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.
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
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
General investment account | ||
---|---|---|
Stocks and shares ISA | ||
Lifetime ISA (LISA) | ||
Pension (SIPP) | ||
Junior ISA (JISA)/Junior SIPP (JSIPP) | ||
Interest on cash balances | ||
Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital 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
Investment choice score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
---|---|---|
Available markets | 3+ | 4+ |
Number of investments | 1,000+ | 11,000+ |
Number of ETFs/funds | 600 | 1,500 |
Fractional shares | ||
Min. initial deposit | £1 | £1 |
Min. investment | £500 (for managed portfolios)/£1 (for share investing) | £1 |
Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital 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
Fees score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
---|---|---|
Platform fees | £0 | £0 (0.45% for funds) |
US shares | N/A | £11.95 |
UK shares | £3.95 | £11.95 |
International shares | N/A | £11.95 |
Funds/ETFs | £3.95 | £0 funds £11.95 ETFs (frequent trader discounts apply) |
Foreign exchange fee | 0.7% | 1% |
Regular investing | Yes | Yes 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 mind | Capital at risk | Capital 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
Ease of use score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
---|---|---|
Apple iOS rating | 4.6/5 | 4.7/5 |
Google Play rating | 4.3/5 | 3.2/5 |
Ways to contact customer service | Phone and email | Phone, email and online chat |
UI/UX | Good | Good |
Desktop or web access | ||
Mobile app | ||
Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital 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
Tools, resources and features | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
---|---|---|
Analysis features | ||
Tools for investing/trading | ||
Social features | ||
Learning resources | ||
Additional features | ||
Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital 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)
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