Best General Investment Accounts (GIAs) Compared & Reviewed

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General investment accounts (GIAs) let you buy and hold assets like shares, investment funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and bonds. Whether you’re a DIY investor or prefer expert guidance, a GIA gives you the power to build your ideal portfolio. 

We’ve tested, reviewed and compared the best general investing accounts in the UK. Use this guide to compare the features and fees of the best GIAs, discover what thousands of their customers say and read our expert reviews. It will also show which platforms are good for DIY investing and which are managed by professional fund managers so you can find your ideal GIA and start investing today.

Methodology: Our experts have tested and ranked the UK’s best investing platforms and accounts that are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and hand-picked the best investment accounts based on:

  • User feedback. We analysed over 30,000 votes and reviews in the prestigious Good Money Guide annual awards
  • Unbiased, real-world testing. Our team tests each GIA provider with real money to ensure you have a seamless experience
  • In-depth feature comparison. We thoroughly compare features, highlighting those that make a platform stand out
  • Exclusive insights from the top. Our exclusive interviews with GIA company CEOs give you insider perspectives to help you make the best decisions

What is a General Investing Account (GIA)?

A GIA is an all-purpose investing account where you can buy and sell stocks and shares (equities), bonds, funds and ETFs. GIAs don’t offer tax benefits – unlike ISAs, for example – so they can be a popular choice for investors who’ve already used up their tax allowances.

Investing is a long-term strategy. Financial experts recommend holding investments for at least five years so they ride out short-term fluctuations in the market. GIAs offer a flexible way to build your wealth over time, focussing on long-term growth.

The most popular types of investments for GIAs in the UK are:

General Investing Accounts – The Pros & Cons

Thinking of opening a GIA? Here’s what to consider:

Pros

  • GIAs offer diversity. You can invest in anything from stocks and shares, to commodities, emerging markets, ethical investments and property funds.
  • GIAs tend to be low cost. Many online investment platforms offer a cheap way to buy stocks and shares.

Cons

  • Risk. It’s possible to lose money as well as make money through an investment platform.
  • Limited access. Some investment accounts, like pensions and lifetime ISAs, lock away your money for a certain period of time and charge a penalty for early withdrawal.
  • Fees. All GIAs charge fees and there’s no way to avoid paying something for having long-term investments.

Which is the Cheapest General Investing Account?

Cheapest Overall: Interactive Brokers is the cheapest overall account as it doesn’t charge you a custody fee (also known as an account fee).

Cheapest for Large Accounts (over £50,000): interactive investor (ii) is the cheapest investing platform for buying funds and shares, thanks to its fixed fees. Your trading commission remains low at £3.99 for accounts with a £11.99 monthly fee.

Cheapest for Small Accounts: For smaller portfolios, investing apps like Freetrade offer free GIAs. However, these tend to have a limited range of markets and order types unless you upgrade to a premium account type.

How to Find the Cheapest Investment Platform

Different brokers have varying custody fee structures. Some, such as Hargreaves Lansdown (HL) and AJ Bell,  charge a percentage based on the size of your account. Others, such as ii and Freetrade have a flat fee.

For accounts holding a large amount, fixed fees work out cheaper. But if you only have a small amount to start investing with, an account that charges a percentage will help keep your costs down.

The cheapest account isn’t always the best option. Generally speaking, you tend to get what you pay for with investment platforms. Those that have higher fees tend to offer more investment options, provide better customer service, be more reliable, and provide extras such as investment research and tools.

It’s worth considering pricing carefully because fees and charges can have a big impact on your overall investment returns. Costs to think about are trading commissions, annual custody charges, entry fees, and exit fees.

Which Account Offers Access to the Most Markets?

HL provides access to the widest range of markets through its GIA. The range includes:

Some platforms offer access to a vast range of investments including domestic and international shares, funds, ETFs, and bonds. But others offer access to only certain asset classes or products.

GIA with the Best Customer Service

HL has the best customer service according to our 2022 and 2023 Good Money Guide awards, based on customer feedback.

Service and support can be important, particularly if you are new to investing, as you may need help placing a trade.

Customer service is a vital part of our review process. We take into account user ratings, and also how each GIA provider performs in our own reviews. Our aim is to highlight accounts that give you flexibility and value, and are backed up by great customer service.

Which Accounts Offer the Most Added Value?

HL offers you the most added value as its platform features:

  • Market data
  • Fund, share and market analysis
  • Multiple order types
  • Excellent customer service
  • Pre-made portfolios
  • Educational videos & webinars
  • Investment calculators

Some platforms offer features that can help you make better investment decisions, such as research, charts, and stock screeners. But others just offer basic investment services.

Which Provider Offers the Most Account Types?

AJ Bell and HL offer you the most types of investment account, including lifetime ISAs.

However, in our independent GIA reviews we found that only IG, HL and Interactive Brokers offer access to the full suite of investment types. With that said, Interactive Brokers is more of a trading platform than an investing account and the derivatives offered by HL are provided through a partnership with IG. So the provider that offers the most investment options is technically IG.

Account TypesHargreaves LansdownAJ Bell YouinvestInteractive InvestorInteractive BrokersPenfoldPensionBeeNutmegProfile PensionsMoneyfarm
GIA✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️
ISA✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️
SIPP✔️✔️✔️✔️
Pension✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️
Junior ISA✔️✔️✔️✔️
Junior SIPP✔️✔️✔️
Lifetime ISA✔️✔️✔️

Some platforms offer access to a variety of different accounts such as GIA, stocks and shares ISAs, lifetime ISAs, and self-invested personal pension (SIPP) accounts. Others, though, only offer GIAs. Tax-efficient accounts such as ISAs and SIPPs can help you minimise your tax liabilities.

✅ FCA Regulation

Your peace of mind matters to us. That’s why every GIA we feature is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA ensures GIA providers are financially secure, treat customers fairly, and meet robust compliance standards.

Plus, your funds are safeguarded by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), providing an extra layer of protection and reassurance. This means that if a provider were to go bust, any money of yours in its accounts is protected up to £85,000.

General Investment Account FAQs:

Yes – general investment accounts are regulated by the FCA and can be considered safe. When an investment platform is regulated by the FCA, it is bound by the regulator’s rules and regulations.

FCA-regulated platforms are required to hold client assets and investments separately in the name of a nominee company or authorised third-party custodian. Meanwhile, clients’ cash must be held in trust accounts with authorised UK banks. This adds protection for investors.

If a FCA-regulated platform becomes insolvent, and investors suffer a loss as a result, they will be protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to £85,000 per client, if you have balances with a single financial institution that exceed this amount, you may wish to consider opening a new account with an investment provider under a separate banking licence to ensure your deposits are fully protected incase of investment broker collapse.

It’s worth stressing that regulation and FSCS protection will not protect you from investment-related losses. When you invest money, your capital is always at risk because of fluctuations in the markets.

Yes, come GIAs are free, for instance, a number of brokers such as Freetrade offer commission-free trading. However, it’s important to be aware of other costs. Freetrade, for example, charges £3 per month for its Stocks and Shares ISA and £9.99 per month for Freetrade Plus (which offers access to more investments). It also charges FX fees of spot rate +0.45% on international shares.

In terms of investing in funds, some brokers such as Hargreaves Lansdown allow you to buy and sell funds commission free. However, these brokers generally charge an annual custody charge on fund investments. Hargreaves Lansdown, for example, charges 0.45% per year on fund holdings up to £250,000.

You can have as many investment accounts as you want. There can be benefits of using several different platforms as some have strengths in specific areas. For example, some platforms are better than others for investing in funds. Others are more cost-effective for share trading. However, it’s generally much easier to manage and monitor your investments when they are all on the one platform.

It’s worth pointing out that you can open multiple Stocks and Shares ISAs. However, you can only pay into one of these ISAs per year and the annual allowance is £20,000.

Generally speaking, GIAs are good for investing after you have used up your tax-free investing allowance within a Stocks and Shares ISA. The key advantage of a Stocks and Shares ISA is that it shelters all your capital gains and income from HMRC. If you invest in a general investing account, you will have to pay capital gains tax on gains and income tax on income received.

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