Cheapest Brokers in the UK (2026)
We ranked 15share-dealing platforms available to UK investors by their real annual cost — platform fees, subscriptions, commission, currency conversion and withdrawal charges combined — computed from each platform's published fee schedule. For a regular investor with a £50,000 portfolio adding £6,000 a year across 24 trades, InvestEngine is the cheapest, at about £0.00 a year — £376 less than the most expensive platform in the table for exactly the same trades. Fees verified 17 August 2026.
Reviewed by Yaniv Barshaf, CPA · Fees verified 17 August 2026 · Our methodology
Disclosure: FeesWizard may earn a commission if you open an account through links on this page. This never affects our fee data or rankings — how we make money.
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Best overall: InvestEngine
InvestEngine tops all three of our cost profiles below. It charges no dealing commission, no ongoing platform fee and no currency-conversion fee, which is what decides the winner for investors who buy overseas — FX is the largest recurring cost for most UK portfolios. Confirm it fits how you invest before opening an account.
- Casual: InvestEngine
- Regular: InvestEngine
- Active: Robinhood
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
The cheapest UK brokers, by investor profile
Published fees applied to three concrete trading patterns. Each total combines the platform fee, subscription, commission, currency conversion and withdrawal charges. Model your own numbers with the trading cost calculator or the interactive tool further down this page.
Cheapest for a casual investor
£5,000 portfolio, £1,200 added a year, 6 trades, buys US/overseas assets (needs currency conversion)
| # | Broker | Plan | Platform fee | Commission | FX | Est. annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | InvestEngineCheapest | DIY portfolio | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| 2 | Robinhood | Robinhood UK | £0.00 | £0.00 | £1.20 | £1.20 |
| 3 | Lightyear | UK GIA / ISA | £0.00 | £0.00 | £1.20 | £1.20 |
| 4 | Trading 212 | Invest account | £0.00 | £0.00 | £1.80 | £1.80 |
| 5 | XTB | XTB account | £0.00 | £0.00 | £6.00 | £6.00 |
| 6 | Webull | Webull Go (UK) | £0.00 | £0.00 | £6.00 | £6.00 |
| 7 | Revolut | Standard plan | £0.00 | £0.00 | £6.00 | £6.00 |
| 8 | Freetrade | Basic (free) | £0.00 | £0.00 | £12 | £12 |
| 9 | eToro | eToro account | £0.00 | £0.00 | £9.00 | £13 |
| 10 | Interactive BrokersNo affiliate relationship | IBKR Fixed pricing | £0.00 | £18 | £0.36 | £18 |
| 11 | Vanguard UKNo affiliate relationship | Vanguard account | £48 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £48 |
| 12 | AJ BellNo affiliate relationship | AJ Bell account | £13 | £30 | £9.00 | £52 |
| 13 | Hargreaves LansdownNo affiliate relationship | HL account | £18 | £42 | £12 | £71 |
| 14 | interactive investorNo affiliate relationship | Core (£5.99/mo) | £72 | £24 | £9.00 | £105 |
| 15 | FidelityNo affiliate relationship | Fidelity account | £90 | £45 | £9.00 | £144 |
Cheapest for a regular investor
£50,000 portfolio, £6,000 added a year, 24 trades, buys US/overseas assets (needs currency conversion)
| # | Broker | Plan | Platform fee | Commission | FX | Est. annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | InvestEngineCheapest | DIY portfolio | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| 2 | Robinhood | Robinhood UK | £0.00 | £0.00 | £6.00 | £6.00 |
| 3 | Lightyear | UK GIA / ISA | £0.00 | £0.00 | £6.00 | £6.00 |
| 4 | Trading 212 | Invest account | £0.00 | £0.00 | £9.00 | £9.00 |
| 5 | XTB | XTB account | £0.00 | £0.00 | £30 | £30 |
| 6 | Webull | Webull Go (UK) | £0.00 | £0.00 | £30 | £30 |
| 7 | Revolut | Standard plan | £0.00 | £7.50 | £30 | £38 |
| 8 | eToro | eToro account | £0.00 | £0.00 | £45 | £49 |
| 9 | Freetrade | Basic (free) | £0.00 | £0.00 | £59 | £59 |
| 10 | Interactive BrokersNo affiliate relationship | IBKR Fixed pricing | £0.00 | £72 | £1.80 | £74 |
| 11 | Vanguard UKNo affiliate relationship | Vanguard account | £75 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £75 |
| 12 | AJ BellNo affiliate relationship | AJ Bell account | £42 | £120 | £45 | £207 |
| 13 | interactive investorNo affiliate relationship | Core (£5.99/mo) | £72 | £96 | £45 | £213 |
| 14 | FidelityNo affiliate relationship | Fidelity account | £90 | £180 | £45 | £315 |
| 15 | Hargreaves LansdownNo affiliate relationship | HL account | £150 | £167 | £59 | £376 |
Cheapest for a active investor
£100,000 portfolio turned over 50% across 100 trades a year, buys US/overseas assets
| # | Broker | Plan | Platform fee | Commission | FX | Est. annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RobinhoodCheapest | Robinhood UK | £0.00 | £0.00 | £50 | £50 |
| 2 | Lightyear | UK GIA / ISA | £0.00 | £0.00 | £50 | £50 |
| 3 | Trading 212 | Invest account | £0.00 | £0.00 | £75 | £75 |
| 4 | Interactive BrokersNo affiliate relationship | IBKR Fixed pricing | £0.00 | £100 | £15 | £115 |
| 5 | Webull | Webull Meridian (UK) | £60 | £0.00 | £175 | £235 |
| 6 | XTB | XTB account | £0.00 | £0.00 | £250 | £250 |
| 7 | Freetrade | Plus (£11.99/mo) | £144 | £0.00 | £195 | £339 |
| 8 | Revolut | Standard plan | £0.00 | £110 | £250 | £360 |
| 9 | eToro | eToro account | £0.00 | £158 | £375 | £537 |
| 10 | interactive investorNo affiliate relationship | Premium (£39.99/mo) | £480 | £227 | £125 | £832 |
| 11 | AJ BellNo affiliate relationship | AJ Bell account | £42 | £500 | £375 | £917 |
| 12 | FidelityNo affiliate relationship | Fidelity account | £90 | £750 | £375 | £1,215 |
| 13 | Hargreaves LansdownNo affiliate relationship | HL account | £150 | £695 | £495 | £1,340 |
Fees last verified 17 August 2026against each provider's published schedule — see every source and who checked it
- eToro (checked 2026-08-17 by FeesWizard automated source check): eToro fee schedule, eToro conversion fees
- Trading 212 (checked 2026-08-17 by FeesWizard automated source check): Trading 212 — fees in the Invest, ISAs and SIPP, Trading 212 — what is the FX fee, Trading 212 — funding fees, Trading 212 — withdrawal fees
- XTB (checked 2026-08-17 by FeesWizard automated source check): XTB — fees and commissions, XTB — commissions table (April 2026), XTB — account information (custody charge above €250,000), XTB — Stocks & Shares ISA
- Robinhood (checked 2026-08-17 by FeesWizard automated source check): Robinhood UK — Standard Pricing Fee Schedule, Robinhood UK — trading and ADR fees
- Webull (checked 2026-08-17 by FeesWizard automated source check): Webull UK — pricing, Webull UK — how much does Meridian cost
- Revolut (checked 2026-07-31 by Yaniv Barshaf, CPA): Revolut — what are Revolut's trading fees, Revolut — how does the commission-free allowance work, Revolut — custody fees removed (UK), Revolut — what are the Stocks and Shares ISA fees
- Freetrade (checked 2026-08-17 by FeesWizard automated source check): Freetrade pricing, Freetrade compare plans, Freetrade SIPP charges schedule
- InvestEngine (checked 2026-08-17 by FeesWizard automated source check): InvestEngine costs, InvestEngine Managed Portfolios, InvestEngine SIPP
- Lightyear (checked 2026-08-17 by FeesWizard automated source check): Lightyear UK pricing, Lightyear EU pricing, Lightyear UK — fees and taxes
- Hargreaves Lansdown (checked 2026-08-17 by FeesWizard automated source check): HL Stocks and Shares ISA charges, HL share dealing charges, HL charge changes (effective 1 March 2026) — £1.95 online fund dealing
- AJ Bell (checked 2026-07-27 by Yaniv Barshaf, CPA): AJ Bell Stocks and Shares ISA charges, AJ Bell charges and rates
- interactive investor (checked 2026-07-27 by Yaniv Barshaf, CPA): ii charges
- Vanguard UK (checked 2026-07-27 by Yaniv Barshaf, CPA): Vanguard UK fees explained
- Fidelity (checked 2026-08-17 by FeesWizard automated source check): Fidelity charges and fees, Fidelity ISA fees and charges
- Interactive Brokers (checked 2026-08-17 by FeesWizard automated source check): IBKR stock commissions, IBKR US stock trading costs for UK and EU residents, Interactive Brokers — other fees (withdrawals)
We read each provider's own published charges page rather than relying on third-party summaries. If you find a figure that is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
All figures in pounds sterling; fees published in another currency are converted at a fixed reference rate. Totals exclude UK stamp duty, fund/ETF ongoing charges and the bid–offer spread, which apply on any platform.
Why InvestEngine comes out cheapest
Look down the commission column in the tables above and a pattern jumps out: almost every UK platform now advertises "commission-free" share dealing, so headline commission is no longer where the money is lost. The decisive cost for a UK investor buying US or overseas shares is the currency-conversion (FX) fee — it applies to the whole converted amount, on the way in and again on the way out, and it scales with everything you trade. InvestEngine charges no FX fee at all, so as soon as a profile involves currency conversion it pulls clear of rivals that are also commission-free but still take a slice on every conversion.
The runner-up on the regular profile, Robinhood, makes the point precisely. It is also commission-free, yet its 0.1% conversion fee means a regular investor pays about £6.00 a year against InvestEngine's £0.00 — the entire gap is currency conversion, not dealing charges. This is the single most misunderstood thing about broker pricing: zero commission does not mean zero cost, and a smaller FX fee routinely beats a flashier "free trades" headline for anyone with an internationally diversified portfolio.
The ranking does shift with usage, which is why we publish three profiles rather than one verdict. Flat per-trade commissions and fixed withdrawal fees barely register for a casual investor placing a handful of trades, but they compound for an active trader placing a hundred — and a percentage FX fee that looked trivial on a small pot becomes the dominant line once the traded value climbs into five figures. Read the profile that matches your own behaviour, not just the top of the first table. For the full anatomy of every charge across the market, see our UK Broker Fee Index, and to understand the mechanics of the fee that decides most of these rankings, read how FX fees work.
InvestEngine
Best for zero-fee DIY ETF investing with a free ISA and SIPP
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
What "cheapest" leaves out
Cost is decisive, but it is not the whole decision. The cheapest platform is only the right one if it also offers the accounts you need — a Stocks & Shares ISA or SIPP for tax-efficient investing, the markets and instruments you want to hold, and FSCS protection you are comfortable with. A rock-bottom fee on a platform that does not support your goals is a false economy. Weigh the annual cost figures here against account features, and if you are unsure whether a "free" product is really cheaper, learn the difference between spread and commission pricing before you commit.
Run your own numbers
Our profiles are illustrative. Enter your own portfolio size, trading frequency and asset mix below and the calculator recomputes the cheapest platform for exactly how you invest, from the same fee dataset and the same engine behind the tables above.
What will each broker actually cost you?
Enter the portfolio you actually hold. We calculate every charge — dealing commission, platform and custody fees, subscriptions, FX, dividend and withdrawal fees — and rank the brokers by what you would really pay.
On a £10,000 portfolio with 12 trades a year, the cheapest option is InvestEngine at £0.00/year. The most expensive charges £188/year.
Choosing the cheapest saves £188 a year — and £940 over five years, once you account for the growth those fees never earned.
| Broker | Plan | Per year | Over 5 years | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| InvestEngineCheapest | DIY portfolio | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Robinhood | Robinhood UK | £1.00 | £5.52 | |
| Lightyear | UK GIA / ISA | £1.00 | £5.52 | |
| Trading 212 | Invest account | £1.50 | £8.29 | |
| Webull | Webull Go (UK) | £5.00 | £28 | |
| Revolut | Standard plan | £5.00 | £28 | |
| XTB | XTB account | £5.00 | £28 | |
| Freetrade | Basic (free) | £9.90 | £55 | |
| eToro | eToro account | £11 | £61 | |
| Interactive Brokers(we earn nothing from this platform) | IBKR Fixed pricing | £36 | £182 | |
| Vanguard UK(we earn nothing from this platform) | Vanguard account | £48 | £240 | |
| AJ Bell(we earn nothing from this platform) | AJ Bell account | £93 | £476 | |
| interactive investor(we earn nothing from this platform) | Core (£5.99/mo) | £127 | £639 | |
| Hargreaves Lansdown(we earn nothing from this platform) | HL account | £128 | £659 | |
| Fidelity(we earn nothing from this platform) | Fidelity account | £188 | £940 |
What five years of fees adds up to
Includes the growth those fees would have earned had they stayed invested.
- InvestEngine£0.00
- Robinhood£5.52
- Lightyear£5.52
- Trading 212£8.29
- Webull£28
Estimates only, based on each broker's published fee schedule as verified on 17 August 2026. Fund ongoing charges are shown separately because they are paid to the fund manager and are the same whichever broker you use. Fees quoted in another currency are converted at a fixed reference rate so that every figure on this site is reproducible. See our methodology. Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
Cheapest UK brokers: frequently asked questions
Which is the cheapest broker in the UK?
On our computed rankings, InvestEngine is the cheapest UK share-dealing platform for a regular investor (a £50,000 portfolio, £6,000 added a year across 24 trades, with currency conversion), at an estimated £0.00 a year — versus £376 for the most expensive of the 15 platforms we ranked. "Cheapest" depends on how you invest, so we also rank a casual and an active profile below.
Is a commission-free broker actually free?
Rarely. Most UK 'commission-free' platforms still charge a currency-conversion (FX) fee when you buy US or overseas shares — typically 0.15% to 0.99% each way — plus, in some cases, withdrawal or inactivity fees. For anyone buying US stocks, the FX fee is usually the largest single cost, which is why a platform with zero commission can still be far from the cheapest.
Why does the cheapest broker change with how much I trade?
Because fees scale differently. A percentage FX fee grows with the value you convert, a flat per-trade commission grows with the number of trades, and inactivity or withdrawal fees are fixed. A platform that looks cheap for six small trades a year can become the dearest for someone trading a hundred times — so we rank three distinct profiles rather than declaring a single winner.
Do these costs include stamp duty or fund charges?
No. These figures cover only platform-level charges from our dataset — platform fees, subscriptions, commission, currency-conversion (FX), dividend, withdrawal and inactivity fees, verified 17 August 2026. They exclude UK stamp duty (0.5% on eligible UK share purchases), fund or ETF ongoing charges (OCF), and the bid–offer spread, which apply regardless of which platform you use.
How are these rankings calculated?
Every figure is computed at build time by applying each platform's published fee schedule to a fixed investor profile — there are no opinions or estimates typed in by hand. The same engine powers our on-page calculator, so you can reproduce any number by entering your own portfolio size, contributions, trading frequency and asset mix.