If you’re planning to get started in the world of investing, one of the first things you’ll need to do is choose an investment platform. And this isn’t particularly easy – today UK investors have a lot of options when it comes to investment platforms.
Here, we are going to highlight three investment platforms that we believe are well-suited to beginner investors. Let’s dive in.
What does a beginner investor need?
Before we highlight a few of the best platforms for those getting starting out, it’s worth looking at what a beginner investor typically needs. There are several features that beginners should look for when selecting a platform.
One is ease of use. The platform should be really easy to navigate, even for someone with no prior investing experience.
Another is educational resources. Ideally, the platform should offer plenty of content designed to help newbies learn about investing.
Obviously, low fees are important. Typically, beginner investors are only investing small amounts of money, so fees need to be minimised.
Access to tax-efficient investment accounts such as Stocks and Shares ISAs and Lifetime ISAs is also paramount. This is often overlooked by beginners, but it’s really important as with these kinds of accounts, you can invest tax-free.
Of course, regulation is important. It’s crucial that the platform is regulated by a major financial watchdog such as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Other key features that can be valuable for beginner investors include ready-made portfolios, fractional shares, and a mobile app.
Lightyear is great for getting started
Lightyear is a great choice for beginner investors because it makes getting started with investing simple and cheap, so even if you are starting to invest with a small amount of money it won’t get eaten up in fees.
Lightyear’s platform and app were designed by one of the founders of Wise, so as expected offers a clean, intuitive app and web experience that newcomers consistently praise for ease of use, clear information, and straightforward navigation
This makes Lightyear ideal if you’re entering investing for the first time without feeling overwhelmed by complex tools or jargon.
Reviews for Lightyear on Good Money Guide highlight that the interface is easy to understand and that opening an account and making your first investment can be done quickly, with no minimum deposit requirement and a friendly design that invites exploration.
Another big advantage for beginners is Lightyear’s low-cost, transparent pricing and broad market access. You can invest in thousands of stocks and ETFs from the UK, US and Europe, with no execution fees on ETFs and no ongoing account fees, helping your money go further while you learn.
Lightyear also offers tax-efficient accounts like Stocks & Shares ISAs and multi-currency investing, alongside features such as interest-earning options on uninvested cash (via Vaults or Cash ISA), which can be appealing as you build confidence.
Freetrade is ideal for stock pickers
Freetrade won the Good Money Guide Award for “Best Investing App in 2025”. For beginner investors who do want to invest in individual stocks may wish to check out Freetrade. Recently purchased by IG, it offers an easy-to-use platform with many investment options (find our full review here).
Today, Freetrade offers access to over 6,200 stocks (and you can buy fractional stocks) and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This is likely to be more than enough options for a beginner investor.
It also has low fees. Currently, you pay no commissions to buy or sell stocks.
On the downside, if you want to invest through a Stocks and Shares ISA, you need to sign up for a paid plan. These start at £4.99 per month.
There are also foreign exchange (FX) fees for international stocks. These vary depending on the plan you choose but range from 0.39% to 0.99%.
Vanguard is brilliant for low-cost funds
Finally, we can’t discuss platforms for beginners and not mention Vanguard. It’s one of the world’s largest providers of low-cost investment funds (find our Vanguard review here).
Through Vanguard, you can invest in the world’s financial markets very cheaply. For example, its FTSE Global All Cap Index Fund – which provides access to over 7,000 stocks globally, has an ongoing fee of just 0.23% (but there are also platform charges of £4 a month).
You can also access some innovative ready-made portfolios such as LifeStrategy funds (which offer different risk levels) and Target Retirement funds (which are designed to automatically adjust the investment mix of the fund over time as you get closer to retirement), and a range of tax-efficient accounts.
With this platform, you can’t buy individual stocks or products from other providers. So that is one major disadvantage.
Overall, though, Vanguard has a lot going for it. If you’re a beginner looking to set up a simple, low-cost investment strategy to set and forget, it could be ideal.
Richard is the founder of the Good Money Guide (formerly Good Broker Guide), one of the original investment comparison sites established in 2015. With a career spanning two decades as a broker, he brings extensive expertise and knowledge to the financial landscape.
Having worked as a broker at Investors Intelligence and a multi-asset derivatives broker at MF Global (Man Financial), Richard has acquired substantial experience in the industry. His career began as a private client stockbroker at Walker Crips and Phillip Securities (now King and Shaxson), following internships on the NYMEX oil trading floor in New York and London IPE in 2001 and 2000.
Richard’s contributions and expertise have been recognized by respected publications such as The Sunday Times, BusinessInsider, Yahoo Finance, BusinessNews.org.uk, Master Investor, Wealth Briefing, iNews, and The FT, among many others.
Under Richard’s leadership, the Good Money Guide has evolved into a valuable destination for comprehensive information and expert guidance, specialising in trading, investment, and currency exchange. His commitment to delivering high-quality insights has solidified the Good Money Guide’s standing as a well-respected resource for both customers and industry colleagues.
To contact Richard, please see his Invesdaq profile.
