7 Best Stock Trading Apps in the UK

What Are Stock Trading Apps?

Stock trading apps are mobile applications that provide traders with direct access to global stock markets through their smartphones or tablets. These applications are typically developed and offered by established financial service companies, including banking institutions, licensed UK brokers, and reputable brokerage firms.

In recent years, many financial institutions have embraced a "mobile-first" approach to meet the evolving needs of modern investors. As an increasing number of traders have transitioned to using tablets and smartphones as their primary trading devices, these companies have responded by developing sophisticated stock trading apps. These applications enable investors to monitor markets, execute trades, and manage their portfolios efficiently while on the move, providing unprecedented flexibility in investment management.

The Best Stock Trading Apps in the UK

eToro: Comprehensive Social Trading Platform

eToro is an Israeli financial services company established in 2006, with strong operations in the UK market. The firm holds accreditation from the Financial Conduct Authority, ensuring regulatory compliance and investor protection.

The eToro platform offers traders access to a diverse range of assets, including traditional UK stocks, foreign exchange currencies, cryptocurrencies, contracts for difference (CFDs), and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The mobile applications are compatible with Android devices (version 2.3 and above) and iOS devices (version 6.0 and above), ensuring broad accessibility across different mobile platforms.

The account opening process is streamlined and typically completed within 24 hours. New users should note that there is a minimum deposit requirement of $50, and the platform charges a £4.07 fee for account withdrawals.

Advantages:

• Commission-free stock trading
• Competitive fees for CFD trading
• Extensive selection of tradable assets across multiple categories

Disadvantages:

• Higher fees for forex trading compared to competitors
• Withdrawal fees apply to all transactions

Hargreaves Lansdown: Trusted Platform for Long-Term Investors

Established in 1981, Hargreaves Lansdown has built a solid reputation as a stock trading app particularly suitable for beginners and buy-and-hold investors. With decades of proven track record in usability and security, this platform stands out for its intuitive interface and excellent customer service.

For UK residents, the account opening process is quick, efficient, and fully digital. However, non-UK clients may experience longer processing times. While the platform charges higher fees for stock and ETF transactions compared to some competitors, it compensates with zero inactivity fees and notably affordable charges for funds and bonds trading.

Advantages:

• No withdrawal fees
• Beginner-friendly interface and features
• Reduced fees for high-volume traders

Disadvantages:

• Above-average ETF trading fees
• Extended account opening timeline for international clients
• Currency conversion charges apply

Interactive Brokers: Advanced Platform for Active Traders

Interactive Brokers is a United States-based broker that operates under dual regulation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the UK's Financial Conduct Authority. This trading app provides an extensive selection of tradable securities complemented by comprehensive research tools beneficial for newcomers.

The platform primarily targets active investors who engage in daily trading activities. It is not ideally suited for buy-and-hold investment strategies, as evidenced by the substantial inactivity fees charged to dormant accounts. Another limitation is the absence of credit and debit card deposit options, with bank transfers being the only available funding method.

Advantages:

• Broad range of investment products and securities
• Fast deposit processing times
• No minimum deposit requirements

Disadvantages:

• Credit and debit card payments not supported
• Complex and time-consuming online registration process

Plus500: Specialized CFD Trading Platform

Plus500 operates through regulated subsidiaries, with Plus500UK Ltd authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA #509909), and Plus500CY Ltd licensed by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (Licence No. 250/14). The platform gained recognition as the first broker to introduce Bitcoin CFD trading.

The service offers an extensive product lineup including equities, cryptocurrencies, options, and stock indexes. Applications are available on both iOS and Android platforms. It's important to note that cryptocurrency CFDs are not available to UK retail clients, and all instruments on the Plus500 platform are exclusively available for trading through CFDs.

While the platform does not charge trading commissions, users should be aware of fees for inactivity, overnight funding, currency conversion, and guaranteed stop orders. Deposits are processed quickly, withdrawals are free, and the minimum account balance requirement is £81.

The platform's educational resources primarily focus on the foreign exchange market, expecting investors to possess substantial knowledge about their chosen asset classes before trading.

Advantages:

• Free withdrawal processing
• Low minimum account balance requirement
• Rapid account opening procedure

Disadvantages:

• Limited variety of tradable assets
• Minimal educational and learning materials

AvaTrade: Versatile Trading Solution

AvaTrade was founded in 2006 by AvaFX, an Irish trading and financial services firm. The platform offers competitive spreads and provides access to a diverse array of trading assets.

The application supports trading in foreign exchange, CFDs, cryptocurrencies, and options. The CFD offerings include a focused selection such as forex CFDs and stock CFDs. Users should note that the platform does not offer real stock purchases or mutual fund investments.

The minimum account deposit on AvaTrade is £80. Account funding options include credit cards, digital wallets, and bank wire transfers. While withdrawals are straightforward, processing times vary: debit card withdrawals require up to five business days, digital wallet transfers are completed within 24 hours, and wire transfers take up to ten business days.

Advantages:

• Accessible minimum deposit amount
• Straightforward account creation process
• No charges for withdrawals

Disadvantages:

• Limited selection of securities products
• Substantial inactivity fees for dormant accounts

IG Markets: Leading CFD Provider

The IG Group holds the position of the world's premier CFD provider. Founded in 1974, the firm combines an extensive product catalog with competitive fee structures. IG Markets offers comprehensive coverage of shares, currency pairs, indices, and commodities, along with CFDs, futures, and options suitable for various investor types. The platform provides access to both major and minor currency pairs.

IG Markets does not charge fees for deposits or withdrawals. Funding options include bank transfers, electronic wallets, and credit cards. The minimum account deposit is £250 for traders using e-wallet or credit card payment methods, while bank wire transfers have no minimum deposit requirement (£0).

Advantages:

• Zero minimum deposit for bank transfer funding
• No withdrawal fees
• Extensive range of tradable assets

Disadvantages:

• Account opening process may extend over several days

SoFi: Streamlined Modern Trading Experience

Social Finance, commonly known as SoFi, is a financial service provider offering investments, banking, and loan services through an intuitive and user-friendly mobile application.

The SoFi app enables users to trade ETFs, stocks, and cryptocurrencies. A distinctive feature is "Stock Bits," which allows investors to purchase fractional shares, making high-value stocks accessible to investors with smaller budgets. However, the trading options are somewhat limited compared to full-service platforms.

The platform focuses primarily on ETF and stock trading. It requires no minimum deposit and charges no fees for deposits or withdrawals. Trading fees are minimal across all available assets.

Advantages:

• Completely digital account opening process
• Zero deposit and withdrawal fees
• Commission-free trading on all available assets

Disadvantages:

• Limited portfolio of tradable assets

Factors to Consider When Choosing Stock Trading Apps

Tradable Assets Availability

The most effective stock trading apps provide access to a comprehensive array of assets for trading. Quality platforms offer information and trading capabilities for traditional stocks, along with investment tools such as exchange-traded funds, mutual fund subscriptions, and alternative assets including cryptocurrencies, commodities like oil and gold.

A stock trading app with a broad asset base enables investors to diversify their trading activities across multiple investment types, facilitating portfolio growth and risk management. The availability of various asset classes allows traders to adapt their strategies to different market conditions and investment objectives.

Company Reputation and Regulatory Compliance

The reputation and regulatory standing of the company operating the app represent critical considerations. Investors must verify that the stock trading app operator maintains a solid reputation and holds appropriate licenses from relevant regulatory authorities.

Before subscribing to a trading app, thoroughly review the company's registration details. In the UK, most legitimate stock trading apps must register with the Financial Conduct Authority, the primary British financial regulator. To verify a company's registration status, consult the FCA's Financial Services Register, search for the specific company, and confirm their legitimate authorization to operate.

User Interface and Ease of Use

A stock trading app should feature an intuitive, user-friendly interface. There is minimal value in using an application that requires extensive time and effort to understand and navigate effectively.

The best trading apps incorporate simple onboarding processes with comprehensive introductory sections that educate users on maximizing the app's features. While some technical knowledge may be necessary for interpreting stock charts and market data, the basic navigation of your chosen stock trading app should be straightforward and accessible, even for those new to mobile trading platforms.

Account Types and Practice Options

Ideally, a secure and comprehensive stock trading app should offer two distinct account types to accommodate different user needs and experience levels.

A Demo Account serves users who wish to familiarize themselves with the app environment without financial risk. This account type allows traders to explore features, test strategies, and build confidence before committing real funds. The Live Account is where actual trading occurs with real money, where both profits and losses have genuine financial impact. For novice traders, the Demo Account proves invaluable in the learning journey, providing a risk-free environment to understand market dynamics and app functionality before transitioning to real-money trading.

Trading Fees and Cost Structure

Careful attention to an app's trading fees and overall cost structure is essential. While minimizing costs is important, the most suitable stock trading app may not necessarily be the one with the lowest fees. Investors should comprehensively compare features, functionality, and trading fees across multiple platforms, then select the option that provides the best overall value and aligns with their trading style and comfort level.

Consider all fee components including commission charges, spread costs, withdrawal fees, inactivity fees, and any currency conversion charges that may apply to your trading activities.

Stock Trading Tips for Beginners

Define Your Purpose and Investment Objectives

Before investing in stocks, establish a clear understanding of your investment timeline and when you might need to access your funds. Prior to making any investment decisions, identify your specific financial goals and the potential future date when you will require these funds.

The UK stock market, like all equity markets, experiences volatility and fluctuations. Positive returns are not guaranteed with every investment or during every time period. If you anticipate needing liquidity or face potential cash constraints, recognize that there are no guarantees you'll be able to access your funds precisely when needed or at favorable valuations. Consequently, only invest capital that you can commit for an extended period without affecting your financial stability. Clearly define your investment rationale and establish realistic expectations regarding potential earnings and acceptable timeframes.

Understand Your Risk Appetite

Stock market investing inherently involves multiple categories of risk. These include the risk of share price depreciation, interest rate fluctuations, and inflation erosion of returns. The key to successful investing lies in finding an appropriate balance among these various risk factors.

Your investment goals and personal financial circumstances should guide your risk assessment. Carefully evaluate your perspective on risk and determine how much capital you can afford to lose or keep invested for a defined period without impacting your financial well-being. Once you've identified these parameters, you'll be better positioned to decide whether to diversify your holdings across multiple securities or concentrate your investments in specific stocks that you believe can achieve your investment objectives within your established timeframe.

Diversify Your Investment Portfolio

If you have substantial capital available for investment, diversification should be a fundamental principle in your strategy. This approach represents one of the most effective methods to reduce volatility and mitigate risks throughout your investment journey.

Broader diversification typically leads to more stable and consistent returns over time. To implement this strategy, consider utilizing asset allocation funds that offer a balanced mix of stocks and bonds. If your financial resources permit, you can further diversify your portfolio by investing in securities outside of the UK market, gaining exposure to international growth opportunities. Most importantly, ensure you regularly rebalance your portfolio on a quarterly or annual basis to maintain your desired asset allocation and risk profile.

Desktop vs Mobile Trading Experiences

To provide a balanced perspective, many traders prefer conducting their trading activities and business operations using desktop platforms. The desktop version typically offers more interactive features and provides a larger field of view, enabling traders to seamlessly utilize analytical tools such as charts and access comprehensive information on a single, expansive screen. This setup facilitates more detailed analysis and simultaneous monitoring of multiple markets and positions.

Mobile platforms, however, offer superior portability. While traders cannot always carry their laptops or maintain access to their trading desks, smartphones remain constantly accessible. This advantage has been further enhanced with the introduction of tablets, which provide a substantially broader view of market events and trading information compared to smartphones.

The portability that mobile trading apps provide remains their most significant competitive advantage over desktop platforms. This mobility cannot be replicated by desktop systems, regardless of their sophistication. Mobile apps enable traders to open or close trading positions from their smartphone devices at any location, providing unprecedented flexibility in responding to market movements and managing positions in real-time.

Is It Safe to Buy and Trade Stocks Using Trading Apps?

Yes, trading stocks through mobile apps is generally safe and secure. Numerous brokerage and financial services firms provide stock trading applications, and even highly experienced professional traders regularly utilize these apps for various aspects of their trading activities.

However, it is crucial to verify a firm's registration status and regulatory compliance before depositing funds and commencing trading activities. If a financial firm lacks registration with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), British stock traders should exercise significant caution. FCA registration provides important investor protections and ensures that the firm operates according to established regulatory standards designed to safeguard client interests and funds.

The Best Stock Trading App for UK Beginners

eToro: Comprehensive Learning Platform

eToro stands out as the optimal stock trading app for beginners because it consolidates virtually everything novice traders need within a single, integrated application. The platform provides an extensive library of educational materials covering various aspects of trading and investing, which is crucial for those new to the markets. Quality educational resources help beginners build foundational knowledge and develop effective trading strategies.

Additionally, eToro features a unique social network component where users can connect with other UK traders, share insights, and learn from the experiences and strategies of more experienced market participants. This community aspect provides valuable learning opportunities beyond traditional educational materials.

For those unfamiliar with navigating new trading platforms, eToro's demo account proves invaluable. This feature allows beginners to become comfortable with the platform's interface and test their trading strategies using virtual funds before risking real capital.

The platform's most distinctive feature for beginners is its copy trading functionality. This innovative tool enables novice traders to automatically replicate the trading strategies of successful, experienced UK traders. As these professional traders generate profits, users who copy their strategies can potentially achieve similar returns, providing a learning opportunity while actively participating in the markets.

The Best Free Stock Trading App

Hargreaves Lansdown: Comprehensive Value Proposition

Hargreaves Lansdown represents our top selection for the best overall stock trading app based on its combination of features and user experience. The platform delivers excellent customer service, maintains a user-friendly trading interface, and provides a well-curated selection of high-quality educational materials for users at all experience levels.

The account opening process is efficient and streamlined, trading fees remain competitive and reasonable, and the platform accepts deposits via both debit and credit cards for convenient funding. For users requiring faster deposit processing, bank transfer options are available with expedited clearing times.

A significant advantage for UK-based traders is that the account base currency is the British Pound. This means that every time users transfer funds to the platform, they avoid currency conversion fees that would otherwise erode their investment capital. This feature provides meaningful cost savings for active traders who frequently move funds in and out of their trading accounts.

The Best Stock Trading App for Android Users

IG Markets: Optimized Android Experience

Beyond its status as one of the largest and most established CFD brokers in the UK, IG Markets offers a robust and well-developed Android application suitable for both beginning and professional traders. Given that the UK represents one of the largest markets for Samsung phones and other Android devices, selecting a trading app optimized for this operating system is particularly important for many British traders.

The IG Markets app maintains compatibility with virtually every mid-range to high-end Android device, ensuring broad accessibility across different manufacturers and models. Users benefit from responsive and adequate support from the development team when technical issues arise. The company's technical support staff demonstrates strong responsiveness to user concerns and quickly addresses any problems that may emerge, ensuring minimal disruption to trading activities.

The Best Stock Trading App for iOS Users

Plus500: Comprehensive Apple Ecosystem Integration

For British day traders who utilize Apple devices, Plus500 represents an excellent choice. The service provides full-featured applications for the complete iOS ecosystem, including optimized versions for iPhones, iPads, and even the Apple Watch, enabling traders to monitor markets and manage positions across all their Apple devices.

Plus500 delivers standard essential features including a free demo account for practice and learning, zero-commission trading on available instruments, and competitive tight spreads. The application's interface is designed with user experience in mind, featuring seamless navigation and convenient access to graphs, charts, and analytical tools. The platform's optimization for iOS devices ensures smooth performance and reliable functionality across the Apple product line.

Conclusion

As a trader based in the UK, selecting the best stock trading apps specifically designed and optimized for UK markets represents a crucial decision for your investment success. This comprehensive guide was created to provide you with detailed information about available options, their distinctive features, advantages, and limitations, enabling you to make an informed choice that aligns with your trading goals and experience level.

Any of the applications featured in our detailed roundup above can provide you with access to substantial trading opportunities and help you participate effectively in the financial markets. Each platform offers unique strengths that may appeal to different types of traders based on their specific needs, trading frequency, and investment strategies.

For those new to stock trading, we strongly recommend beginning with a demo account. This approach allows you to test the platform's features, understand market dynamics, assess your personal risk tolerance, and evaluate other important metrics without risking real capital. The more actively you trade and the more experience you gain, the better equipped you become to make informed decisions and develop effective trading strategies that align with your financial objectives.

FAQ

What are the best stock trading apps in the UK and what are their respective advantages?

Top UK stock trading apps include Vantage, known for low fees and fast execution, Freetrade offering convenient trading services, and Robinhood providing user-friendly platforms. Each app features unique strengths tailored to different trader needs and preferences.

What are the fees and commissions for these stock trading apps?

Stock trading commissions typically range from 0.025% to 0.03%, with a minimum of 5 yuan per transaction. Specific fees vary by broker and are often negotiable based on trading volume and account tier.

Which UK stock trading app should beginners choose to start investing?

Beginners should choose user-friendly platforms like Freetrade or Wealthsimple. These apps offer low fees, simple interfaces, and educational resources perfect for new investors starting their UK stock trading journey.

Are all these apps regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)?

Not all stock trading apps are FCA-regulated. While some are authorized by the FCA, others operate under different regulatory frameworks. Always verify each app's regulatory status on the official FCA register before trading.

What payment methods and minimum investment amounts do UK stock trading apps support?

UK stock trading apps typically accept bank transfers and credit/debit cards. Minimum investment amounts vary by platform, with many starting from £100 or even lower, allowing flexible entry points for different investors.

How secure are these apps, and how are personal data and funds protected?

Top trading apps employ bank-level encryption, two-factor authentication, and segregated client accounts to safeguard your funds. Personal data undergoes strict compliance with data protection regulations. Regular security audits and SSL certificates ensure platform integrity. Your assets remain protected through institutional-grade security protocols and insurance coverage where applicable.

Do UK stock trading apps support international stock trading or only UK stocks?

UK stock trading apps support international stock trading, including US stocks and Chinese ADRs through the London Stock Exchange's Global Board, allowing trading in 95 international securities.

What are the differences between mobile apps and web versions of these applications?

Mobile apps offer better performance, faster loading, and direct access to device features like notifications and camera. Web versions are browser-based, requiring no installation, and provide accessibility across devices with consistent updates.