IG is a long-established investment platform that has ISAs, pensions, contracts for difference (CFDs), excellent research and a learning facility with a demo account. You can buy and sell US shares with no commission with IG (provided you’ve traded more than 3 times in the previous month), which is a big plus.
If you’d rather not trade with IG, or if IG isn’t taking on new sign-ups, we’ve collected together some IG alternatives that you could consider.
 |  | |
| Finder Score | 9Excellent | 8.5Great |
| Customer satisfaction survey | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| FSCS protected? | ||
| Stocks and shares ISA available? | ||
| Price per trade | £0 | £11.95 |
| Foreign exchange fees | 0.7% | 1% |
| UK - London Stock Exchange (LSE) | ||
| US - New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) | ||
| US - NASDAQ | ||
| App | ||
| Desktop or web access | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 71% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk |
| Go to site More info | Go to site More info |
Hargreaves Lansdown and IG are pretty much on par with one another — Hargreaves Lansdown has a huge range of shares and also allows you to invest in a range of different account types, including ISAs and pensions.
Hargreaves Lansdown is more expensive than IG, with trades costing £11.95.
The charting and investment tools are pretty extensive with both providers, offering a great service for experienced investors. Both providers offer demo accounts to show beginners how the platform works.
You can read our full review of Hargreaves Lansdown if you’d like to learn more.
|  | |
| Finder Score | 9Excellent | |
| Customer satisfaction survey | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| FSCS protected? | ||
| Stocks and shares ISA available? | ||
| Price per trade | £0 | |
| Foreign exchange fees | 0.7% | 0.5% |
| UK - London Stock Exchange (LSE) | ||
| US - New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) | ||
| US - NASDAQ | ||
| App | ||
| Desktop or web access | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 71% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 51% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More info | Go to site More info |
Another great alternative to IG is eToro. It offers commission-free stock trading and has a demo account so you can practise investing. eToro offers professional charting tools and research as well as offline trading that lets you place some orders when the platform is down. You can also copy other people’s trades with its CopyTrader feature.
Its trading screen is complex so, like IG, it can seem overwhelming. You can invest in more than 4,500 stocks globally with eToro from some of the biggest stock exchanges in the world. eToro has them categorised by sector and exchange to give you ideas on what to trade.
If you think you’d like to learn more, you can check out our review of eToro.
|  | |
| Finder Score | 9Excellent | 9.1Excellent |
| Customer satisfaction survey | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| FSCS protected? | ||
| Stocks and shares ISA available? | ||
| Price per trade | £0 | £0 |
| Foreign exchange fees | 0.7% | 0.99% |
| UK - London Stock Exchange (LSE) | ||
| US - New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) | ||
| US - NASDAQ | ||
| App | ||
| Desktop or web access | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 71% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk |
| Go to site More info | Go to site More info |
If you’re looking for another platform that lets you invest in an ISA, then Freetrade might be an option to consider. Freetrade is an investing app that lets you buy UK and US stocks and invest in funds and ETFs. Because of its simple design, it’s really beginner friendly.
It’s got a pink interface that echoes digital banks like Monzo and Starling. Its biggest selling point is that it’s free (obviously), although you’d have to pay up to a 0.99% foreign exchange fee depending on your account. If you plan to trade frequently then it can save you quite a lot of money (£11.95 per trade compared with Hargreaves Lansdown, £3.99 per trade compared with interactive investor and £5 compared with AJ Bell).
You can check out our full review of Freetrade if you want to learn more.
IG is a pretty good trading platform, but it could be overwhelming if you’re just starting out, and expensive if you’re not trading much money. We think Hargreaves Lansdown, eToro and Freetrade are good alternatives to IG, but you could also check out our comparison table if you want to find a different platform. You can narrow your options down by features that are important to you.
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
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