Our Stocks and Shares ISA platform comparison features all major UK brokers and a selection of smaller providers. Each is regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority.
The Stocks and Shares ISA comparison is designed to help you find the most cost-effective provider based on your own investment strategy.
We will enable you to compare the minimum account opening and minimum monthly payment fees of each Stocks and Shares ISA platform to help you choose an account that is within your budget. We will highlight the investment options that are available to you within that platform too. You can find out more about investing in Managed Funds, Exchange Traded Funds and Company Shares using our beginners guides.
Bear in mind that investment platforms present their fees in different ways so our Stocks and Shares ISA Comparison highlights the management fees and trading fees associated with each account. It is important to have an understanding of what you will need from your Stocks and Shares ISA platform and how you will manage it, before you open an account.
To find out more about ISAs read our Stocks and Shares ISA guide.
ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts) were introduced by the UK government in 1999. They offer UK Residents an opportunity to save or invest – tax free – through a range of ISA products.
Ultimately much depends on what you want to use your Stocks & Shares ISA for. The widest range of securities and funds is always a good starting point but it is also important to check out a provider’s fees, including how much you would be charged per transaction and any annual administration and custody fees that might apply.
For investors that are only planning to buy and hold a few funds, execution fees (the fees you are charged every time you buy or sell something in your ISA) will be less of an issue, but don’t forget that funds also apply an annual management fee and frequently additional fees on top of that. If a fund is only going to pass on a 5% return in a year, you don’t want to see 2% go back to the manager in costs.
If you have money available for investment, before opening an account, do be sure that your provider is going to give you access to the markets you want, with no strings attached. If you plan to do a lot of trading on overseas markets, be sure you are completely clear what the fees will be for doing so, as they can be higher than for UK share trading.
Take a look at our Stocks and Shares ISA Platform comparison table below to help with your decision making.
With a Stocks and Shares ISA you are responsible for choosing the shares and funds that go in the ISA, so the performance at the end of the day is down to you.
On a historical basis, the average Pension fund grows by around 7% each year and is a useful barometer for your Stocks and Shares ISA. We would suggest that much will depend on your appetite for risk. A riskier strategy may yield more attractive growth at times, but also comes with the chance of greater volatility when the markets turn against you. A diversified portfolio can help to mitigate your risk.
Within a long term strategy, your Stocks and Shares ISA performance can be boosted using the power of dividends and compounding. Selecting Stocks, Funds or Exchange Traded Funds that pay out dividends – and then re-investing those dividends into more shares in that asset can have an incredibly powerful effect on your Stocks and Shares ISA.
Providers will not charge uniformly – costs are structured in a number of ways. Most important is the fee charged for every trade you make. If you plan on being a frequent trader you should be aware of this, as it can quickly eat into your profits. Some providers have lower fees in place for frequent traders, but before selecting your provider have a good idea about how often you will transact.
Fees may also vary according to the type of investment you want to buy and sell. Not all Stocks and Shares ISA providers offer all the investments you might be interested in and those that do will charge different fees depending on whether you want to transact shares, bonds or Exchange Traded Funds.
Your provider will either act as custodian of your shares itself or outsource this to a bank. This is an important role, as this is the company charged with looking after your assets while they are in your name. In the old days these would have been physical share certificates. There is always a fee associated with this as there is an element of record keeping involved, but competition and technology are driving these fees down.
Minimum investment amounts can be a consideration for some investors, but these days most ISA providers ask for very low minimums.
With money available for investment, there is a process you’ll need to follow in order to preserve you tax-free ISA status when you transfer your ISA. It is important that the money you have within your ISA is kept within the ISA wrapper throughout the transfer process. You’ll need to contact your new Investment ISA provider with the details of your current ISA account and they will manage the transfer on your behalf.
Under no circumstances should you remove the funds from your existing ISA account yourself in order to make a transfer. Doing so would remove your funds from the ISA wrapper and the security of its tax-free status.
Bear in mind that there can be fees associated with migrating your ISA to another provider. Most investors are happy to keep the same provider year on year, but occasionally a reason may arise to transfer to another firm. Make sure you are aware of what the fees are, as they can run into hundreds of pounds.
Remember, regardless of your Stocks and Shares ISA platform, your allowance will be the same, as this is dictated by the government.
£3 / €3 per trade for Western European stocks, with no added spreads, account minimums or platform fees. Pricing on US stocks starts at just USD 0.005 per share. There is a minimum monthly activity fee of £3 Take me to Interactive Brokers
Minimum charge of £5, maximum of £50 per month for all individual accounts held with Charles Stanley Direct. £10 transaction fee on shares, £4 for funds. £50 of trading credits available every six months from October 2024. Take me to Charles Stanley Direct
Trade 3+ stocks per month for active trader cost of £3.00 on UK stocks. Clients holding investments will be charged a platform fee of £8 per month which can be offset against a trade over the period. IG's Smart Portfolio's are a low cost option for those who are unsure where to invest their money. Take me to IG
Trade 10+ stocks per month for active trader cost of £8.95 or 20+ at £5.95. Additional charge of up to £45 per annum on stocks and shares. There's no dealing charge for buying or selling funds but you'll pay a holding fee of up to 0.45% per annum. Ready-made portfolios are available for investors that are unsure where to invest their money for an additional fee. Take me to Hargreaves Lansdown
Trade 10+ stocks per month for active trader cost of £4.95 (reducing to £3.50 from 1st April 24). Additional charge of up to £3.50 per month on stocks and shares. Up to 0.25% platform fee on Funds in addition to £1.50 transaction cost.
Platform fee for Shares, ETFs and Investment Trusts of no more than £45 per year. Platform fees reduce on investments over £50,000. Choose from a range of ready-made funds based on your preferred risk level or from Aviva's full range of 2,000 funds.
Platform fees reduce to 0.2% for ISA transfers over £250,000. There are no fees for fund transactions. BestInvest provide four ready made portfolios designed for inexperienced investors.
Platform fee of 0.35% or flat £45 fee for holdings below £7,500. Share dealing costs relate to ETFs and Investment Trusts. ISA prize draw for new account holders that deposit a lump sum before 31 March 2020
£12.50 platform fee for holding an ISA account. Choose from 2,000+ funds or three ready-made portfolio's with a £2,000 lump sum or £100 monthly payment
Clients pay a flat fee of £9.99 per month which includes a credit of £7.99 every month to buy or sell any investment (available for 90 days). You can also choose from 3 quick start funds
Open an account with £500 and a monthly contribution of your choice. Choose a level of risk you are comfortable with and Nutmeg will manage your portfolio for you
One fund available in a Stocks and Shares ISA: The Ethical Equity Stocks and Shares ISA is invested in the Family Charities Ethical Trust, which invests mainly in FTSE4Good UK 50 companies
Choose from 3 Investment ISA products; My Easy Choice, My Choice and My Prime. Investors can assign parts of their investment to separate accounts for specific purposes
No minimum deposit or monthly contribution. Investors have access to 10 funds which includes 5 ethical funds designed to suit your preferred level of risk.
Trade Shares, ETFs and Investment Trusts for £7.50. Choose from 2,500+ Funds or ready-made portfolios based on 3 levels of risk
* The Fee Per Trade applies to stocks and shares and is the maximum fee charged for a one-off trade. Many ISAs charge less if you are a regular, active trader.
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