The Verdict
Stratiphy offers a simple way to get to grips with the basics of investing. It allows you to pick a pre-made strategy or build your own within the app.
You can pick a ready-made portfolio with a low, medium or high-risk rating. You’ll then get to select or create your own investment strategy.
An interesting bonus that Stratiphy offers is allowing you to “backtest” a strategy using AI to see how it would have performed within the last 10 years.
You’ll also get access to a comprehensive learning hub with easily understandable guides and interactive quizzes to help you really get grounded in your investment knowledge.
That being said, Stratiphy doesn’t offer great value for money. It’s limited to UK stocks and ETFs which isn’t ideal for investors looking for international exposure.
It also charges expensive fees compared to its competitors which will eat into your returns. As it stands, there are better alternatives on the market such as
Trading 212 ,
Invest Engine and
Kaldi which offer a better blend of simplicity, value for money and access to a wider range of investment assets.
(FYI - Stratiphy has announced that it has several updates to improve the app and investor experience in the pipeline. And we’ll update the review with anything we feel might be helpful to you once these changes are live.)
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Reasons to use
- Stocks and Shares ISA
- Invest according to your values and beliefs
- Test how your strategy would have performed historically
- No fees for account opening or inactivity
- Comprehensive educational hub
Reasons to avoid
- Limited investment options
- No Cash ISA
- Monthly platform fee £9 or £19
- No Junior ISA
- No SIPP
Fees
Although Straiphy doesn’t charge you to join, it’s on the pricey side when it comes to fees and has a slightly complicated fee structure.
There are three investment tiers, some of which require a flat monthly fee:
- Strati-Free - £0
- Starter-Sphere - £9 per month
- Stratos-Sphere - £19 per month
As far as tiered plans go, Interactive Investor offers a lot more value for money than Stratiphy. Its monthly fee for an investment-only account currently ranges from £4.99 - £11.99. If you want to add a SIPP to your subscription, the range increases to £9.99 - £21.99.
Stratiphy’s annual management fees are on the upper end of the industry average. For the Starti-Free account, you’ll pay 0.90%. On a £10,000 investment, this works out to £90 for the year.
Although you don’t pay a management fee for the paid tiers, the yearly cost of having a Stater-Sphere account is £108 and the Stratos-Sphere account is £228.
I’ve done a price comparison in the ‘Stratiphy vs competitors’ section below to show how its charges stack up against other providers.
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Account Opening
Stratiphy is app-only and available for download on iOS in the App Store and Android in the Google Play Store.
It’s really easy to open an account. Once you’ve downloaded the app you need to register your details including your full name, contact details and address history for the last three years.
You’ll also be asked to create a secure password to protect your account. It only took a few minutes for my account to be approved!
Once you get the all-clear, you link your bank account to fund your investments. This is really helpful because it means you can top up your investment account without leaving the app - saving you time!
If you want to open a Stocks and Shares ISA, you’ll need to select the option to register for an account in the app and wait for it to be approved. It took less than an hour for my ISA to be approved.
Overall, Stratiphy offers a slick and efficient way to get set up on the app and start investing.
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Reasons to use
- Open an account within minutes
- Fully digital process
- Available on iOS and Android
- In-app connection to bank
Reasons to avoid
- Cash doesn’t appear in your investment account immediately
Safety
Stratiphy is fully regulated by the FCA and protects up to £85,000 of your money under the FSCS scheme.
The app doesn’t automatically log you out when moving to another application on your phone though which could leave your account vulnerable if your phone is lost or stolen.
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Reasons to use
- Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
- Included in the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)
Reasons to avoid
- Doesn’t automatically log you out if you close or log out of the app
Education
Stratiphy offers a comprehensive suite of guides and interactive learning activities to help beginners get to grips with the basics of investing. Stratiphy offers a simple, easy-to-use educational resource area that allows you to learn about the investing basics quickly and easily.
It also provides short interactive quizzes to help you put your knowledge to the test. Stratify’s tone of voice is easy-to-understand making it easy to get your head around key investment concepts.
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Reasons to use
- Detailed guides
- Interactive learning hub
Reasons to avoid
- No live webinars
- No videos
Customer Service
Currently, Stratiphy offers a limited selection of customer service options.
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Reasons to use
- In-app messaging
- Email support
Reasons to avoid
- No telephone support
- No live chat