General Investment Account Best Buy Table

Below you will find our independent general investment accounts best buy table. These tables are created using our own independent research, expert knowledge, customer reviews and personal experience. We regularly update the providers listed in our tables. If there are any providers you would like added or that you feel are missing from our best buy list, please get in touch.

How to use the table

We have simplified our table by listing each provider alphabetically. We provide an overall summary, an indication of cost and for ease a link through to the provider's website. If there is an exclusive promotion available, we will highlight this in the 'MTTM Promotion' column. In the interests of transparency, Money to the Masses will receive a small fee for each new customer acquired by any platform that features an * in the description column. Editorial independence is paramount to Money to the Masses and so in no way is our table influenced by 3rd parties. If you would prefer Money to the Masses not to receive a fee then you are free to navigate by yourself to the provider site of your choosing, remember though that you will not qualify for any exclusive promotions listed in the table.

General Investment Account Best Buy Table

Provider Summary Overall Cost MttM Promotion More Detail
A J Bell Youinvest

full star full star full star full star

Review
Cost effective for those with over £50k looking to manage own investments* Low N/A Details
Barclays Smart Investor

full star full star full star

Pricey for those with less than £20k Low N/A Details
BestInvest

full star full star full star full star

Review
A good investment platform, especially for beginners or those with smaller portfolios* Medium N/A Details
Charles Stanley Direct

full star full star full star full star

Review
About the cheapest platform for investments under £50k invested in unit trusts.* Low N/A Details
EQI

full star full star full star

Expensive, really aimed at share traders High N/A Details
Fidelity International

full star full star full star full star

Review
Good value for portfolios under £250k, no exit fees, wide range of investments. Let down by clunky site.* Low N/A Details
FinecoBank

full star full star full star full star

Low cost platform that is good for share dealing. Clunky website Low N/A Details
Freetrade

full star full star full star full star

Review
Commission free investing, great for investing in shares. Do not offer unit trusts Low Free share worth between £10 and £100. Capital at risk. T&Cs apply Details
Halifax

full star full star full star

Cost effective for over £250k, but iWeb is cheaper and also run by Halifax Medium N/A Details
Hargreaves Lansdown

full star full star full star full star

Review
Very competitively priced, particularly for investors with portfolios up to £100k. Large range of investments.* Medium N/A Details
Interactive Investor

full star full star full star full star full star

Review
Fixed fee platform charge. 2 service plans. Among the cheapest for those with portfolios over £50k.* Medium N/A Details
InvestEngine

full star full star full star full star

Review
Innovative low-cost platform offering a managed and DIY solution* Low Welcome bonus - see our review Details
iWeb

full star full star full star

Unique in that they don't charge an on-going platform fee, however it charges a £100 upfront account opening fee. Awful website Low N/A Details
Moneybox

full star full star full star

Great concept making it easy for armchair investors but the monthly admin fee makes this an expensive way to invest High N/A Details
Moneyfarm

full star full star full star full star

Review
Simple, no hassle passive method of investing.* Low Up to 1 year no management fee on ISAs Details
Nutmeg

full star full star full star full star full star

Review
Market leader. Wide range of products. Decent performance* Low No management fees for the first 12 months Details
Strawberry

full star full star full star

Low cost platform with no-frills website. Limited investment range Low N/A Details
Trading 212

full star full star full star full star

Review
Commission free investing, great for investing in shares. Currency conversion fees. Low N/A Details
True Potential

full star full star full star

An established platform but more expensive than newer entrants High N/A Details
Vanguard

full star full star full star full star

Review
Cheapest ways to invest in Vanguard funds if you have less than £80,000. No app Low N/A Details
Wealthify

full star full star full star full star full star

Review
Low minimum (£1), Low cost fixed fee, Strong ethical performance* Low N/A Details
Willis Owen

full star full star full star full star

Similar pricing to Hargreaves under £100k, cheaper above. Poorer user experience Medium N/A Details

Our overall cost calculation looks at average investment behaviour and so considers a wide range of investment scenarios. If you wish to see a detailed breakdown of each provider by a range of portfolio sizes then please read our article The best investment platform.