Halifax Logo

Halifax Review 2025

Written by
Fact checked by
Adam N.
Updated
2w ago
Regulated and trusted. Tested via live trading.
541 people chose this broker
Not available in United States; see best alternatives

Why choose Halifax

Halifax is a UK stockbroker, part of Halifax (Bank of Scotland), which is owned by the Lloyds Banking Group.

It offers competitive fees, free deposits and withdrawals from your account, and a straightforward account opening process with the option to set up a UK tax-exempt ISA. It is a good choice for beginner investors.

However, Halifax's product selection is weak. Customer support is very poor, it takes very long to solve any problems. There are no mobile or desktop trading platforms available.

BrokerChooser gave Halifax a 4.1/5 rating based on analyzing 600+ criteria and testing via opening a live account.

  • Competitive fees
  • Good options for deposit/withdrawal
  • Quick and easy account opening
Overall score
4.1/5
Minimum deposit
$0
Stock fee
Low
Fund fee
Average
Inactivity fee
no
Account opening
1 day

Not sure if this is the right broker for you? See the best ones.

See how the best brokers in the United States compare to Halifax

US stock fee
Estimated commission of a $2,000 trade, assuming a $50 stock price
Want to unlock your perfect broker match?
Sign up to receive and save your personalized broker recommendations!

Fees

Score: 3.9/5
Halifax offers commission-free international stock trades. On the negative side, there is an annual account fee.
  • No withdrawal fee
  • No inactivity fee
  • Commission-free international stocks

We compared Halifax's fees with two similar brokers we selected, Fidelity International and AJ Bell Youinvest. These competitors were selected based on objective factors like products offered, client profile, fee structure, etc. See a more detailed comparison of Halifax alternatives.

Commission-free stocks and ETFs

Halifax UK stock fees are much higher than the industry average. UK stock fees are calculated as follows: £9.50 per trade

Broker
UK stock
Halifax
$12.0
Fidelity International
$12.6
AJ Bell Youinvest
$6.3
Halifax stock and ETF commission

Trading international stocks at Halifax is comission free, which is a strong argument in favor of the broker.

Average mutual fund commission

Halifax Mutual fund fees are slightly higher than the industry average. Mutual fund fees are calculated as follows: £9.50 per trade

Broker
Mutual fund
Halifax
$12.0
Fidelity International
$0.0
AJ Bell Youinvest
$1.9
Halifax mutual fund commission

Although average in a wider context, Halifax's fund trading fees are less favorable compared to its immediate competitors. For each transaction, Halifax charges the same £9.50 flat fee as for stocks and ETFs. On top of this, you will also have to pay other costs charged by the fund managers, such as a transaction fee and ongoing charges.

No inactivity fee, no withdrawal fee

There is no inactivity fee for the basic Share Dealing Account; this is great for beginners because this way they don't have to commit to investing or trading frequently in order to avoid inactivity charges. Halifax also charges no withdrawal fees or deposit fees.
On the downside, there's a £36 administration fee per year for the basic Share Dealing Account as well as for the tax-advantaged Stocks/Shares ISA account (you can hold both accounts at the same time for a single £36 charge). Halifax's tax-advantaged SIPP account also involves quarterly administration charges.

Broker
Inactivity fee
Withdrawal fee
Halifax
$0
Fidelity International
$0
AJ Bell Youinvest
$0
Halifax inactivity, withdrawal and other fees

Check out a detailed analysis of all the fees, commissions, and other charges levied by Halifax for more information.

Safety

Halifax is a legit brokerage. It is regulated by the top-tier FCA and is part of the publicly-traded Lloyds Banking Group. This background provides a good level of safety for Halifax customers.
  • High level of investor protection
  • Banking background
  • All clients belong to a top-tier financial authority
Read more

Deposit and withdrawal

Score: 3.3/5
Deposits and withdrawals at Halifax are free, but the latter can be slow. Also, Halifax only allows GBP funding, meaning you'll face a currency exchange fee when trading international products.
  • Credit/Debit card available
  • Free withdrawal
  • No deposit fee
Read more

Account opening

Score: 3.8/5
Opening an account at Halifax Share Dealing is very fast and takes place fully online. Still, we found the process less intuitive and less easy to navigate than at other brokers.
  • Fast
  • Fully digital
  • No minimum deposit
Read more

Mobile app

Halifax doesn't offer a mobile trading platform. We think that the lack of a mobile trading platform is a big miss as users can't trade or track their positions on the go.
Read more

Web trading platform

Score: 2.8/5
Halifax offers a basic web trading platform that is easy to navigate, but it doesn't offer much extra functionality, relying on the public website for most research tools or information.
  • User-friendly
  • Clear fee report
  • Two-step (safer) login
Read more

Product selection

Score: 2/5
Halifax offers stocks and ETFs from multiple international exchanges, along with a good selection of funds, but other popular product categories such as forex, CFDs or cryptos are not available.
Read more
“I recommend Halifax for beginners and long-term investors.”
Want to unlock your perfect broker match?
Sign up to receive and save your personalized broker recommendations!

FAQ

Read more
Got questions?
Engage with our growing community of traders and investors like you to find your answers.
Join now

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.

author
Tamás Gyuriczki
Author of this review
As a financial expert with BrokerChooser, I play an integral role in the analyst team by actively reviewing many of the 100+ brokers that are listed on our site. I personally open accounts with real money, execute trades, test customer services. My hope is that my first-hand experience with these brokers, incorporated in our reviews, helps users find the most suitable broker for their needs.