Home > Investing > Fund Platforms

Fund platforms enable clients to buy and sell investment funds such as ETFs, open-ended funds, investment trusts, and index funds.  

Best fund platforms in the UK compared and reviewed

You can use our comparison of what we think are the best fund platforms by how much commission they charge to buy and sell funds, what the ongoing account costs are and if there are any discounts for regular fund investing. We have ranked and reviewed the best fund platforms in the UK that are regulated by the FCA. All investing carries risk. 

Interactive Investor: Best fund platform 2023

Interactive Investor

  • Available funds: 3,000
  • Fund account fee: £9.99 per month
  • Fund dealing commission: £7.99
  • Minimum investment: £1

Interactive Investor won best fund platform in our 2022 awards as you can invest in over 3,000 thousands of funds with help from II’s impartial experts that 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.

*Fund 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:

  • ✔️Fund model portfolios
  • ✔️£1 minimum deposit
  • ✔️£9.99 fixed account fee

Cons:

  • ❌Fixed fee not great for very small accounts
  • ❌No lifetime ISA

Hargreaves Lansdown: Excellent fund portfolios and analysis

Hargreaves Lansdown

  • Available funds: 3,000
  • Fund account fee: 0.45%
  • Fund dealing commission: £0
  • Minimum investment: £1

Invest in over 3,000 funds or choose from Hargreaves Lansdown 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.

There is no charge for buying and selling funds. 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.

Pros:

  • ✔️Over 3,000 funds
  • ✔️£1 minimum deposit
  • ✔️No charge for buying or selling funds

Cons:

  • ❌0.45% account fee* is relatively high
  • ❌No cap on fund account fees

AJ Bell: Best for low-cost fund investing

AJ Bell Youinvest

  • Available funds: 2,000
  • Fund account fee: 0.25%
  • Fund dealing commission: £1.50
  • Minimum investment: £500

Capital at risk

AJ Bell offers a fantastic selection of funds for investors. Currently, there are more than 2,000 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.

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
  • ❌£1.5 to buy and sell funds

Bestinvest: Good for fund investing advice and low costs

Bestinvest

  • Available funds: 1,000
  • Fund account fee: 0.2%
  • Fund dealing commission: £4.95
  • Minimum investment: £1

Capital at risk

Bestinvest has combined low-cost online investing and share dealing with personalised expert advice to help clients choose the right investments for their portfolio. A good choice for large long-term investors.

Bestinvest charge a 0.2% account fee for holding ready-made portfolios. Above £500,000 it reduces to 0.1%. For other investments, the account fee is 0.4% up to £250k. Dealing commissions £4.95 per online share trade, fund dealing is free. 

Pros:

  • ✔️£1 minimum investment
  • ✔️Advice from experts on demand
  • ✔️0.2%* account fee for ready-made fund portfolios

Cons:

  • ❌Higher 0.4% account fee for none ready-made portfolios

Methodology

We have chosen what we think are the best fund platforms based on:

  • over 17,000 votes 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 platforms for buying funds.
  • interviews with the fund platform CEOs and senior management

Compare Other Types Of Investment Funds

Index funds
Index Funds
Open-Ended Funds
Investment trusts
Investment Trusts

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: