Top stocks and shares ISAs compared

About Top stocks and shares ISAs compared

Stocks and shares ISAs put savings into company shares, funds and exchange traded funds with no tax on gains, and the providers here differ most on what they charge to hold the account and to trade. This ranking pulls 22 providers into one list, with the members below set out in full. The main trade-off is cost against reach. A provider can charge nothing to open an account and still take a fee on every deal, or carry an annual charge and then deal shares for free, and those costs rarely sit in the same place. Safety of the money counts for as much as price, so regulator and protection details sit next to the fee lines in every entry. A further thread runs through how the account behaves day to day, from the smallest sensible first payment to the routes for getting help when a transfer stalls or a holding needs attention.

How we picked

Scores come from weighted measures, and the weights are written into the site rather than chosen per page. Trust carries the most at 40%, built from the regulator a provider names, the protection scheme behind the account, the legal entity that holds the money and how long the firm has traded. Cost weighs 35% and covers the account fee, the charge on a share trade, any currency conversion fee and the smallest payment accepted. Offer weighs 25% and covers the range of markets, the account types available and the features that shape day to day use, such as buying in fractional shares or practising on a demo account. Every figure quoted in a blurb traces to a provider page, a regulator register or a published fee schedule, and the category statistics here come from the same pool of 22 providers, of which 2 are partners. Partner providers are listed first in score order, and every remaining member follows beneath them. Where two providers match on price, the ordering tilts towards the wider market list and the clearer protection detail.

Our top picks

1. T24. Trading 212

   Trading 212 is in this ranking for the simplest cost line here: an account fee of £0, share dealing at £0 and a commission free model, with isa, sipp and joint covered. Inactivity charges are free, and the app and web platform in Trading 212 App and Web Platform carry fractional shares, demo account and mobile app for practising and buying in parts. It is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, with FSCS up to GBP 85,000 behind the account and Trading 212 Markets Ltd holding it. The trade-off is support: help runs on help centre only, and Plum below it in this ranking is a GB based app with a shorter market list.

   • Minimum deposit: £1
   • Stock trade fee: £0
   • Account fee: £0

   Pros

   • Stock trades cost £0 and the account fee is £0, so holding a portfolio costs nothing
   • The inactivity fee is £0, so a dormant account is not quietly charged
   • The minimum deposit is £1, far below the €10 bunq asks
   • Cash can be held in a Cash ISA that stays open for withdrawals, on a variable rate with the interest credited monthly
   • Features listed are fractional shares, demo account and mobile app, and the platforms are Trading 212 App and Web Platform

   Cons

   • Support runs on help centre only, so there is no live phone or chat route
   • Trading 212 Markets Ltd is authorised by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission on MiCA CASP 21380045KC28948FNE32, so the Financial Conduct Authority is not the only supervisor involved
   • Markets cover stocks, etfs and forex, which leaves funds, bonds and options outside the range offered here
   • The £1 minimum deposit is a floor rather than a deal size, and the Cash ISA rate is variable

2. 5. Nutmeg

   Nutmeg is in this ranking for a different kind of saver: a bigger opening payment, a wider shelf and a UK parent. The minimum payment is £500, dealing is charged at £0, and no set-up, trading or exit fees covers the way money moves in or out. The account is run by J.P. Morgan Personal Investing Limited under Financial Conduct Authority authorisation with FSCS up to GBP 85,000 behind it, and etfs, funds and stocks reaches further than most here by including bonds. Support covers email, chat and phone, the broadest in this ranking. The catch is the floor and the range: isa and sipp only, with £500 to start. Police Friendly, next, has a lower entry point and a much older firm behind it.

   • Management fee: 0.25% to 0.75%
   • Minimum investment: £100 to £500
   • Regulators: Financial Conduct Authority

   Pros

   • Trading adds £0, and set-up, trading and exit fees do not run on the account, so moving money in or out costs nothing extra.
   • Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, with investor protection of FSCS up to GBP 85,000 behind the balance.
   • Support runs on email, chat and phone, so help is available by phone and live chat as well as in writing.
   • The commission-free model (commission free) keeps the annual management charge as the main line on the bill.

   Cons

   • A £500 minimum deposit and a minimum investment of £100 to £500 put Nutmeg above Axos Invest, which lists $100.
   • A quarter of robo-advisors charge 0% in management fees, so fees of 0.25% to 0.75% a year are not the lowest rate around.
   • Account choice is limited to isa and sipp, with no general investment account in the range.
   • The line-up is etf, esg and cash portfolios only, so anyone who wants to pick individual holdings is not served.

3. 6. Moneyfarm

   Moneyfarm completes this ranking with a clear cost profile. The firm runs in GB as MFM Investment Ltd under Financial Conduct Authority supervision, with FSCS up to GBP 85,000 covering holdings and stocks, etfs and bonds giving shares, ETFs, bonds and funds. Currency conversion is charged at 0.7%. Set against Freetrade directly above it in this ranking, the dealing fee is the real difference, since email, phone and help centre and isa and sipp are close matches.

   • Management fee: 0.1% to 0.45%
   • Minimum investment: £500
   • Regulators: Financial Conduct Authority

   Pros

   • The monthly fee is £0, so there is no monthly account charge to plan around.
   • The Cash ISA pays a variable rate of 3.87%, where the site median is 3%.
   • Money in and out is listed as Free deposits and withdrawals, so no charge applies to funding or taking money out.
   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre, so help is not confined to a single channel.
   • Protection is FSCS up to GBP 85,000 under the Financial Conduct Authority, which sets a stated ceiling on cover in the UK.

   Cons

   • Trading is a paid extra: a stock trade costs £3.95, where the median across the site is €0.
   • The minimum investment of £500 sits well above the typical starting amount on the site, which is €25.
   • The management fee of 0.1% to 0.45% runs every year, where eToro and Empower Personal Dashboard list fees of 0% and 0%.
   • A currency conversion fee of 0.7% applies, which adds a further layer on top of the management fee of 0.1% to 0.45%.

4. 7. Police Friendly

   Police Friendly is in this ranking as the heritage option, a firm founded in 1893 running ISA money over stocks and funds. The minimum payment of £50 is modest, and the account is held by Metropolitan Police Friendly Society Limited, supervised by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, with FSCS up to GBP 85,000 behind the money. The trade-off sits in two places. The market list is shorter than stocks, etfs and bonds at Freetrade below it in this ranking, and 25% government charge on non-qualifying withdrawals bites if you cash out early. Support runs on email and phone, which is a phone line rather than articles alone.

   • Minimum deposit: £50
   • Markets: Stocks, Funds
   • Regulators: Financial Conduct Authority / Prudential Regulation Authority

   Pros

   • Three tax sheltered options in one place: an ISA, a LISA and a JISA
   • Low entry point at £50 to open
   • Stocks and funds available to invest through stocks and funds
   • Support runs on email and phone

   Cons

   • A non qualifying withdrawal is hit by 25% government charge on non-qualifying withdrawals
   • Investments are limited to stocks and funds, with no wider market list given
   • Support runs on email and phone only

5. 8. Charles Stanley Direct: best for top pick

   Charles Stanley Direct takes the top pick label in this ranking because it pairs a firm founded in 1792 with protection under FSCS up to GBP 85,000 and a regulated operation: the account is run by Raymond James Wealth Management Limited and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Cost is the trade-off. Share dealing is charged at £10 and SIPP fees run £60 to £600, which places it well above the cheaper members below. For that, stocks, etfs and funds run through Charles Stanley Direct Trading, the minimum payment is £1, isa and sipp cover the wrappers and email and phone handle queries. Moneybox, next in this ranking, sits at the far cheaper end of the cost line.

   • Minimum deposit: £1
   • Stock trade fee: £10
   • Account fee: £60 to £600

   Pros

   • Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, with holdings covered by FSCS up to GBP 85,000.
   • Minimum deposit of £1 keeps the entry point small for regular investors.
   • Available account types are isa and sipp, so tax-sheltered saving and pension investing sit with the same broker.
   • Help runs on email and phone, and a phone line is listed, so a stuck transfer or withdrawal can be chased.
   • The group behind the platform dates back to 1792, and the operating company is Raymond James Wealth Management Limited.

   Cons

   • Account fees of £60 to £600 a year apply regardless of balance, so a small pot pays the same as a large holding.
   • Stock trades cost £10, against a typical €0 across the brands compared, so frequent dealing costs more.
   • Support runs on email and phone only, so there is no listed chat channel or branch counter for anything else.
   • Dealing covers stocks, etfs and funds, so readers wanting bonds, cash or more exotic instruments find a shorter list.

6. 9. Plum

   Plum sits mid table in this ranking with a plain, low cost offer: an account fee of £0 and share dealing at £0, both on a commission free model, with fractional shares and mobile app supporting small regular buying through the Mobile app. It is aimed at beginners, operates in GB as Plum Fintech Limited, is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and holds FSCS up to GBP 85,000. The minimum payment of £2 keeps the door open. What it gives up against Raisin, the next member in this ranking, is breadth: help runs on email and help centre and stocks, etfs and funds sticks to shares, ETFs and funds.

   • Minimum deposit: £2
   • Stock trade fee: £0
   • Account fee: £0

   Pros

   • Fractional shares are offered, so £2 is enough to hold a slice of a company rather than whole shares.
   • Eligible money is covered by the protection scheme, with the ceiling given as FSCS up to GBP 85,000.
   • The account types cover isa, sipp and lisa, so investing, retirement saving and a home deposit pot sit with the same provider.
   • Access runs through Mobile app, which keeps dealing straightforward for small, regular buys.

   Cons

   • Markets stop at stocks, etfs and funds, so there is no dealing in listed bonds, overseas currency or crypto through the account.
   • Help runs on email and help centre only, so a stuck withdrawal or transfer has no phone route.
   • Managed portfolios charge 0.15% to 0.6%, which takes a slice from every pot you hand over.

7. 10. Dodl

   Dodl earns its place in this ranking on cost transparency. Share dealing is charged at £0 on a commission free and low fees basis, deposits and withdrawals come with free deposits and withdrawals, and the cash element earns 3.8% in interest. It is run by AJ Bell, authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, and holds FSCS up to GBP 85,000. A starting payment of £25 and a single app listed in Dodl app keep it friendly to beginners, with email, chat and help centre for help. Against that, currency conversion is charged at 0.75% and stocks, etfs and funds leaves out bonds. Trading 212, next in this ranking, adds forex and CFDs instead.

   • Minimum deposit: £25
   • Stock trade fee: £0
   • Markets: Stocks, ETFs, Funds

   Pros

   • Commission-free dealing: £0 to buy or sell shares, with free deposits and withdrawals either side of the balance.
   • An ISA, SIPP and LISA sit alongside stocks, etfs and funds in a single app, so wrappers and dealing stay in one place.
   • Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, with investor protection of FSCS up to GBP 85,000.
   • Cash waiting to be invested earns 3.8%, so an uninvested balance is not idle.
   • On stock trade fees, position 1 of 166 brands ranked on that measure.

   Cons

   • Foreign exchange costs 0.75%, so currency conversion is the charge that bites anyone buying shares outside sterling.
   • Help runs on email, chat and help centre, with no phone route among them, so a complex dispute has to be put in writing.
   • The market list is stocks, etfs and funds, which leaves out bonds, commodities and currency pairs.
   • The minimum deposit of £25 ranks position 131 of 218, so a smaller opening amount is available elsewhere.

What to look for

What a share trade costs

The median share dealing charge in this ranking is €0, the upper quartile sits at €4.88 and the highest charge is €11.62. A provider with no dealing fee may still cost more once the account fee is added, so both lines matter for a small, infrequent saver.

The account or platform fee

The median account fee here is €0, rising to €17 across the upper quartile and €69.73 at the top of the range. An annual charge is felt most in a small ISA that is rarely opened, and hardly felt in a large one left for years.

Currency conversion on overseas holdings

A foreign exchange charge of 0.75% is typical in this category, with 0.95% at the upper end. It lands on every conversion rather than on one yearly payment, so it grows quietly with a holding that never gets sold.

How small the first payment can be

The median minimum deposit in this ranking is €43.58, with a top quartile of €581.09. A high floor is harmless for a large transfer and awkward for someone starting with a modest amount from a current account.

What you can actually buy

ETFs appear across 95.2% of providers in this category and funds across 81%, with bonds available from 38.1%. Nutmeg and Freetrade both list stocks, etfs and bonds, while Police Friendly offers the shorter stocks and funds. A shelf of shares alone gives a fund buyer fewer ways to spread money across a portfolio.

Help when something goes wrong

A help centre is the most common route at 78.9%, with phone support at 52.6% and live chat at 36.8%. Nutmeg answers on email, chat and phone, while Moneybox runs on help centre alone. Self service is cheaper to run for a provider, but a frozen transfer is the wrong moment to be reading articles.

Frequently asked questions

Top stocks and shares ISAs compared by country

• Austria
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• United States

The data behind this ranking

All data and the CSV