How to choose the best investment platform in the UK
Looking for the best investment platform for you? Learn how to choose the platform that suits your investment needs and risk profile.
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Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Call 0800 409 6789 or email helpdesk.uk@ig.com if you have any questions about trading or investing. We're available 24/7 between 8am Saturday and 10pm Friday.
Contact us 0800 409 6789
Call 0800 195 3100 or email newaccounts.uk@ig.com to talk about opening an account.
Contact us 08001953100
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Call 0800 409 6789 or email helpdesk.uk@ig.com if you have any questions about trading or investing. We're available 24/7 between 8am Saturday and 10pm Friday.
Contact us 0800 409 6789
What’s an investment platform?
An investment platform is a digital space where individuals buy and sell equity in a publicly listed company, funds or other securities like bonds. You can monitor your investment on the platform to keep track of the performance of your portfolio. With us, there are two types of investment accounts to get exposure through: share dealing and Smart Portfolios.
What’s a share dealing account?
A share dealing account enables you to buy and hold a financial asset, taking ownership outright and making profit when you sell it for a higher value. You’ll invest in 13,000+ shares, funds, and investment trusts that you like, paying zero commission on US shares, and just £3 on UK shares.1
What’s a managed portfolio?
A managed portfolio is a collection of shares, investment trust or ETFs that are handled by experts with a proven track record to help you reach your financial goals. With us, you’ll get access to qualified wealth managers using our Smart Portfolio offering.
How to choose an investment platform
Before you choose an investment platform, you need to consider a variety of factors. With lots of platforms offering a similar service, you should compare factors such as types of investment vehicles offered, fees charged, and account options. Let's take a look at the considerations in detail:
Types of investments
The types of investment vehicles available on the platform, the wider the range of investors that are attracted to it. With us, you’ll choose between investing in international shares, ETFs, investment trusts and bond ETFs. Here’s what sets us apart:
- Shares: we offer 13,000+ global markets to invest in, extended hours on key US stocks, and access to company shares pre-and post-listing through our initial public offering (IPO) segment
- ETFs: get diverse exposure to a wide range of markets via one point of entry using ETFs. You can invest in over 5400 ETF markets on our platform that include different sectors, indices, bonds, commodities and more
- Investment trusts: get exposure to a public company that’s traded on the London Stock Exchange via a joint capital investment handled by our expert fund managers
- Bonds: learn how to buy and sell corporate and government bonds ETFs on our platform. Get exposure to bond ETFs with us and get interest on the investment for the duration of the term
Account options
The variety of account options available on an investment platform can be another factor to consider. Here are a few investment account options you can open with us:
- Share dealing account that enables you to invest in thousands of global shares and ETFs
- Managed portfolios (IG Smart Portfolios) handled by expert wealth managers to assist you in meeting your financial goals
- A stocks and shares individual savings account (ISA) is an account where you don't need to pay any tax on money earned from your investments. You can save up to £20,000 per year in an ISA account2
- Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) is a suitable option for investing for your retirement and sheltering it from tax
Risk management
When investing with us, you’ll need to commit the full value of your position upfront to get exposure. This poses a risk of loss if your prediction doesn’t pan out as expected.
Despite investing carrying limited risk in comparison to trading, the tools available on a platform are important to investors who want to mitigate loss to their exposure. Some of the risks to your investment that you need to consider include market risk, tax, liquidity, tracking error, currency risk, inflation risk, interest rate risk and more.
There are other factors that can change your level of risk such as your risk appetite. Investors who are risk averse tend to get exposure with limited probability for loss, but lower returns. Conversely, risk seekers look for opportunities that have higher risk as they expect higher returns.
Remember, the level of risk is different between using a share dealing account or managed portfolios.
Tools
We provide investors with comprehensive educational resources and tools to assist them on every step of their journey. These can inform the type of investment you choose, and even mitigate possible losses.
Here’s a list of some of the tools you can find on our platform:
- IG Academy – where you can find extensive educational content to help you sharpen your skills and knowledge
- Investment calculator – where you can estimate potential gains and losses, essentially determining your risk appetite upfront
- Charts, indicators, alerts, news updates – monitor the movement in the financial market on our platform using these tools before you take a position
Fees and charges
Every investment platform has a fee that they charge for services rendered – this is unavoidable. But the amounts charged differ, depending on the platform. You should always consider the fees and charges of a platform before you sign up, as this will impact your overall outlay and investment returns.
There are other factors that can impact costs, such as the frequency of your investments. With us, you’ll pay zero commission on US shares after three or more trades per month.3
| Number of trades in previous calendar month* | ||
| 0-2 | 3+ | |
| US shares | £10 | £0 |
| UK shares | £8 | £3 |
| European shares4 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Australian shares4 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
* Please note that rates are valid up to £25,000 trade consideration. Rates above this trade size are agreed by negotiation. Please call 0207 663 0336.
Customer service
The competence of the customer department and availability of support at all hours of the day can provide added value to any investment platform. With us, you’ll have access to expert client services at a click of a button, with 24/7 live support to assist you with all your queries.
Additionally, you can reach out to us via phone, email or Twitter from 8am on Saturdays to 10pm on Fridays (UK time). Once you’re a client, we can assist you with transferring your investments from a different platform to house everything on one hub.
UK investment platform comparison
- Share dealing comparison table
- Investment portfolio comparison table
| IG share dealing | Hargreaves Lansdown | AJ Bell | Interactive Investor | |
| Types of investments | Shares, funds and investment trusts, ETFs, bond ETFs, SIPPs, ISA | Shares, funds and investment trusts, bonds, ETFs, SIPPs, ISA | Shares, funds and investment trusts, ETFs, SIPPs, ISA | Shares, funds and investment trusts, bonds, ETFs, SIPPs, ISA |
| Risk management | Stop-losses, guaranteed stop, limit orders | Stop-loss or limit order | None | None |
| Tools | IG Academy, beginner’s guides, news and trading ideas, alerts, charts, signals, investment calculator, glossary, trading podcast, demo account, seminars and webinars | Calculators, beginner’s guides, FAQs, compare accounts | Free guides, news and insight, website demo | Knowledge Centre, free newsletters, news, mobile app |
| Regulation | IG is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority | Hargreaves Lansdown is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority | AJ Bell is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority | Interactive Investor Services is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority |
| Fees and charges | Zero commission on US shares, and just £3 on UK shares1 | Share dealing costs a maximum of £11.95 per UK deal online | Maximum of £9.95 for shares (including investment trusts, ETFs, gilts and bonds) online | Dependent on fixed monthly subscription of £4.99 - £19.99. Up to two free trades and £3.99 |
| Customer service | 24/7 client service, live chat, phone call, email or Twitter | Write letter, FAQs, email or call | Help & support available from: 8am - 7pm Monday to Friday 10am - 2pm Saturday | Help centre by phone available from 7.45am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday, letters, instant message, FAQs |
[Data taken from competitor websites, correct as at 19 January 2024]
| IG Smart Portfolio | Wealthify | Moneyfarm | Nutmeg | |
| Types of investments | Smart Portfolio ISA and Smart Portfolio SIPPs | Investment ISA, general invest account, junior ISA, personal pension, transfer a pension, ethical | Socially responsible portfolio | Fully managed investment into diversified portfolio of ETFs |
| Fees and charges | IG Smart Portfolio average estimated total cost is 0.72% up to £50K and free above £50K as costs are capped at £250* | Wealthify’s estimated fee costs 0.76%* | Moneyfarm’s estimated fee costs 1.04%* | Nutmeg’s estimated fee costs 1.01%* |
| Customer service | 24/7 client service, live chat, phone, email or Twitter | FAQs, live chat, phone, direct message | Phone Monday – Friday: 9am - 6pm, live chat, email, Twitter and Facebook messenger | Phone available Monday - Thursday 9am - 5.30pm Friday 9am - 4.30pm, email, post |
* Note that the estimated total cost comprises of the management fee, fund costs, and transaction costs
Best investment platform for you
Our investment platform is one of the best in the UK,3 providing clients with a great product offering, and excellent service. As your primary investment platform, you’d use our award-winning platform and mobile app3 to gain access these benefits:
- We offer 13,000+ shares, funds and investment trusts
- Our extended hours are comparatively longer than our competitors, with global shares available from 12pm to 10.30pm Monday to Thursday, and 12pm to 10pm Friday (UK time)
- We offer a better rate compared to the fees charged by our competitors while maintaining excellent service delivery
- Round the clock support for all your investment needs
How to start investing with us
Whether you’re using our share dealing platform or managed portfolios (or both) to invest with us, you’d start by following these steps:
- Fill in a form. You’ll be asked about your investment knowledge. This’ll ensure you get the best experience on our platform
- Get verification. We’ll usually be able to verify you immediately
- Fund your account and start investing. Deposit money into your account and start investing. Note that your exposure will be facilitated by our expert brokers and wealth managers. You can also withdraw your money for free, whenever you like
Investment need-to-knows
Discover everything you need to know about investments to help your journey. Our comprehensive page is useful for beginners and seasoned investors alike, containing answers to key questions that people who are looking for investment platforms might have.
When should I start investing?
Every investment is instructed by a thorough research into the stock or ETFs you want to invest in, the broker you’ll use to get exposure and your financial goals. With us, you’ll use our investment vehicles to create an emergency fund at a risk level suitable to your liking.
Your investment into a savings account will be protected, and you’ll access the money medium term. Note that the amount you deposit should be money that you won’t need in the next 5+ years, an investment horizon that most of our clients choose as there’s less risk involved.
How much should I invest?
There’s no magic number, you should only invest what you can afford. In general, you should only invest money you don’t need to access for at least five years. Many people will look to build up emergency funds, and a risk-free savings account before they start investing.
How long should I invest for?
The length of your investment depends on your financial goals and risk appetite. If you have a short-term horizon of days, weeks or months, you’d pick a market and speculate on it. Investors buy and hold shares and ETFs for years or decades with hopes that the stocks appreciate exponentially over time.
For example, let’s say you invest in the S&P 500 index and your initial outlay is £10,000. According to our expert analysts, the average stock market return for S&P 500 was 14.8% from 2012 through to 2021.
If you invested in that period for the first year, your average return would amount to £1480 (14.8% of 10,000 = 1480). Due to compound returns, you’d get 14.8% of your new total (£10,000 + £1480) £11,480 to make (14.8% of £11,480) £1699.04 in your second year.
The relative risk in the market tends to lessen over time (eg average returns on major index ETFs have less variance over 10+ year period), proving that it could be better to get exposure over a longer term period. Note that it’s always prudent to only invest money you don’t need to touch for at least a few years to fully reap the benefits of compound returns.
FAQs
Is there minimum deposit to start investing with IG?
There’s no minimum deposit to start investing via share dealing, however, you’ll need £500 for a Smart Portfolio.
Are there withdrawal fees?
No, we don’t charge fees for withdrawals, provided no currency conversion is required. Also, withdrawals are instant on PayPal.
What is active investing?
Active investing is when an investor buys and sells stocks, ETFs and investment funds frequently in the short term in hopes of outperforming a specific index like the FTSE 100 or S&P 500.
What is passive investing?
Passive investing of a portfolio involves tracking the movement of a particular benchmark or index as part of your investment strategy to profit in the long run.
What is pound cost averaging?
Pound cost averaging is a strategy where you invest small amounts of money regularly to avoid volatility. It involves investing capital incrementally over time in different market conditions, instead of putting a single lump sum into one position.
What is an ISA?
ISA stands for individual savings account, an offering from us where you’ll get favourable tax breaks from the government and protect your investment when you earn income, dividends or capital gains.2
Find out how to invest in shares with the world’s No.13
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1 Trade in your share dealing account three or more times in the previous month to qualify for our best commission rates. Please note published rates are valid up to £25,000 notional value. See our full list of share dealing charges and fees.
2 Invest up to £20,000 in an ISA in 2021/22 without incurring capital gains or income tax. Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.
3 Best trading platform as awarded at the ADVFN International Financial Awards 2022 and Professional Trader Awards 2022.
4 Minimum charge of €10 and A$10 for European and Australian shares, respectively.
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