Best Online Trading Platform UK 2020

Finding the best trading platform is important for any UK based investor. Our analysis of the best share dealing accounts is based on a variety of factors. These include: fees, platform, regulation, safety, customer support to name a few. We analyzed variables by importance to find the best online broker.

We spent hours researching different share dealing platforms in the UK to help you focus on making the best trading decisions.

Top Trading Platforms in United Kingdom

Here are the best online brokers in the UK for 2020:

1. Avatrade – Best Trading Platform Overall
2. eToro – Best Social Trading Platform
3. Plus500 – Best For Experienced Traders
4. Interactive Brokers – Best for Advanced Traders
5. XTB – Well Rounded Offering
6. Swissquote – Best Specialized Services
7. Pepperstone – Low Trading and Non-Trading Fees
8. IG – Easy to Use Trading Platform

Why should you read this guide?

Picking the right stockbroker is an important step for any UK trader considering that all your trades will be conducted using their interface and services provided by this firm.

Additionally, if this will be your first time trading stocks you should probably understand what kind of services your brokerage firm will be providing and what you should expect after you sign up and deposit your money.

However, considering the large number of brokers available in the UK, the task of picking a online trading platform may seem overwhelming and that is why you should consider reading this entire guide so you can have a broader perspective of what each of these brokers has to offer and which of them appears to be the best suited for your needs.

1 – AvaTrade – Best Trading Platform Overall

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AvaTrade offers a wide variety of asset classes including:

• Stocks
• Commodities
• Forex
• Bonds
• Cryptocurrencies
• Stock Indexes

AvaTrade features a straightforward account opening process and the possibility to use third-party trading platforms such as Meta Trader. There are no deposit or withdrawal fees. It is possible to open a demo account and test the platform.

What can you trade?

There are a variety of financial assets available through CFDs.

The portfolio of CFDs available on AvaTrade include:

• 56 Currency Pairs
• 17 Cryptocurrencies
• 630 individual stock CFDs.
• 20 stock index CFDs.
• 2 Bonds CFDs.
• 5 ETF CFDs.
• 17 Commodity CFDs.

Fees

Avatrade lowered their fees in November 2019, making it one of the most competitive online trading platforms. The inactivity fee is charged if the user doesn’t log into the trading account for 3 months ($50 per quarter).

PROS	CONS
Authorised and Regulated by many top-tier authorities	No 24/7 support available
Great charting and trading tools	Limited customization for the web-based platform
Great fees when considering all costs
AVA Trade EU Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland (No.C53877)
AVA Trade Ltd is regulated by the B.V.I Financial Services Commission (No. SIBA/L/13/1049)
Serving over 200,000 clients across the globe
Social trading available
Five Currencies Available
No minimum withdrawal amount
One of the Best Trading Mobile App (AvaTradeGO)

2 – eToro – Best Social Trading Platform

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Additionally, this online broker has a very user-friendly trading interface, which makes it especially attractive for beginners who may not be used to more complex trading environments such as those featured by Meta Trader or other advanced trading platforms.

The social-media like environment provided by eToro’s interface allows traders within the platform to connect with each other to exchange ideas, experiences, and even copy their portfolios by using a tool known as Copy Trader.

What can you trade?

eToro allows traders to buy shares and sell shares of thousands of companies around the world listed in 17 different exchanges including the New York Exchange, the London Exchange, and the Frankfurt Exchange.

Additionally, eToro offers the following markets:

• 173 exchange-traded funds
• Currencies
• Commodities
• Indices
• Cryptocurrencies

Fees

eToro charges no stock fees or commissions for trading shares and ETFs. However, other fees may apply including inactivity fees and overnight fees.

Stocks and shares can be traded directly or they can also be traded via CFDs. eToro’s fees for CFDs are relatively low compared to other share dealing accounts.

PROS	CONS
Regulated by tier-1 jurisdictions including the United Kingdom (Financial Conduct Authority) and Australia (Australian Securities and Investments Commission)	Research tools provided by this broker are fairly limited
You can open an share dealing account with eToro in a few minutes by registering online	Educational materials provided by eToro are limited to platform tutorials and a FAQ section
No stock trading or ETF fees apply	A $5 platform fee applies to each withdrawal and there’s a minimum amount of $30 per withdrawal
The social trading feature is an asset for inexperienced traders who can copy the portfolio of other traders
13 years of positive track record
One of the most user-friendly platforms in the industry and it features more than 70 charting tools
Does not charge deposit fees
Five Currencies Available
No minimum withdrawal amount
One of the Best Trading Mobile App (AvaTradeGO)

3 – Plus500 – Best For Experienced Traders

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One of the advantages of trading by using CFDs is that you can leverage your positions to boost your returns, even though that carries significant risk.

In this regard, Plus500 allows traders in the UK to apply for a Pro Account if they want to access higher levels of leverage, which are otherwise inaccessible for retail accounts.

What can you trade?

Plus500 offers CFDs on over 2000 financial instruments including:

• Shares
• Forex
• Commodities
• Options
• Indices
• Cryptocurrencies
• ETFs

Fees

Plus500 doesn’t charge commissions or fees as they benefit from the spread in the price of the underlying asset. This spread varies from one instrument to the other, which makes it difficult to calculate the actual cost of online trading with this trading platform.

The average spread for the S&P500 is 0.45 while the spread for the Europe 50 index is 1.

Additionally, overnight fees apply if the stock or ETF CFD is held for longer than a day.

PROS	CONS
Plus500 is a publicly-listed company regulated by various important tier-1 jurisdictions	Offers stock trading via CFDs
Offers a wide variety of stock, ETF, and stock index CFDs	CFDs are usually more expensive to trade
The minimum deposit required to open an account with Plus500 is $100	Research tools provided by this platform are very limited
This broker charges no fees for depositing or withdrawing money
Pro account allows higher leverage ratios
Offers great customer support experience according to traders who have reviewed their service

4 – Interactive Brokers – Best for Advanced Traders

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Another great thing about IB is that it is at the top when it comes to educational materials, offering investors the opportunity to learn from a wide range of tools including webinars, an in-house academy, and a series of short videos that cover various topics about online trading.

Finally, no deposit fees are charged by IB and the first withdrawal of each month is entirely free.

What can you trade?

Interactive Brokers provides investors with access to 140 exchanges around the world, making it the biggest one-stop-shop for stocks in the investment community.

Interactive Brokers covers no less than 78 stock exchanges and offers 13,000 different ETFs and even allow retail investors to pour their money into the stock market through fractional shares, which entitles the investor to a portion of a stock in a business that has a high share price.

Fees

IB’s trading fees for share trading is fairly low compared to its competitors as this brokerage firm charges $0.005 per US-listed share with a $1 minimum and a maximum platform fee of 1% of the value of the trade.

On the other hand, IB offers two types of plans for stock traders. The fixed-rate plan charges a flat fee on each share traded while the tiered plan adjusts the fees depending on the monthly volume of trades. A high volume usually entitles the trader to a lower fee.

It is important to note that the cost of trading shares in other markets around the world is also lower compared to other brokerage firms, but higher than IB’s fees for US-listed stocks. In general, it ranges from 0.1% to 0.2% for trading shares in a minor stock market.

PROS	CONS
Incredible portfolio covering basically all financial instruments and a wide range of financial markets	Opening an account with IB takes longer compared to other platforms
IB is regulated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the FCA (UK)	Somewhat complex desktop platform
Great research tools available	Inactivity fee is quite high
$0 required to open an IBKR account.
No deposit fees are charged and the first withdrawal of the month is free.
Decent web-based and mobile app
Great educational materials available for those seeking to learn more about online trading

5- XTB – Well Rounded Offering

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Unfortunately, even though XTB allows certain European clients to trade real stocks and ETFs, UK residents are not among those permitted.

However, the wide selection of stock CFDs provided by XTB should make up for such a disadvantage.

What can you trade?

XTB offers 1,700 different stock CFDs that cover a wide range of international markets. Additionally, XTB also offers a portfolio comprised of 103 ETF CFDs and 42 stock index CFDs.

Moreover, for countries that are allowed to, this brokerage firm offers access to 17 different stock markets and 170 real ETFs.

Fees

Since UK residents can only trade shares via CFDs with this provider, the fees are estimated as the average spread cost associated with each CFD transaction.

In this context, XTB is on the low end compared to the industry average when it comes to costs, charging an average spread of 0.6 for S&P500 CFDs and 2.2 for Europe 50 CFDs.

Additionally, XTB offers two types of accounts – Standard and Pro – designed with different cost structures.

PROS	CONS
XTB offers a wide range of stock, stock index, and ETF CFDs	Real shares cannot be traded with this brokerage firm if you live in the UK
Only $250 are required to open an XTB account
There are two types of accounts that offer different fee structures
Opening an account is very easy and can be done online
Withdrawals are free and no deposit fees are charged
User-friendly and easy to use web-based and mobile interfaces
Research tools offered by the xStation 5 platform are decent and include a great news flow, trading ideas, and 35 technical indicators

6 – Swissquote – Best Specialized Services

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What can you trade?

Swissquote offers stocks from 60 exchanges around the world, which puts it at the top of the list in terms of portfolio variety.

Additionally, Swissquote offers 1,500 different ETFs from different countries and exchanges and it even allows investors to trade penny stocks listed in the US stock market.

Fees

Trading stocks with Swissquote is significantly more expensive compared to other platforms available in the UK and the reason for that is that this platform caters to sophisticated investors who are seeking high-quality service rather than saving money on transaction costs.

The volume of each trade affects the ultimate amount paid in fees which makes it difficult to determine a referential fee per trade. However, the range goes from $9 for trades valued at $500 or less to $190 for trades valued at $50,000 or less for major markets.

For minor markets or less liquid markets, Swissquote charges a commission fee per trade starting at 0.50%.

PROS	CONS
Incredible portfolio covering more than 60 stock exchanges around the world	High stock trading and ETF trading fees
No inactivity platform fee	Credit/debit card withdrawal is not available
This platform is backed by a bank and it is regulated by various tier-1 jurisdictions	Charges a $10 fee per withdrawal
No minimum deposit required
No deposit fees are charged
Many base currency accounts available
Decent research tools with room for improvement
Wide range of available educational videos
Great user-friendly web-based platform and mobile app

7 – Pepperstone – Fairly Low Trading and Non-Trading Fees

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What can you trade?

Investors can only trade shares with Pepperstone via CFDs, which is a bit inconvenient if you are looking to own the shares directly to earn a fixed income through dividend payments.

This online brokerage firm only offers 60 stock CFDs and 14 stock index CFDs.

Fees

Pepperstone stock trading fees are harder to estimate as CFDs generate different types of commissions per trade such as overnight trading fees and spreads.

However, fees charged by Pepperstone are on the lower end. Compared to the industry average, the trading fee for a $2,000 long position on the S&P 500 index held by a week may generate a $2 platform fee. The same position for the Europe 50 index may generate a $1.6 fee.

This is for sure the most important competitive advantage for Pepperstone. The fees may be even lower for high-volume day traders who sign up for their Razor account.

PROS	CONS
Pepperstone is regulated by two tier-1 agencies – the FCA (UK) and the ASIC (Australia)	Shares can only be traded via CFDs
Low trading fees	Offers a limited number of stocks and shares to trade
No withdrawal and no deposit fees	Limited research tools
No minimum deposit is required	The web-based platform is a bit outdated and it is hard to navigate for beginners
No deposit fees are charged
Outstanding customer service
Easy account opening process
Great mobile app

8 – IG – Easy to Use Platform

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Finally, only $300 are required to open an IG account if the deposit is made via credit, debit card, or PayPal, while a $0 minimum is required if the payment method is a bank transfer.

What can you trade?

IG’s portfolio of CFDs is comprised of 68 stock indexes, 10,500 stocks, and 1,900 ETFs, while UK residents can buy shares and sell shares from 8 different stock markets and nearly 2,000 ETFs.

Fees

Fees for stock CFDs with IG are higher than average, but stock index CFDs can be traded at a relatively low cost.

On the other hand, the minimum fee per share trade varies depending on the volume of trades per month and they start at £8 per trade if the trader only did 2 trades the previous month and £3 if more than 3 trades were made.

Additionally, for US-listed shares, the cost of trading is $0.02 per share with manual currency conversion and free if the trader did more than three trades the month before with instant currency conversion.

For shares listed in other stock exchanges around the world, the cost per trade is usually 0.10% of the value of the trade.

For ETFs, the cost varies from 0.17% to 0.19% of the value of the trade.

PROS	CONS
No withdrawal fees and no deposit fees charged	Phone support is reportedly lacking in quality
Great web-based and mobile trading app	No fundamental data is available for individual shares
Low fees to trade real shares and ETFs
A wide selection of stock CFDs and real stocks to trade
Research tools include trading ideas and high-quality news flow
An account can be opened with $0 if the payment method is a bank transfer

What is Share Dealing?

Share dealing allows you to invest in stocks of a company. The profit is made by selling at a higher price or via dividends.

Shares are units of ownership in a company. Traditionally this was offered as a stock certificate (not common today). The price of shares rises if the company increases in value and vice-versa. Buying shares and stocks happens on the stock exchange. Regulations on which companies can list their shares and who can buy and sell them are very strict. This is why individuals buy shares via a share dealing account.

What you should look for when picking a stock broker in the UK?

Picking the right share trading account is important for trading in the UK, no matter your experience.

Depending on which broker you choose, there are many variables that come into play. Look for the following when trying to find the best trading platforms:

• Available stocks – each company has a specific list of stocks and shares that you are allowed to trade depending on their coverage and the degree of access they provide to global exchanges. Additionally, some brokers do not offer the possibility to buy shares directly, as you can only trade them via CFDs, which are financial contracts that do not entitle the holder to any kind of ownership of the underlying shares.
• Margin accounts and leverage – a margin account allows you to take on debt to trade UK shares online and the level of leverage may be different, so you should make sure the brokerage firm you chose offers you leverage ratios you are looking for.
• Customer support – customer support is something you don’t think you need until you run into an issue. For that reason, the best trading platforms offer top-notch customer service to address any issue investors may face during their journey.
• Types of orders – having various types of trade orders available is a positive feature, as it allows you to prevent losses and lock in profits by using certain price points at which you can exit a given position.
• Security – your money and your personal information should be safe from unauthorized accesses. You should make sure the company has a positive track record in this particular topic.
• Research tools – you may not wake up with the best trading idea every single day and that’s when research tools become an advantage. Your broker should offer at least certain tools for you to understand what’s going on in the markets and how you can profit from the situation.
• Education & training materials – the availability of educational material from your online brokerage firm can be a great asset to help you in improving your skills and ultimately the profitability of your trades.
• Costs – each brokerage firm has its own platform fees and commission structure and you should understand how much you will be paying every time you buy shares and stocks.
• Interface and ease of use – you will spend a lot of time in front of your computer screen analyzing charts and looking at different kinds of information before and after you make your trades. For that reason, a user-friendly interface is an important feature your broker should be able to offer to trade stocks online.
• Mobile app – smartphones have revolutionized the world and the online trading industry as well. Any broker that earns a fee should be able to provide a decent mobile app for traders to be able to buy and sell shares online on the go.
• Extra features – each online stock broker has its own way to present itself to traders as the ‘best’. They often do this by introducing some convenient features their competitors do not offer.

How do you know if a stock broker in the UK is safe?

There are various ways to evaluate the safeness of online brokers in the UK.

First of all, you should make sure the stock trading broker is regulated by a tier-1 financial jurisdiction such as the United States, Singapore, Australia, or the United Kingdom.

Additionally, it would be a plus if brokerage is registered and licensed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is the UK’s financial regulatory body.

You can also review an online broker’s credibility by checking how other traders have reviewed their services.

Finally, certain online stock brokers in the UK are publicly-traded companies, which adds more credibility to them as listed companies have to go through more intense regulatory scrutiny.

However, you should understand that by stock trading your capital is at risk as you can lose your entire balance as a result of unfavorable outcomes from your trades. Losing money by trading stocks is not something your broker can or is obligated to prevent.

Understanding the Risks of Trading with CFDs

Many of the brokers listed in the following review offer the possibility to trade shares via Contracts for Difference (CFD). This means you will not hold the actual share. Instead you will benefit or lose from the price movements of the underlying stock.

CFDs are highly risky financial instruments that are primarily designed for active traders – i.e. day traders – due to the costs associated with holding them for longer than a single day.

Additionally, CFDs do not entitle the holder to receive dividends from the underlying shares, which is a disadvantage of these instruments if you are expecting to buy shares to earn a fixed income from them.

Most of the stock brokers in this list also state that a large percentage of investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs and you should be aware of this before you start online trading by using these risky financial instruments.

Best Platforms for UK Traders

This is the list of the best online brokers UK for 2020:

Rank	Broker	Best For	Website
1	AvaTrade	Best Overall	Official Website
2	eToro	Copy Trading	Official Website
3	Plus500	Best for CFDs	Official Website
4	Interactive Brokers	Best for Advanced Traders	Official Website
5	XTB	Well Rounded Offering	Official Website
6	Swissquote	Best Specialized Services	Official Website
7	Pepperstone	Low Trading and Non-Trading Fees	Official Website
8	IG	Easy to Use Platform	Official Website