Best Stock Trading Apps of 2024 (2024)

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Written by Elizabeth Anderson, Blain Reinkensmeyer
Fact-checked by Steven Hatzakis
Edited by Carolyn Kimball

January 19, 2024

The UK.StockBrokers.com Annual Review is the result of 10 weeks of hands-on testing and analysis of U.K. investing platforms. It produced thousands of words of research and hundreds of data points. Here's how we tested. Our editorial content is independent and unbiased; here’s how we make money.

In today’s fast-paced world, having a great mobile app is important for any company interacting with consumers. For stock brokers, a mobile app gives customers the ability to check investments through a smartphone and trade on the go.

A great investing app should be easy to use, whether you are a beginner or experienced investor. Fundamentally you need to buy and sell easily, and to find it easy to search for stocks and to create a watch list. Ideally, the app would also have great research and educational material, chart features and the ability to filter investments by sector and country.

In our hands-on testing of the best share trading apps available in the U.K., we were on the whole impressed by the mobile apps offered by the 17 brokers in our review (only one, Vanguard, does not yet offer a mobile app – you have to log in through a web browser on your phone).

All brokers offer similar app features and it was hard to come up with a shortlist of six. To excel in our analysis, a broker had to offer an extraordinary stock trading and investing experience across different usability categories. The ones selected below are those we found easiest to use, and offered an extensive range of investments alongside in-depth research and chart tools. Testing was done through an iPhone 15 Pro (Apple iOS).

Overall, we applaud the industry for offering U.K. investors a wide range of solid mobile experiences.

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Best UK Stock Trading Apps

Saxo Markets - Best Overall Stock App
Interactive Brokers - Best Stock App for Usability
AJ Bell - Best for range of accounts
Hargreaves Lansdown - Best App for Everyday Investors
eToro - Best for Simplicity
IG - Best App for Traders

Winner: Saxo Markets — Best overall stock app

Saxo Markets again wins the crown for the U.K.’s best trading mobile app. The SaxoTraderGO mobile app is highly sophisticated, allowing you to replicate the best of Saxo’s impressive desktop platform through your smartphone. We like how your watch lists, positions and orders are cleanly laid out on the app. You can also view news, trending stocks, views from the trading floor, webinars and educational guides. The app’s chart tools are also impressive, allowing you to overlay different stocks and instruments on a single chart, and to customise charts.Read our full review of Saxo Markets.

Runner-up: Interactive Brokers — Best for usability

Interactive Brokers takes the silver medal in our annual review of the best stock trading apps. The IBKR app is extensive, whether viewing in demo mode or through a real trading account, with great chart tools and research. We like the ‘impact lens’ tab where you can select values you support and can see your portfolio impact score. The only thing that slightly lets IBKR down is its current lack of educational content aimed at U.K. investors. Read our full review of Interactive Brokers.

Podium finisher: AJ Bell — Best for range of accounts

AJ Bell’s mobile app offers everything an everyday investor would need, including the ability to view research and news, create a watch list, set limit orders and search investment ideas. One snag is that you can’t view charts in full-screen mode, unlike Hargreaves Lansdown, in fourth place. But we ranked AJ Bell third because it also has Dodl, its new low-cost investment app that is easy to use, great for newer investors and one of the cheapest platforms in terms of fees. Read our full review of AJ Bell.

Hargreaves Lansdown — Best stock app for everyday investors

Hargreaves Lansdown is the U.K.’s biggest DIY investment platform and offers a very detailed mobile app. You can explore 3,000 funds, ready-made investments and thousands of shares through the app, making it a great experience for trading on the go. The educational material offered through the app is great, and includes an in-app pension calculator that helps you see if you’re on track for your retirement income aims.Read our full review of Hargreaves Lansdown.

eToro: Best for simplicity

EToro offers a fantastic mobile app experience that is likely to appeal to young or newer investors looking for investment tips and inspiration. The news feed on the home page gives investment updates from other users and through the ‘discover’ tab you can see popular and trending stocks, and sort by sector and asset class. The app also appeals to more experienced traders. EToro’s mobile chart tools are impressive, allowing you to view charts of more than 10 companies on a single screen. Read our full review of eToro.

IG: Best for traders

IG’s mobile app has many of the tools from its excellent web platform. IG’s trading app is very similar in design and layout to Saxo Markets and we like how you can sort stocks according to sector or those with upcoming earnings. You can view and trade shares, investment trusts and ETFs, set price alerts and see news provided by Thomson Reuters. One point of improvement could be for IG to add more chart tools and more educational material – although it has a separate app covering this called IG Academy. Read our full review of IG.

query_stats What type of trader are you?

Our guides can help you choose the right broker for you and the way you trade: whether you consider yourself an investing beginner, a more experienced active trader, or a mobile-first trading enthusiast.

Other stock apps tested

In addition to our top picks above, we tested and analysed 11 other platforms. Here are our high-level takeaways for each broker.

Barclays: Mobile app does not function fully unless you have a Barclays current account. Read Full Review

Capital.com: Does not offer direct share dealing. Read Full Review

CMC Invest: Great new mobile app with the ability to filter by ESG. Read Full Review

What is the best stocks and shares app for beginners in the UK?

Beginners will likely want to prioritise low fees. This means you can invest small amounts without being stung by high trading charges. The U.K. brokers with the lowest stock trading fees are Freetrade, Trading 212, XTB and eToro.

You may also want to consider an app that offers good educational material to help you on your way. All the low-cost apps mentioned above — Freetrade, Trading 212, XTB and eToro — offer some educational content and FAQs, but you will find more in-depth articles on their websites. Other apps offering great learning resources are Dodl (run by AJ Bell) and IG Academy (run by broker IG). IG Academy has articles on how to use and trade investment products, and in-depth courses for those wanting to learn more about trading.

What is the best app for buying shares in the UK?

It depends somewhat on what you're looking for and your level of experience. Beginners may find it best to start with eToro, which has no trading fees and allows you to buy fractional shares (you must invest a minimum of $10, equal to around £8 currently). For those investing large sums of money and who want more bells and whistles, Saxo Markets or Interactive Brokers offer more extensive research and chart tools.

What is the best day trading app in the UK?

Of all the brokers we examine, Saxo Markets, Interactive Brokers, AJ Bell, Hargreaves Lansdown, eToro and IG all stand out for day trading. However, be mindful of trading fees if buying smaller quantities of shares. EToro, Freetrade, XTB and Trading 212 offer the ability to trade stocks commission-free, so these may be a better fit if you are starting out.

Which app is best for stock analysis?

SaxoTraderGO, by Saxo Markets, offers the best research, analysis and educational material of any app we tested. When selecting a stock, you’ll see a chart, analyst recommendations, key financials, news and general company information. You can also compare different stocks on a single chart.

What is the best automated trading app in the UK?

Automated trading allows you to buy and sell stocks and other assets without having to place a manual order. A platform can trade automatically on your behalf based on predetermined entry and exit conditions. Automated trading is aimed at experienced traders and those trading large amounts. U.K. mobile trading apps that allow automated trades include Saxo Markets, Interactive Brokers and IG.

Are trading apps safe?

All 17 trading apps we tested are owned by investment platforms that are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This means they adhere to strict oversight and supervision to protect your money. Two-factor authentication is typically offered by investment platforms, enhancing app security. However, you should do careful research before investing to reduce the chances of losing money — remember that security and regulation cannot protect against market gains and losses.

Methodology

For the UK.StockBrokers.com Annual Review, we assessed, rated, and ranked 17 U.K. share dealing platforms over a 10-week time period. Each broker’s platforms and features were exhaustively tested by hand and graded on 53 different variables. In total, over 25,000 words of research were produced.

We thoroughly tested and compared features of prime interest to everyday investors, including but not limited to:

Investment choices, such as whether the broker offers trading of shares, ETFs, funds, bonds, and CFDs; and offers SIPP and ISA accounts.
The broker’s charges and fees for investing.
Functionality and design of mobile apps and website platform, and a fluid experience moving between app and web.
Usability of tools such as charting and watch lists.
Market research, such as screening, news and analysis.
Educational resources including tutorials, online courses, videos, webinars and articles.

Our rigorous data validation process yields an error rate of less than .001% each year, providing site visitors with quality data they can trust. Our lead researcher and writer, Elizabeth Anderson, has more than a decade’s experience as a financial journalist and market researcher. Elizabeth’s expertise is backed by a team of veteran fellow traders, data auditors, editors and project managers who work to ensure that UK.StockBrokers.com reviews and guides are the most unbiased and complete in the industry. Read more about our team.

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About the Editorial Team

Elizabeth Anderson

Elizabeth Anderson, lead writer and researcher, has been a financial journalist for more than a decade. In addition to her work with UK.StockBrokers.com, she has written extensively for major publications including BBC, The Times and Bloomberg. A keen investor herself, she is passionate about helping people understand finance and investing.

Blain Reinkensmeyer

Blain Reinkensmeyer has 20 years of trading experience with over 2,500 trades placed during that time. He heads research for all U.S.-based brokerages on StockBrokers.com and is respected by executives as the leading expert covering the online broker industry. Blain’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the Chicago Tribune, among other media outlets.

Steven Hatzakis

Steven Hatzakis is the Global Director of Research for ForexBrokers.com. Steven previously served as an Editor for Finance Magnates, where he authored over 1,000 published articles about the online finance industry. Steven is an active fintech and crypto industry researcher and advises blockchain companies at the board level. Over the past 20 years, Steven has held numerous positions within the international forex markets, from writing to consulting to serving as a registered commodity futures representative.

Carolyn Kimball

Carolyn Kimball is managing editor for Reink Media and the lead editor for the StockBrokers.com Annual Review. Carolyn has more than 20 years of writing and editing experience at major media outlets including NerdWallet, the Los Angeles Times and the San Jose Mercury News. She specializes in coverage of personal financial products and services, wielding her editing skills to clarify complex (some might say befuddling) topics to help consumers make informed decisions about their money.

Reink Media Group is compensated if you access certain of the products or services offered by eToro USA LLC and/or eToro USA Securities Inc. Any testimonials contained in this communication may not be representative of the experience of other eToro customers and such testimonials are not guarantees of future performance or success.