Choosing your first trading app can feel hard. Every app says it is cheap and easy to use, but the fees, accounts and protections differ a lot once you look closely.
We compared the main FCA-regulated apps on what matters most to a beginner in the UK: the cost of small trades, the FX fee on US shares, whether you can use a Stocks and Shares ISA and how easy the app is to use. These are our picks for October 2026.
When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than you invest.
| App | Best for | Minimum deposit | Account fee | FX fee | ISA |
| Interactive Brokers | All-round | £0 | £0 (£3 monthly minimum in the ISA) | 0.03% on GlobalTrader | Yes |
| Trading 212 | Commission-free investing | £0 | £0 | 0.15% | Yes |
| eToro | Social investing | $50 | £0 | 0.75% | Yes |
| InvestEngine | ETFs | £100 | £0 (DIY) | No FX on GBP ETFs | Yes |
| Interactive Investor | Customer service | £0 | From £5.99 a month | 0.75% | Yes |
Sources: Interactive Brokers, Trading 212, eToro, InvestEngine and Interactive Investor, October 2026. Other fees may apply.
The best trading apps for beginners in the UK
- Interactive Brokers: best all-round app, with the IBKR GlobalTrader app for simple share trading.
- Trading 212: best for commission-free investing in shares and ETFs, with a 0.15% FX fee.
- eToro: best for social investing, with CopyTrader.
- InvestEngine: best for building an ETF portfolio, with no platform fee on DIY accounts.
- Interactive Investor: best for customer service, with phone support and a flat monthly fee.
How to choose a trading app as a beginner
Before you compare features, check these points:
- FCA regulation: look the firm up on the FCA register. All five apps here are FCA-authorised, and investments with UK firms are covered by the FSCS up to £85,000 if the firm fails.
- Use an ISA first: gains and dividends inside a Stocks and Shares ISA are free of UK tax. You can put up to £20,000 a year into ISAs.
- Check the FX fee: most beginners buy US shares, and every purchase is converted from pounds. On £1,000 of US shares, a 0.15% FX fee costs £1.50, while a 0.75% fee costs £7.50.
- Watch fixed fees on small amounts: a £5.99 monthly fee is 7.2% a year on a £1,000 portfolio, but only 0.7% on £10,000.
- Avoid CFDs while you learn: several of these apps also offer CFDs. Most retail accounts lose money trading them.
#1 Interactive Brokers (IBKR GlobalTrader)
Interactive Brokers: key features
| Feature | Interactive Brokers |
| Minimum deposit | £0 |
| Products | Stocks, ETFs, options, futures, forex, bonds, funds, CFDs, warrants and structured products |
| Fees on GlobalTrader | UK and European shares £3 per trade. US shares $0.005 per share ($1 minimum) |
| FX fee | 0.03% (auto conversion on GlobalTrader) |
| Accounts | General account, Stocks and Shares ISA and SIPP |
| Demo account | Yes (paper trading) |
| Regulator | FCA (FRN 208159) |
Source: IBKR GlobalTrader pricing, October 2026. Third-party fees may apply.
Interactive Brokers: pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Very low FX fee, which matters for US shares | The main IBKR platforms are complex for beginners |
| Access to more than 150 markets | £3 minimum monthly activity fee in the ISA |
| Simple GlobalTrader app for stocks, ETFs and options | Account opening asks more questions than most apps |
| ISA, SIPP and a free paper trading account | Commission on every UK share trade |
Our take on Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers (IBKR) was founded in 1978 and gives access to more than 150 markets. Its main platforms are built for active traders, which can feel like too much at the start. For beginners, IBKR offers IBKR GlobalTrader, a simpler app for buying stocks, ETFs and options.
On GlobalTrader, UK and most European shares cost £3 per trade, or 0.05% for trades above £6,000. US shares cost $0.005 per share, with a $1 minimum. Currency conversion costs only 0.03%, so £1,000 of US shares costs about 30p in FX. There is no account minimum and no platform fee.
IBKR offers a Stocks and Shares ISA and a SIPP. The ISA has a £3 minimum monthly activity fee, so it suits you best if you plan to invest every month. Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited is authorised and regulated by the FCA, with reference number 208159.
IBKR doesn’t offer spread betting. If that’s what you’re after, see our spread betting alternatives.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 58.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with IBKR. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
#2 Trading 212
Trading 212: key features
| Feature | Trading 212 |
| Minimum deposit | £0 |
| Products | Stocks and ETFs, including fractional shares |
| Commission | No commission (other fees may apply) |
| FX fee | 0.15% |
| Accounts | Invest account, Stocks and Shares ISA and SIPP |
| Practice account | Yes |
| Regulator | FCA (FRN 609146) |
Source: Trading 212 terms and fees, October 2026.
Trading 212: pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
| No commission on stocks and ETFs (other fees may apply) | No bonds, funds or options |
| Low 0.15% FX fee | 0.7% fee on card deposits above £2,000 |
| ISA and SIPP with no account fee | Limited research tools compared with IBKR |
| Pies and AutoInvest for regular investing |
Our take on Trading 212
Trading 212 is one of the simplest apps for a first portfolio of shares and ETFs. It charges no commission and no custody fee on its Invest account, ISA and SIPP. Other fees may apply. See terms and fees. Its main fee is for currency conversion: 0.15% FX fee applies when converting funds. Other fees may apply.
You can buy fractional shares, so you can start with small amounts, and Pies let you hold a set mix of investments and add to it on a schedule. Pies & Autoinvest is an execution-only service. Not investment advice or portfolio management. Automatic investing refers to executing scheduled deposits. You are responsible for all investment and rebalancing decisions.
Trading 212 UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the FCA, with reference number 609146. Investments are covered by the FSCS up to £85,000 if the firm fails. For a fuller look, read our Trading 212 review.
Sponsored code. To get a free fractional share worth up to £100, you can open an account with Trading 212 using the code FINTECH or this link. The share is worth between £8 and £100, and 80% of rewards are worth £25 or less. Terms apply.
When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than invested. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results.
#3 eToro
eToro: key features
| Feature | eToro |
| Minimum first deposit | $50 |
| Products | Stocks, ETFs, cryptoassets and CFDs on shares, currencies, commodities and indices |
| Commission | No commission on stocks and ETFs (other fees may apply) |
| FX fee | 0.75% from the GBP account to the USD account |
| Accounts | Trading account, GBP account and Stocks and Shares ISA |
| Demo account | Yes, with $100,000 in virtual funds |
| Regulator | FCA (FRN 583263) |
Source: eToro fees, October 2026.
eToro: pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
| CopyTrader lets you copy other investors from $200 | 0.75% fee to convert pounds to dollars |
| No commission on stocks and ETFs (other fees may apply) | $5 to withdraw from the USD account |
| GBP account with free withdrawals | Crypto costs 1% to buy and 1% to sell |
| No inactivity fee since May 2026 | $50 minimum first deposit |
Our take on eToro
eToro is the best-known social investing app. Its app is easy to use, and its CopyTrader feature lets you automatically copy the portfolio of another investor, from $200 per trader. You can also follow other users’ posts in the feed and see what they hold. Copying doesn’t remove risk: if the investor you copy loses money, so do you.
eToro charges no commission on real stocks and ETFs for UK clients. Other fees may apply. UK clients can hold a GBP account, with no fee on pound deposits or withdrawals. Buying US shares means moving money to the USD account, which costs 0.75%. eToro also offers a Stocks and Shares ISA, run on Moneyfarm’s platform, and it stopped charging an inactivity fee on 28 May 2026.
eToro (UK) Ltd is authorised and regulated by the FCA, with reference number 583263. UK clients are covered by the FSCS up to £85,000 if the firm fails, but crypto is not covered. eToro doesn’t offer spread betting, but we list alternative options.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 52% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
#4 InvestEngine
InvestEngine: key features
| Feature | InvestEngine |
| Minimum investment | £100 |
| Products | More than 870 ETFs |
| Platform fee | £0 on DIY accounts. 0.25% a year on Managed Portfolios |
| Accounts | Stocks and Shares ISA, SIPP, General Investment Account and Business Account |
| Regulator | FCA (FRN 801128) |
Source: InvestEngine, October 2026. ETF providers’ own charges still apply.
InvestEngine: pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
| No platform fee on DIY ISA, SIPP and General accounts | ETFs only: no individual shares |
| More than 870 ETFs, with fractional investing | £100 minimum investment |
| One-click rebalancing and AutoInvest | Managed Portfolios currently closed to new clients |
Our take on InvestEngine
InvestEngine is built for one thing: investing in ETFs at low cost. You can choose from more than 870 ETFs, from providers such as iShares and Vanguard, and buy fractions of them.
With one-click rebalancing, you can bring your portfolio back to the weights you set. For example, if you started with 30% in ETF A and 70% in ETF B, and the mix drifts to 35% and 65%, one tap brings it back to 30/70. AutoInvest invests each new deposit into your chosen ETFs automatically.
The DIY service has no platform fee on the Stocks and Shares ISA, the SIPP and the General Investment Account. You only pay the ETF providers’ own annual charges. Managed Portfolios cost 0.25% a year, but InvestEngine says they are currently unavailable to new clients. InvestEngine is authorised and regulated by the FCA (FRN 801128), and eligible investments and cash are covered by the FSCS up to £85,000. For more ETF options, see our guide to the best ETF brokers in the UK.
When investing, your capital is at risk. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may change in the future.
#5 Interactive Investor
Interactive Investor: key features
| Feature | Interactive Investor |
| Monthly plans | Core £5.99 (portfolios up to £100,000), Plus £14.99, Premium £39.99 |
| UK and US share trades | £3.99 (£2.99 on Premium) |
| Free trades | 1 a month on Plus, 10 a month on Premium |
| FX fee | 0.75% (0.25% on Premium) |
| Regular investing | Free |
| Products | Shares, ETFs, funds, investment trusts and bonds |
| Regulator | FCA |
Source: Interactive Investor plans, October 2026.
Interactive Investor: pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Phone support and a 4.6 Trustpilot score | The £5.99 monthly fee is expensive on small portfolios |
| Flat fee, which gets cheaper as your portfolio grows | £3.99 per trade unless you invest regularly |
| Free regular investing | 0.75% FX fee on Core and Plus |
| Wide range of shares, funds and investment trusts | No fractional shares or crypto |
Our take on Interactive Investor
Interactive Investor (ii) was founded in 1995 and has been owned by aberdeen since 2022. It stands out for customer service: you can call a person during opening hours, and it has a TrustScore of 4.6 out of 5 (“Excellent”) on Trustpilot, from more than 28,000 reviews (October 2026).
ii charges a flat monthly fee instead of a percentage of your portfolio. The Core plan costs £5.99 a month for portfolios up to £100,000, and UK and US share trades cost £3.99. Regular investing is free, so a monthly plan into funds or ETFs avoids the trading fee. On a small portfolio the flat fee is expensive: £71.88 a year is 7.2% of £1,000. Above about £50,000, it usually works out cheaper than platforms that charge a percentage.
ii pays interest on cash in GBP, EUR and USD. It doesn’t offer fractional shares, crypto or forex trading. If you want crypto, see our alternatives for investing in cryptocurrencies.
Conclusion
These are our picks for the best trading apps for beginners in the UK in October 2026:
| Rank | App | Best for |
| #1 | Interactive Brokers | All-round |
| #2 | Trading 212 | Commission-free investing |
| #3 | eToro | Social investing |
| #4 | InvestEngine | ETFs |
| #5 | Interactive Investor | Customer service |
If you mainly want to buy shares and ETFs with small amounts, Trading 212 has no commission and a 0.15% FX fee. Other fees may apply. If you want more markets and products as you learn, IBKR GlobalTrader keeps costs low with a 0.03% FX fee. InvestEngine suits a simple ETF portfolio, eToro suits you if you want to copy other investors and Interactive Investor makes sense once your portfolio is large enough for the flat fee to pay off.
When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than you invest.
FAQs
Which trading app is the best in the UK?
It depends on what you want to invest in. For shares and ETFs, Trading 212 charges no commission and a 0.15% FX fee. Other fees may apply. For the widest range of markets, Interactive Brokers is our top pick. For a hands-off ETF portfolio, InvestEngine is the simplest.
Which trading app is the best for beginners in the UK?
All five apps above are FCA-regulated and work well for beginners. If you choose IBKR, start with the GlobalTrader app, which is much simpler than its main platforms.
How much money do I need to start investing?
Not much. Interactive Brokers, Trading 212 and Interactive Investor have no minimum deposit, and Trading 212 and InvestEngine offer fractional investing. eToro asks for a $50 first deposit and InvestEngine a £100 minimum investment. Remember that fixed fees, such as ii’s £5.99 a month, weigh more on small amounts.
Is my money protected if a trading app goes bust?
If the app is run by an FCA-authorised UK firm, your investments are held separately from the company’s own money, and the FSCS can pay up to £85,000 per person if there is a shortfall. The FSCS doesn’t cover losses from falling prices, and crypto isn’t covered.
Is a trading app better than a desktop platform?
For most beginners, an app is enough. You can buy and sell, set up regular investments and get price alerts on your phone. Desktop platforms are more useful for detailed charts and research, and most providers on this list offer both.