Holly Thomas
The best investing apps can make investing easier by making it simpler to manage what you buy and sell as well as monitoring performance.
Whether you’re a beginner looking to dip a toe in the investing world or an experienced investor wanting to make trades on the go, open a stocks and shares ISA, or expand your portfolio, these easy-to-use apps could be perfect for you.
The right app can help you invest ethically, pick the top ISA investments, open a personal pension or even give you free trades.
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There might also be a choice of ready-made portfolios on offer.
If you’re wondering if now’s the right time to be investing or if you should lock into a high-paying one-year savings account, check out our article on the benefits of saving versus investing.
Some investing apps pay cashback or a bonus when you transfer ISAs or pensions to the platform.
When it comes to choosing the right app, we’ve rounded up some of the best on the market according to what kind of investor you are.
The apps we feature below are all regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and free to download – although most will charge you to buy investments.
How do investing apps work?
The account or app provider holds your money and allow you to buy and sell investments. Their offerings vary but at the very least they offer a general investment account. Most offer a tax-efficient ISA to allow you to hold your investments and pay no tax on growth, capital gains or dividends, and a personal pension too.
Some offer a standard savings account to allow you to build your nest eggs under one roof.
Using your app you can fund (pay into) your investment account and buy or sell all kinds of assets such as shares, funds, bonds and cryptocurrency in some cases.
The app will enable you to track the performance of your portfolio and usually a breakdown of what you own by sector, region and asset.
These apps won’t offer financial advice but you might get access to performance data, analysis and research to help you with your investment decisions.
Before choosing an app you should make sure you are clear what they offer in terms of the range of investments available, the annual charges as well as access to customer service should you need help at any stage with your account.
Best investing apps for beginners
Nutmeg
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 and junior 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 4.4 stars out of 5 on Google Play, and 4.8 on the App Store.
Wealthify
With Wealthify - which is backed by Aviva - you can open a stocks and shares ISA, general investment account, junior ISA or pension. The minimum investment is just £1 (£50 for the pension).
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 0.7% for ethical portfolios - on top. For SIPPs they have an annual fee of 0.6% up to £100,000 - dropping to 0.3% for any portion above that.
The app scores 3.2 stars on Google Play (negative reviews seem to focus on investment returns, rather than the actual app), and 4.4 on the App Store.
Moneybox
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 a selection of tracker funds and exchange traded funds.
Investors can also choose from 20 big US stocks like Coca-Cola and Amazon (including fractional shares) 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 0.07% to 0.77%. The app scores 4.7 on Google Play and 4.8 on the App Store.
Moneybox won Best Financial App at the MoneyWeek Readers’ Choice Awards 2024.
Plum
Plum calls itself the “ultimate smart management app”. As well as up to 26 investment funds (including tech, healthcare and green options), Plum also offers unlimited commission-free trades for thousands of brands like Meta and Tesla.
You can invest with just £1, in an ISA, general investment account or pension.
There is also an easy-access savings account paying up to 4.38% interest, depending on the membership you have, plus a Cash ISA at 4.76%.
The basic plan is free (rising to £2.99 a month for "pro" and £9.99 for "premium"), plus a 0.45% annual management fee on investments. 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
Hargreaves Lansdown
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 drops 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
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 4.0 on Google Play and 4.7 on the App Store.
AJ Bell won Best Funds Platform and Best Broker in the MoneyWeek Readers’ Choice Awards 2024.
eToro
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 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 0.75% currency conversion fee and $10 monthly inactivity fee after 12 months with no trading activity.
For withdrawals from GBP and EUR accounts to an external account, there is no fee. For withdrawals from a USD investment account to external accounts, eToro charges a fixed $5 fee. eToro Club members in the UK get discounts on conversion fees: 20% off for Gold and Silver members, 40% for Platinum and Platinum+, and 80% for Diamond. There is a 1% fee for buying or selling crypto.
The app scores 3.8 on Google Play and 3.9 on the App store. There are reports of technical issues, and difficulties withdrawing money.
Best investing apps for free trading
Freetrade
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 £4.99 a month, while the SIPP costs £11.99. There is a wide range of shares (including US fractional shares), exchange traded funds (ETFs) and investment trusts to choose from. There are no ready-made portfolios.
Its app scores 3.9 stars on Google Play and 4.3 on the App Store.
Trading 212
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 13,000 shares and ETFs for investors to choose from, and you can invest with just £1.
The app scores 4.2 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.
Trading 212 won Best Low-Cost Broker in the MoneyWeek Readers’ Choice Awards 2024.
Best investing apps for ethical investing
The Big Exchange
If you’re passionate about investing ethically, The Big Exchange could be worth a look. Co-founded by The Big Issue, the platform says its mission is to build a new financial system in the UK, which "delivers a positive impact on people, and the planet".
It offers an ISA, junior ISA and general investment account, with ready-made “bundles” of funds, and a list of 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 on top 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 3.1 stars on the App Store but does not yet have a rating on Google.
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