Hargreaves Lansdown is the UK's largest fund platform and remains a popular choice among UK investors. While it offers a good range of products, useful tools and excellent insight and research, investors should be aware that there are cheaper alternatives. In this article, we look at 5 best alternatives to Hargreaves Lansdown and give our views on which platform is best for a number of different investing scenarios.
Best all-round alternative to Hargreaves Lansdown
- 
Regular Cashback offers. Check out our Interactive Investor review for more information
Subscription plan priced at £4.99, £11.99 or £19.99 per month (No annual management charge)
Cheaper than Hargreaves Lansdown if investing more than £13,333
Pay just £3.99 per trade compared to £5.95 to £11.95 with Hargreaves Lansdown
Check out our full independent Interactive Investor review
Best alternative to Hargreaves Lansdown if investing in ready-made portfolios
Annual charge on its 'smart' and 'expert' ready-made portfolios of 0.20% up to £500,000 and 0.10% up to £1m with no extra charge over £1m
Pays 4.20% interest on uninvested cash
No dealing charges for funds
Free coaching sessions with a qualified financial planner
Check out our full independent Bestinvest review
Best alternative to Hargreaves Lansdown if investing in ETFs
- Get a welcome bonus of up to £50* when you invest at least £100 with InvestEngine, New customers only, T&Cs apply, Capital at risk
Build and manage your own ETF portfolio with no platform charges
£100 minimum investment
No dealing charges
Check out our full independent InvestEngine review
Best alternative to Hargreaves Lansdown if investing in shares
- Get a FREE SHARE worth up to £100* when you deposit at least £50 into a Freetrade flexible ISA (capital at risk) or Freetrade basic account (capital at risk). T&Cs apply
No charge for trading shares (Hargreaves Lansdown charges £5.95 - £11.95 depending on the number of trades)
Simple user-friendly app
Check out our full independent Freetrade review
Best alternative to Hargreaves Lansdown for passive investors
- AJ Bell*
Good for passive investors who are happy to buy and hold investments (Fund switches cost £1.50 per deal)
Annual charge of 0.25% up to £250,000, 0.10% £250,000 to £1 million, 0.05%, £1 million to £2 million, no annual charge over £2 million
Maximum charge of £3.50 per month if investing in shares
Check out our full independent AJ Bell review
Alternatively, if you are happy to passively invest just in Vanguard funds then Vanguard Investor charges a platform fee of 0.15% per annum on investments up to £250,000 while over £250,000 there is no fee. That means that the maximum platform fee is £375 per year. However, you do not have the wide investment choice enjoyed by AJ Bell customers. Read our full Vanguard Investor review.
Summary
Hargreaves Lansdown* is a popular choice for UK investors and you only need to take a look at independent customer review site Trustpilot to see why. Many of the reviews are from loyal Hargreaves Lansdown customers who champion its user-friendly website and helpful staff. Dig a little deeper, however, and you will find that many of the negative reviews cite its fees as the reason for submitting their low score.
Hargreaves Lansdown is likely to be a good option for investors who prioritise service and efficiency. Those who are seeking the cheapest option and who are happy to spend a little more time investigating alternative options could be best served looking at the alternatives to Hargreaves Lansdown mentioned in this article.
If a link has an * beside it this means that it is an affiliated link. If you go via the link, Money to the Masses may receive a small fee which helps keep Money to the Masses free to use. The following link can be used if you do not wish to help Money to the Masses or take advantage of any exclusive offers - Hargreaves Lansdown, Interactive Investor, AJ Bell, Bestinvest, Freetrade, InvestEngine
