Best Online Trading Platforms UK of 2024 (2024)

As you would expect, the safest stock trading platforms come from the overall best and most trustworthy brokers. We see the following brokers as offering the safest stock trading experience in 2024:

• IG: Established 1974; over 400,000 client accounts.
• Interactive Brokers: Established 1977; over 1 million client accounts.
• FinecoBank: Established 1999; 1.4 million client accounts.
• Saxo Markets: Established 1992; 829,000 client accounts.

Features such as two-factor authentication and proper security measures across a broker’s websites, platforms and applications are also important factors in trustworthiness and will have you covered in the event of a compromise. Our picks above have a strong pedigree and history, with sizeable assets under management, meaning your funds should be safe with these providers in the long term.

The SaxoTraderGO platform from Saxo Markets is the best online trading platform in the U.K. SaxoTraderGO comes loaded with trading tools and excellent usability, regardless of whether you are a beginner or seasoned trader. Like the SaxoTraderGO web platform, the SaxoTraderGO mobile app is also brilliant. The one downside of Saxo Markets is pricing, which is more expensive than most U.K. brokers.

Saxo Markets trading platform tour

The best trading platform for beginners in the U.K. should emphasise education, ease of use and low cost. With these factors in mind, we tested 17 U.K. trading platforms to create our guide to the best share dealing accounts for beginners in the U.K.

While commission-free trading is currently the norm among U.S. online stockbrokers, commissions and fees are more common in the U.K. and can be a differentiator when you choose a broker. And while the trading platforms are free to use from the following brokers, you may still incur some trading costs, even if a broker advertises commission-free trading. After factoring in all trading-related costs, here are some standout brokers in our analysis of commissions and fees.

• CMC Invest: Zero commissions for trading U.S. and U.K. shares, though access to midcap U.K. shares requires upgrading to a Plus account with a £10 monthly fee.
• Freetrade: Zero commissions for trading major U.K. and U.S. shares, but foreign exchange carries a cost.
• Trading 212: Zero commissions, but 0.70% fee for deposits above £2,000.
• IG: Competitive commission rates with a full-service brokerage.

When choosing a share dealing platform, first consider the investment and account options available. For example, not all U.K. brokers offer ISA and SIPP accounts, nor do all U.K. brokers support U.S. shares trading. Next, compare the trading fees and any monthly or quarterly account fees. Finally, assess the trading platforms themselves by comparing the mobile apps, trading tools, and available market research. Ease of use is another area you may want to consider if you are a new trader.

Our picks for the best U.K. stock trading apps for 2024:

• Saxo Markets - Best Overall Stock App
• Interactive Brokers - Best Stock App for Usability
• AJ Bell - Best for range of accounts
• Hargreaves Lansdown - Best App for Everyday Investors
• eToro - Best for Simplicity
• IG - Best App for Traders

Though not yet fully available in the U.K., Robinhood announced in December 2023 the opening of a waitlist for U.K. customers, with commission-free trading of U.S. stocks expected to be fully rolled out in early 2024. U.K. shares will not initially be available. Robinhood has attempted to launch a U.K. app before, with plans postponed once during the pandemic. In April 2022, the company announced plans to offer crypto trading in the U.K., and eventually Europe, following the acquisition of Ziglu Limited, a Britain-based digital currency app.

Yes, day trading is legal in the U.K. Day trading is simply buying and then selling a particular asset, such as a share in a company like BP, within the same trading day. Although there are no regulatory blocks to day trading, it's important to trade through a regulated and trusted broker, such as those in our annual analysis of the best brokers. The providers in our review are regulated in the U.K. by the respected Financial Conduct Authority, or FCA.

IG is our pick for best stock trading platform U.K. for day traders, as well as our top pick overall after extensive analysis. Its offering of investments mean that you can trade almost any market you could want. Its platform and mobile offerings are top-notch with great technical analysis and charting tools, meaning you can happily day trade either at your desk or on the go.

IG trading platform tour

There are a number of different pricing models used by stockbrokers in the U.K., which yields a significant difference in charges. Some of the disruptors in the U.K. stock brokerage world, such as Freetrade, CMC Invest and Trading 212, offer commission-free trading; but sometimes there are other fees, which we note in our annual review of brokers in the U.K. Some providers charge a flat fee, such as £9.99 per trade, whilst others charge a percentage of the value of the trade, with a minimum or maximum commission — for example, 0.02% maximum or £5 minimum.

Here's a breakdown of the commissions and fees charged by the top brokers in our annual review.

Feature
Minimum Depositinfo	£0.0	£0.0	£0.0	£0.0	£1.0	£1.0
Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Monthinfo	£3-£8	£3	£2.95	0.10% (£8 min)	£0	£0
Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Monthinfo	£3	£3	£2.95	0.10% (£8 min)	£0	£0
Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Monthinfo	£3	£3	£2.95	0.10% (£8 min)	£0	£0
Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000info	£0 / £96		0.25%	0.4% p.a. up to £200k; 0.2% p.a. after £200k	£0	£0 (Basic plan), £71.88 (Standard), £143.88 (Plus)
Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500Kinfo	£0		0.15%	0.2% p.a.	£0	£0 (Basic plan), £71.88 (Standard), £143.88 (Plus)
Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1minfo	£0		0.15%	0.2% p.a.	£0	£0 (Basic plan), £71.88 (Standard), £143.88 (Plus)
Annual Custody Fee: £1m and overinfo	£0		0.05%	0.1% p.a.	£0	£0 (Basic plan), £71.88 (Standard), £143.88 (Plus)
Bonds - Corporate - Feeinfo	N/A	0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR)	£6.95	0.20%	N/A	N/A
Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Feeinfo	N/A	0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR)	£6.95	0.20%	N/A	N/A
ETFs - Feeinfo	£3 - £8	£3	£2.95		0	£0
Investment Trusts - Feeinfo	£3 - £8	£4.95	N/A	£8	0	£0
Telephone Dealing Feeinfo	£40-£50	USD 50	N/A	£50	N/A	N/A
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Notably low-cost share dealing in the U.K. is offered by market disruptors such as Freetrade, Trading 212 and CMC Invest, who cite zero-commission trading — although there are some other costs and fees users may incur, as detailed in our reviews of these brokers.

To buy shares online, follow these steps.

1. Select a U.K. broker, then open and fund the account.
2. Research the stocks you want to buy using the trading tools and market research provided.
3. Once you choose a stock to buy, fill out the order ticket with the number of shares you want to purchase.
4. Place your trade.

You now own shares of stock! For more educational resources before you start trading, we recommend reading investor.com's 10 great ways to learn stock trading.

The first step in trading forex in the U.K. is to choose a broker that is regulated and authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority, or FCA, and open a trading account. Note that it's important to read the full terms and conditions of your account agreement, which governs the relationship you have with your broker.

Next, to execute trades, you must fund your account with a small amount of capital that you can afford to risk. Here are three steps to take after opening an account:

Learn the platform. Before trading, learn how your broker's trading software works. Some brokers offer virtual, or "paper," trading, which allows you to practice without risking real money. Explore any free educational content that's available about the platform.

Develop a strategy. Once you feel fluent with your broker's trading platforms, outline a basic strategy for yourself that includes risk management. The next step will be to identify entry points and exits (the price you plan to enter and exit the market) for a given currency pair.

Trade your plan. Once you identify a price and direction you would like to enter, a market order or limit order can help you establish an open position; you can also attach a stop-loss order and take-profit limit order to manage the risk/reward of your investment.

The broker you choose should be regulated and authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and highly trusted, meaning the broker has many years in operation and holds numerous regulatory licenses.

Ideally, the broker will rank highly in all the categories that are important to you. For example, you should choose an FCA-regulated broker that can give you access to the markets you want to trade, from within excellent online trading platforms (web-based or desktop-based software) and mobile trading apps. The best forex brokers in the U.K. also offer comprehensive educational content and a rich offering of research tools in various media formats, such as articles, news headlines, videos and webinars.

For more insight, see our top picks among U.K. forex brokers on sister site ForexBrokers.com.

IG holds the title of best forex broker in the U.K. in 2024. IG ranks at or near the top of almost every category in our analysis, including Platforms & Tools, Mobile Trading Apps, Research, and Education, as well as the Offering of Investments category thanks to its wide range of markets. U.K. residents can access spread betting, share trading, ETFs, and investment trusts, as well as forex and CFDs. See a full review of IG's forex offerings on our sister site, ForexBrokers.com.

EToro wins the best cryptocurrency ribband in our extensive review. The broker offers a plethora of cryptocurrencies and coins to trade, including familiar names such as bitcoin and ether, but also all the next tier and less well-known cryptocurrencies and altcoins. In addition, eToro allows you to invest in cryptocurrency portfolios and use its cryptocurrency copy trading feature, as well as the ability to hold cryptocurrency in the eToro wallet.

An Individual Savings Account is a means of tax-free saving and investing. For the current tax year, an individual can save up to a maximum of £20,000, which can be held in a stocks and shares ISA, a cash ISA, a Junior ISA, an innovative finance ISA, a Lifetime ISA, or in a "Mix and Match" combination of these.

A Self-Invested Personal Pension, or SIPP, is a tax-efficient means of saving funds for retirement in the U.K. SIPPs are government approved, and enable individuals to make their own investment decisions. Unlike more traditional pension models where investment choice is often restricted to a limited number of funds, a SIPP offers investors the ability to self-direct their investments.