AJ Bell review
Updated September 28, 2026 · SumCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
AJ Bell suits UK savers who want a dealing platform, a pension and a tax wrapped account in the same place, with stated protection of FSCS up to GBP 85,000 for careful planners. The per-deal charge of £5 makes it a weaker fit for frequent traders.
Key facts
- Best for
- UK dealing, a tax wrapped account and a pension under the same roof.
- Minimum deposit
- £25↗
- Stock trade fee
- £5↗
- Account fee
- £3.50↗
- Markets
- Stocks, ETFs, Bonds, Funds↗
- Regulators
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)↗
- Investor protection
- FSCS up to GBP 85,000↗
- Currency conversion fee
- 0.75%↗
- Deposit and withdrawal fees
- Free withdrawals↗
- Platforms
- Web platform, Mobile app↗
- Account types
- ISA, SIPP, Lisa, Jisa↗
- Legal entity
- AJ Bell↗
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom↗
- Support channels
- Chat, Help-centre↗
- Features
- Mobile app
- Pricing model
- Low fees
- Official website
- ajbell.co.uk
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 3 sources
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- App StoreGoogle Play
Pros and cons
Pros
- The account fee of £3.50 is a set figure on the dealing account, which makes the holding cost easy to budget.
- You can open an account from a minimum deposit of £25, a small opening balance for a dealing platform.
- The accounts listed as isa, sipp and lisa mean an individual savings account, a pension, a lifetime account and a junior account all sit with the same provider.
- Trading runs on a Web platform and Mobile app basis, so the same account works on a phone and on a computer.
- Oversight comes from Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK regulator, with stated protection of FSCS up to GBP 85,000.
Cons
- Each deal costs £5, so the platform punishes anyone who trades often rather than holds.
- Support runs on chat and help centre only, so anyone who wants a phone line will not find one here.
- Currency conversion adds 0.75% on top of the dealing charge, so a global portfolio carries a further, quieter cost.
- The minimum deposit of £25 sits above the entry point at CFI, which lists $0.
Who it suits
- Savers who want a dealing account and a pension under the same regulated firm, since the accounts listed as isa, sipp and lisa cover the main UK wrappers.
- People who plan to hold rather than trade often, because the per-deal charge of £5 works against frequent dealing.
- Investors who put weight on UK oversight and a stated protection limit, given Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and FSCS up to GBP 85,000.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone starting with a smaller sum than £25, where CFI lists a minimum deposit of $0.
- People who want a phone conversation with support, since help here runs on chat and help centre only; bunq suits those after a bank relationship rather than a dealing platform.
- Anyone whose need is borrowing rather than investing, where Fiesta Credito MX sits under CONDUSEF in a different market.
Safety of your money
The platform is regulated by Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the firm behind the dealing account is AJ Bell, trading under that authorisation. Stated investor protection comes to FSCS up to GBP 85,000, which is the ceiling on what the protection scheme pays if the firm fails. That ceiling belongs to the scheme rather than to any individual investment, so it says nothing about the return on a portfolio, and a fall in the value of holdings is not covered by it. Readers who rank the safety of the money above the fee level will find that reassurance here, and it comes from a named UK regulator rather than an unnamed scheme.
Where it sits among rivals
Measured against the brands compared here, the three figures that matter most for cost sit well back from the front of their lists. On account fee the firm is at 115 of 142 brands compared, on minimum deposit at 131 of 218, and on stock trade fee at 150 of 166. A reader shopping purely on price should expect to pay more here than at the cheaper end of the market, and the gap shows most clearly on the per-deal charge.
Fees and currency costs
Money has to be in the account before it can be dealt, and the minimum deposit is £25. Each deal then costs £5, with the account itself carrying a fee of £3.50. Currency conversion sits on a separate line at 0.75%, which matters for anyone holding shares priced in another currency, while Free withdrawals covers money coming back out. The charges stack, so a portfolio that is traded often and held in several currencies pays on three fronts, whereas a portfolio that is bought once and held pays least.
Markets and platforms
The dealing account covers stocks, etfs and bonds, so shares, ETFs, bonds and funds are all available in the same place. Access runs on a Web platform and Mobile app, which means the account can be checked and traded on from a phone or a computer. Tax wrapped saving sits alongside, with the accounts listed as isa, sipp and lisa covering an individual savings account, a pension, a lifetime account and a junior account. That combination suits a reader who wants a long term holding rather than a short sequence of deals.
Getting started
Opening starts from a minimum deposit of £25, and the wrapper you choose shapes what happens to that money afterwards. The accounts listed as isa, sipp and lisa cover an individual savings account, a pension, a lifetime account and a junior account, so the same platform can serve a saver and a pensioner without a second provider. Money coming out follows the terms Free withdrawals, which keeps the exit route as simple as the entry one. The entry figure is low enough for a small first deposit, which suits a reader building a position over time.
How AJ Bell compares
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Where AJ Bell is available
- Available
- United Kingdom
- Licence in United Kingdom
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), checked September 26, 2026
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to open and run an account?+
You need a minimum deposit of £25 to get going, which is a small opening balance for a dealing account. After that the account itself costs £3.50, and each deal you place costs £5. Add 0.75% if you convert pounds into another currency, and keep in mind that frequent trading is where a per-deal charge adds up fastest.
Is my money protected at AJ Bell?+
Your money sits with a firm regulated by Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK regulator, and the stated investor protection is FSCS up to GBP 85,000. That figure is the ceiling on what the protection scheme pays if the firm fails, not a return on your investments, so a fall in the value of your holdings is not covered by it. Account opening and dealing happen under the same firm.
Can I take money out without a charge?+
The terms on cash coming out read Free withdrawals, so you can move money back to your bank without setting aside a separate withdrawal charge for it. That matters most if you keep part of the portfolio in cash, since a charge on the way out would eat into whatever you withdraw. The same account covers both directions of the movement.
What can I buy and sell?+
The account covers stocks, etfs and bonds. That mix suits a portfolio built and held over time rather than quick trading, and the same range works inside a tax wrapped account. Trading runs on a Web platform and Mobile app, so you can check and place orders from a computer or a phone without opening a separate account for each device.
Is there an app for dealing?+
A mobile app appears in the feature list at mobile app, and access is given as a Web platform and Mobile app. In practice that means an account you can open and manage on a phone, with the web platform there for anyone who prefers a larger screen for research and order entry. Both routes sit inside the same dealing account.
Which types of account are on offer?+
There is a choice of wrappers: the accounts listed as isa, sipp and lisa cover an individual savings account, a pension, a lifetime account and a junior account. That range matters if you want tax sheltered investing and a pension in the same place, rather than splitting them across separate providers and separate charges.
How much does currency conversion cost?+
Currency conversion is a separate line rather than an included service. The stated charge is 0.75%, and it applies on top of the £5 dealing charge whenever you buy a holding priced in another currency. Across repeated purchases, a large share of the cost of a global portfolio can sit in that line.
How do I get help if something goes wrong?+
Help is offered through chat and help centre, which means chat and a help centre rather than a phone line. That suits people comfortable searching for answers or typing a question at any hour, and suits those less comfortable less if they want to discuss a complicated holding with someone on a call.
Should I expect to lose money?+
Investing carries market risk whatever the platform. Across the brands compared here 70.15% of retail accounts with investments lose money, and the investing group sits at 72.05%. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorisation and the FSCS up to GBP 85,000 limit guard the firm, not the value of what you hold, so how much you put in matters as much as where.
Sources
- ajbell.co.uk checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Account types, Markets
“Self-invested personal pension (SIPP), Stocks and shares ISA, Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA”
- ajbell.co.uk/charges checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Features, Currency conversion fee, Headquarters, Legal entity, Minimum deposit, Platforms, Support channels
“AJ Bell mobile app on App Store and Google Play”
- ajbell.co.uk/dealing-account/charges checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Account fee, Deposit and withdrawal fees, Investor protection, Pricing model, Regulators, Stock trade fee, Licences
“Shares account charge: 0.25% (max GBP3.50 per month) - Dealing account”
Compiled from 3 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Inactivity fee, Retail accounts that lose money.