Great For Low-Cost Trading

Why It’s Great

eToro lets you buy and sell a range of financial instruments, including stocks, currencies, exchange traded funds (ETFs) and bonds without paying any commission. It has shares from the world’s biggest stock exchanges and advanced charting tools. It’s free to create an account, and there’s no limit on how much you can trade.

Pros

• Commission-fee trades
• Huge range of stocks
• Free to use and set up
• No trade limits

Cons

• Mandatory withdrawal fees
• Fees apply on all leveraged, short or CFD orders
• Verification process is very detailed
• Trading platform can be confusing

Fees

Best Mobile Trading App

Why It’s Great

Fineco lets you access more than 26 markets worldwide and trade more than 20,000 financial instruments. It’s pretty new for UK traders but is one of Europe’s largest banks. Fineco lets you trade futures, stocks, currencies, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), options and funds. It has an advanced platform on offer with great charting tools and notifications. For beginners it’s got free webinars, live events and videos to teach you all about share trading and keep you in the loop about what’s going on in the stock market.

Pros

• Flat fees on UK, EU and US stocks and shares
• Great charting tools

Cons

• Can be quite complex and daunting for beginners

Fees

Best Trading App For Beginners

Why It’s Great

IG is an investing all rounder – it’s got an ISA, a pension and general investment account and offers ready made portfolios, individual shares, contracts for difference (CFDs) and spread betting. This makes it suitable for everyone, from beginners all the way to experienced investors. Its platform goes into a lot of depth and with so many options it can be a bit overwhelming for beginners, but it has some great learning resources that are free to access, including a fantastic “IG Academy” which takes you through specific topics, with videos, guides and quizzes to help you learn.

Pros

• Suits beginner and experienced investors
• Low fees
• Mobile app lets you manage your investments on the go

Cons

• Opening your account is a slow process
• Fees charged for inactivity

Fees 

Best trading app for international trading

Why It’s Great

DEGIRO lets you trade on more than 50 stock exchanges in 30 countries worldwide. We’ve found that, despite having a bit of a confusing fee structure, it often works out cheapest for international shares among the platforms we’ve reviewed. International shares give you the opportunity to diversify your portfolio geographically. It lets you invest in shares, bonds and ETFs, which can help you diversify across different financial instruments. It’s worth noting that you can’t invest in an ISA or pensions product with DEGIRO.

Pros

• Access to millions of shares in international markets
• Mobile app that allows you to access your portfolio anytime and anywhere you are
• Low fees

Cons

• Complicated fee structure
• No stocks and shares ISA or pension product
• No educational tools

Fees 

Best Trading App For Ease Of Use

Why It’s Great

Fidelity offers your typical stocks and shares ISA and self invested personal pension (SIPP) as well as junior products, including a junior SIPP, if you’re organised enough to pay into your child’s pension. Fidelity’s platform is the easiest to use of the platforms we’ve tried. It’s got everything laid out well and an easy to use “step by step” approach, instead of just throwing you in at the deep end. If you’re a bit new to the investing game, then it gives you loads of options to invest based on your risk profile and your investment goals, these allow you to try it out without the depth of knowledge that experienced investors have.

Pros

• The platform is clear and easy to use
• Plenty of choices of where your money is invested
• Guidance and tools available to help you

Cons

• Slow onboarding process

 Fees