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There are a lot of different trading apps available if you plan to start share trading. We’ve rounded up popular stock trading apps in our comparison table to help you find the one that suits your profile best. We’ve also covered how to choose one, and we’ve updated this page to reflect the best apps available in 2024 (see top of this page).
How to choose the best trading app
Sometimes, a trading app is considered the best because…well, it’s a great app and has loads of features. A lot of the time, it’s down to you, and what features you’re looking for. You wouldn’t judge a goldfish on how well it can climb a tree, would you?
There are loads of different things that you should consider when choosing the best trading app for you, such as:
Fees and charges. Some platforms charge a flat fee, while others charge based on how much you invest.
What you can trade. Such as shares, ETFs and funds.
How easy the platform is to use. Some platforms are designed for more experienced investors, so might be quite complicated and difficult to use.
Market research and tools. The tools available on the platform can be helpful in understanding your investments.
Demo account. If there’s a demo account available then you can give it a go without putting down any real money, this is a nice touch if you’re a newbie to investing.
Your first step is to make sure you’re prepared – financially and mentally. Once you’re sure investing is right for you and have the money set aside to invest, your next step is to pick a platform.
If you’re a beginner, using one of the free or cheap platforms may be worthwhile. This way, it costs you very little to open an account, and you can make a small investment without paying through the nose for fees.
Possibly, it depends on the success of your investments or trades. If you use a trading app to buy stocks or shares that pay dividends, you’ll have to pay tax on any income over £500. The percentage rate depends on your income tax band. Also, if you buy investments on your app and sell them for a profit, you’ll pay capital gains tax (CGT) on any gains over £3,000 (your tax-free allowance for the tax year 2024/25).
A simple way you can avoid these taxes entirely is to use a trading app with a stocks and shares ISA wrapper. Any investments or trades made within the wrapper are shielded from both dividend tax and CGT. You have a yearly ISA allowance of £20,000 that can be used for trading and investing, but not every platform or app offers these accounts.
There are a few reasons for this. Often, it comes down to a lack of patience, making knee-jerk reactions or decisions, or attempting to make money quickly. The truth is, successful investing can be quite slow and boring.
Trading frequently and successfully is difficult and can be costly. If you want to tip the odds in your favour, consider becoming a long-term investor rather than a short-term trader.
Trading platforms 101
Trading apps let you buy and sell investments, show how they perform, and give you insights into key investment metrics. They can differ widely in terms of features, fees, charting, and how easy they are to use.
To find the best trading app or platform, it’s worth looking for one that suits you, the stocks you’d like to buy, how often you plan to trade, and your level of investing knowledge. The investment platform with all the bells and whistles may not be the best choice if you’re just starting out. Because, you could end up paying money for features you don’t need from the get-go.
The word “platform” is usually referring to the overall investment provider. Whereas, “trading app” will be either a mobile or desktop application offered by a provider that you can use to trade, invest and manage your portfolio. However, the terms can be used interchangeably.
Yes. Some trading apps have more features and better charting tools or analysis, but you often find that these platforms charge higher fees. In contrast, there are “free” platforms that don’t have the same level of detail as more expensive ones. You need to weigh up the costs against the features you’d like.
Yes! However, finding the trading app that’s right for you will come down to your needs. To help you out, we’ve ranked and reviewed all the best trading apps and categorised them based on the results of our analysis.
There’s no single winner here, but it’s always best to look for FCA regulated trading apps and platforms. Regulation from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) means that there is oversight and rules for the platform.
Ideally, it’s worth looking for apps that also come with FSCS protection. Still, there are some instances where this isn’t needed because the platform comes with even greater insurance or protection for your deposits (like with eToro and Interactive Brokers).
It’s difficult to say which trading app is best, as it depends on what exactly you are looking for. We’ve detailed above which apps we reckon are the best for specific things, such as ease of use and social trading.
It’s difficult to say stock investing app is the best as this depends on what markets you’re trying to access. It’s often worth using the app or platform with the lowest fees for your trading needs. Although sometimes, it’s worth paying extra for an account that comes with added features like top customer service or tools to help you become a better investor.
Loads of financial institutions are getting into the stock market, from high street banks like Barclays and Lloyds to fintechs like Revolut. You don’t have to limit your options to high street banks though, there are loads of different platforms available. Consider some different factors such as the fees and charges and the types of investing available to decide which platform is best for you.
There’s no single best app. Ideally, you’ll want an app with low fees, live stock prices with real-time quotes, and the ability to set various trading order types to automate your trading. Day trading can be a complex and difficult strategy and we think for the majority of people, a longer-term buy and hold strategy would be more appropriate.
If you want to set your trades and investments on auto-pilot, you’ll want to make sure you can set specific trading orders to take place automatically so that you don’t have to continuously watch asset movements and do everything manually. You’ll also want a fast trading platform to make sure you’re getting the latest prices with no lags or delays.
Investment safety and protection
The majority are. But it’s always best to double-check and make sure that the platform you want to use is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) here in the UK. The FCA helps to protect retail investors like you or me from shady behaviour.
Investments are risky, that’s how they have the potential returns that they do. There’s always a chance that your investments will lose value.
To protect your money in the case of your chosen platform going bust, you should ensure that you use a platform that’s covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Look out for whether it’s regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
It depends on the platform you’re using. If it’s an FCA regulated provider, you should get some protection. For companies that are also members of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), up to £85,000 of your deposits are protected.
Most platforms will also segregate funds and assets. This means that they’re not in direct control of your investments. So if they went bust, your assets would be transferred to you, sometimes via a new company.
Hargreaves Lansdown and Moneyfarm are both investment platforms with a lot to offer. We compare their features, fees, account types and more – side by side in Moneyfarm vs Hargreaves Lansdown (HL).
Freetrade and Vanguard are both investment platforms with a lot to offer. We compare their features, fees, account types and more – side by side in Vanguard vs Freetrade.
Trading 212 and XTB are both investment platforms with a lot to offer. We compare their features, fees, account types and more – side by side XTB vs Trading 212.
Trading 212 and Moneybox are both investment platforms with a lot to offer. We compare their features, fees, account types and more – side by side in Moneybox vs Trading 212.
Trading 212 and InvestEngine are both investment platforms with a lot to offer. We compare their features, fees, account types and more – side by side in InvestEngine vs Trading 212.
Find out how to spot some of the best day trading stocks available in the UK and abroad, along with tips for managing your investment portfolio on a day-to-day basis.
Vanguard and Wealthify are both investment platforms with a lot to offer. We compare their fees, features, account types and more – side by side in Wealthify vs Vanguard.
Robinhood and eToro are both investment platforms with a lot to offer. We compare their fees, features, account types and more – side by side in eToro vs Robinhood UK.
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finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which finder.com receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. finder.com compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don't provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
