CMC Invest review
- Price per trade
- £0
- Min. initial deposit
- £0
Our verdict
CMC Invest is a relative newcomer and offers commission-free investing for a range of investments, it’s a platform that's continuously adding new features and has plenty to offer most investors.
We picked CMC Invest as the best platform to use for trading US shares because along with 0% commission on 3,000+ US stocks, it also offers low currency conversion fees and the option of a USD and EUR multi-currency wallet for Plus and Premium subscribers.
Since the app was released into the wild, true to its word, CMC Invest has been continuously rolling out new features and investments like personalised ESG preferences. You can invest in thousands of stocks, ETFs, mutual funds and investment trusts from the UK, US and Germany. It also offers 2% uncapped interest on cash - a tidy bonus.
Those investing small amounts will like that there’s no minimum deposit, but the lack of fractional shares is a drawback. And it’s free to use the “Core” plan, which we think has plenty to offer beginners. But if you want to access the full capabilities of the CMC Invest app, you’ll need to pay £10 a month and subscribe to the “Plus” plan or £25 a month for "Premium". This way, you can use an ISA (and a SIPP with Premium), along with some extra perks.
Pros
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No minimum deposit
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Free to open and hold a Core account
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No investing commissions
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Over 4,500 investments
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2% uncapped interest paid on cash in all account plans
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ISA and SIPP available
Cons
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Limited range of UK stocks
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No fractional shares
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Costs £10 per month to use an ISA with Plus plan
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Some account types and features reserved for paying subscribers
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Multi-currency wallets only for Plus and Premium
How we rated CMC Invest's investment features
| Feature | Rating | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | 4.6 ★★★★★ | CMC Invest offers excellent value and is cheap across the board. |
| Investment choice | 4.1 ★★★★★ | It offers plenty of investments with a solid range of options. |
| Safety and security | 5.0 ★★★★★ | CMC Invest offers a secure and safe place for people to invest. |
| Account types and products | 4.2 ★★★★★ | The platform has most account types covered. |
| Ease of use | 4.0 ★★★★★ | CMC Invest offers a solid investing experience that most customers seem happy with. |
| Tools, resources and features | 4.0 ★★★★★ | CMC Invest offers plenty of tools and resources. |
CMC Invest’s app lets you trade in UK and US stocks commission-free; it makes money through foreign exchange fees and bundled monthly subscription fees. It does offer a free “Core” plan, but this comes with fewer features – for example, you won’t have access to its flexible stocks and shares ISA or its self-invested personal pension (SIPP).
Our experts have analysed and rated the key features of CMC Invest and what you can invest in through the app.
"I like how CMC Invest’s interface is really simple and clean, with just 3 key tabs ‘home’, ‘discover’ and ‘watchlist’. Finding investments and then actually investing is as straightforward as possible, and I’m a fan of how simple it is to add my own personalised ESG preferences. It’s great that there’s no platform fee (for Core) and 0% commission is brilliant, but I would like to see fractional shares added. "
CMC Invest fees
| Fees score | 4.6 ★★★★★ |
|---|---|
| Platform fee | Core Plan £0 Plus Plan £10/month Premium Plan £25/month |
| UK shares | £0 |
| US stocks | £0 |
| International shares | £0 (German shares) |
| Funds/ETFs | £0 |
| Telephone investments | £50 |
| Foreign exchange (FX) fee | 0.5% |
| Regular investing | No |
| Withdrawal/deposit fee | £0 (£15 for urgent withdrawals) |
| Inactivity fee | £0 |
CMC Invest promises “commission-free investing with fair, flat fees”. And it delivers. There’s no commission on UK, US and German share trading, which may suit you nicely if you intend to trade regularly.
You can use its basic account (dubbed “Core”) without paying a platform fee. However, if you want to invest in its flexible stocks and shares ISA, you’ll need to pay a £10 monthly fee for its “Plus” plan. But this also gets you access to USD and EUR currency wallets, which could save you money on FX fees – a useful bonus considering most of the shares on offer from CMC Invest are US stocks.
It also has a newly launched “Premium” plan, which costs £25 per month and comes with all the same feautres as the Plus plan, with the addition of a SIPP. Essentially, it costs £10 a month for a stocks and shares ISA and an extra £15 a month for a SIPP. This is fairly pricey and the structure will best suit investors with large ISAs or SIPPs (because it’s a flat monthly fee), so the fees don’t rise in line with your portfolios.
CMC Invest also offers the option of telephone trades, but this comes with a £50 commission charge, so you may prefer to stick to trading online via its app.
CMC Invest investment choice and stocks
| Investment choice score | 4.1 ★★★★★ |
|---|---|
| Asset options | 4+ |
| Markets | 3 |
| Number of investments | 4,500+ |
| Number of ETFs/funds | 1,000+ |
| Fractional shares | |
| Minimum deposit | £0 |
| Minimum investment | £0 (must be one full share) |
CMC Invest allows you to invest in more than 250 (FTSE 250) stocks from the London Stock Exchange (LSE), plus more than 3,000 stocks from the two biggest US exchanges – the Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). So you’re able to access the majority of the biggest and most popular stocks from the US and the UK. CMC Invest also recently added German stocks onto the platform.
You can also diversify your portfolio by investing in more than 400 exchange-traded funds (ETFs), investment trusts. And you’re also able to invest in over 1,000 mutual funds on all subscription plans.
There are plenty of investments to choose from on CMC Invest and its continually expanding its asset offering. The only major drawback is that you’re not able to buy fractional shares.
Is CMC Invest safe?
| Safety and security score | 5.0 ★★★★★ |
|---|---|
| Biometric login/2FA | |
| FCA regulated | |
| FSCS protection | |
| SSL certificate | |
| Public company |
As you’d expect, CMC Invest is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It’s also a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) so your deposits up to £85,000 are protected should something happen to CMC Invest.
The CMC Invest app also comes with plenty of security features to keep your portfolio secure.
Alongside all this, CMC Invest is part of a public company, CMC Markets (CMCX) – adding an extra layer of transparency and peace of mind.
CMC Invest account types and products
| Account types and products score | 4.2 ★★★★★ |
|---|---|
| General investment account (GIA) | |
| Stock and shares ISA | |
| Self-invested personal pension (SIPP) | |
| Lifetime ISA (LISA) | |
| Junior ISA (JISA)/Junior SIPP (JSIPP) | |
| Business Account | |
| Interest on cash balances |
CMC Invest’s product range now includes a:
- General investment account (GIA)
- Stocks and shares ISA
- Self-invested personal pension (SIPP)
It’s worth noting that you need to be a Plus subscriber to access the flexible stocks and shares ISA, which costs £10 per month. And if you want to use the SIPP you’ll need to be a Premium subscriber, costing £25 per month. You also get a stocks and shares ISA bundle in to the Premium subscrption.
One useful aspect to CMC Invest’s accounts is that you can earn 2% uncapped interest on any idle cash sat in your account. And this benefit is for Core, Plus and Premium subscribers with no minimum or maximum limits.
CMC Invest products
CMC Invest ease of use
| Ease of use score | 4.0 ★★★★★ |
|---|---|
| Apple iOS rating | 4.1/5 |
| Google Play rating | 3.9/5 |
| Ways to contact customer service | Phone and email |
| UI/UX | Good |
| Desktop or mobile app | Mobile app |
CMC Invest scored well in our ease of use assessment. We particularly like that there are plenty of ways to get hold of the support team in traditional methods (like phone and email) but also newer direct ways (like social media and through the forum).
One downside is that there’s only a mobile app available, you can’t invest on the desktop.
On the App Store, CMC Invest scores 4.1 out of 5, and on Google Play it has a lower 3.9 out of 5 (as of September 2024). Keep in mind that there’s not many reviews compared to some other platforms.
CMC Invest customer reviews
| Score | Rating |
|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 4.5/5 |
| User reviews | 4.7/5 |
Trustpilot reviewers gave CMC Invest a 4.5 out of 5 “Excellent” rating, from 129 reviews (as of September 2024).
In other user reviews provided to Finder, CMC Invest scores an impressive 4.7 out 5 with plenty of positive feedback for this relatively new investment app.
CMC Invest tools, resources and features
| Tools, resources and features | 4.0 ★★★★★ |
|---|---|
| Analysis features | |
| Tools for investing/trading | |
| Social features | |
| Learning resources | |
| Additional Features |
CMC Invest has plenty of tools and resources on offer for investors. Examples of some of the tools and resources available include:
- ESG ratings (personalised screening settings)
- Analyst ratings and price targets
- Company fundamental analysis
- Ability to set goals and limit orders
- “Bull says, Bear says insights” (provided by Morningstar)
- Learning resources in partnership with Finimize
One particular highlight is the ability to set personalised ESG preferences. This means that you can create your own ESG prefences and find investments that meet your own criteria and defintions of what’s ethical. It was this feature that won CMC Invest the “ESG Investing Innovation” award in the Finder 2023 Saving and Investing Innovation Awards.
It also has a learning hub on the website with beginner-friendly content created in partnership with Finimize, inlcuding a number of guides and resources covering a range of basic investing topics.
How to sign up for CMC Invest
To open an account, you’ll need:
- To be over 18
- A UK adress
- Your national insurance (NI) number (or, for non-UK citizens, a national ID number)
You’ll also need to supply basic personal information including your name and email address.
Once your account is open, you can add funds to buy investments and, if you’ve opted for a plan that requires a monthly payment, to pay your subscription. You can add money using the app at any time with your debit card.
Who might CMC Invest suit?
This platform could suit you well if you want an app that charges 0% commission but you don’t mind that there are no fractional shares. Also, the flat fee structure for Plus and Premium will be of particular benefit to those with larger portfolios because the fees remain the same no matter how much you’ve got invested.
CMC Invest is a really clear and straightforward app to use and it’s got some unique features like personalised ESG preferences. This is an excellent all-rounder for those who want a simple place to invest and build a long-term portfolio.
If that’s not you, why not compare share trading platforms to find the right fit to match your style.
Frequently asked questions