- Reviews By Richard Berry
- Updated
Fund platforms enable clients to buy and sell investment funds such as ETFs, open-ended funds, investment trusts, and index funds. We have tested, ranked and reviewed the best fund platforms in the UK that are regulated by the FCA.
Best Fund Platforms Compared
Fund Platform | Funds Available | Account Fee | Dealing Commission | Customer Reviews | GMG Rating | More Info |
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3,000 | £4.99 a month | £3.99 | 4.3
| Visit Platform Capital at risk |
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4,350 | 0.25% – 0.1% | £1.50 | 4.2
| Visit Platform Capital at risk |
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4,040 | 0.45% – 0.1% | £0 | 3.8
| Visit Platform Capital at risk |
Best Fund Platforms Reviewed
Methodology: We have chosen what we think are the best fund platforms for investing based on:
- over 30,000 votes and reviews in our annual awards
- our own experiences testing the fund platforms with real money
- an in-depth comparison of the features that make them stand out compared to alternative fund investing platforms.
- interviews with the fund platform CEOs and senior management
Summary:
- Interactive Investor: Best overall fund platform
- AJ Bell: Best for low-cost fund investing
- Hargreaves Lansdown: Excellent fund portfolios and analysis
Interactive Investor: Best overall fund platform
🏆Award Winner🏆
- Available funds: 3,000
- Fund account fee: £9.99 per month
- Fund dealing commission: £3.99
- Minimum investment: £1
Good Money Guide Review
Product Name: Interactive Investor Fund Investing
Product Description: Interactive Investor won best fund platform in our 2024 and 2022 awards as you can invest in over 3,000 funds with help from II’s impartial experts who have selected ideas for a wide range of active and passive funds, investment trusts, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The ii Super 60 fund selections are designed to suit all investors, while our ACE 40 list highlights the best-in-class ethical funds.
How many funds are available on Interactive Investor?
You can invest in over 3,000 funds with Interactive Investor, but if that sounds daunting, ii publishe their most popular funds and have “Quick start”, “Super 60” and “ACE 40 ethical” best buy lists to help you pick the best funds for your portfolio.
Fees: *Fund dealing commissions are a free trade every month, then charged £7.99 or you can upgrade to a £19.99 “Super Investor” account 2 free monthly trades and deal for £3.99. Regular investing is free.
Pros
- Fund model portfolios
- £1 minimum deposit
- £9.99 fixed account fee
Cons
- Fixed-fees not great for very small accounts
- No lifetime ISA
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Pricing
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Market Access
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Online Platform
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Customer Service
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Research & Analysis
Overall
5AJ Bell: Best for low-cost fund investing
- Available funds: 4,350
- Fund account fee: 0.25%
- Fund dealing commission: £1.50
- Minimum investment: £500
Good Money Guide Review
Are AJ Bell funds any good?
Yes, AJ Bell offers a fantastic selection of funds for investors. Currently, there are more than 4,000 funds on the platform. These funds – which include both active and passive funds – offer access to specific asset classes, markets, and geographical locations. You can invest as little as £25 per month into funds with the company’s regular investment service.
Fees: AJ Bell charges 0.25% for fund account which reduces to 0.10% on the value of your funds between £250,000 and £500,000. There is no charge above £500,000. Dealing costs are £1.50.
Pros
- 2,000 funds to invest in
- Low account fee of 0.25%*
Cons
- £500 minimum deposit
- £1.50 to buy and sell funds
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Pricing
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Market Access
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Online Platform
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Customer Service
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Research & Analysis
Overall
5Hargreaves Lansdown: Excellent fund portfolios and analysis
- Available funds: 4,040
- Fund account fee: 0.45%
- Fund dealing commission: £0
- Minimum investment: £1
Good Money Guide Review
Product Name: Hargreaves Lansdown Fund Investing
Product Description: Hargreaves Lansdown lets you invest in over 4,040 funds or choose from HL funds picked by a team of in-house investment experts that manage a range of Multi-Manager funds (fund-of-funds) and HL Select range of equity funds.
Capital at risk.
Is Hargreaves Lansdown good for funds?
Fund investing is where Hargreaves Lansdown gets very expensive. There is no charge for buying and selling funds on Hargreaves Lansdown. Fund accounts are charged at 0.45% for the first £250,000. Then 0.25% up to £1m, 0.1% up to £2m. There is no charge above £2m.
This is quite high compared to AJ Bell’s scaled fund fees starting at 0.25% and Interactive Investors’ flat account fee of £11.99.
However, because of it’s size, Hargreaves Lansdown is able to negotiate Fund discounts where they say their clients save an average of 17% on the ongoing charges figure (OCF), which is the fee charged by the fund manager as opposed to your broker.
OCF fees are rarely capped, so having a discount on the fund charge is even more valuable for people holding large sums in funds.
Hargreaves does have a pretty good research offering for funds alongside their excellent market data portal. HL, as well as offering access to more funds compared to other fund platforms, currently have 72 funds on the Wealth Shortlist for which they provide full research and recommendations. In addition, HL provide research updates on 32 Open-Ended Funds, 38 Investment Trusts, 15 ETFs.
Pros
- Over 4,040 funds
- Excellent fund research
- No charge for buying or selling funds
Cons
- 0.45% account fee* is relatively high
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Pricing
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Market Access
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Online Platform
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Customer Service
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Research & Analysis
Overall
4.7⚠️ FCA Regulation
All fund 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 fund platforms are properly capitalised, treat customers fairly and have sufficient compliance systems in place. We only feature fund platforms that are regulated by the FCA, where your funds are protected by the FSCS.
Compare Other Types Of Investment Funds
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 fund platforms via a non-affiliate link, you can view the product pages directly here: