- Experts commend AJ Bell Share Dealing as a low-cost online investing platform, highlighting its extensive range of investment options and competitive fees, particularly for share dealing accounts capped at £3.50 per month. However, they note that high charges for phone share dealing could be a drawback for some users.
- Across 1103 user reviews on Good Money Guide, averaging 4.2/5, customers frequently praise the platform's user-friendliness, responsive customer service, and transparent fee structure. While many appreciate the simplicity and reliability of the app, some users express concerns about occasional platform stability issues and the need for improvements in the app's functionality.
Expert rating
Our expert rating is the average of the areas listed here, each scored out of 5 by our team.Our experts have rated AJ Bell Share Dealing across five key areas of our review framework.
- Pricing4.5
- Market Access4.0
- Online Platform4.0
- Customer Service4.0
- Research & Analysis4.5
Pros
- Lots of share dealing investment options
- Low share dealing account fees capped at £3.50 a month for shares
- Lots of share dealing account types
Cons
- High phone share dealing charges
See full expert review
Our verdict
AJ Bell is a low-cost online investing platform and is the cheapest share dealing platform for buying and selling shares for the UK do-it-yourself (DIY) investor. They also offer plenty of investment ideas, including investment guides and equity research.
Capital at risk.
Summary
A great choice to deal shares with low costs in a variety of investment accounts.
- Investments: Shares, ETFs, bonds & funds
- Minimum deposit: £500
- Account types: GIA, ISA, SIPP, JISA, JISA, JSIPP
- Share dealing account charge: 0.25%
- Share dealing fee: £3.50 – £5
Fees: AJ Bell share dealing 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 when there were 10 or more online share deals in the previous month.
Special Offers:
- Recommend a friend, and you’ll both get £100 gift vouchers – When you recommend a friend to AJ Bell that invests more than £10,000 in a SIPP or ISA, you and your friend can get One4All gift vouchers worth £100.
- Switch your share dealing account and receive up to £500 to cover exit fees – If you transfer your share dealing general investment account valued at more than £20,000 to AJ Bell they will help cover any exit fees charged by your current provider. They will cover £35 per investment moved and up to £100 for general exit fees, up to an overall maximum of £500 per person.
- Free subscription to Shares Magazine worth £220
Get a free subscription to Shares (worth over £220 per year) by maintaining a balance of £4,000 or more across your AJ Bell investing accounts.
Customer reviews for AJ Bell
Customer ratings come from reviews left on this site. Every review is read and approved before it is published.Based on 1,103 reviews
- Excellent46%
- Very good35%
- Basic15%
- Poor3%
- Bad2%
Read customer reviews
Yes, we rate AJ Bell as a very safe share-dealing platform. AJ Bell are regulated by the FCA and customer funds (cash) are protected by the FSCS up to £80k. Shares you hold in AJ Bell nominee accounts are held in CREST safe custody accounts and will be transferred to another broker if they were to go bust.
The AJ Bell Dealing account is an easy-to-use, cost-effective account for investing online. With this account, you can choose from a wide range of investment options, including shares, funds, and ETFs. Key advantages of the AJ Bell Dealing account are that it is clear, well laid out, and user-friendly. Additionally, it offers access to a wider variety of investments than some other brokers.
Buying and selling shares online through AJ Bell’s Dealing account is a straightforward process. You simply search for the company you’re interested in and click through to its research page. Here, you’ll receive a quote for the security. You then have 15 seconds to confirm your order at the quoted price.
Once your deal is completed, you’ll receive a contract note with all the details of your trade.
Shares can be bought and sold online through the website or app when the market is open. For UK shares, this is between 8:00am and 4:30pm. Overseas markets have different trading hours.
Unlike a tax-efficient account such as an ISA or SIPP, there are no limits to the amount you can pay into your Dealing account. And you can withdraw your money whenever you like.
The charges and fees for AJ Bell’s Dealing account are shown below. Trading fees are lower than those offered by Hargreaves Lansdown. However, they are higher than those of some newer brokers such as Freetrade and Trading 212, which both offer zero commissions on share purchases.
Account Charges & Fees
Buying and selling investments (per deal) |
|||
| Funds (including unit trusts and OEICs) online | £1.50 | ||
| Shares (including investment trusts, ETFs, gilts, and bonds) | £9.95 | ||
| Shares, where there were 10 or more share deals in the previous month | £4.95 | ||
Funds custody charge (including unit trusts, OEICs, and structured products) |
|||
| On the first £250,000 of funds | 0.25% | ||
| For funds between £250,000 and £1m | 0.10% | ||
| For funds between £1m and £2m | 0.05% | ||
| For funds over £2m | No charge | ||
| Shares custody charge (including investment trusts, ETFs, gilts, and bonds) | 0.25% | (max £3.50 per month) | |
Richard is the founder of the Good Money Guide (formerly Good Broker Guide), one of the original investment comparison sites established in 2015. With a career spanning two decades as a broker, he brings extensive expertise and knowledge to the financial landscape.
Having worked as a broker at Investors Intelligence and a multi-asset derivatives broker at MF Global (Man Financial), Richard has acquired substantial experience in the industry. His career began as a private client stockbroker at Walker Crips and Phillip Securities (now King and Shaxson), following internships on the NYMEX oil trading floor in New York and London IPE in 2001 and 2000.
Richard’s contributions and expertise have been recognized by respected publications such as The Sunday Times, BusinessInsider, Yahoo Finance, BusinessNews.org.uk, Master Investor, Wealth Briefing, iNews, and The FT, among many others.
Under Richard’s leadership, the Good Money Guide has evolved into a valuable destination for comprehensive information and expert guidance, specialising in trading, investment, and currency exchange. His commitment to delivering high-quality insights has solidified the Good Money Guide’s standing as a well-respected resource for both customers and industry colleagues.
