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Best investment platforms in the UK 2024

We surveyed 4,136 investment platform users to find the best place for your stocks and shares Isas and general investment accounts
Megan ThomasResearcher & writer

What's the best investment platform?

Choosing the right investment platform (or 'fund supermarket') could save you money and give you the information and tools you need to choose better investments.

We've surveyed thousands of investment platform customers, and analysed fees, to rank the biggest platforms and pick our Which? Recommended Providers for both stocks and shares Isas and general investment accounts. 

Find out the results, and our methodology, below.

Our analysis contains customer ratings and fee analysis for big names, such as Hargreaves Lansdown, Vanguard, AJ Bell, Fidelity, Halifax Share Dealing and many more investment platforms.

Members can log in to see the results of our analysis. If you're not already a member, join Which? and get full access to these results and all our reviews.

Please note: the content contained in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.

Best investment platforms – our ranking

Best stocks and shares Isas

76%
76%
74%
72%
70%
69%
67%

Table note: In January 2024, we surveyed 4,136 investors about the investment platforms they use. Each platform must have at least 30 responses to receive a customer score. See below for how we pick Which? Recommended Providers.

Which? Recommended Providers

Members can log in to see which platforms were named Which? Recommended Providers. If you're not already a member, join Which? and get full access to these results and all our reviews

What type of investor are you?

Megan Thomas, Which? investing writer, says:

Megan Thomas

‘Some of the features we look into in our reviews aren’t a matter of better or worse, but of preference. Take the number of investments available on a platform –  they range from three to nearly 25,000. One investor’s freedom is another’s mental overload.

‘Before you pick an investment platform, it’s important to ask yourself some questions. Are you new to investing and need help to work out what different jargon means? Or are you looking for the most tools and assets available to make the most of your own expert knowledge?

‘While our reviews can tell you what customers thought of the platforms they use and what features they offer, only you know which of those features will suit you best.’

More on investment platforms

 How we analyse investment platforms

Customer scores

In January 2024, we surveyed 4,136 investors and analysed their responses to give customer scores to 18 do-it-yourself investment platforms. Each platform must have at least 30 responses to receive a customer score. 

We ask investors to rate their current platform for the quality of its customer communications, overall customer service, ease of use and information on investments. We also ask whether it meets their needs, represents value for money and whether they would recommend it to someone else.

We don't analyse the performance of investments listed by investment platforms, as different investors will opt for different investments.

Stocks and shares Isa sample sizex as follows: AJ Bell (203), Aviva (60), Barclays Smart Investor (123), Bestinvest (38), Charles Stanley Direct (43), Fidelity (285), Freetrade (43),  Halifax Share Dealing (151),  Hargreaves Lansdown (681), HSBC (86), Interactive Investor (277), Moneybox (33), Monzo (32), Santander Investment Hub (30), Vanguard (197), Virgin Money (32).

General investment account sample sizes as follows: AJ Bell (82), Aviva (95), Barclays Smart Investor (95), Fidelity (79), Freetrade (64), Halifax Share Dealing (97), Hargreaves Lansdown (218), HSBC (89), Interactive Investor (101), Monzo (102), Plum (43) Santander Investment Hub (41), Vanguard (70).

Which? Recommended Provider criteria

To be classed as a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP), the platform needs to have a customer score above 70%.

Companies that reach this score can then be excluded if they're in the top 25% most expensive platforms for any of our cost scenarios, based on our fees analysis. Platforms will also not be eligible for WRP status if they receive a two-star rating or lower in any of our individual categories.

On top of these criteria, we apply statistical tests that place the platforms into ‘bands’, and only the platforms in the highest band – the ones that really stand out against the rest – can be a WRP.