Online brokers & trading platforms in the United Kingdom in 2024

Written by
Adam N.
Fact checked by
Updated
Dec 2023

Dive into our top list of regulated and trusted brokers that we tested with real money. Every broker is available in the United Kingdom in 2024.

Top 10 Brokers in the United Kingdom by BrokerChooser:

  1. Interactive Brokers is the best online broker and trading platform in 2024. Low trading fees and high interest on cash balances. Wide range of products. Many great research tools.
  2. Saxo Bank - Great trading platform. Outstanding research. Broad product portfolio. Interest paid on uninvested cash.
  3. eToro - Free stock and ETF trading. Seamless account opening. Social trading.
  4. XTB - Commission-free stocks and ETFs (for trades up to €100k per month). Free and fast deposit and withdrawal. Easy and fast account opening. High interest paid on cash.
  5. Charles Schwab - Free stock and ETF trading. Outstanding research. Great customer service.
  6. Lightyear - Commission-free ETF and low commission on stock trades. High interest on uninvested cash. Quick account opening. Easy-to-use mobile trading platform.
  7. Webull - Free stock/ETF trading and high 5% interest on uninvested cash. Fast and easy account opening. Great trading platforms.
  8. Interactive Investor - User-friendly trading platforms. Fast and easy deposit and withdrawal. Interest on cash balances.
  9. Plus500 - Well-designed platform. Great account opening. Quick and helpful customer support.
  10. Oanda - Great trading platforms. Outstanding research tools. Fast and user-friendly account opening.

Can I trust these brokers in the United Kingdom?

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 our unique 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
Interactive Brokers
FCA in the UK, SEC in the US, and ASIC in Australia
Saxo Bank
FSA in Denmark, FCA in the UK, and FINMA in Switzerland
eToro
FCA in the UK, SEC in the US, and ASIC in Australia
XTB
FCA in the UK
Charles Schwab
SEC and FINRA in the US
Lightyear
FCA in the UK
Webull
SEC and FINRA in the US
Interactive Investor
FCA in the UK
Plus500
FCA in the UK, ASIC in Australia, and MAS in Singapore
Oanda
FCA in the UK, CIRO in Canada, and ASIC in Australia
Trust metrics for the best brokers in the United Kingdom in 2024
We label a broker as trusted if it has reliable regulation.
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Popularity of Top 10 Brokers in the United Kingdom

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

Compare Top 10 Brokers in the United Kingdom:

Compare key features of Top 10 Brokers in the United Kingdom such as overall score, minimum deposit, time to open account, country of regulation, withdawal options, withdawal fees.

Broker
Overall score
Minimum deposit
Interactive Brokers
4.9
/5
$0
Saxo Bank
4.9
/5
$0
eToro
4.8
/5
$10
XTB
4.8
/5
$0
Charles Schwab
4.6
/5
$0
Lightyear
4.6
/5
$0
Webull
4.6
/5
$0
Interactive Investor
4.6
/5
$0
Plus500
4.5
/5
$100
Oanda
4.5
/5
$0
Brokers and trading accounts available in the United Kingdom

 

For detailed information see the following articles:

 

Stock trading fees in the United Kingdom

Now let's check in detail the trading and non-trading fees charged by the best brokers for investing in stocks from the United Kingdom. All spreads, commissions and financing rates are for opening a position, holding for a week, and closing.

Broker
US stock
UK stock
Interactive Brokers
$1.0
$3.8
Saxo Bank
$1.6
$3.8
eToro
$0.0
$0.0
XTB
$0.0
$0.0
Charles Schwab
$0.0
-
Lightyear
$1.0
$1.3
Webull
$0.0
-
Interactive Investor
$5.0
$5.0
Plus500
-
-
Oanda
$0.0
-
Stock trading and non-trading fees in the United Kingdom

How to invest in stocks from the United Kingdom

There are many high-quality online brokers that offer their services for clients in the United Kingdom. Among these, you can find providers that offer stocks from the United Kingdom, but if you're looking to invest in other global markets, your possibilities open up even more.

Top brokers for investing in stocks

We have compiled a list of brokers that are available in the United Kingdom and are great for investing in stocks. We recommend that you pick one of the following brokers:

  1. Interactive Brokers, International broker providing all asset classes
  2. Saxo Bank, Danish investment bank
  3. eToro, Global social trading broker
  4. XTB, Global CFD broker
  5. Charles Schwab, US discount broker

Are you ready to start?

1. Find an online broker

First, you need to make sure that the broker you're looking at is available in the United Kingdom.

Would you like to speed up your search?

Our broker finder tool will help you narrow down your choices, showing only those brokers that are available in your country and are suitable for your investment goals and habits. And if you want a detailed, side-by-side comparison of these alternatives, check out our broker comparison table.

Broker
Stock and ETF fee scores
Web platform score
Interactive Brokers
4.6
/5
4.3
/5
Saxo Bank
4.5
/5
5.0
/5
eToro
5.0
/5
4.4
/5
XTB
5.0
/5
4.4
/5
Charles Schwab
5.0
/5
4.3
/5
Lightyear
4.8
/5
3.0
/5
Webull
5.0
/5
5.0
/5
Interactive Investor
3.6
/5
4.3
/5
Plus500
0.0
/5
4.5
/5
Oanda
0.0
/5
4.4
/5
Top brokers for investing in stocks from the United Kingdom

Here at BrokerChooser, we only recommend brokers that are regulated by at least one top-tier financial authority. Please note that some global brokers operate via several legal entities, each regulated by a local authority – so for example, US clients would be overseen by a US regulator, and UK clients by a UK financial authority. Some regulators also run investor protection schemes, making you eligible for compensation if your broker goes bankrupt.

If you want to invest in stocks from the UK, you may want to choose a broker that is overseen by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA investor protection scheme backs your assets up to £85,000.

2. Open your account

Opening an account at an online broker is usually easy and straightforward, and takes place fully online. Most of the time, you just need to provide your name, address and other basic information, and maybe answer some questions about your wealth/income status, financial knowledge or trading experience.

Make sure you have your documents at hand, as

  • copies of a photo ID
  • some recent bank statements
  • or utility bills

are usually required to verify your identity and residency.

Many brokers offer you several account types to choose from, such as individual or joint accounts, or various tax-free savings accounts. As a stock investor, you'll be especially interested in the latter.

If you're planning to invest in stocks in order to save for retirement, an Individual Savings Account (ISA) may be ideal for you. ISAs allow you to set aside savings (up to an annual limit) and be exempt from capital gains taxes on any profits. Most types of ISAs offer flexible terms when it comes to withdrawing funds early. In addition, you can open an ISA not just for yourself but also for your children. Click here for a more detailed explanation of ISAs. Sounds interesting? Then make sure you choose a broker that offers ISAs.

3. Fund your account

So your trading account has been verified; the next step is to fund it – in other words, to deposit money that you will then use for trading stocks. Some brokers require a minimum deposit when you open your account, but most brokers do not have such a requirement, allowing you to take your time before committing any funds.

All brokers will allow you to deposit or withdraw funds via bank transfer; an easy, usually free, though not always super-fast method. Withdrawing money to your bank account can take as long as three days.

Many brokers also let you deposit (though not withdraw) funds using credit or debit cards. A few will also accept so-called electronic wallets such as PayPal, Apple Pay, Skrill or Neteller. The biggest benefit of cards and e-wallets is that transactions take place instantly, allowing you to start investing – or reap the proceeds of a successful stock sale – right away.

4. Find and trade stocks

You may already know which stock(s) you want to trade; if not, it's worth checking out the research section of your broker, which often includes trading ideas and recommendations by in-house experts or third-party analysts. Alternatively, you can do a bit of research on your own, and check the selected stock's earnings multiples, or read up on industry news.

Once you have settled on a stock, it's easy – just

  • select it from the broker's search menu
  • enter the number of shares you want to trade
  • proceed with the trade

Most trading platforms will offer several order types - such as a "Market" order to trade at the current price, or a "Limit" order to trade later at a specific price. To learn more about various order types, read this article.

Trading account from the United Kingdom

How to open a trading account from the United Kingdom?

There are several factors to consider when opening a trading account, including the user-friendliness of the platform or the minimum deposit amount. Let's deep dive into these.

The time it takes to open an account typically ranges from a few minutes to a few weeks. The identity verification that marks the end of the process differs at various brokers. The account opening process is fully online in most cases, but there are brokers that require customers to mail a copy of their documents. The documents you usually have to upload and/or send (a copy) are of the following:

  • Proof of identity: national ID, passport, driving license, etc.
  • Proof of address: bank statements, utility bills, etc.

There are brokers that require a minimum deposit to authorize your trading account. The minimum deposit is usually $0 or a low amount, but some brokers demand a couple of thousands dollars/euros.

Broker
Broker intro
Time to open account
Interactive Brokers
International broker providing all asset classes
1-3 days
Saxo Bank
Danish investment bank
1 day
eToro
Global social trading broker
1 day
XTB
Global CFD broker
1 day
Charles Schwab
US discount broker
1 day
Lightyear
UK/EU-based stockbroker
1 day
Webull
US discount broker
1 day
Interactive Investor
UK stockbroker
1 day
Plus500
Global CFD broker
1 day
Oanda
US forex broker
1-3 days
Account opening at brokers available from the United Kingdom

Broker fees in the United Kingdom

Undoubtedly, fees are a crucial factor when selecting a broker. Below you can check the asset classes that individual brokers provide and whether their fees are classified as high, low, or average. This classification is based on how the fees compare to those charged by all the brokers reviewed by us.

Broker
Stock fee class
Forex fee class
Interactive Brokers
Low
Average
Saxo Bank
Low
Low
eToro
Low
Low
XTB
Low
Low
Charles Schwab
Low
Lightyear
Low
Webull
Low
Interactive Investor
Low
Plus500
Average
Oanda
Low
Trading fee classification at brokers in the United Kingdom

Non-trading fees are just as important as trading fees. Non-trading fees include charges not directly related to trading, such as withdrawal or inactivity fees.

Broker
Account fee
Inactivity fee
Interactive Brokers
Saxo Bank
eToro
XTB
Charles Schwab
Lightyear
Webull
Interactive Investor
Plus500
Oanda
Non-trading fees at brokers in the United Kingdom
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Author of this article

Adam Nasli

Financial Wizard | Trading • Safety • Market Analysis

I bring extensive financial expertise as one of BrokerChooser's earliest team members. Personally, I tested nearly all 100+ brokers on our site, opening real-money accounts, executing trades, assessing customer services, and providing firsthand assessment. My professional background includes roles in the banking sector and a degree from Central European University, where I teach finance. My passions lies in in-depth research of the financial industry, building trading algorithms, and managing long-term investments.

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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