Best Share Trading Platforms – Our Top 2024 Picks
Our 2024 Best Share Trading Platform Picks for Traders
When selecting a share trading platform, new and experienced investors have a wide range of choices. We have put together a selection of our best providers, outlining key trading features and pricing to help you make the right choice for your needs.
| Join today & get £50 FREE trading credit (T&Cs apply). More than 40,000 UK & international investment options Invest from £1 Features: Flat fee plan starts from £4.99 pm No trading fees when you top up monthly with the ii regular investing service. | Go to website » | |
| Trusted by over 400,000 people. Fully FSCS protected. ADVFN Winner 2022 "Best Low Cost Stockbroker". Capital at risk. | ||
| Trade UK & International shares for £6. No charge for fund trades Features: One simple customer fee of 0.25% p.a. 8,000+ investments to choose from. | Go to website » | |
| Barclays gives you the investment choice and research tools you need to grow your money. Over 300,000 people have used our award winning service, expert insights and resources to help work towards their financial goals. Voted Best Stockbroker at the Online Money Awards 2023. Capital at risk. | ||
| Choose from over 2,000 funds From £25 per month Features: Low cost ISA. Multi-award winning ISA provider. Trade from: £1.50 Funds £5.00 Shares, ETFs, investment trusts and gilts and bonds £3.50 Frequent shares dealing charge | Go to website » | |
| Trusted by over 1.5 million people. FSCS protected. Capital at risk. Other charges may apply. No subscription required | ||
| Choice of 700 low cost ETF Funds Invest from £100 Features: No buying or selling fees. Choose either commission free DIY investing, or an actively managed portfolio (0.25% charge annually). Powerful automation. Easy diversification. ETFs costs apply SPECIAL OFFER: Get a Welcome Bonus of up to £50 when you invest at least £100 with InvestEngine (Capital at risk, Ts&Cs apply). | Go to website » | |
| The InvestEngine offers investors a low cost ETF investment platform. Build your own portfolio commission free or leave it to their experts for just 0.25%. Build your own low cost portfolio using managers such as Vanguard, iShares & Invesco. FSCS protected. Capital at risk. | ||
| Buy & trade over 17,000+ shares online. FX conversion fee of just 0.5%. Invest from £1 Features: Easy to use platform. Demo account. Speak to other traders. Award winning trading app. | Go to website » | |
| IG offer exclusive out of hours giving access to 70+ shares when the market is closed. 313,000+ clients worldwide. FCA Regulated. Capital at risk. Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. | ||
| Invest in real stocks with 0% commission*. Over 5300 instruments… Features: XTB is one of the largest stock exchange-listed FX brokers in the world with 720,000+ customers and over 20 years of activity in the financial markets. Capital at Risk Earn 5.2% interest rate per annum on uninvested GBP | Go to website » | |
| World class trading platform: Easy to use, fully customisable, superior execution speeds, performance statistics. Applying for an account is quick and easy with a secure online form, and you could be trading within minutes. Wide range of instruments -forex, indices, commodities, shares and ETF’s. Multilingual customer support team is ready to help you - 24h hours a day from Monday to Friday. *For monthly turnover up to 100,000 EUR (then comm. 0.2%, min. 10 EUR). Capital at risk | ||
| Invest in over 6,100+ US, UK & EU stocks & ETFs commission-free Features: Start with £2 investment. Superb app design and transparent account charges. Great for beginners and experienced investors alike | Go to website » | |
| Mobile app - manage your portfolio on the move. FSCS protected. Capital at risk. | ||
| Access over 3,000 funds. UK & Overseas shares. Invest from £100 or £25 pm Features: Live share prices. Award winning services. | Go to website » | |
| Hargreaves Lansdown is the UK's No 1 platform for private investors trusted by over 1.6 million customers. Capital at risk. | ||
| Access to 70,000+ instruments, smart trading tools & market insights Investment platform for different needs and experience levels | Go to website » | |
| Saxo serve clients in 170 countries, hold 70+ bn GBP in assets under management & process 1m transactions daily. FCA regulated. Capital at risk. | ||
| Buy & trade over 3500+ UK, EU and US stocks with low 0.35% currency conversion. Features: Say goodbye to high minimums and barriers to entry. Introducing the high interest vaults offer: - Interest rate: 5.21% APY on GBP, 3.83% APY on EUR, 5.39% APY on USD - Pricing: 0.25% total fees for all deposit sizes - Minimum amount: £1, €1, $1 - Maximum amount: No limit Capital at Risk | Go to website » | |
| Multi-currency investing, your money goes even further without the constant foreign exchange fees. Deposit, hold and invest in international stock markets in EUR, GBP and USD — all under one roof. Shares have a low, transparent execution cost. Investing in your local ETFs is completely free of Lightyear fee (other fees may apply). Earn interest on uninvested cash. Access live news feeds about the stocks you own, as well as professional analyst ratings & price targets. Lightyear is now live on web and has launched earnings calls audios. Capital at Risk. We, Fair Investment Company, will be paid a referral fee if you open an account and deposit funds through some of the links on this page. This includes financial promotion. | ||
How do you select a trading platform?
Trading platform services offered vary widely, and so do the costs.
5 things to think about:
1. How do you want to trade?
There are different ways to trade shares online:
Looking to take advantage of short-term opportunities in the market? Then, spread betting and CFDs allow you to speculate on share prices using leveraged trading products without owning any assets.
or
You wish to take a longer-term position with more traditional investments
a. Short-term trading – Spread betting & CFDs
With derivatives trading, you can use products such as CFDs and spread bets to speculate on a share’s price increasing or decreasing without directly owning the shares themselves.
CFDs (Contracts For Difference) and spread betting are leveraged products, which means you can gain total exposure to company shares while only putting down a small deposit. While this magnifies possible profits, it does the same for losses.
CFDs & spread bets are popular among short-term traders as profits and losses are realised immediately – making opening and closing trades faster. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t use them for longer-term positions too. You’d need to consider the costs involved in maintaining a position – such as overnight funding – and the bet duration, as spread bets have fixed terms.
They also enable you to buy and sell shares online without owning the underlying asset. This has tax benefits and means you can trade in both rising and falling markets (Tax laws are subject to change).
a. Long-term trading – Investing in shares
Share dealing services enable you to invest in company shares to sell them for a profit at a later date. When you buy shares, you become a part owner of that Company and gain shareholder rights, including any income paid as dividends.
Different share-dealing services have different charging structures. Some platforms offer commission-free share dealing, but most operate on a fixed fee per trade, which is usually reduced if you carry out more than a certain number of trades per month.
With profits you make on share trading, capital gains and dividends earned may be subject to tax at your rate. Tax can be mitigated by trading within an ISA or Self Invested Personal Pension account.
2. Do you want to do a lot of trading?
Active investors will want to look for a platform that offers the lowest fees for volume trades.
If you are going to trade stock regularly, most trading platforms will offer lower trading prices based on volume.
3. Types of trading accounts offered
Some trading platforms offer general trading accounts, ISA accounts and Self-Invested Personal Pension Accounts, which offer tax-free trading benefits (no tax on dividends or capital gains tax on realised profit).
Interactive Investor, AJ Bell, Hargreaves Lansdown, and IG are among the traders that offer ISA and SIPP accounts.
4. Do you want to trade just in shares, funds, or shares & funds?
If you are also interested in investing or trading in funds, this may determine who you go with.
If you are interested in ETFs, investment trusts, open-ended investment companies (OEICs), or unit trusts, you must check with the platform provider to see what is available. For example, some platforms only offer a limited number of collectives, such as OEICs.
The charging structure for funds held on the platform will vary. Over time, the impact of such charges can be significant. Check the platform charging structure carefully.
5. How easy is this trading platform to use: what kind of tools and customer service does it offer?
Platform functionality is becoming the key battleground in persuading traders which platform to go for.
Mobile app features are also vital in offering traders alerts and buy/sell signals whilst on the move.
These are often the criteria that count most highly with users, so research and read the reviews.
Many investors are prepared to pay more fees for a platform that offers beneficial apps and services.
6. Are there any hidden fees or charges associated with using a share trading platform?
Understanding the full cost of using a share trading platform is good. While many platforms advertise low commission rates, additional fees for services such as account maintenance, inactivity, or currency conversion may exist. Always review the platform’s fee schedule thoroughly before committing to trading.
7. What security measures are in place to protect my personal and financial information on a share trading platform?
With the rise of online cyber threats, ensuring the security of your data is paramount. Reputable share trading platforms employ various security measures such as encryption, two-factor authentication, and regular security audits. Understanding these measures can help you feel confident entrusting your information to the platform.
8. Can I trade international stocks on UK share trading platforms?
Diversifying your portfolio with international stocks can be appealing, but not all share trading platforms offer access to global markets. It’s essential to check whether the platform provides access to the markets you’re interested in and consider any associated fees for trading international stocks. Understanding the platform’s currency conversion process can help you manage exchange rate risks effectively.
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