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The best stocks & shares ISA providers

The best stocks & shares ISA providers

Kepler Trust Intelligence, a leading source of investment trust research for private investors, has published its ranking of the best stocks & shares ISA providers for UK investors.

Kepler Trust Intelligence has considered a variety of factors in its analysis of providers, including whether providers charge competitive trading and platform fees, offer a wide range of investment options and provide high quality customer support.

Fees are often the most important component for investors as they can significantly erode the value of portfolios over time. Fees for the selected providers are set out below, with the cheapest in green and the most expensive in red.

Portfolio value £20,000 £100,000 £250,000
Trading 212 £0 £0 £0
interactive investor £108 £192 £192
AJ Bell £89 £206 £394
Charles Stanley Direct £120 £300 £600
Fidelity £135 £310 £385
Bestinvest £110 £430 £1,030
Hargreaves Lansdown £162 £342 £679

Jo Groves, Investment Specialist at Kepler Partners, commented, “Stocks & shares ISAs have typically outperformed cash ISAs by a significant margin over the long-term, making them an excellent tax-efficient way of saving for the future. While a small difference in fees may seem marginal, this can add up to thousands of pounds over time. Choosing the right ISA provider is crucial to meeting individual needs and we hope the guidance provided in our rankings will help investors navigate through the multitude of choices on offer.”

Stocks & Shares ISA providers – Winners

Best all-rounder: AJ Bell

AJ Bell offers a wide range of investment options including over 15,000 UK and international shares, 3,000 Exchange Traded Funds, 4,000 funds and 380 investment trusts. It has one of the lowest platform fees amongst the mainstream providers by both percentage and tier value and is also one of the lowest in terms of trading fees. AJ Bell also pays interest on uninvested cash held in an ISA, has an easy-to-use app and provides customer support by phone and live chat.


Best for high-value portfolios: interactive investor (ii)

ii has a broad range of investment opportunities available, with more than 40,000 investment options, including over 3,000 funds, 1,000 ETFs and a selection of investment trusts. It is one of the few platforms with a flat (rather than percentage-based) platform fee, making it a particularly cost-effective option for investors with higher-value portfolios. ii also has useful features to make it easier for shareholders to vote and keep up to date with important information on their investments.

Best low-cost provider: Trading 212

Trading 212, a UK fintech that offers commission-free trading, gives clients a choice of over 3,000 UK and international shares and ETFs but does not offer actively managed funds. Trading 212 charges no trading or platform fees and pays one of the highest interest rates on uninvested cash. Whilst it offers a relatively ‘no frills’ service, it should appeal to frequent traders or those looking for a basic, low-cost option and it also has one of the highest Trustpilot ratings.

Stocks & Shares ISA Providers – Overall rankings

Provider Score out of 5 
AJ Bell 5
interactive investor 5
Trading 212 5
Hargreaves Lansdown 4.5
Fidelity 4.5
Bestinvest 4.0
Charles Stanley 4.0

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This article does not constitute investment advice.  Do your own research or consult a professional advisor.

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