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Best broker for stocks and shares ISA in 2023

Written by
Krisztián G.
Fact checked by
Updated
Oct 2023
Dive into our top list of regulated and trusted brokers that we tested with real money. Every broker is available in the United States.

Find below the pros of best brokers for stocks and shares ISA available in the United States, updated for 2023:

  1. Freetrade - the best broker for stocks and shares ISA in 2023. Free stock and ETF trading. Easy and fast account opening. Great mobile trading platform.
  2. Interactive Brokers - Low trading fees and high interest (up to 4.83% for USD) on cash balances. Wide range of products. Many great research tools.
  3. Fineco Bank - Low non-trading fees. Great mobile trading platform. Rock-solid background.
  4. Hargreaves Lansdown - Easy-to-use trading platforms. High-quality educational tools. Great customer service.
  5. Interactive Investor - User-friendly trading platforms. Fast and easy deposit and withdrawal. Great phone customer service.
  6. Halifax - Low fees. Good options for deposit/withdrawal. Quick and easy account opening.
  7. AJ Bell Youinvest - Fast account opening. Easy to use trading platforms. Great customer service.
  8. Barclays - Low fond and bond fees. Solid company background. Great fundamental research.
  9. Trading 212 - Real stocks and ETFs are commission-free. Quick and easy account opening. Great trading platforms.
  10. Charles Stanley Direct - Low fund fees. Great customer service. Easy deposit and withdrawal.
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Overview of the best brokers for stocks and shares ISA

While many brokerages offer excellent ISA services, the ones in our toplist go the extra mile.

Broker
Stock fee class
Minimum deposit
Freetrade
Low
$0
Interactive Brokers
Low
$0
Fineco Bank
Low
$0
Hargreaves Lansdown
High
$0
Interactive Investor
Low
$0
Halifax
Low
$0
AJ Bell Youinvest
Average
$0
Barclays
Average
$0
Trading 212
Low
$1
Charles Stanley Direct
Average
$24.8
Best brokers for stocks and shares ISA key data compiled for October 2023

Popularity of the best brokers for stocks and shares ISA

Interested in what others think? Here's how many people chose these brokers at BrokerChooser in the last 6 months.

Trading fees at the best brokers for stocks and shares ISA

The fact that a broker charges low fees for long-term products, which are typically used for ISA investments, was important when determining the best brokers. You can compare fees for trading US stocks below.

Broker
US stock fee
Select...
Freetrade
Commission-free
Interactive Brokers
Fixed pricing: $0.005 per share, min. $1, max. 1% of trade value. Free for US clients choosing IBKR Lite plan.
Fineco Bank
$3.95 per trade for UK customers; $3.95-$12.95 per trade for Italian customers, depending on the number of monthly trades
Hargreaves Lansdown
Based on previous month's activity. 0-9 trades: £11.95 per trade; 10-19 trades: £8.95 per trade; 20+ trades: £5.95 per trade
Interactive Investor
£3.99 per trade
Halifax
Commission free, 1.25% of conversion fee for international trades
AJ Bell Youinvest
£9.95 per trade
Barclays
£6 per trade
Trading 212
Commission-free
Charles Stanley Direct
Not available
Trading fees at the best brokers for stocks and shares ISA in October 2023

If you are unsure how brokerage fees work, check out our article explaining various brokerage fees.

Non-trading fees at the best brokers for stocks and shares ISA

Non-trading fees are charges not directly related to a given trade and typically include the account maintenance fee, deposit/withdrawal fees, and the inactivity fee. With long-term investments like ISA, non-trading fees should be low, especially inactivity fees, otherwise they can decrease your rate of return significantly.

Broker
Account fee
Deposit fee
Freetrade
$0
Interactive Brokers
$0
Fineco Bank
$0
Hargreaves Lansdown
$0
Interactive Investor
$0
Halifax
$0
AJ Bell Youinvest
$0
Barclays
$0
Trading 212
$0
Charles Stanley Direct
$0
Non-trading fees at the best brokers for stocks and shares ISA in October 2023

Can I trust these brokers for stocks and shares ISA?

Yes, BrokerChooser exclusively recommends legit brokers, overseen by at least one globally acknowledged regulator. We track more than 20,000 brokers and trading platforms that we don't recommend. To be sure that a broker is reputable and reliable, use Scam Broker Shield tool.

Key criteria determining a broker's trustworthiness are: regulation, availability of investor protection, as well as a long and spotless track record. Explore the interactive table below, encompassing this array of vital data.

Broker
Top-tier regulators
Trusted broker
Freetrade
FCA in the UK
Interactive Brokers
FCA in the UK, SEC in the US, and ASIC in Australia
Fineco Bank
Consob in Italy and FCA in the UK
Hargreaves Lansdown
FCA in the UK
Interactive Investor
FCA in the UK
Halifax
FCA in the UK
AJ Bell Youinvest
FCA in the UK
Barclays
FCA in the UK
Trading 212
FCA in the UK
Charles Stanley Direct
FCA in the UK
Trust metrics for the best brokers for stocks and shares ISA in 2023
We label a broker as trusted if it has reliable regulation.

Selection of long-term products at the best brokers for stocks and shares ISA

It's good to have a wide selection of choices to invest in. In case of investing with an ISA, this means long-term products like stocks/ETFs, funds and bonds.

Broker
ETFs (#)
Fund providers (#)
Freetrade
700
-
Interactive Brokers
13,000
550
Fineco Bank
5,500
5
Hargreaves Lansdown
2,500
180
Interactive Investor
1,680
190
Halifax
600
140
AJ Bell Youinvest
2,700
270
Barclays
1,000
160
Trading 212
1,800
-
Charles Stanley Direct
1,700
280
Selection of long-term products at the best brokers for stocks and shares ISA in October 2023

And now, let's see the top brokers for stocks and shares ISA one by one, starting with the winner, Freetrade.

Recommended for long-term investors on the hunt for low fees and focusing on the uk and us markets

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Freetrade snapshot
UK discount broker
Fee score 4.4 stars
Minimum deposit $0
Markets and products score 3.0 stars
Trading platform score 3.4 stars
Customer service score 5.0 stars
Time to open an account 1 day
Read review For a detailed analysis of Freetrade services, check out our review for 2023

Recommended for traders looking for broad market access and a professional trading environment

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Interactive Brokers snapshot
International broker providing all asset classes
Fee score 4.4 stars
Minimum deposit $0
Markets and products score 5.0 stars
Trading platform score 4.0 stars
Customer service score 4.3 stars
Time to open an account 1-3 days
Read review For a detailed analysis of Interactive Brokers services, check out our review for 2023

Recommended for traders and investors looking for a great trading platform and a broker with a solid background

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Fineco Bank snapshot
Italian bank
Fee score 3.5 stars
Minimum deposit $0
Markets and products score 4.1 stars
Trading platform score 3.7 stars
Customer service score 4.5 stars
Time to open an account 1-3 days
Read review For a detailed analysis of Fineco Bank services, check out our review for 2023

Recommended for beginners and buy-and-hold investors looking for great customer service and easy-to-use trading platforms

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Hargreaves Lansdown snapshot
UK-based stockbroker
Fee score 3.0 stars
Minimum deposit $0
Markets and products score 3.2 stars
Trading platform score 3.8 stars
Customer service score 4.5 stars
Time to open an account 1 day
Read review For a detailed analysis of Hargreaves Lansdown services, check out our review for 2023

Recommended for beginners and investors focusing on the uk market

Visit broker

Interactive Investor snapshot
UK stockbroker
Fee score 3.4 stars
Minimum deposit $0
Markets and products score 3.2 stars
Trading platform score 4.3 stars
Customer service score 2.8 stars
Time to open an account 1 day
Read review For a detailed analysis of Interactive Investor services, check out our review for 2023

Recommended for beginners and long-term investors

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Halifax snapshot
UK-based stockbroker
Fee score 4.0 stars
Minimum deposit $0
Markets and products score 3.2 stars
Trading platform score 0.8 stars
Customer service score 0.0 stars
Time to open an account 1 day
Read review For a detailed analysis of Halifax services, check out our review for 2023

Recommended for beginners and investors with small and medium portfolios focusing on the uk market

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AJ Bell Youinvest snapshot
UK discount broker
Fee score 3.0 stars
Minimum deposit $0
Markets and products score 3.4 stars
Trading platform score 4.1 stars
Customer service score 5.0 stars
Time to open an account 1 day
Read review For a detailed analysis of AJ Bell Youinvest services, check out our review for 2023

Recommended for long-term investors looking for a broker with low fees and solid background

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Barclays snapshot
UK-based stockbroker
Fee score 3.5 stars
Minimum deposit $0
Markets and products score 3.2 stars
Trading platform score 1.0 stars
Customer service score 0.0 stars
Time to open an account >3 days
Read review For a detailed analysis of Barclays services, check out our review for 2023

Recommended for equity investors and cfd traders looking for easy-to-use trading platforms

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68% of retail CFD accounts lose money

Trading 212 snapshot
Global CFD broker, but real stocks/ETFs are also available
Fee score 4.1 stars
Minimum deposit $1
Markets and products score 4.1 stars
Trading platform score 4.8 stars
Customer service score 5.0 stars
Time to open an account 1 day
Read review For a detailed analysis of Trading 212 services, check out our review for 2023

Recommended for beginners and buy-and-hold investors focusing on the uk market

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Charles Stanley Direct snapshot
UK-based stockbroker
Fee score 3.2 stars
Minimum deposit $24.8
Markets and products score 1.5 stars
Trading platform score 3.6 stars
Customer service score 5.0 stars
Time to open an account 1-3 days
Read review For a detailed analysis of Charles Stanley Direct services, check out our review for 2023

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How did BrokerChooser select the best brokers for stocks and shares ISA?

  • We checked brokers offering ISA: as these Individual Savings Accounts are available only in the UK, we chose brokers that operate in the UK and offer ISA accounts
  • We checked whether the broker is overseen by a trusted regulator
  • Low fees for long-term products (such as stocks and ETFs) weighed heavily in our scores, as ISA investments are typically long-term
  • We looked at brokers with low non-trading fees, e.g. inactivity, annual and monthly fees, that don't eat into your rate of return
  • We checked brokers that offer a wide range of long-term products
  • We opened an account and tested the platform (charting, features, usability) with real money


Save hours of research!

Our expert team has done all the work for you, and reviewed brokers based on BrokerChooser's unique methodology.

BrokerChooser evaluates 9 key areas for all brokers, including fees, safety, ease of account opening, education and trading platforms. We check more than 500 criteria for each broker and fine-tune our methodology every year based on our own and our users' experiences. We have more than 100 brokers reviewed on our site and our team of analysts examines more than 50,000 data points overall.

FAQ

What is an ISA?

ISA stands for Individual Savings Account, which is designed for tax-free savings and investments. It was introduced in 1999 by the UK government to encourage long-term and pension savings. If you have an ISA, you don't have to pay tax on any returns that your investments make when you sell them.

What are the different types of ISA?

There are four main types of ISAs:

  • Cash ISA
  • Stocks and shares ISA
  • Innovative finance ISA
  • Lifetime ISA

Want to learn more about ISA

Check out these articles written by our broker and trading experts:

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Author of this article

Krisztián Gátonyi

Method-Man | Forex • Market Analysis • Stock Market

I have 15 years of experience in proprietary trading, mainly in the interbank currency market as a foreign exchange risk manager. I'm actively involved in reviewing the 100+ brokers listed on our site. I personally open accounts with real money, execute trades, test customer services. I hold an MSc in International Business from the University of Middlesex. My purpose is to help people find the best investment provider.

Everything you find on BrokerChooser is based on reliable data and unbiased information. We combine our 10+ years finance experience with readers feedback. Read more about our methodology.

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