If you are looking for an investment platform, you may be considering investing app AJ Bell Dodl* or the UK's largest platform, Hargreaves Lansdown*. In this comparison, we look at the key features of each offering, focusing on their similarities and differences in terms of service, products and charges.
AJ Bell Dodl vs Hargreaves Lansdown - which is better?
| AJ Bell Dodl | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
| Services | Investing app
Ready-made investment portfolios managed by AJ Bell Choice of 37 funds and 81 UK & US stocks |
HL Select funds
Wealth Shortlist Ready-made portfolios Foreign currency exchange |
| Products | ISA, GIA (General Investment Account), Lifetime ISA, SIPP | Active Savings
Cash ISA Fund and share account ISA, GIA (General Investment Account), Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, SIPP, Junior SIPP |
| Minimum investment | £100 or £25 monthly investment | £1 for a fund and share account
£100 for an ISA or SIPP (or a regular £25 per month) |
| Platform fees | 0.15% annual charge (minimum £1 per month, per product)
Additional underlying fund charges |
On the value of your portfolio between £0-£250,000 there is a 0.45% annual charge.
Between £250,000-£1m - 0.25% per annum charge Between £1m-£2m - 0.10% per annum charge Over £2m - 0% per annum charge Additional underlying fund charges Dealing charges (based on deals completed in previous month): 0-9 deals - £11.95 10-19 deals - £8.95 20+ deals - £5.95 No charge for Junior ISAs No charge for holding shares |
| Customer reviews (Trustpilot) | 4.6/5.0 | 4.2/5.0 |
AJ Bell Dodl vs Hargreaves Lansdown - services
While AJ Bell Dodl is an app-only investment platform, Hargreaves Lansdown is a more traditional proposition, more in line with AJ Bell Dodl's parent company, AJ Bell. AJ Bell Dodl offers a streamlined investment choice, with 37 funds and 81 UK & US shares, while Hargreaves Lansdown has a wide array of options including more than 3,000 funds.
AJ Bell Dodl vs Hargreaves Lansdown - products
AJ Bell Dodl has the wrappers you would expect from a mainstream investment platform, namely stocks and shares ISAs, General Investment Accounts and SIPPs, as well as a Lifetime ISA. However, Hargreaves Lansdown has all of those options, plus savings accounts, cash ISA, Junior ISA and Junior SIPP. It also has a dedicated fund and share account. While AJ Bell Dodl provides investors with the capacity to invest in shares, it is currently limited to 81 UK & US companies, compared with more than 8,000 from Hargreaves Lansdown.
AJ Bell Dodl vs Hargreaves Lansdown - minimum investment
AJ Bell Dodl requires a minimum investment of either £100 as a lump sum, or a regular investment of £25 per month. Meanwhile, Hargreaves Lansdown has different levels of minimum investment, depending on the type of account you are opening. For example, for a fund and share account, you can start with as little as £1, while for an ISA or SIPP, you will need to put in a lump sum of at least £100, or £25 per month, the same as for AJ Bell Dodl.
AJ Bell Dodl vs Hargreaves Lansdown - platform fees
AJ Bell Dodl has established itself as one of the cheapest platforms in the UK, with a fee of just 0.15% per product, per year. However, it has a minimum payment of £1 per month per product, which means you have to invest more than £8,000 to bring the charges down to the 0.15% level. With no additional subscription fee or commission on buying or selling investments, it still represents good value.
For Hargreaves Lansdown, its charges start at 0.45% for the portion of your portfolio up to £250,000. Unlike AJ Bell Dodl which charges 0.15% for holding shares, there is no charge for holding shares with Hargreaves Lansdown, however, there is a dealing charge of £11.95 for buying and selling shares, reduced to £5.95 per transaction if you complete more than 20 deals in the previous month.
Summary: AJ Bell Dodl vs Hargreaves Lansdown
Overall, AJ Bell Dodl* and Hargreaves Lansdown* are significantly different from one another. On the one hand, Hargreaves Lansdown is a large, well-established platform with a diverse offering. AJ Bell Dodl, on the other hand, is new to market, app-only and specifically focused on offering a simple, pared-back proposition. A better comparison is between Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell Dodl's parent company, AJ Bell, which you can find in our article "AJ Bell vs Hargreaves Lansdown - features and fees compared".
For a more detailed analysis of each platform, read our AJ Bell Dodl review and Hargreaves Lansdown review.
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