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Reviews By Richard Berry - Updated
Stockbrokers enable you to buy and sell shares online but also provide added value services like access to IPOs, helping with large trades and providing research. But finding the best takes research – that’s where the Good Money Guide comes in. Our experts have rated and ranked the best UK stockbrokers, all of which are regulated in the UK for your peace of mind. And you can see what thousands of customers think, too. We’ll help you easily compare brokers, understand fees and other key factors, and find the perfect platform for you.
| Name | Logo | GMG Rating | Customer Reviews | Annual Fees | Dealing Commission | CTA | Feature | Expand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | GMG Rating | Customer Reviews | Annual Fees 0% – 0.25% | Dealing Commission £3.50 – £5 | See Offer Capital at risk | Features:
| AJ Bell Stock Brokerage Review: Best Low Cost Stock Broker Summary Fees: Share account fees are capped at £3.50 a month. Dealing costs are £1.50 for funds and £5 for shares but drop to £3.50 where there were 10 or more online share deals in the previous month Special Offers:
Pros
Cons
Overall5 | |
 | GMG Rating | Customer Reviews | Annual Fees 0% – 0.45% | Dealing Commission £5.95 – £11.95 | See Offer Capital at risk | Features:
| Hargreaves Lansdown Stock Brokerage Review: Best Stock Broker 2025 Account: Hargreaves Lansdown Stock Brokerage Description: Hargreaves Lansdown is ranked as our best online stock broker in the UK. It won the 2025, 2024, 2022 and 2021 Good Money Guide award for best full-service stock broker because of it’s capped account fees, market range and research. Summary Pricing: There is no account charge for holding shares. Funds are charged at 0.45% for the first £250,000. There is no charge for buying funds, but shares are charged at £11.95 per deal or £5.95 if you do over 20 deals per month. Market Access: Offers RSP access and phone dealing on some of the smallest companies on the London stock exchange as well as a great range of internatinal and main market stocks, funds, and bonds. Online Platform: They both do exactly what they are supposed to do for long term investors. Customer Service: This is where HL stands out as a stock broker, it’s an actual stock broker instead of just an investing platform so you can talk to someone who knows what they are doing. Research & Analysis: Some great stock screeners, and a constant stream of market analysis and trading and investing ideas online. Pros
Cons
Overall4.9 | |
 | GMG Rating | Customer Reviews | Annual Fees £59.88 | Dealing Commission £3.99 | See Offer Capital at risk | Features:
| Interactive Investor Stock Brokerage Review: Best Fixed Fee Stock Broker Account: Interactive Investor Stock Brokerage Description: Interactive Investor is a low-cost online stock broker offers investors access to over 40,000 shares in over 20 markets. The flat account fee helps keep costs down for large portfolios and you get one free trade per month for smaller accounts. Summary Fees: You get a free trade every month, then UK Shares and Funds, US Shares 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. Special Offers:
Pros
Cons
Overall5 |
Our experts hand-picked the best stock brokers 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 experts test each stockbroker with real money to ensure you have a seamless experience.
- In-depth feature comparison. We check all the features thoroughly and highlight those that make each stockbroker stand out from the competition.
- Exclusive insights from the top. Our interviews with stockbroker CEOs give you a valuable insider perspective to help you make informed decisions.
What is a Stock Broker?
Want to buy or sell shares? You’ll likely need a stockbroker. These firms handle the transactions for you and hold your shares in investment accounts.
Think of them as the bridge between you and the stock exchanges (like the London Stock Exchange or the New York Stock Exchange) where shares are traded.
Without a stock broker, you have limited options for buying and selling shares.
What do stock brokers do?
We spoke to one of the largest stock brokers in the UK to find out what they love about being a stock broker.
Stockbrokers: The Pros and Cons
Are you wondering if using a stockbroker is right for you? Let’s break down the advantages and disadvantages to help you decide.
Pros
- Flexible. Stock brokers offer a personal service for high-net-worth investors.
- Customer service. Stock brokers focus more on personal service.
- IPO access. Stockbrokers can usually participate in IPOs and new issues for you.
Cons
- Expensive. Due to their added value, they can typically be more expensive than investing apps.
- Low tech. Some stock brokers’ apps are not as sophisticated as trading platforms.
- Risk. As with all investments, you can get back less than you started with if the market goes down.
Our Pick for Smaller Broker Accounts
AJ Bell is the cheapest stock broker for low-value investments, based on our analysis, because it offers some of the cheapest commission and account fees across all UK stock brokerage accounts we compare. On the downside, AJ Bell doesn’t offer as many investment options as Hargreaves Lansdown (HL).
If you’re investing only a small amount of money, you’ll want a stock broker that has low fees and charges.
Best UK Stockbroker Investing Apps
HL offers a high-quality investing app that lets you:
- Buy and sell thousands of investments including domestic and international shares, bonds, ETFs and investment trusts, and over 3,000 funds
- Manage your investments and view your transaction history
- Top up and withdraw cash on the go
- Log in with fingerprint or face ID
- Access fund and share factsheets
- Create watchlists
- Track market movements
- Access research from HL’s investment experts
- Set stop and limit orders
On the downside, HL’s fees and charges are higher than those of some other providers. In recent years, stock trading apps have become popular. These allow you to monitor your portfolio and make trades on the go via smartphones and tablets.
- Related Guide: Best Investment Apps Compared & Reviewed
UK’s Best Stock Broker for Beginners
HL is one of the largest stock brokers in the UK, and we rank it as best for beginners. It provides excellent, easy-to-digest analysis, news and data screeners for new investors to learn the market. HL won the 2021 Good Money Guide award for Best Full-Service Stock Broker.
So what makes HL so beginner-friendly?
- Buying and selling shares through HL is simple
- The platform provides access to plenty of educational resources
- The customer service is excellent
- The website and app are reliable and user-friendly
On the downside, HL’s fees are higher than those of some UK online stockbrokers. However, many beginners find the value they get in terms of ease of use, education, and support outweighs the slightly higher cost.
Ideally, you want a platform that is well laid out, easy to use, and accessible via an app so you can monitor your account and place trades on the go. New investing apps are particularly good at making buying stocks easy and are a much simpler and easier version of a stock broker’s website.
What Account Types Do Stockbrokers Offer?
Established brokers like HL offer access to a range of accounts, including general investment accounts, stocks and shares ISAs, lifetime ISAs, and self-invested personal pension (SIPP) accounts. Others, like eToro, only offer general and online share dealing.
Want to lower your taxes? Accounts like ISAs and SIPPs can help you do just that.
| Account Types | GIA | ISA | SIPP | Pension | Junior ISA | Junior SIPP | Lifetime ISA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hargreaves Lansdown | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| AJ Bell | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| interactive investor | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Interactive Brokers | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| IG | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Saxo | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Wealthify | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
| InvestEngine | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Moneyfarm | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Best Choice of Markets
Interactive Brokers offers you the widest range of markets to invest in, according to our analysis.
If you plan to invest in international shares, the range of shares offered by each broker is particularly important. Some brokers offer access to a limited range of international markets and are playing catch-up – for instance, Bestinvest started offering US stocks long after AJ Bell, HL and interactive investor (ii) had offered them.
Best for Research & Analysis
ii is the best broker for research and analysis, after slowly overtaking HL. Recently, ii has been focussing on fund interviews and providing relevant commentary on popular stocks.
HL offers a range of features that can help you make better investment decisions, such as stock screeners, fundamental data sets, and charts. Some more basic investment apps, like Freetrade, just offer basic trading services.
Best UK Stockbroker for Advice & Guidance
Not sure what to buy or sell? Bestinvest is one of the few stockbrokers that offers personalised investment advice and guidance.
We rate Bestinvest as the best stock broker for advice and it won Best Added-Value Investment Platform in our 2023 awards.
Bestinvest offers different services that can help you pick your investments:
- Free initial guidance. If you’re thinking of becoming a Bestinvest client, start with a free consultation. One of its coaches will talk you through what type of investments might be right for you
- Investing for your goals (£295 inc VAT). Let Bestinvest create a personalised, ready-made investment portfolio tailored to your needs and goals. This is a great option if you’re looking for a professionally managed portfolio that takes the guesswork out of investing and offers diversification across various market-tracking investments.
- Portfolio Health Check (£495 inc VAT). Bestinvest will look at your portfolio and provide advice on your investments. You can also discuss what other opportunities are in the market, and other shares that may be worth buying for your portfolio.
Can Stock Brokers Give You Advice on What to Buy and Sell?
Generally, UK stock brokers can’t give advice and operate on an “execution only” or “self-directed” basis where you have to pick your own investments. There are three main types of service levels from stock brokers:
- Execution only. This is where you’ll get just basic share dealing services and no investment advice.
- Advisory. Advisory stock brokers give you share dealing services and also advise you on what shares to buy and sell.
- Discretionary. Discretionary stock brokers manage your money for you and make trades on your behalf.
Further reading: How to invest in stocks online.
Best Stockbroker for Customer Service
When you’re choosing a broker, customer service should be a big consideration, especially if you’re a new investor.
HL consistently scores highly for customer care in the annual Good Money Guide awards. However, HL can be a bit more expensive than other brokers, so it’s a case of getting what you pay for. If you value being able to speak to an expert quickly, it’s worth it, but if you’re confident investing online, there are cheaper stockbrokers, such as ii.
Access to support when you need it is important. HL and ii have excellent phone support, whereas cheaper online share dealing services tend to rely on chat, email and support tickets only. Phone support can be helpful when placing trades or navigating complex investment decisions.
UK Stockbrokers’ Fees – What to Look Out for
Every stock broker has a different fee structure. You’ll want to understand the charges you’ll face as they can take a large bite out of your overall investment returns over time. Some fees and charges to consider include:
- Trading commissions. Each time you make a trade, you’ll pay this fee.
- Custody fee. A payment for the stockbroker to hold on to your investments.
- Entry fees. Some brokers charge you a fee for opening an account.
- Exit fees. If you leave a broker, you might get hit by a charge for doing so.
Some brokers offer fee calculators that allow you to compare fees, which can be useful. The cheapest stockbroker isn’t necessarily the best option for you.
What Can You Invest in with a Stockbroker?
Before you dive into trading stocks, take a moment to consider what you want to achieve with your investments. What are your financial goals? How much risk are you comfortable taking?
Once you have a clearer picture, you can choose an investment strategy that aligns with your goals.
Here are some popular approaches:
- Growth investing. This is where you invest in companies that are expected to grow faster than the market average. Growth stocks can offer high potential returns but can also be quite volatile and therefore riskier
- Value investing. This means investing in companies that are trading at a discount to their true value. The idea is that if a stock is trading below its true value, it’s undervalued, and, therefore, may rise over time
- Sustainable investing. This is investing in companies that meet environment, social and governance (ESG) criteria. Sustainable investors often avoid stocks in sectors like oil, tobacco, and defence
- Dividend & income investing. With this approach, you’re investing in companies that pay regular dividends. This is popular among retirees and those looking to generate passive income
- Small-cap investing. This means investing in small companies. Smaller companies tend to produce higher returns than larger companies over time – but their stocks are generally more volatile than those of larger companies.
These investment strategies aren’t mutually exclusive – you can combine a number of them. Which strategy is best for you will depend on several factors, including your financial goals and risk tolerance.
Your Investments are Protected: Understanding FCA Regulation
All stock brokers that operate in the UK must be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is responsible for ensuring that UK stockbrokers are properly capitalised, treat customers fairly and have sufficient compliance systems in place. The Good Money Guide features only stock brokers where your funds are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and which are regulated by the FCA.
