Freetrade review
Updated September 28, 2026 · SumCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Freetrade suits UK beginners and anyone opening an ISA or a pension, since dealing carries no charge and the platform is built for small, regular buys. Its overall score of 3.3 is held back by a narrow market list and support without a phone line.
Key facts
- Best for
- Opening a UK ISA or SIPP with small, regular investments and no dealing charge.
- Minimum deposit
- £1↗
- Stock trade fee
- £0↗
- Account fee
- £0↗
- Markets
- Stocks, ETFs, Bonds, Funds↗
- Regulators
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)↗
- Investor protection
- FSCS up to GBP 85,000↗
- Currency conversion fee
- 0.99%↗
- Platforms
- App, Web↗
- Account types
- ISA, SIPP, Jisa↗
- Interest on cash
- 1%↗
- Legal entity
- Freetrade Limited↗
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom↗
- Founded
- 2016↗
- Support channels
- Email, Chat, Help-centre↗
- Features
- Fractional shares, Mobile app, Demo account
- Pricing model
- Commission-free
- Audience
- Beginners
- Official website
- freetrade.io
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 5 sources
Apps and profiles
Pros and cons
Pros
- Dealing is commission free: the stock trade fee is £0 and the account fee is £0, so keeping the account open costs nothing in fees.
- A minimum deposit of £1 lets a position build up gradually, and cash waiting to be invested earns 1%.
- The account list is isa, sipp and jisa, so a pension, a tax-sheltered investment account and a junior account sit under the same login.
- Built for beginners, with a stated audience of beginners and features covering fractional shares, mobile app and demo account.
- Regulated by Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) with investor protection of FSCS up to GBP 85,000, so holdings sit with a regulated firm.
Cons
- Currency conversion costs 0.99%, where the typical fee across ISA and SIPP listings is 0.75%, putting it at the pricier end of that set for anyone buying in dollars or euros.
- Support runs on email, chat and help centre only, with no phone line among them, which is awkward when a position is moving fast.
- The market list stops at stocks, etfs and bonds, so anyone wanting forex or derivatives finds fewer instruments here than at a trading-focused broker.
Who it suits
- Beginners taking small first steps, since the stated audience is beginners and fractional shares plus a demo account sit in fractional shares, mobile app and demo account.
- ISA and pension savers who want isa, sipp and jisa under a single login with a minimum deposit of £1.
- Cost-focused investors, for whom an account fee of £0 and a stock trade fee of £0 keep holding inexpensive.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who wants everyday banking rather than isa, sipp and jisa: bunq is a bank account with a minimum deposit of €10, so it fits savers who need a current account, not a dealing platform.
- Traders who want a market range wider than stocks, etfs and bonds: CFI is the one to weigh instead, with a minimum deposit of $0.
- People after a lender rather than an investment account: Fiesta Credito MX is regulated by CONDUSEF, so it serves borrowing in Mexico rather than investing in the UK.
Opening and funding
Funding is light: the minimum deposit is £1, so opening an account is not held up by a large entry requirement. The account list is isa, sipp and jisa, covering a pension, a tax-sheltered investment account and a junior account, so a saver can run them under a single login instead of opening a separate provider for each wrapper. Cash sitting in the account while you choose what to buy earns 1%.
Markets and platforms
Dealing runs across stocks, etfs and bonds, a share and fund range rather than a derivatives one. Both app and web are offered, so the same holdings can be managed from a phone or a desktop browser. Accounts run as isa, sipp and jisa, meaning the pension and the investment account share the same platform, features and order handling rather than sitting on separate systems.
Deposit protection
Freetrade is regulated by Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the firm appears in the register under licence 783189, so the entry can be checked directly. Investor protection stands at FSCS up to GBP 85,000. That is compensation for investments held with the firm if it cannot return them, not a cover for market losses or a promise about what your holdings are worth.
The company behind it
The firm behind the platform is Freetrade Limited, based in the United Kingdom and founded in 2016. It trades under the registration cited as 783189. Support runs on email, chat and help centre, so questions are handled by email or live chat, with a help centre for reference and no phone route among the listed channels.
How Freetrade compares
8.8 vs 9.4
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8.8 vs 8.3
8.8 vs 8.5
8.8 vs 9.4
8.8 vs 9.3
8.8 vs 8.7
Freetrade vs eToro8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 8.7
8.8 vs 8.6
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.0
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.1
8.8 vs 9.0
8.8 vs 9.0
8.8 vs 9.0
8.8 vs 9.0
8.8 vs 8.8
Where Freetrade is available
- Available
- United Kingdom
- Licence in United Kingdom
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (783189), checked September 26, 2026
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to hold and trade shares?+
The account fee is £0 and the stock trade fee is £0, on a commission-free model, so opening and holding an account adds no charge. The cost that does appear is currency conversion at 0.99% whenever you buy or sell something priced in another currency. Budget for that if your holdings are not all in sterling.
How much do I need to start investing?+
The minimum deposit is £1, which keeps the entry point low. Cash waiting to be invested earns 1%, so the balance is not idle while you decide what to hold. A small starting amount suits regular contributions rather than a single lump sum, and the account fee adds nothing to the running cost.
Is my money protected at Freetrade?+
Freetrade is regulated by Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the firm is registered under licence 783189, so the entry can be checked. Investor protection stands at FSCS up to GBP 85,000. That is compensation if the firm cannot return assets, not insurance against a falling market or a guarantee of returns.
Can I open an ISA, SIPP and JISA with the same provider?+
The account list is isa, sipp and jisa, so a pension, a tax-sheltered investment account and a junior account all come from the same provider. That means a single login, the same app and the same platform features, rather than moving between separate firms for each wrapper. Commission-free dealing applies across those accounts.
What can I actually trade?+
The market list is stocks, etfs and bonds, which covers the main asset classes for long term investors. It does not extend to currency pairs or derivatives products, so anyone whose plan depends on those has a narrower choice here. Weigh that against a stock trade fee of £0 before settling on a platform.
Can I practise before putting money in?+
A demo account is part of the feature set, fractional shares, mobile app and demo account, so the buying and selling process can be tried without cash at risk. Fractional shares are there too, letting you hold a slice of a share rather than a whole unit. Both suit people new to investing who want to learn the mechanics first.
Do most people lose money investing?+
Across the broker listings compared here, 72.03% of retail accounts lose money. Commission-free dealing removes a charge, not a loss, and prices move whatever you pay per trade. Keeping contributions small at the start and reviewing holdings regularly matters more to returns than the size of any fee.
How do I get help if something goes wrong?+
Support runs on email, chat and help centre, so you can email, chat or use the help centre. No phone number sits among those channels, which matters if a trade is moving while you want an answer. The help centre is the place to check first for routine questions about the account types and charges.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetrade checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded, Headquarters, Legal entity
“Founded 2016, Headquarters London, United Kingdom”
- freetrade.io checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Features, Minimum deposit, Platforms
“8,600+ investment choices: funds, stocks, ETFs, bonds, and more”
- freetrade.io/compare-plans checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Account fee, Account types, Audience, Interest on cash, Currency conversion fee, Markets, Pricing model, Stock trade fee
“Basic £0.00 /Mo - General investment account”
- freetrade.io/contact checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“Chat in-app, Help Hub, Email us”
- freetrade.io/keeping-you-safe checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Investor protection, Regulators, Licences
Compiled from 5 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Inactivity fee, Retail accounts that lose money.
Freetrade
Opening a UK ISA or SIPP with small, regular investments and no dealing charge.