Investment apps allow you to manage your investment on the go no matter where you are. Below, we take a look at some of the best investing apps in the UK in April 2024, including Freetrade* and Plum*. All of the apps are free to download to your mobile phone but you may be charged additional fees if you choose to invest with the company. We go into more details on the fees below.
1 minute summary - Best investing apps for beginners
- Investment apps such as Freetrade* and Plum* allow you to invest from as little as £1
- An investment app can give you access to a choice of products. Depending on the provider, you can invest in a Stocks & Shares ISA, Stocks & Shares Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, Pension and General Investment Account.
- If you need access to your money within the next five years then you may be better off placing your money in a Cash ISA or looking at an investment platform that pays interest on the cash you hold.
Below, you'll find a detailed overview of each investing account we're comparing in this article. However, this table sums up the key features and fees of each account to help you compare them side by side.
| Minimum investment to open account | Account management fees | Investment fund fees | Trustpilot score | FSCS protection | |
| Nutmeg | £500 for most accounts | 0.25% to 0.75% | 0.21% to 0.36% | 3.9 out of 5 (1,800 + reviews) |  |
| Wealthify | £1 | 0.6% | 0.16% to 0.70% | 4 out of 5 (2,300+ reviews) | |
| Moneyfarm* | £500 | 0.35% to 0.75% | 0.10% to 0.20% | 4.1 out of 5 (1,100+ reviews) | |
| Plum* | £1 | £1 per month + 0.10% | 0.06% to 0.90% | 4.3 out of 5 (5,900+ reviews) | |
| Wombat* | £10 | 0.10% | 0.07% to 0.75% | 4.2 out of 5 (400+ reviews) | |
| AJ Bell Dodl* | £100 | 0.15% | 0.31% to 0.45% | 4.5 out of 5 (150+ reviews) | |
| Freetrade* | £2 | £5.99 to £11.99 per month | Included in the monthly fee | 4 out of 5 (3,800+ reviews) | |
| Trading 212 | £1 | N/A (pay-as-you-go fees apply) | N/A | 4.6 out of 5 (26,000+ reviews) | |
| eToro | $200 | N/A (pay-as-you-go fees apply) | N/A | 4.2 out of 5 (22,000+ reviews) | |
| Moneybox | Varies | £1 per month +0.45% | Up to 0.58% | 4.4 out of 5 (1,900+ reviews) | |
Nutmeg – good for fee-free investing for 12 months
Nutmeg is an online robo-advisor and the UK's largest digital wealth manager with more than 200,000 clients. The fintech won the Boring Money Best Buy ISA award in 2023 and has been in operation for more than 10 years. It has a 3.9 out of 5 score on Trustpilot based on more than 1,800 reviews. Below, we have outlined the key features and fees associated with a Nutmeg account.
- Minimum investment of £500 (£100 on a Junior ISA or Stocks and Shares Lifetime ISA)
- Choose between four investment styles, ‘Socially Responsible', ‘Fixed Allocation', ‘Smart Alpha', Thematic' or ‘Fully Managed'
- Invest in a Stocks & Shares ISA, Stocks & Shares Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, Pension, General Investment Account
- FCA registered and money is protected by FSCS
Nutmeg fees
- No set-up, trading, transaction or exit fees
- Account management fees range from 0.25%-0.75% depending on portfolio type
- Investment funds fees ranging from 0.21% – 0.36% depending on fund type
For more information and a total breakdown of Nutmeg's fees (including an exclusive offer of no management fees for 12 months) read our Nutmeg review.
Wealthify – good for competitive charges
Wealthify is an online saving and investing service that allows you to start investing from just £1. A handy app allows you to manage all your funds online, or you can opt for a managed fund where Wealthify experts manage everything for you.
Below, we have outlined the key fees and features associated with a Wealthify account.
- Invest from £1 (£50 for a Wealthify pension)
- Choose to be a Cautious, Tentative, Confident, Ambitious or Adventurous investor
- Set investment goals
- Invest in a Stocks & Shares ISA, Junior ISA, Pension, General Investment Account
- Withdraw money from ISA and GIA accounts with no penalty
- FCA registered and money is protected by FSCS
Wealthify fees
- Annual management fee of 0.60%
- Fund charges (an average of 0.16% for original plans and 0.70% for ethical plans)
For more information on Wealthify read our independent Wealthify Review.
Moneyfarm* – good for tailored investing (1 year of no management fees)
Moneyfarm is an online investment platform headquartered in London. It offers a range of products such as ISAs, GIAs, and pensions. It has a score of 4.0 out of 5.0 on Trustpilot based on more than 1,000 reviews.
Below, we have outlined the key features and fees associated with a Moneyfarm account.
- Minimum £500 investment
- Investment advice on hand
- Fully-managed portfolios
- Receive an investor profile tailored to you based on your investment knowledge, wealth and attitude to risk
- Invest with a Pension, Stocks & Shares ISA, Junior ISA and General Investment Account
- Offers a free pension drawdown service
Moneyfarm fees
- Management fee between 0.25% – 0.75%
- Fund fee 0.20%
- Transaction costs up to 0.10%
- No setup fees and no trading fees
For more information on Moneyfarm read our independent Moneyfarm Review.
Plum* – good for beginners
Plum is a money app that serves more than 1 million investors. It offers both free and paid plans that come with a range of features including higher interest rates and commission-free trades.
Below, we have outlined the key features and fees associated with a Plum account.
- Invest from £1
- Get £5 cashback* with an active Plum account. Additional T&Cs apply.
- Invest in tech, ethical companies and emerging markets
- Invest with an ISA, General Investment Account or Pension
- Choose between a list of funds with varying risk levels
- Plum is authorised and regulated by the FCA
Plum fees
- A monthly fee starting from £2.99 (depending on the Plum subscription plan you choose)
- 0.45% product provider fee
- Fund fees that vary from 0.06% – 0.90%
For more information on Plum read our Plum Review.
Wombat* – good for small investments
Wombat is an online investment platform that offers a variety of products such as ISAs, GIAs, and JISAs. Investors can start investing with just £10 with a range of stocks and ETFs on offer.
Below, we have outlined the key features and fees associated with a Wombat account.
- Invest with just £10 in ETFs and shares
- Tailor your investment portfolio based on your lifestyle and interests
- Your money is FSCS protected
- Invest your spare change
- Get 0.2% cashback when you invest with Instant GIA
Wombat fees
- Standard GIA/ISA/JISA – £1 per month subscription fee, 0.10% platform fee, 0.75% FX fee and 0.07-0.75% fund fee
- Instant GIA – No Subscription fee, 0.65% FX fee
For more information visit the Wombat Invest website. Capital at risk
AJ Bell Dodl* – good for active investors
AJ Bell Dodl is a low-cost investment app offering a range of ready-made themed funds. It has a 4.5 out of 5.0 score on Trustpilot based on more than 140 reviews.
Below, we have outlined the key features and fees associated with an AJ Bell Dodl account.
- Invest from £100 or £25 per month*
- Invest in a Stocks and Shares ISA, Pension, Lifetime ISA or General Investment account
- Invest in AJ Bell funds, Themed Investments and UK/US Shares
- Provided by AJ Bell, one of the UK's largest investment platforms
AJ Bell Dodl fees
- Platform fee of 0.15% of the value of your investments, paid monthly (Minimum £1 per month)
- Fund provider fees (0.31% to 0.45%)
- FX fees between 0.25% – 0.75%
For more information on AJ Bell Dodl read our Aj Bell Dodl Review.
Freetrade* – good for a free share
Freetrade allows you to invest in stocks and ETFs without commission for buying and selling shares. It has a 4.0 out of 5.0 score on Trustpilot based on more than 3,700 customer reviews.
Below, we have outlined the key features and fees associated with a Freetrade account.
- No fees for basic investing accounts
- Open an account via Money to the Masses and deposit £50 to get a free share worth between £10 – £100*
- Invest in a GIA, Stocks & Shares ISA or SIPP
- Authorised and regulated by the FCA
- FSCS protection
- Buy US, UK and European stocks and ETFs
Freetrade fees
- Free basic trades
- Free instant trades
- Stocks and Shares ISA – £5.99 or £11.99 a month
- FX rate of spot (immediate) rate + 0.45%
- Freetrade Plus account option for £11.99 a month which gives access to a pension and pays 3% interest on cash held (up to a maximum of £4,000)
For more information on Freetrade read our Freetrade Review.
Trading 212 – good for free trading
Trading 212 is an online investment platform that offers commission-free investment options. Trading 212 has a 4.6 out of 5.0 rating on Trustpilot with more than 25,000 reviews.
Below, we have outlined the key features and fees associated with a Trading 212 account.
- Free trading
- Large choice of assets
- Useful video guides
- Authorised and regulated by the FCA
- FSCS protection
- Buy US and UK stocks and ETFs
Trading 212 fees
- Free trades
- Free ISA
- Free deposits via bank transfer
- Free deposits via credit/debit card up until £2,000 (0.70% fee thereafter, free with CFD accounts)
- 0.50% currency conversion charge for Trading 212 CFD account
- 0.15% currency conversion charge for Trading 212 Invest and ISA account
For more information on Trading 212 read our Trading 212 Review.
eToro – good for copying other traders
eToro is a multi-asset platform with 30 million users around the world. It gives investors access to a variety of assets including 20 global stock exchanges.
Below, we have outlined the key features and fees associated with an eToro account.
- Invest from $10
- Invest in stocks and cryptocurrencies
- Replicate other traders with the CopyTrader feature
- Create ‘dummy' trades in a practice account with the Virtual portfolio
- Free investment insurance
- FCA regulated
eToro fees
- Currency conversion fee
- $5 withdrawal charge
- $10 a month inactivity fee after 12 months
- Spread fees range from 0.09% – 4.9% depending on the investment type
For more information on eToro read our eToro Review.
Moneybox – good for investing your spare change
Moneybox is an award-winning money app that has been around since 2016. It offers a range of products including ISAs and pensions. There are plenty of educational resources as well as free tools to help you understand your finances and investment choices.
Below, we have outlined the key features and fees associated with a Moneybox account.
- Invest from £1
- Invest your spare change using the 'round-up' function
- Choose between ‘cautious', ‘balanced' and ‘adventurous' risk levels
- Invest in simple tracker funds
- FCA registered and money is protected by FSCS
- Invest in a Stocks & Shares ISA, Stocks & Shares Lifetime ISA, Pension, General Investment Account, Junior ISA, Socially Responsible Fund
- Save in a Cash ISA, Simple Saver, 32, 45 day, 95 day or 120 day Notice Account, Cash Lifetime ISA
Moneybox fees
- A monthly fee of £1 if investing
- Annual charge of 0.45% of investment value
- Additional fund management charges 0.12% – 0.58%
- 0.45% currency conversion fee
- No fees to save with Moneybox
For more information on Moneybox read our Moneybox Review
These are just a few of the investing apps available on the market at the moment. If you do not like the look of any of the above investment apps, other investment platforms such as AJ Bell, Bestinvest, Interactive Investor, Hargreaves Lansdown, Vanguard and many others also offer apps for investors to use.
For more information on the best inestment platforms and their fees, see our Best Buy Tables.
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 – Moneyfarm, Plum, Freetrade, Dodl, Wombat
