Best trading apps for 2024 [Updated weekly] (2024)

eToro is our pick for the best 0% commission stock-trading app because it’s free to use and there’s no commission to pay when buying or selling stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

What sets it apart from other 0% commission stock-trading platforms is the fact that there’s also no commissions or management fees for its “Smart Portfolios”, which are ready-made thematic portfolios created by expert analysts. And, it’s also free to use its highly-popular CopyTrader feature, allowing you to copy trades from other investors for no cost.

There are a few additional fees to be aware of, such as a $5 withdrawal and 0.5% foreign exchange (FX) fees. Unfortunately, you have to pay an FX fee every time you deposit or withdraw money because eToro is all denominated in US dollars. There’s also an initial $50 deposit to bear in mind.

“I’m a big fan of the News Feed and CopyTrader social features. They’re a great way to get inspiration and learn from successful traders.”

• Pros

  • Commission-free stock trading
  • Over 3,000 assets to choose from
  • Social features like CopyTrading and News Feed
  • Free to open an account
  • Invest from just $10
  • Lots of learning resources including a demo account

  Cons

  • $5 withdrawal fee
  • You can't invest in an ISA
  • An emphasis on trading over long-term investing
  • Automatic FX fee on non-USD deposits
  • Some of the trading fees are complex for certain assets like crypto
  • Inactivity fee after 12 months of no login
  • $50 minimum first deposit

• Frequent trader rate	N/A
  Fractional shares
  Foreign exchange fee	0.5%
  FCA regulated

On IG, there are over 5,000 exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that you can invest in. ETFs are a type of security containing a whole bundle of assets, and are listed on stock exchanges. ETFs are great investments for beginners because you get diversity built in, and they’re an easier way to invest in whole sectors and markets. They allow you to invest in lots of different stocks with a single transaction, which can also lower your trading fees.

IG is a great provider to choose if you want to learn how to invest. It helps you gain knowledge from a few different angles. When we tried it out, we particularly liked the free demo account. You can figure out how to trade the same way you’d learn any skill - by having a go and practising. The demo account is risk free as it uses virtual money, but works in exactly the same way as the real thing. Once you’ve got the knack of it, you can get going with real money if you decide you want to go ahead.

IG’s platform is an all rounder — you can invest in an ISA, SIPP, and a general investment account (GIA). For beginners, it has ready-made portfolios, as well as individual shares for those that want to pick their own stocks. There are some additional investment types for experienced investors as well - it’s a platform with plenty of depth.

So many options can be a bit overwhelming for beginners, but IG provides good tools to help you learn and grow as an investor.

“If you want a massive range of investments, IG is hard to beat. This is my go-to trading app if I’m looking for rarer assets that can be hard to find elsewhere.”

• Pros

  • Great learning resources and a demo account
  • Massive choice of over 13,000 investments including ready-made portfolios
  • Fee discounts for active investors

  Cons

  • Only cheap when investing regularly
  • Choice of options, tools, and markets might overwhelm newbies
  • Quarterly platform fee of £24 if you make less than 3 trades per quarter

• Frequent trader rate	UK: £3 US: £0 EU: 0.1% (min €10)
  Fractional shares
  Foreign exchange fee	0.5%
  FCA regulated

CMC Invest is a relatively new share dealing platform, but it’s already making waves.

If you’re interested in US stocks, we think there’s no place better to invest. The platform now has a huge roster of US stocks - over 3,000! There’s also no commission to pay when trading US shares, which is why we’ve made CMC Invest our top pick for investing across the pond.

Along with being the best trading app for US shares, CMC Invest continually adds new features and tools, quickly establishing itself as a firm favourite amongst retail investors in the UK. There’s no minimum deposit, and you can even earn 2% uncapped interest on idle cash.

CMC Invest offers a free Core plan or a paid Plus plan. Unlike some platforms, CMC allows you to invest in the full range of stocks with the free plan. But, if you want to use an ISA or access more in-depth analysis tools for researching US and UK shares, you should check out the Plus subscription.

"My favourite feature on the app is the ability to set personalised ESG preferences to match my views.”

• Pros

  • No minimum deposit
  • Free to open and hold a Core account
  • No commission on US and UK stocks and ETFs
  • Over 3,000 investments
  • 2% uncapped interest paid on cash in all account plans

  Cons

  See Also

  11 Best Stock Trading Apps UK Updated for February 2024Best Trading Platforms in the UK 2024 | KoodyThe best stock trading apps and platforms in the UK [2023 updated]Best UK Share Trading Platforms

  • Limited range of UK stocks
  • Only US and UK stocks available
  • Costs £10 per month to use an ISA with Plus plan
  • Stock analysis reserved for Plus customers
  • No SIPP yet

• Frequent trader rate	N/A
  Fractional shares
  Foreign exchange fee	0.5%
  FCA regulated

XTB is our choice of best trading app for fractional shares mainly because you can buy fractional shares of both US and UK companies, with no commission fee.

Very few investing platforms let you invest in fractional shares of UK stocks. On top of this, we picked XTB because it’s free to open and hold an account, and it scored highly in a number of other areas when we tested and used the app to invest. It received a highly commended award in the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards 2024 with 100% of customers saying they'd recommend the platform to a friend.

With just a £10 minimum trade, you can invest in more than 3,000 fractional shares from 16 global stock exchanges, including over 300 ETFs. You’re also able to build “investment plans” using ETFs. Just click on the “save” tab in the app and then you can invest in fractional shares of an ETF portfolio based on your choice of funds and chosen allocations.

We did find that the XTB mobile trading app is probably best-suited to intermediate investors, but you can open a free demo account to learn the ropes.

“The best attribute is the fact you can buy fractional shares of UK companies - a rare feature among stock trading apps.”

• Pros

  • 0% commission on stocks and ETFs
  • Register in 5 minutes
  • Demo account available
  • Excellent trading app
  • No minimum deposit
  • Fractional shares

  Cons

  • Emphasis on trading and CFDs
  • £10 minimum trade value
  • Large orders over £100,000 incur extra fees
  • Lots of analysis is price-movement focused

• Frequent trader rate	£0
  Fractional shares
  Foreign exchange fee	0.5%

InvestEngine has quickly made investors take notice with its extremely low fees for exchange-traded funds (ETFs). It’s our top pick for ready-made and managed portfolios because it offers excellent value compared with other robo-advisors. And the app is a joy to use. It was a winner in the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards 2024 with 97% of customers saying they'd recommend the platform to a friend.

You can create a free DIY portfolio or make the most of its low-cost robo-advisor service for a fixed 0.25% fee. There’s a healthy collection of over 500 ETFs on offer, tracking assets and markets from across the globe.

InvestEngine also lets you quickly see an ETF’s ESG credentials if that’s your jam. If not, you’ll still enjoy the portfolio “look-through” feature to see the inner details of the companies, sectors, and regions you’re investing in.

We found that using the app’s one-click portfolio rebalancing makes managing your DIY portfolio a piece of cake.

“The 'look-through' feature lets you check under the hood of an ETF investment. This means it’s really straightforward to see where your money’s going in an ETF portfolio.”

• Pros

  • You can build your own portfolio or get one made
  • The platform looks great, and it’s easy to use
  • No extra cost for a stocks and shares ISA
  • Low fees compared to other robo-advisors
  • The DIY option is one of the cheapest ways to invest
  • Ethical options and a great ETF screener

  Cons

  • Percentage fees can work out expensive for large managed portfolios
  • You can only invest in ETFs
  • The risk questionnaire uses jargon that might confuse newbies
  • Few learning resources and tools
  • Lack of choice for managed portfolios
  • £100 initial minimum investment

• Frequent trader rate	N/A
  Fractional shares
  Foreign exchange fee	0%
  FCA regulated

Hargreaves Lansdown (HL) was a winner in the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards 2024 - for the third year running. An impressive 97% of its customers in our satisfaction survey said they’d recommend HL to a friend. It’s known for great service and great features, none of which comes cheap.

With HL, you can invest in an ISA, a SIPP, and a JISA/junior SIPP, if you have children you’d like to invest for. HL has a trading fee of £11.95 (or £5.95 for frequent traders), which is higher than many of its rivals. If you’re trading less than £1,000, you could end up paying more in fees than you make in profit.

But, in return for the pricier commissions, you get significantly more features and better customer service. You can access detailed information about investments, and guides that can help you make better trading decisions. The HL app lets you keep track of your investments from anywhere in the world - from your bed to the top of Mount Everest (assuming you have the mobile data).

"HL’s main strength lies in its customer service, but I think the revamp of its platform several years ago has also made the investing experience much smoother.”

• Pros

  • Wide range of accounts
  • No platform fee for some accounts
  • Free fund trading
  • Great customer service reviews
  • Excellent mobile app
  • Discount for regular investors

  Cons

  • Expensive to buy or sell shares
  • Fee structure is slightly complex
  • No demo account
  • Some investors may not need all the features
  • As a listed company, HL has to please shareholders

• Frequent trader rate	£5.95
  Fractional shares
  Foreign exchange fee	1%
  FCA regulated

interactive investor (ii) is one of the most trusted brand names in the investing industry, and for good reason.

The platform is our top pick for safety features because it scored flawlessly against our security criteria. Features like 128-bit SSL encryption, constant system monitoring, and biometric login provide some peace of mind, but, you can also draw comfort from the fact that ii has been around for over 30 years and is now part of a FTSE 250 firm, abrdn.

It’s not the cheapest investing platform available, but if safety and security are your main concerns, ii takes this seriously and does everything in its power to keep your investments safe.

“One of ii’s biggest strengths lies in the expert research and insights, allowing a much more - dare I say - interactive experience.”

• Pros

  • Flat monthly fee is good value for large portfolios
  • Massive choice of investments
  • A platform designed for every type of investor
  • Lots of account choices
  • Invest online or with the ii app

  Cons

  • Platform fee is expensive for small portfolios
  • Share dealing charges are quite high
  • Free monthly trade(s) with premium plans
  • Cheapest plan has a maximum portfolio size
  • Adding a SIPP costs more

• Frequent trader rate	£0
  Fractional shares
  Foreign exchange fee	1.5%
  FCA regulated

Trading 212 is our top pick for low fees because it’s a hard platform to beat when it comes to offering the lowest fees to investors.

Along with zero trading commissions, Trading 212 has no platform fee (or any added cost to use an ISA) and a competitive FX fee of 0.15%.

Aside from liking its low fees, we were impressed by the overall feel and look of the trading app - it’s to the point and presents all the essential information investors need to know. And it’s colourful, too.

"The low fees are obviously attractive, but my Trading 212 highlight is that you can create your own mini-portfolios, called 'pies' - making it fun to create, share or copy investment ideas.”

• Pros

  • No platform fee to open and hold an account
  • 0% commissions
  • Low FX fee of 0.15%
  • Free stocks and share ISA
  • Over 13,000 investments
  • Interest paid on cash balances
  • AutoInvest feature
  • Practise mode to get the hang of the platform

  Cons

  • No pension or other type of tax-efficient account
  • The tutorial for the practise mode isn’t very in-depth
  • Limited learning and research tools

• Frequent trader rate	£0
  Fractional shares
  Foreign exchange fee	0.15%
  FCA regulated

Freetrade is a modern take on investing, known for its hot pink app and low fees. It’s aimed at beginners who want to dip their toes into the choppy waters of the stock market. When our experts tried it out, we found it was super easy to negotiate our way around, find investments and make trades. With 4.5 stars out of 5, and a simple, easy design, it was the best investment app for beginners in our analysis.

Freetrade’s fees are its main draw - you can trade with zero commission on a huge selection of shares, including US stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and investment trusts. It charges between 0.39% and 0.99% in FX fees for overseas shares. And if you want to invest in an ISA, you can get one with its “Standard” plan from £4.99 per month.

Freetrade’s tools allow investors to better understand the stocks they're buying and cover price targets, analyst ratings and additional stock fundamentals. It’s also trialling a desktop trading platform. These added tools make Freetrade suitable for more experienced investors as well as beginners.

“Freetrade’s app design and interface is so easy to use, I always recommend it to my friends and family if they’re just starting to invest and want to keep things simple.”

• Pros

  • Free to open and hold a Basic account
  • Over 4,000 stocks to choose from
  • Easy to sign up and use the app
  • 0% commission when investing
  • Options for more features and tax-efficient accounts

  Cons

  • Foreign exchange (FX) fee is quite high
  • Only US, UK and Europe markets
  • Analysis and research is fairly basic
  • Some features are behind a paywall

• Frequent trader rate	N/A
  Fractional shares
  Foreign exchange fee	0.59%
  FCA regulated

If you’re interested in a more social and community-focused investing experience, Webull ticks a lot of boxes.

After we tested out all the major trading apps, Webull was our top pick for connecting with like-minded investors. We liked having the option to create posts and polls on the main feed and engage in constructive investing-related gossip with other users.

Along with enabling you to follow and connect with your fellow “Webullers”, the free app is jam-packed with plenty of tools and in-depth analysis to help you sharpen your trading skills.

Webull won the 2023 Finder Investing Innovation Newcomer Award, judged by an expert panel, who felt it offered excellent features in an affordable package.

"For an app that’s free to use, it’s pretty mindblowing how much Webull offers UK investors and I’ll often jump into the app purely to get some US stock analysis insights.”

• Pros

  • No platform fee
  • Low commission of 0.025%
  • Zero minimum deposit ($5 min investment)
  • Fractional shares
  • Extended trading hours

  Cons

  • Only US stocks available
  • Limited range of asset types
  • No tax-efficient accounts
  • The app is rather overcrowded
  • Always have to pay an FX fee

• Frequent trader rate	N/A
  Fractional shares
  Foreign exchange fee	0.35%