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Richard Berry
- August 31, 2023
We have ranked, compared and reviewed some of the best FCA-regulated ETF platforms in the UK to help you choose the most appropriate account for your investment objectives. ETF investing platforms let you buy Exchange Traded Funds which are a basket of shares, funds, currencies or commodities in one go that roughly track the performance of the underlying assets. ETFs are one of the cheapest, most diverse and most effective ways to start investing in the stock markets.
Best ETF Platforms 2023
| ETF Investment Platform | ETF Account Fee | ETF Dealing Commission | Our Rating | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | £0 | £0 | See Offer Capital at risk |
|
 | £9.99 pm | £5.99 | See Offer Capital at risk |
|
 | £0 | £11.95 | See Offer Capital at risk |
|
 | 0.25% | £9.95 | See Offer Capital at risk |
|
 | 0.4% | £4.95 | See Offer Capital at risk |
|
 | £24 pq | £8 | See Offer Capital at risk |
|
 | £0 | 0.10% | See Offer Capital at risk |
|
 | £0 | 0.05% | See Offer Capital at risk |
❓ Methodology: We have chosen what we think are the best ETF trading platforms based on:
- over 17,000 votes in our annual awards
- our own experiences testing the ETF accounts with real money
- an in-depth comparison of the features that make them stand out compared to alternative ETF brokers.
- interviews with the ETF platform CEOs and senior management
You can use our ETF account comparison table to see compare how much it costs to buy and sell ETFs, and the ongoing account charges each broker levies for holding them.
InvestEngine: Best ETF investing platform 2023
- ETFs available: 550+
- ETF account charge: £0
- ETF dealing charge: £0
- Account types: GIA, ISA, Corporate
Capital at risk
Interactive Investor: Best ETF investing for large accounts
- ETFs available: 1,000
- ETF account charge: £9.99 per month
- ETF dealing charge: £7.99
- Account types: GIA, ISA, SIPP, JISA
Capital at risk
Interactive Investor won our award for best ETF investing account in the 2022 awards. You can choose from over 1,000 ETFs to invest or use their expert picks in the Super 60 and ACE 40 lists.
Interactive Investor ETF dealing commissions are a free trade every month, then charged £7.99 or upgrade to a £19.99 “Super Investor” account 2 free monthly trades and deal for £3.99. Regular investing is free.
Pros:
- ✔️Fixed account fee good for large ETF accounts
- ✔️Low minimum deposit of £1
- ✔️Wide range of ETFs
Cons:
- ❌The fixed fee is not great for very small accounts
Hargreaves Lansdown: Excellent full-service ETF investment platform
- ETFs available: 1,000+
- ETF account charge: £0 – 0.45%
- ETF dealing charge: £11.95
- Account types: GIA, ISA, SIPP, JISA, JSIPP
Capital at risk
Hargreaves Lansdown’s ETF platform offers a huge range of exchange-traded funds tailored to various investment strategies. They also have an expert research team that provides ETF investing ideas.
There is no account charge to hold ETFs in a Hargreaves Lansdown dealing account. But in a SIPP and ISA ETFs are charged at 0.45% capped at £45 per year. ETF dealing charges £11.95 per deal or £5.95 if you do over 20 deals per month.
Pros:
- ✔️Excellent ETF research
- ✔️Low minimum deposit of £1
- ✔️Zero account fee for ETFs
Cons:
- ❌Account fees are higher for managed funds
- ❌Higher FX conversion fee starts at 1% (drops to 0.25% for deals over £20k)
AJ Bell: Best for low-cost ETF investing
- ETFs available: 1,500
- ETF account charge: 0.25%
- ETF dealing charge: £9.95
- Account types: GIA, ISA, SIPP, JISA, JSIPP
Capital at risk
With AJ Bell you can invest in over 1,500 ETFs as well as use their screener to search for the best ETFs based on price, costs, performance and target market.
ETF account fees are capped at £3.50 a month. Dealing costs are £1.50 for funds and £9.95 for shares but drop to £4.95 where there were 10 or more online share deals in the previous month
Pros:
- ✔️Wide range of ETF account types
- ✔️Low ETF dealing costs
- ✔️Low ETF account costs of 0.25%
Cons:
- ❌High minimum account deposit of £500
- ❌No ETF derivatives
Interactive Brokers: Best for international ETF investing
- ETFs available: 150
- ETF account charge: £0
- ETF dealing charge: 0.1%
- Account types: GIA, ISA, SIPP, CFDs, futures & options
Capital at risk
Interactive Brokers has a very advanced platform and execution capacity for international investing on over 150 ETFs. Interactive Brokers’ reimburses clients for commissions paid on ETF shares held for at least 30 days. IBKR Lite clients always pay $0 commissions on ETFs.
Pros:
- ✔️Very cheap ETF order execution
- ✔️Low minimum deposit of £1
- ✔️Low ETF account fee
Cons:
- ❌US-based
- ❌Desktop platform very complicated
- ❌More suited to experienced investors
Saxo Markets: Best for experienced ETF investors
- ETFs available: 6,400+
- ETF account charge: £0
- ETF dealing charge: £6
- Account types: GIA, ISA, SIPP, CFDs, futures & options
Capital at risk
Saxo Markets’ offers trading on 6,400+ ETFs from tech, healthcare, environment and other major sectors. You’ll also get access to research on ETFs across sectors and markets, investment inspiration, live market updates, expert analysis, podcasts and webinars.
*Saxo Markets charges a commission based on a percentage of ETF transaction size. They are very competitive though and ETF trading commission starts at 0.1% (£100 if you buy £100,000 worth of stock) and drops to 0.05% for more active traders.
Pros:
- ✔️Huge range of ETFs
- ✔️Good international access
- ✔️Low FX fees
Cons:
- ❌High minimum deposit of £500
- ❌No tax free spread betting
IG: Best for ETF trading
- ETFs available: 2,000
- ETF account charge: £24 per quarter
- ETF dealing charge: £8
- Account types: GIA, ISA, SIPP, CFDs, ETF spread betting
Capital at risk
IG offer over 2000 UK-eligible ETFs from just 0.04%. You can buy and sell individual ETFs or let their investment experts do it for you with the Smart Portfolios.
With IG there is zero commission on US share ETFs and just £3 on UK ETFswhen you trade three or more times a month. Standard ETF dealing fees are £8 for UK and £10 for US ETFs.
Pros:
- ✔️Physical or ETF derivatives
- ✔️Wide market access
- ✔️Low US ETF investing fees
Cons:
- ❌No SIPP account
- ❌More of a trading platform
Dodl: Easy to use ETF investing app for beginners
- Investments: Shares, ETFs, funds
- Minimum deposit: £1
- Account types: GIA, ISA, Pension, LISA
- Account charge: 0.15%
- Dealing fee: £0
Capital at risk
⚠️ FCA Regulation
All ETF trading platforms that operate in the UK must be regulated by the FCA. The FCA is the Financial Conduct Authority and is responsible for ensuring that UK ETF investment platforms are properly capitalised, treat customers fairly and have sufficient compliance systems in place. We only feature ETF investment accounts that are regulated by the FCA, where your funds are protected by the FSCS.
Best ETF Investing Platform 2023
InvestEngine won “best ETF investing platform” in our 2023 awards. We particularly liked the zero-commission approach and a diverse curated selection of ETFs. The managed ETF investment accounts is also a very good feature for those not wanting to manage their own portfolio of ETFs.
ETF Platform FAQs:
ETFs are exchange traded funds that track the performance of an underlying asset or group of assets and are traded on stock markets as easily as shares.
The main things to consider when choosing an ETF investing platform are:
- ETF investing costs – how much does it cost to buy and sell ETFs
ETF GIAs – a general investment account for regular investing - ETF Stocks & shares ISAs – invest up to £20,000 a year in Exchange traded funds
- ETF SIPPs & Pensions – can you invest in ETFs for your retirement?
- ETF Junior SIPPs and ISAs – can you buy Exchange traded funds for your children?
- ETF Lifetime ISAs – does the platform offer ETF investing in Lifetime ISAs to help you buy your first house?
The cheapest way to hold ETFs is to select an ETF investment account with the lowest fees. For the providers we cover InvestEngine offers free ETF investing, or if you have a large account balance, fixed-fee ETF investing platforms like Interactive Investor is a good choice.
An ETF platform is an investment account that lets you buy and sell ETFs (exchange-traded funds) for long or short term investing. ETF platforms act as brokers and hold your ETFs in safe custody accounts.
The best thing about ETFs is they let you build a diverse portfolio of investments quickly and cheaply. However, ETFs cover different markets, themes and risk so to find out what ETF is best for you read our guide on how to invest in ETFs
Richard Berry
This article contains affiliate links which may earn us some form of income if you go on to open an account. However, if you would rather visit the ETF investment platforms via a non-affiliate link, you can view the product pages directly here: