- Experts rate Hargreaves Lansdown's General Investment Account highly, noting its extensive range of account types and a robust research portal that supports informed investment decisions. The platform is praised for its wide market coverage, offering access to thousands of shares, funds, and bonds, although it can be costly for larger fund portfolios.
- Across 1779 user reviews on Good Money Guide, averaging 3.8/5, customers frequently commend the user-friendly app and website, alongside responsive customer service. However, some users express dissatisfaction with high fees and occasional difficulties in navigating the platform. Additionally, while many appreciate the comprehensive investment options, a number of reviews highlight concerns regarding customer support and account management issues.
Hargreaves Lansdown General Investment Account 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 Hargreaves Lansdown General Investment Account across one key area of our review framework.
- Excellent5.0
Pros
- Thousands of UK and international shares, bonds & funds
- Ready-made portfolios with different levels of risk
- Excellent research and analysis
- An established and listed company on the LSE.
Cons
- Can be expensive for large fund portfolios
- Data not as good as it used to be
See full expert review
Our verdict
Hargreaves Lansdown (HL) has plenty of account types including a GIA and several types of ISA, plus an excellent research portal. There's access to thousands of UK and international shares, funds, ETFs, investment trusts and corporate bonds. Capital is at risk.
Capital at risk
Is HL's GIA a Good Account?
HL is good for investors looking for more than just somewhere to buy and sell shares. The platform offers the most account types of all the investment platforms we compare, including a GIA, stocks and shares ISAs, lifetime ISAs, and junior ISAs. Plus, it has one of the best research portals to help you choose your own investments. And it boasts some of the widest market coverage, including thousands of UK and international shares, over 3,000 funds, ETFs, investment trusts, and corporate bonds.
Fees
There is no account charge for shares in a GIA with HL. Funds are charged at 0.45% for the first £250,000. There's 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.
Is HL's GIA Better than its ISA?
It makes sense to open a GIA only after you have exhausted your ISA allowance. With the GIA from HL, you can invest as much as you like but with an ISA you're limited to £20,000 a year in the tax-free wrapper.
What is HL's Platform Like to Use?
HL's investment platform is one of the best around. HL provides a huge amount of technical and fundamental data to help you choose investments.
Customer reviews for Hargreaves Lansdown
Customer ratings come from reviews left on this site. Every review is read and approved before it is published.Based on 1,779 reviews
- Excellent27%
- Very good38%
- Basic24%
- Poor7%
- Bad4%
Read customer reviews
3/5
Pros:
Link to active savings accounts
Cons:
Cut out fees on Unit Trusts
4/5
Pros:
Ease of trading/use
Cons:
Charge a bit less, give more factual info
5/5
1/5
Pros:
None
Cons:
Reduce dealing charges
4/5
Pros:
Simple to use
Cons:
Cheaper to run
4/5
Pros:
Diversity
Cons:
reduce attempts to sell more services
4/5
4/5
4/5
Pros:
Good support, trustworthy, established
Cons:
Reduce trading costs and FX costs for holding US or European stocks
4/5
Pros:
Clarity
Cons:
Lower costs
4/5
5/5
4/5
Pros:
Ease of use
Cons:
Enable stop loss on US equities, Better FX conversion rates
5/5
Pros:
Always someone on the other end of the phone
Cons:
provide more insight into performance/future performance of individual shares.
5/5
Pros:
Extensive research information and a very easy-to-use platform.
Cons:
Reduce charges, especially on overseas transactions. Provide an option to hold and trade in foreign currencies (esp. USD).
2/5
5/5
Pros:
Easy to follow advice
Cons:
No comment
4/5
Pros:
Easy at tax return time
Cons:
Drop some of their charges as they are too high compared to the competition
4/5
Pros:
Clearly laid out
5/5
Pros:
Ease of use
Cons:
Reduce Costs
- Expert opinion: Hargreaves Lansdown full review