Choosing the best investment apps and online investment platforms in the UK

Investment app vs trading app: what is the difference?

The terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a meaningful distinction. Investment apps are primarily designed for long-term capital growth through share dealing, ISAs and SIPPs. They are generally suited to investors who want to build a portfolio over months or years.

Trading apps focus on shorter-term activity: spread betting, CFD trading, and active position management with leverage. They typically offer more advanced charting tools, real-time data and risk management features. Some platforms, including IG, do both, offering full investment accounts alongside a professional-grade trading environment

Plenty also invest for the long term, and trade with different pots too, so it is not an ‘either / or’ situation.

What to look for in an investment app

Investment apps have become the primary way most UK retail investors access the markets. With 95% of the UK population now owning a smartphone and the average adult using 41 apps per month, the expectation is that financial platforms match the quality and speed of the best consumer apps in any category.

The following criteria are the most important when comparing investment apps for UK investors.

1. FCA regulation
2. Account types available
3. Markets and investment universe
4. Costs and fees
5. App quality and user experience
6. Research and charting tools
7. Leverage and CFD capability

FCA regulation

This is non-negotiable. Any investment app used by UK investors must be authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. FCA regulation means the platform is subject to conduct rules, capital requirements and client money protections. You can verify any firm's status on the FCA register.

FSCS protection covers eligible deposits up to £120,000 per person per firm (recently increased from £85,000, the first increase since 2017), though investments themselves are not covered for market losses. The FSCS does protect against a platform becoming insolvent and being unable to return client assets.

Account types available

The best investment apps offer the full range of tax-efficient wrappers alongside a general investment account. For most UK investors, ISA and SIPP eligibility matters. Key account types to look for include:

• Stocks and shares ISA: shelters all gains and income from UK tax permanently, up to £20,000 per year.
• SIPP: provides tax relief of up to 45% on contributions for long-term retirement investing
• General Investment Account (GIA): no annual contribution limit; returns above CGT and dividend allowances are taxable.
• Junior ISA: for parents investing on behalf of children, up to £9,000 per year in 2026/27

Markets and investment universe

The breadth of available markets matters depending on your investment goals. A passive investor building a portfolio of ETFs needs access to major exchanges and a good fund selection. An active investor trading individual stocks needs access to UK, US and international markets.

Beyond equities, consider whether you want access to bonds and gilts, funds, investment trusts, ETFs, gold and other commodities, or more specialist asset classes like REITs. Platforms that allow access to these give you more flexibility as your investment strategy evolves.

Costs and fees

Fee structures vary considerably across platforms and can have a material impact on long-term returns. Here’s how we shape up compared to other leading platforms:

Commission-free dealing has become increasingly common, particularly for US stocks. We offer zero commission on US shares. The platform fee is often the more significant cost for long-term investors, particularly those with larger portfolios, as a percentage-based fee compounds over time.

App quality and user experience

The quality of the mobile experience has become a genuine differentiator. Key things to assess include how quickly trades execute, how easy it is to find and research investments, whether the app handles real-time pricing without lag, and how intuitive the account management tools are. It all depends however on where you plan to trade from – a desktop can often be best for making the most of advanced tools from a pure UI perspective.

A demo account is the most reliable way to test an app before committing real money. Most of the leading platforms offer one, and it allows you to test order types, charting tools and navigation under realistic market conditions without any capital at risk.

Research and charting tools

For active traders, the quality of charting and technical analysis tools matters significantly. Look for customisable charts, a wide range of technical indicators, drawing tools, and the ability to set price alerts. Our platform includes ProRealTime advanced charting and TradingView integration, both of which are used by professional traders.

For investors rather than traders, access to fundamental data, company financials, analyst ratings and news feeds is more relevant. Some platforms include third-party research; others provide in-house analysis.

Leverage and CFD capability

If you want the option to trade with leverage, spread betting or CFDs, ensure the platform is authorised for this. Not all investment apps offer leveraged products. We offer both spread betting and CFD trading alongside our investment accounts, with access to over 18,000 markets. Leveraged trading carries substantial risk and 68% of retail accounts lose money when using CFDs with us. It’s why stop losses (and guaranteed stop losses in particular, a core IG offering) are essential to protect against losses beyond a pre-determined limit.

For more sophisticated strategies, some investors use leveraged instruments to hedge their investment portfolios rather than for speculation. Hedge fund approaches to portfolio construction increasingly filter down to retail platforms as derivative access becomes more widely available.

Types of investment app: matching platform to strategy

Different platforms are built for different types of investor. Here is a framework for matching the right type of app to your needs:

What our investment app offers

IG is one of the UK's longest-established investment platforms, founded in 1974, and its app is built to serve both investors and traders from a single account. The key features available through our investment app include:

• Zero commission on US stocks and shares via the share dealing account and stocks and shares ISA
• Access to 18,000+ markets including UK and international shares, ETFs, indices, forex, commodities and cryptocurrencies
• Full spread betting and CFD trading capability alongside investment accounts
•  ProRealTime advanced charting and TradingView integration for technical analysis
• ISA, SIPP and share dealing accounts available, all manageable through a single app login
•  Price alerts, order management and real-time data across all account types
•  FCA-regulated with FSCS protection on eligible assets.

Online investment: security and regulation checklist

Before opening any investment app account, verify the following:

• FCA authorisation: check the firm appears on the FCA register with full permissions for the activities it offers
• FSCS membership: confirm the platform is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme for eligible investments
• Client money segregation: regulated platforms are required to hold client money separately from their own funds
• Two-factor authentication: look for 2FA or biometric login as a minimum security standard
• Transparent fee structure: all charges should be clearly disclosed before you open an account; watch for hidden costs such as inactivity fees or withdrawal charges

Investment app FAQs