The Best Trading Platforms UK Compared
To buy UK stocks like Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA), Unilever (ULVR), HSBC (HSBA) or AstraZeneca (AZN), you need an online trading platform.
Choosing the right online broker is important. Each stock trading platform charges different fees while offering a variety of investment options, trading tools and market research.
For our Review, we spent more than 100 hours assessing various UK stock trading accounts. In total, 46 individual variables were assessed to find the best online broker.
Baca: Saxo Trading Platform
Other Trading Platforms
In addition to the seven UK stockbrokers listed above, we review five other platforms: Barclays, AJ Bell Youinvest, Lloyds Bank, eToro and Halifax. Here are our high-level takeaways for each broker.
Barclays: "Barclays Smart Investor offers an average stock transaction commission (£6 per trade) in addition to a good selection of research and educational tools. However, there is no dedicated mobile app for stock transactions, and the trading tools offered are only average. "
AJ Bell Youinvest: "AJ Bell Youinvest offers a mediocre trading platform and decent research tools, including in-house articles and videos. In the end, AJ Bell struggled to provide value in the UK market against brokers who offered better platforms at lower prices. lower. ."
Baca: Minimum Deposit for FBS Copy Trade
Lloyds: "Lloyds Bank can provide value to passive fund traders, who place several fund trades each year and require little research. Beyond this customer mold, Lloyds quickly becomes expensive (stock trades cost £8 - £11) and can't provide the same trading or research tools as the top UK brokers."
eToro: "eToro is great for traders looking for commission-free stock trading, an efficient platform and access to copy trades. That said, there are hidden costs, substandard education, and eToro doesn't offer the same investment range as traditional brokers." Read reviews
Halifax: "Halifax offers competitive pricing for repeat and infrequent traders, voice charting, and precise research. That said, Halifax does not provide a dedicated mobile app and is, on the whole, the trail of an industry leader."
Winner: IG
IG is our top UK broker in 2021 thanks to its brilliant online trading platform. The rates are low, the trading and research tools are excellent, and the platform is easy to use.
Price: IG share transaction rates are the cheapest of all brokers offering ISA/SIPP accounts. Commission per trade (share) will be £8 if 0-2 trades were made in the previous month. If three or more trades are made, the rate is only £3. IG offers free trading of U.S. stocks. for traders who made three or more trades in the previous month. Commission for US stocks would be £10 if 0-2 trades were made in the last month.
Baca: Is FBS Copy Trade Legit
Trading platform: IG stock trading platform offers html5 charts, lots of technical indicators and drawing tools, and excellent usability.
Investments: IG allows investors to trade more than 12,000 shares on 19 international exchanges, ETFs, investment trusts and funds. Apart from traditional stock trading accounts, SIPP and ISA accounts are also offered, which is an important difference compared to competitors such as DEGIRO, FinecoBank and Interactive Brokers.
Runner-Up: Interactive Broker
Professional traders are very well served with trading tools, various investments and Interactive Broker capabilities. Meanwhile, less experienced traders can still take advantage of the low commissions and excellent research through the web-based Client Portal platform.
Pricing: With a tiered and fixed commission structure, Interactive Brokers can be one of the cheapest options available, especially for professionals, depending on trading volume and frequency. However, casual traders should consider inactivity fees, which can be as high as USD 20 per month, as they do not reach the minimum monthly commission quota.
Trading platform: Trader Workstation (TWS), a downloadable platform from Interactive Brokers, is packed with dozens of tools that industry-leading professionals and institutions will appreciate. For inexperienced investors, the Client Portal web-based platform is easy and powerful enough to use as a trading platform, thanks to the Fundamentals Explorer tool.
Baca: FX Pro Forex
Investments: While Interactive Brokers does not offer direct ISA/SIPP accounts to UK residents, globally, customers can trade in over 135 international markets in 33 countries. In addition to stock trading, Interactive Brokers offers ETFs, funds, investment trusts, warrants, options, futures, forex, bonds and CFDs.
Which trading platform is best for UK beginners?
IG is an excellent broker for beginners, offering an easy-to-use trading platform and mobile app, comprehensive educational content for beginners, and a range of quality research on stocks and funds.