is the case for junior accounts, but for adult accounts, electronic transfers are often an option depending on the provider you are transferring from. I'm told that not offering electronic transfers on junior accounts is a ’business decision’. It strikes me that this is a decision that would be unpopular with a lot of users.
4.5out of 5
Within the web platform, there is a significant amount of research available, including the option to register for market updates and share research and results updates. This can help keep you aware of specific stocks that you may have an eye on.
Research includes:
While there is a lack of customisation available, I did think that the level of data was more than sufficient for buy-and-hold investors, which is ultimately what this platform is designed for.
5.0out of 5
I would almost go as far as to say that this is one of the safest options available for saving and investing. This is because, in addition to all the highest levels of regulation, Hargreaves Lansdown is also one of the longest platforms in operation in the UK, and they are listed on the London Stock Exchange, meaning all company financials are readily available.
Here at Investing Insiders, our Equity Research Analyst, James Fox, has conducted indepth analysis into the company financials. He has concluded the following:
‘Hargreaves Lansdown is the UK’s largest investment platform, with 1.882 million clients – far in excess of any peers — and managing £155.3 billion in assets. Despite slowing growth, Hargreaves Lansdown’s trajectory remains positive and steady. Moreover, operating margins of 49.5% in H1 2024, coupled with a strong net cash position of £536.3 million as of December 2023 and an unused revolving cash facility, highlight the company’s financial strength. These metrics should provide investors with a degree of confidence.'
More information on Hargreaves Lansdown and whether this platform might be a good addition to your portfolio can be found here:
Hargreaves Lansdown: Company performance analysis
Of course, HL is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and all account holders enjoy additional protection of up to £85,000 under the cover of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
3.5out of 5
Beginners are well provided for here, with a range of materials that include:
I couldn’t find anything interactive, such as quizzes to test your knowledge, but head over to YouTube, where you will find a library of videos explaining how to use the app, how to buy shares, how to set up regular investing, and a whole wealth of information designed to help you build a portfolio. The videos are being uploaded regularly and are categorised in a sensible way that can help you find what you need.
There are also two podcasts available called ‘Switch Your Money On'; however, they were both uploaded two months ago and with only two available, I question how regular this will be.
What's missing here is a demo account; however, given the sheer volume of instructional videos provided, I think HL can be excused.
4.0out of 5
Customer service is generally excellent, to the point that I am willing to overlook the fact that Hargreaves Lansdown does not offer live chat. For this platform, it's back to old-school telephone support, which will put you straight through to helpful and knowledgeable staff.
It’s also worth considering that HL also offers financial advice should you require help beyond the usual account inquiries.
Hargreaves Lansdown has scored 4.1 on Trustpilot. Some examples of reviews include:
As I mentioned, as part of my investigative work for this review, I have opened a
This has allowed me to take a deep dive into the platform and test what it's like to actually place a trade, as well as the tools and research it offers.
The Junior ISA has no account or trading fees, so I deposited £50 pounds while I waited for the painfully slow process of transferring my son’s Child Trust Fund into this account. I bought 9 units of easyJet stock.
Searching for the stock was very easy, and I had placed a trade within moments. HL calculated how much of the stock I could afford with my deposit.
These two industry titans provide outstanding service, with access to multiple account types and an extensive range of assets. But which of these is best for you?
One of the most important considerations is the cost structure, with Hargreaves Lansdown’s percentage account fee potentially penalising investors with a large portfolio. However, this is calculated on a sliding scale, so you should use our calculator to check whether this would be more expensive than the flat fee structure at interactive investor. You should also take into account the number of trades you plan to make each year, as trading costs at HL are significant.
If you are looking to invest in a
However, both these options come with high fees, and I would therefore caution against opening an account with either, before properly understanding the associated costs.
Hargreaves Lansdown is more expensive for share dealing, so if you're likely to conduct more than two trades a month, you might find you’re better off at IG. That being said, Hargreaves Lansdown is a more user-friendly option for beginners, so if you’re looking for something that’s easy to use and you’re a buy-and-hold investor, then you may be better off here
For experienced investors looking to buy and sell assets on a regular basis and for those seeking spread betting, options, or CFD trading, IG is definitely the platform for you. It offers excellent tools for trading alongside a wide range of assets.
Both Hargreaves Lansdown and Fidelity are well-established platforms that offer a good range of account options, assets, and ready-made portfolios. Which one you go for will largely come down to cost, as Fidelity represents a more cost-effective option in most instances. However, for those looking for a more comprehensive service with options such as financial advice and a wider range of stocks, Hargreaves Lansdown would more likely meet your needs.
If you are looking for a
It is also worth noting that during our review of Fidelity, verification for opening an account took more than 10 days. Whereas an account with Hargreaves Lansdown was opened within 24 hours.
Absolutely! Hargreaves Lansdown has a long-standing reputation as one of the most trusted online platforms to hit the UK market. They have excellent levels of regulatory compliance and are listed on the LSE.
Yes, there are a number of excellent tools that beginners can tap into, such as ready-made portfolios and the Wealth Shortlist. Beginners will also be well-served by the extensive offering of educational materials.
Yes, all client funds are held in segregated accounts, meaning your money is always safe, regardless of the financial health of the platform.
Have a question about Hargreaves Lansdown that we haven't covered? Ask it here and we will get back to you as soon as possible!
This review is the result of my first-hand experience as an account holder at Hargreaves Lansdown and in no way represents financial advice.