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Picking the right investment platform to hold your Isa is crucial to giving it the best chance to grow.
An investment platform – sometimes called a fund supermarket – is where you can buy and sell funds and shares to hold inside your tax-free Isa wrapper.
But with so many options on the market, each with different fee structures and features, it can be hard to pick through them. Plus, it’s only by trying a platform out that you really discover whether it is any good.
That’s why I’ve tried all of them. I have accounts with more than 40 Isa platform providers and have given every one a test drive.
Along with my team at Boring Money, the investing website I founded, I have crunched the costs, phoned the call centres, downloaded the apps and traded online with each of them.
I have accounts with more than 40 Isa platform providers and have given every one a test drive, writes Holly MacKay
We ignore all the glossy home pages on their websites and the marketing noise.
That’s because, after more than 25 years working in the investment industry, I know that when it comes to financial products, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
The best options out there will depend on whether you are a beginner and just want something simple – the equivalent of a ready meal, or if you prefer to choose and build your own collection of investments – think more cooking from scratch.
Every year we give awards to the best of the best for different types of investor. Below are our winners for 2025.
Best if you’re a beginner
The choices in the ‘Ready meal options’ panel above are all fantastic if you are starting out. These are great if you’re somebody who wants to make your longer-term savings work harder than they would in cash, but you find the stock markets baffling or alarming.
They will ask you a few questions about how long you plan to invest your money and how much risk you are comfortable taking for the possibility of higher returns. Then they will guide you into a ready-made option.
That way you don’t need to be in investment genius – or hands-on at all in picking your investments – to get started. Some have excellent content and support to help build up your knowledge as you go along.
Most let you start with relatively small amounts, so you can ease yourself into it, or better still, set up a direct debit and make smaller monthly contributions.
Best if you’re a share trader
If you are more of a trader, and you enjoy researching the markets, you are likely to want something that has good research, is decently priced for share dealing and works well on an app and desktop.
If you’re the more experienced sort of investor, see the recommendations in the ‘Cooking from scratch’ panel above.
Those who have not reviewed their options for a while might be missing out – there are some relatively new apps around that bring investing into the digital age.
If all you want is a safe pair of hands
Not everyone prioritises a flashy app or rock-bottom charges. Lots of investors I speak to want to know that their money is in reputable and well-governed hands.
Two other excellent all-rounders I haven’t mentioned here are
A.J. Bell and Hargreaves Lansdown. They are among the biggest Isa providers out there for DIY investors and both are very safe pairs of hands who have been in my top picks for years.
If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, then these two would be the apple crumble.
What will I be paying in annual fees?
Keep an eye on fees – especially if you haven’t reviewed yours for a while. Costs have fallen across the board and the average administration fee charged by an investments platform for hosting your stocks and shares Isa is now 0.41 per cent a year for a £10,000 Isa – or about £41 a year.
The more you invest, the less you will pay – for example the average administration cost falls to 0.28 per cent for a £20,000 Isa. The cost of any funds or investments you buy is on top of this.
Beginners who want their Isa managed for them should expect to pay around £50-£80 all-in on a £10,000 Isa.
Share dealing costs have plunged. Not so long ago, the average cost to buy or sell a UK share was about £10. Now the majority of providers charge less than £5, and a handful charge absolutely nothing.
If you want to see the total costs you would pay, use our calculator at boringmoney.co.uk.
Compare the best DIY investing platforms and stocks & shares Isas
Investing online is simple, cheap and can be done from your computer, tablet or phone at a time and place that suits you.
When it comes to choosing a DIY investing platform, stocks & shares Isa or a general investing account, the range of options might seem overwhelming.
Every provider has a slightly different offering, charging more or less for trading or holding shares and giving access to a different range of stocks, funds and investment trusts.
When weighing up the right one for you, it’s important to to look at the service that it offers, along with administration charges and dealing fees, plus any other extra costs.
To help you compare the best investment accounts, we’ve crunched the facts and pulled together a comprehensive guide to choosing the best and cheapest investing account for you.
We highlight the main players in the table below but would advise doing your own research and considering the points in our full guide linked here.
>> This is Money’s full guide to the best investing platforms and Isas
Platforms featured below are independently selected by This is Money’s specialist journalists. If you open an account using links which have an asterisk, This is Money will earn an affiliate commission. We do not allow this to affect our editorial independence.
| Admin charge | Charges notes | Fund dealing | Standard share, trust, ETF dealing | Regular investing | Dividend reinvestment | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AJ Bell* | 0.25% | Max £3.50 per month for shares, trusts, ETFs. | £1.50 | £5 | £1.50 | £1.50 per deal | More details |
| Bestinvest* | 0.40% (0.2% for ready made portfolios) | Account fee cut to 0.2% for ready made investments | Free | £4.95 | Free for funds | Free for income funds | More details |
| Charles Stanley Direct* | 0.35% | No platform fee on shares if a trade in that month and annual max of £240 | Free | £11.50 | n/a | n/a | More details |
| Etoro* No investment funds or Sipp | Free | Stocks, investment trusts and ETFs. | Not available | Free | n/a | n/a | More details |
| Fidelity* | 0.35% on funds | £7.50 per month up to £25,000 or 0.35% with regular savings plan. | Free | £7.50 | Free funds £1.50 shares, trusts ETFs | £1.50 | More details |
| Freetrade* No investment funds | Basic account free, Standard with Isa £5.99, Plus £11.99 | Stocks, investment trusts and ETFs. | No funds | Free | n/a | n/a | More details |
| Hargreaves Lansdown* | 0.45% | Capped at £45 for shares, trusts, ETFs | Free | £11.95 | Free | Free | More details |
| Interactive Investor* | £4.99 per month under £50k, £11.99 above, £10 extra for Sipp | Free trade worth £3.99 per month (does not apply to £4.99 plan) | £3.99 | £3.99 | Free | £0.99 | More details |
| iWeb | Free | £5 | £5 | n/a | 2%, max £5 | More details | |
| Trading 212* | Free | Stocks, investment trusts and ETFs. | Not available | Free | n/a | Free | More details |
| Vanguard Only Vanguard’s own products | 0.15% | Only Vanguard funds | Free | Free only Vanguard ETFs | Free | n/a | More details |
| (Source: ThisisMoney.co.uk Jan 2025. Admin % charge may be levied monthly or quarterly | |||||||
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