The best investing apps on the market can help investors of all experiences. If you’re looking to dip a toe in the investing world or even if you’re an experienced investor wanting to make trades on the go, open a new stocks and shares ISA, or expand your portfolio, these easy-to-use apps can help you.
If you’re looking for free trades or are keen to invest ethically, we’ve rounded up some of the best investing apps. They are all regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and free to download - although most will charge you to buy investments.
And if you’re wondering if now’s the time to be investing or if you should take advantage of high interest rates on saving accounts, check out our article on the benefits of saving vs. investing.
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Best investing apps for beginners
As you would expect from the biggest digital wealth manager in the UK, Nutmeg has a slick and easy-to-use app. Rather than picking your own shares and funds, Nutmeg offers a series of ready-made portfolios. These are based on your risk appetite and investment style, for example, if you want socially responsible investments. You can choose from a stocks and shares ISA, lifetime ISA, junior ISA, general investment account or pension.
The minimum investment is £500 (£100 for the lifetime ISA). Nutmeg charges 0.25% to 0.75%, depending on the amount and portfolio selected. Investment fund fees are charged on top. The app scores 4.5 stars out of 5 on Google Play, and 4.8 on the App Store.
With Wealthify - which is backed by Aviva - you can open a stocks and shares ISA, general investment account, junior ISA or pension. Unlike most of its competitors, there’s no minimum investment. There’s a range of investment portfolios to choose from, including ethical ones, depending on your risk level and savings goals.
Wealthify’s annual fee is 0.6%, with investment costs of 0.16% - rising to 0.71% for ethical portfolios - on top. The app scores 3.1 stars on Google Play (negative reviews seem to focus on investment returns, rather than the actual app), and 4.5 on the App Store.
Moneybox is a great choice for beginners, as you can get started with just £1. There are three ready-made portfolios to choose from, plus 24 funds and 20 big US stocks like Coca-Cola and Amazon if you want to mix and match your own portfolio. Investors can open a stocks and shares ISA, general investment account, lifetime ISA, junior ISA or personal pension.
You can invest your spare change using the “round up” function, set up a regular weekly deposit, a monthly payday boost or make one-off deposits. There’s a £1 monthly fee, 0.45% annual charge plus investment costs ranging from 0.12% to 0.58%. The app scores 4.6 on Google Play and 4.8 on the App Store.
Plum calls itself the “ultimate smart management app”. As well as 13 investment funds (including tech, healthcare and green options), Plum also offers unlimited commission-free trades for thousands of brands like Meta and Tesla. There is also a savings account paying up to 4.21% interest, plus it helps customers save more by analysing their spending habits. You can invest with just £1, in an ISA, general investment account or pension.
A monthly fee of £2.99 applies (or more if you want extra functionality), plus a 0.45% annual management fee. Fund manager fees range between 0.13% and 0.88%. The app scores 4.6 on Google Play and 4.7 on the App Store.
Best investing apps for everyday investors
The largest investment platform in the UK, Hargreaves Lansdown offers a huge choice of thousands of funds and shares. There are also four ready-made portfolios, if you’d prefer an expert to build one for you. The minimum investment to open an ISA, lifetime ISA, junior ISA, fund and share account, self-invested personal pension (SIPP) or junior SIPP, is £100. The annual fee is 0.45% (this decreases for portfolios of more than £250,000), plus investment costs, and trading fees if you buy or sell shares.
You can see live share prices on the app, trade shares from the UK, Europe and North America, and trade bonds and funds. It scores 4.6 on Google Play and 4.7 on the App Store.
AJ Bell offers DIY investors access to thousands of funds and shares, and four ready-made portfolios. It has the full suite of products: stocks and shares ISA, lifetime ISA, junior ISA, SIPP and junior SIPP. For those with less than £250,000 invested, AJ Bell Youinvest charges a competitive 0.25%. Those with larger portfolios are charged less. Investment fund fees and share trading fees are added on top.
The app allows customers to log in with their biometrics, check the value of their portfolio, buy and sell investments, and view live prices of UK, US and Canadian shares. It scores 4.2 on Google Play and 4.5 on the App Store.
If you’d like to see how other traders invest or are interested in buying cryptocurrencies, eToro is worth a look. It offers access to funds, shares, Bitcoin and other crypto, as well as a range of themed ready-made portfolios, such as oil, travel and tech. You can also copy top-performing traders, instantly replicating their trading in your own portfolio.
Users open a trading account (there is no ISA or pension option), which is subject to tax. Charges are low: there is no account fee, but there is a 0.5% currency conversion fee, $5 withdrawal fee and $10 monthly inactivity fee after 12 months with no trading activity. There is a 1% fee for buying or selling crypto. The app scores 3.7 on Google Play and 3.5 on the App store. There are reports of technical issues, such as difficulty changing the display currency, and problems with charts.
Best investing apps for free trading
There are no fees with Freetrade’s basic investing account and, as its name suggests, no charges for trading shares. Its stocks and shares ISA costs £5.99 a month, while the SIPP costs £11.99. There is a wide range of shares, exchange traded funds (ETFs) and investment trusts to choose from. If you pay £11.99 a month for Freetrade Plus, you get “priority customer service” plus 3% interest on cash held on the platform. There are no ready-made portfolios.
Its app scores 3.9 stars on Google Play and 4.3 on the App Store.
Trading 212 offers a free trading account and ISA - there is no annual fee, or trading fees - making this a very cheap option. However, watch out for fees for depositing money into your Trading 212 account, and a 0.15% currency conversion charge.
There are more than 12,000 shares and ETFs for investors to choose from, and you can invest with just £1. The app scores 4.4 stars on Google Play and 4.6 on the App Store. Users say it is quick and easy, and a great way to buy and sell shares.
Best investing apps for ethical investing
Circa 5000 calls itself a “specialist in impact investing - the gold standard of investing sustainably.” It offers five ETFs, with themes like clean water, green energy and biodiversity, and you can choose a cautious, balanced or adventurous risk level.
Its general investment account, ISA, personal pension and junior ISA cost £1 a month plus a 0.45% platform charge and average fund fees of 0.42%. The app scores 4.4 stars on Google Play and 4.5 on the App Store.
If you’re passionate about investing ethically, The Big Exchange is also worth a look. It offers an ISA, junior ISA and general investment account, with ready-made “bundles” of funds, and a list of rated investment funds if you prefer to choose yourself. Funds include those from Pictet, Liontrust and Triodos.
The annual fee is a competitive 0.25%, with fund manager fees ranging from 0.5% to 1.8%. The Big Exchange says its app is “packed with useful insights, spending tools, and features to make managing your money easier”. It has 3.3 stars on the App Store but does not yet have a rating on Google.
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