11 Best Investment Apps in the UK for 2024

Investment apps have made investing more accessible, affordable for more and more people in the UK and elsewhere, and investing has become easier than ever before. This has led to a surge in interest in investing, particularly among younger generations.

The key benefit of the apps is that you are able to manage your investments from anywhere, from a phone or laptop, instead of having to call a broker or visit a physical broker’s office. The apps generally have lower fees than brokers and include, in many cases, commission-free trades while using intuitive features to make investing really straightforward.

The best investment apps in the UK are helping stimulate more investment, either through better educational offerings or with robo-advisor services that can automatically invest a person’s money based on their risk tolerance. We analysed 11 of the top-ranking investment apps in the UK.

An in-depth look at the best investment apps UK

Take a more detailed look at why we picked each of the best investment apps in the UK, along with their pros and cons. Explore whether they are suited for your investment priorities:

1. eToro: Best investment app for social trading

eToro’s user-friendly platform is designed with social trading in mind. Users can connect with other investors and traders, exchange ideas, and share experiences, which speeds up the learning process.

It’s a good app for beginner investors because of the depth of its educational content, including beginner videos, news articles, and a demo account with a virtual $100,000 to practise trading with. One of eToro’s most popular features is the ability to copy the tried and tested trades of successful investors, which is another form of social trading.

The app offers a wide range of assets to invest in, including more than 3,000 stocks, as well as a range of ETFs. UK investors need to first deposit $100, and the minimum deposit that applies after that drops to $10. They can then buy and sell assets without any commission charged. As eToro operates in US dollars, there will be a small currency conversion charge for UK-based investors. The initial deposit for smart portfolios, compiled by eToro analysts, is $500.

eToro’s ETF and stock selection, though, is more limited than that of other apps. EToro has other features, including the ability to buy fractional shares, invest in crypto and CFDs. The fast-growing app has more than 35.5 million users and $9.5 billion in AUM.

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

2. Revolut: Good app for inexperienced investors

Revolut has more than 40 million users and just launched a separate platform, Revolut X, exclusively for crypto trading that includes more than 100 tokens. Its app is intuitive and also enables investors to trade in fractional shares, which makes it popular with investors that are just starting out.

The company allows trading in stocks, cryptocurrencies, and commodities and recently added ETFs. However, compared to some other apps, its investment options are limited. Its fees are relatively low for beginning investors, and it has a number of plans, from standard to ultra to choose from, depending on an investor’s priorities.

3. Saxo: Best investment app for wide choice of accounts

We selected Saxo as the best investment app for its versatile account range that are each tailored to the needs of investors at varying levels of expertise. The Danish company is one of the pioneers in online trading platforms, having launched its investment offering in 1998. The investment firm, which provides more than 70,000 investment options, has grown to more than $1 million customers and has more than €100 billion in assets under management (AUM).

Some of the positive aspects of the app is its scope, with options to trade on more than 50 international markets, allowing trades in stocks, options, crypto, and forex. It isn’t the least expensive app in terms of fees, but it’s structured in a way that the more you trade, the less you pay per trade, making it a good choice for more active investors.

Saxo offers three different types of accounts, ranging from the beginner-friendly SaxoInvestor, to the higher level SaxoTraderGo and SaxoTraderPro accounts. On the negative side, despite its connection to a bank, it doesn’t offer a savings account as part of the investment app and you can’t buy fractional shares yet on the app.

4. XTB: Solid app for experienced, active investors

The platform is a hybrid that can appeal both to beginners and more experienced investors. Its easy-to-use platform and commission-free trading appeals to both types of investors. It also allows trading in stocks, ETFs, commodities and cryptocurrencies through CFDs. 

It also has good customer support and educational resources to appeal to inexperienced investors. Much of its focus, though, is on CFDs, which are risky for beginners. It also isn’t a good set-it and forget-it investor as there’s an inactivity fee if there’s no trading for 12 months. Investors who aren’t as active also pay more fees when they do trade.

Disclosure: 77% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

5. Interactive Investor: Top investment app for transparency

Interactive Investor’s flat fees make it popular with more active investors for the transparency of its pricing. We also liked that it offers more than 40,000 investment options, including more than 3,000 funds and more than 1,000 exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as well as model investment portfolios. It does not allow trading in forex, fractional shares, or cryptocurrency or foreign exchange, though.

One of the platform’s best features is it pays interest on uninvested cash balances on trading accounts, individual savings accounts (ISAs) and self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs). It also has a consistently updated education and news section to help investors.

While there are few unpleasant fee surprises, paying £3.99 per trade is more expensive than many other apps, though Interactive’s Investor and Super Investor plans give one and two free trades each month, respectively. 

6. Trading 212: Best interest rates for uninvested cash balances

Like Interactive Investor, Trading 212 will pay interest on uninvested cash balances in trading accounts and in the UK, the interest is currently an annual rate of 5.2%, topping its competitor.

The app includes more than 10,000 investment options in stocks and ETFs and has been downloaded more than 15 million times. It doesn’t offer mutual funds, but unlike some online apps, Trading 212 allows fractional trades. The app also offers robo-investing in ready-made pies depending on your level of risk.

Another key feature is users can get up to £40,000 in virtual currency to practise trading. The app says it has more than £3.5 billion AUM. It’s a good app for beginner investors because it gets high marks for its intuitiveness and ease-of-use. On the downside, its education section is very basic and limited and its fees for forex trading are relatively high. 

7. AJ Bell: Best investment app for financial advice

AJ Bell has more than £102 billion in AUM. It also has more than 484,000 customers, more than twice as many it had just six years ago. The breakdown of its customers is roughly 161,000 advised customers and 323,000 direct-to-consumer customers. It offers more than 20,000 investment options, including shares, funds, ETFs and investment trusts,

The company is known for its high level of customer service and its array of educational and research options for investors and ready-made portfolio options. It’s ranked high by consumers. It has relatively high trading fees and charges for buying and selling funds. 

It may be more suitable for investors with smaller portfolios because of its percentage-based fees. It also has a low-cost Dodl account, with an app-only platform. It doesn’t charge for trades but its investment options are limited and it does have an annual management fee of 0.15%. The company pays interest on uninvested cash. 

8. Moneybox: Best investment app for beginner investors

The app is striking a chord with beginning investors and the company has been named to Deloitte’s UK Technology Fast 50 for four consecutive years. It has more than 1 million customers and more than £5 in AUM.

Moneybox’s 0.45% platform fee isn’t ideal for investors with larger portfolios. The app focuses on stocks, ISAs, but lacks advanced features and research tools that more experienced traders may want. It also provides a smaller range of investments compared to some other platforms.

Moneybox’s platform is made for beginners, thanks to an easy-to-use interface and the ability to do robo-investing, perfect for investors who are not comfortable doing stock picking. The ability to trade with zero commission and a small £1 monthly subscription fee is a plus.

9. IG: Plenty of investment options, technical tools

The company has been involved in trading since 1974 and allows investors to trade more than 97 currencies and over 19,000 stocks. Investors can also trade ETFs, options and CFDs. It’s a good platform for experienced investors, with advanced charting, research and analysis.

IG’s biggest downside is the cost, particularly for frequent traders. It costs UK investors £8 per trade, though that drops down to £3 per trade if you trade more than three times a month. Its platform is a little complicated for beginner traders.

10. Freetrade: Investment app with lots of options for intermediate investors

The fast-growing app has £1.3 billion in AUM and more than 1.4 million users only eight years after it began operations. It’s a good platform for intermediate investors who are looking for commission-free trading in stocks and ETFs, but not cryptocurrency. 

Freetrade has several different pricing plans on what it calls its freemium setup, ranging from £0 in the basic plan, which allows one free trade a month, to the £11.99 a month that includes a SIPP, preferred customer service and up to 5% annual interest on up to £3,000 in uninvested cash.

While it offers fractional trading of shares and more than 6,200 stocks, it doesn’t have as many automated features as some other apps, and no robo-investing option, so it may be more difficult to navigate its site than other apps. It also has limited customer support for the most basic plan.

11. Wealthify: App focuses on keeping investing simple

It’s a good platform for set-it and forget-it type investors. It has a robo-advisor platform that allows beginner investors to design a diversified portfolio based on specific risk tolerance levels, from cautious to adventurous. It only costs £1 to begin investing with the app, but it has limited investment options and research and educational resources compared to other platforms.

Because the fee structure is based on how much is in your holdings, it isn’t as desirable to those with larger portfolios. The platform does get high marks for customer support, with live chat service and telephone support.

Top-rated stock trading apps, at a glance

Here’s a quick overview of these 11 investment apps with a summary of their main features and costs:

Platform	Minimum investment to start account	Account management fees	Investment fund fees	FSCS protection	Trustpilot reviews
eToro	First deposit of $100; $10 thereafter	None, but there is a $10 monthly fee if an account has been inactive for more than 12 months	Trading fees vary and are built into the spread	Yes	4.2 out of 5 stars (23,542 reviews)
Revolut	No minimum	0.12% of total asset value annually	None	No	4.1 out of 5 stars (153,773 reviews)
Saxo	£0	Custody fee of between 0.15% and 0.9%, depending on the amount in the account	Free for fund trades, but £3 per share trade	Yes	4.7 out of 5 stars (88,72 reviews)
XTB	UK shares:£10 US shares:$10 EU shares:€10	None, but there is a €10 monthly fee if an account has been inactive for more than 12 months	Trading fees are built into the spread and vary	Yes	3.5 out of 5 start (1,100 reviews)
Interactive Investor	$10	Investor Essentials plan: £4.99 per month Investor plan: £11.99 per month Super Investor plan: £19.99 per month	Shares and funds £3.99 per trade	Yes	4.7 out of 5 stars (24,614 reviews)
Trading 212	Equity & ISA: £1 CFDs: 1£	None	None	Yes	4.6 out of 5 stars (28,669 reviews)
AJ Bell	No minimum	Annual platform fee between 0.10% and 0.25%.	Share trading: £5 Fund trading: £1.50	Yes	4.8 out of 5 stars (4,893 reviews)
Moneybox	£50	£1 monthly subscription fee; plus 0.45% fee based on total asset value	Free	Yes	4.4 out of 5 stars (4,070 reviews)
IG	£250 to open an account	Flat platform fee of £96 per year	£8 per trade (£3 per trade if you have at least three trades a month)	Yes	4.1 out of 5 stars (6,786 reviews)
Freetrade	£2	Basic: £0 per month Standard: £5.99 per month Plus: £11.99 per month	None	Yes	4.0 out of 5 stars (3,952 reviews)
Wealthify	£1	0.6%	0.16% to 0.70%	Yes	4.0 out of 5 stars (2,346 reviews)

How to choose the best trading app for you

Before you choose a trading app, you have to look at what type of investor you are and your level of risk. If you are a beginning investor, you’ll want an app that includes plenty of educational resources and maybe even has a robo-advisor function. More experienced investors may want to look closely at whether there are any per-trade fees and other fees, plus whether each app’s investment options suit what you’re looking for.

A few things to consider:

• Risk tolerance: How comfortable are you with market changes?
• Time-frame: Are you a long-term or short-term investor?
• Investment style: Are you a hands-on trader or desire passive income investments?
• Investment types: Are you interested in stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, or other assets?

What assets can you trade on investment apps?

There are plenty of investment options on investment apps, from stocks and bonds, to crypto, to ETFs, to forex, to CFDs, that are available on investment apps. You have to look at each individual app to determine what investment options they would have. Here are some of the potential options:

• Stocks: Users can buy stocks in publicly traded companies, allowing them to have partial ownership.
• Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs): These are collective investment funds that provide exposure to various products.
• Foreign Exchange (Forex): Trade different fiat currencies to benefit from price fluctuations
• Cryptocurrencies: These digital assets can be traded on crypto exchanges. They are becoming more commonplace on popular investment apps.
• Commodities: Economic resources like crude oil, gold, wheat, cattle, natural gas, and sugar.
• Futures: Contracts to buy or sell an asset at a set price on a predetermined date.

How to get started with a UK investment app

• Visit the website: Each investment app differs. For eToro, for example, you would go to www.etoro.com and click on the “Join Now” or “Trade Now” button.

• Provide personal information: Fill in the required details such as your name, email address, and create a password.
• Accept terms and conditions: Read and agree to eToro’s terms and conditions and privacy policy.

• Verify your email: Check your inbox for a verification email and click the confirmation link.
• Complete account verification: You’ll need to verify your identity and address by providing necessary documents. This is a standard procedure to comply with regulatory requirements.
• Fund your account: Once your account is verified, you can deposit funds to start trading.

About fees and costs

Investment apps, even the ones that advertise free trading, aren’t really free. They are in business to make money and various fees are a big part of their revenue streams. 

Some investment apps make their money indirectly from the spread, the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay for a security (ask price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept (bid price). Other investment apps charge a set rate per trade or vary the rate per trade depending on how frequently an investor trades. There are also sometimes inactivity fees to encourage investors not to just park their investments. Some investment apps charge a set percentage of each person’s portfolio.

Because of the complex nature of fees, it makes sense to thoroughly check out a company’s web site and, if necessary, ask plenty of questions before signing up.

Selecting the best UK investment apps — Our methodology, explained

We looked for the best investment apps in the UK that could appeal to various types of investors, from beginners to more experienced traders. We graded each of the apps based on their ease of use, customer service, their fees and the depth of their investment options.

It’s important to note that these platforms frequently change their fee structures, so investors need to do their own research before choosing an investment app.

Investment app FAQs