Moneyfarm vs Hargreaves Lansdown (HL)

Ever wondered who would come out on top in a battle between Moneyfarm vs Hargreaves Lansdown (HL)? Well, read on to find out how they compare for features, fees and much more.

Overall winner Our verdict
Compare side by side Compare platforms

Hargreaves Lansdown (HL) and Moneyfarm are two popular investing platforms available to UK retail investors. They’re slightly different in their approach as Moneyfarm is basically a robo-advisor with some share dealing available, and HL is a fully-fledged stockbroker with loads of investment options. However, there is some crossover, so we’re going to pit Moneyfarm vs Hargreaves Lansdown against each other in a head-to-head battle.

Both HL and Moneyfarm offer a range of investments and plenty of account options, including a stocks and shares ISA and a self-invested personal pension (SIPP). So, check out our breakdown of Moneyfarm vs Hargreaves Lansdown and hopefully this will help you pick who’s best, depending on what’s most important to you – whether that’s fees, investment choice, account types or anything else.

Moneyfarm vs Hargreaves Lansdown: At a glance

Moneyfarm logoHargreaves Lansdown logo
Finder score★★★★★★★★★★
Customer satisfaction survey★★★★★★★★★★
Fees score★★★★★★★★★★
Stocks and shares ISA available?
FSCS protected?
Go to site
More Info
Go to site
More Info

Moneyfarm and HL are pretty similar when it comes to their Finder score, with Moneyfarm scoring a reasonable 3.9 out of 5, and HL scoring a slightly better 4.2 out of 5.

Both platforms offer stocks and shares ISA, and both come with full Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protection of up to £85,000.

Moneyfarm and HL were both reviewed positively in the most recent Finder Investing Customer Satisfaction Awards 2024 results. However, HL was the overall winner with 97% of customers saying they’d recommend the platform to a friend, making it our best trading app for customer satisfaction.

The platforms are also fairly similar with their fees score. When you look at Moneyfarm fees vs HL fees, Moneyfarm has a score of 2.9 out of 5 and Hargreaves Lansdown has a score of 2.4 out of 5.

Round 1: Products

Moneyfarm logoHargreaves Lansdown logo
General investment account
Stocks and shares ISA
Lifetime ISA (LISA)
Pension (SIPP)
Junior ISA (JISA)/Junior SIPP (JSIPP)
Interest on cash balances
Keep in mindCapital at riskCapital at risk
Go to site
More Info
Go to site
More Info

Both Moneyfarm and HL offer a wide range of account options, with plenty of tax-efficient options available.

However, HL ticks every box when it comes to the account types available, you can even use a lifetime ISA (LISA) and a junior stocks and shares ISA (JISA) or junior SIPP (JSIPP).

Winner: Hargreaves Lansdown (HL)

Round 2: Investment choice

Moneyfarm logoHargreaves Lansdown logo
Investment choice score★★★★★★★★★★
Available markets 3+4+
Number of investments1,000+11,000+
Number of ETFs/funds6001,500
Fractional shares
Min. initial deposit£1£1
Min. investment£500 (for managed portfolios)/£1 (for share investing)£1
Keep in mindCapital at riskCapital at risk
Go to site
More Info
Go to site
More Info

Although Moneyfarm offers a decent range of ready-made portfolios and individual investments, it’s range pales in comparison to HL which has over 11,000+ options.

Sadly, neither offers the option to invest in fractional shares. And, you can start share dealing with either from just £1, but you need a much higher initial investment of £500 if you want a managed portfolio with Moneyfarm.

Winner: Hargreaves Lansdown (HL)

Round 3: Fees

Moneyfarm logoHargreaves Lansdown logo
Fees score★★★★★★★★★★
Platform fees£0£0 (0.45% for funds)
US sharesN/A£11.95
UK shares£3.95£11.95
International sharesN/A
£11.95
Funds/ETFs£3.95
£0 funds
£11.95 ETFs (frequent trader discounts apply)
Foreign exchange fee0.7%1%
Regular investingYesYes from £25/month (lower commissions for frequent investors)
£8.95 (10 to 19 trades in previous month)
£5.95 (20 or more trades in previous month)
Withdrawal fee£0£0
Deposit fee£0£0
Inactivity fee£0£0
Keep in mindCapital at riskCapital at risk
Go to site
More Info
Go to site
More Info

Sadly, neither Moneyfarm nor HL scores well for fees, both have a few charges to take into consideration.

However, Hargreaves Lansdown’s share dealing commission of £11.95 is one of the highest from any UK investing platform. It is free to buy or sell funds, which is a positive at least.

Winner: Moneyfarm

Round 4: Ease of use

Moneyfarm logoHargreaves Lansdown logo
Ease of use score★★★★★★★★★★
Apple iOS rating4.6/54.7/5
Google Play rating 4.3/53.2/5
Ways to contact customer servicePhone and emailPhone, email and online chat
UI/UXGoodGood
Desktop or web access
Mobile app
Keep in mindCapital at riskCapital at risk
Go to site
More Info
Go to site
More Info

Both platforms score well in this area and are positively reviewed on the App Store and Google Play.

However, HL takes the win here because it offers fantastic, award-winning customer service from its support team based in Bristol.

Winner: Hargreaves Lansdown (HL)

Round 5: Tools, resources and features

Moneyfarm logoHargreaves Lansdown logo
Tools, resources and features★★★★★★★★★★
Analysis features
Tools for investing/trading
Social features
Learning resources
Additional features
Keep in mindCapital at riskCapital at risk
Go to site
More Info
Go to site
More Info

This is an easy win for HL. Moneyfarm has some resources and tools on offer, but not much.

HL has research and resources to suit everyone from beginner investors to expert traders. Although HL is pricey in some areas, for those extra fees you get loads in the way of additional features and tools.

Winner: Hargreaves Lansdown (HL)

Overall winner: Is Moneyfarm better than Hargreaves Lansdown?

Moneyfarm is an excellent digital wealth manager, but most things it does, HL does better.

Moneyfarm is slightly cheaper for fees, but when you compare Moneyfarm vs Hargreaves Lansdown across all categories, it’s HL that usually comes out on top and this is reflected in the overall Finder score.

Winner: Hargreaves Lansdown (HL)

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.


George Sweeney, DipFA's headshot
Deputy editor

George is a deputy editor at Finder. He has previously written for The Motley Fool UK, Nasdaq, Freetrade, Investing in the Web, MoneyMagpie, Online Mortgage Advisor, Wealth, and Compare Forex Brokers. He's focused on making personal finance and investing engaging for everyone. To do this he draws from previous work and his Level 4 Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA), sharing what he’s learnt. When he’s not geeking out about money, you’ll find him playing sports and staying active. See full bio

George's expertise
George has written 190 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Investing
  • Personal finance
  • Tax
  • Pensions
  • Mortgages

More guides on Finder

  • eToro vs XTB

    XTB and eToro are cheap investment platforms with a lot to offer. We compare the features, fees, account types and more – side by side in eToro vs XTB.

  • Freetrade vs Hargreaves Lansdown (HL)

    Freetrade and Hargreaves Lansdown are both investment platforms with a lot to offer. We compare their features, fees, account types and more – side by side in Freetrade vs HL.

  • Bestinvest vs Hargreaves Lansdown (HL)

    Bestinvest and Hargreaves Lansdown (HL) are both investment platforms with a lot to offer. We compare their features, fees, account types and more – side by side in Bestinvest vs Hargreaves Lansdown.

  • Moneybox vs Hargreaves Lansdown (HL)

    Hargreaves Lansdown 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 Hargreaves Lansdown (HL).

  • AJ Bell vs interactive investor (ii)

    AJ Bell and interactive investor (ii) are both investment platforms with a lot to offer. We compare their features, fees, account types and more – side by side in AJ Bell vs ii.

  • Robinhood UK review

    Commission-free share-trading app Robinhood has launched in the UK. Our investing expert tried it out – find out the pros and cons.

  • XTB Review 2024

    Find out about the features, fees, and much more in our expert review of the commission-free XTB trading platform.

  • IG review

    Our IG review looks at the features, customer reviews, fees, learning resources and some pros and cons of IG’s platform.

  • interactive investor (ii) review

    We took a look at interactive investor to find out about its products, features, fees and app. Read our guide to get the full scoop about this investing platform.

  • Nutmeg review

    Nutmeg is one of the UK’s most popular digital wealth management platforms. Our review looks at whether it’s any good, how it works, the fees, and our overall verdict.

Go to site