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 60 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 |
Up to £250,000 - 0.35% per annum 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 Reduced fees of 0.25% for Lifetime ISA (capped at £45 per year) No charge for Junior ISAs Account charge for holding shares, ETFs, investment trusts and bonds in a fund and share account, ISA or SIPP - 0.35% capped at £150 per year Dealing charges for shares, ETFs, investment trusts and bonds (based on deals completed in previous month): 0-20 deals - £6.95 20+ deals - £3.95 A dealing charge of £1.95 for funds was introduced on 1st March 2026 |
| Customer reviews (Trustpilot) | 4.6/5.0 | 4.4/5.0 |
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 60 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 60 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 0.35% for the portion of your portfolio up to £250,000 and there is a dealing charge of £6.95 for buying and selling shares, discounted to £3.95 per transaction if you complete more than 20 deals in the previous month. Hargreaves Lansdown has also introduced fund trading fees, meaning from 1st March 2026, investors will pay £1.95 per fund trade.
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.
When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than invested. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results.
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