Last checked: 2026-10-16
Please note: This page compares published charges only. It is not financial advice. Investing puts your capital at risk, tax treatment depends on your circumstances, and charges can change — always check the provider's own charges page before opening an account.
Three of the UK's most-used investment platforms, compared on the charges that matter most: what it costs to trade, what it costs to hold, and what it costs to convert currency.
All figures below were read from each provider's own published charges pages on the check date shown. Promotions and cashback offers are excluded because they change too often to keep fair.
| Feature | Trading 212 | Freetrade | AJ Bell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share dealing commission | Free on Invest, ISA and SIPP accounts | Free on all plans (Basic, Standard, Plus) | From £1.50 per online deal; £3.50 frequent-dealer rate for shares after 10+ online share deals in the previous month |
| Account / custody charge | Free — no custody fee | Basic £0/month; Standard £4.99/month billed annually (£5.99 monthly); Plus £9.99/month billed annually (£11.99 monthly) | Annual account charge, never more than 0.25%, payable monthly |
| Foreign exchange fee | 0.15% on orders in a different currency to the account | 0.99% (Basic), 0.59% (Standard) or 0.39% (Plus) on non-GBP trades | FX charge on international shares, capped at 0.75% |
| Stocks and Shares ISA | Yes — Stocks and Shares ISA offered | Yes — included on the free Basic plan | Yes — Stocks and Shares ISA offered |
| SIPP pension | Yes — SIPP offered | Yes — included on the free Basic plan | Yes — SIPP offered |
| Regular monthly investing cost | Free — no trading commission | Free — all investing is commission-free | £0 dealing charge on regular investing, from £25 per month |
| Provider link | Visit Trading 212 | Visit Freetrade | Visit AJ Bell |
Our pick for cost-conscious beginners: no commission, no custody fee, and the lowest headline FX fee of the three. The trade-off is a narrower, app-led service rather than a full advised platform.
A middle ground — free to start with an ISA and SIPP on the Basic plan, but regular US-share buyers will want a paid plan to cut the FX fee.
Best suited to larger buy-and-hold portfolios where a capped percentage charge and regular-investing service matter more than per-trade pricing.
If you trade often, dealing charges dominate. If you buy and hold, the annual account charge matters more. Check the sources linked under the table for the full detail behind each figure.