If you are looking for the best platform to invest your money with, Hargreaves Lansdown and Fidelity are two of the biggest players in the UK market. In this article we compare what they offer to investors, including their products and services, as well as the cost.
Hargreaves Lansdown vs Fidelity - which is better?
| Hargreaves Lansdown | Fidelity | |
| Minimum investment | £1 for a fund and share account
£100 for an ISA or SIPP (or a regular £25 per month) |
£1,000 or £25 per month for regular savings plan |
| Services | Invest in funds and shares
Wealth Shortlist Ready-made portfolios Foreign currency exchange Spread betting and CFDs |
Invest in funds and shares
Select 50 Select 50 Balanced fund Investment finder and Navigator Pension and retirement planning Wealth management for those with over £250,000 Fidelity Fundsnetwork for advisers |
| Products | Active Savings
Cash ISA Fund and share account ISA, General Investment Account, Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, SIPP, Junior SIPP Ready-made personal pension |
ISA, General Investment Account, SIPP, Junior ISA, Junior SIPP
|
| Fees (Platform 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 |
Dealing charges:
No charge for funds £7.50 per online deal on shares, exchange-traded funds and investment trusts. This is reduced to £1.50 if part of a regular savings plan £0-£24,999 - 0.35% if you have a regular savings plan or £7.50 per month if you don't £25,000-£250,000 - 0.35% £250,000-£1m - 0.20% £1m+ - 0.20% for first £1m, fee-free after that Additional underlying fund charges No charge for Junior ISAs No charge for Junior SIPPs No charge for exchange-traded investments held in an Investment Account |
| Customer reviews (Trustpilot) | 4.4/5.0 | 4.6/5.0 |
| Independent Platform reviews | Hargreaves Lansdown | Fidelity |
Hargreaves Lansdown vs Fidelity - services
At their core, Hargreaves Lansdown and Fidelity are quite different propositions. Hargreaves Lansdown is the UK largest's investment platform, but at its foundation is a financial advisory service. While it offers a great deal of choice, with a range of savings and investment options, including the capacity to invest in 4,000 funds, as well as shares, bonds, ETFs and investment trusts, it doesn't have the same scope as Fidelity.
While Hargreaves Lansdown has a handful of its own funds, as well as ready-made portfolios, Fidelity has a broader and more established range of funds and also has a separate platform, Fidelity Fundsnetwork, which is used by financial advisers. And while both companies offer retirement planning and pension options, Fidelity also administers company pensions.
The area where Hargreaves Lansdown has an advantage is with the tools and functionality on its site, particularly in terms of researching funds and shares. It also has four ready-made managed portfolios, particularly useful to those new to investing and requiring more guidance. Additionally, it offers four multi-index tracker portfolios providing a slightly cheaper and less 'hands-on' approach.
Hargreaves Lansdown vs Fidelity - products
Both Fidelity and Hargreaves Lansdown have a good variety of products available, with the ISAs, GIAs and SIPPs you would expect from such major players, but also JISAs and Junior SIPPs. The differentiators between the two are the active savings and cash ISA offered by Hargreaves Lansdown and, crucially, a Lifetime ISA (LISA), which Fidelity doesn't have.
If you are specifically interested in a LISA, there is lots more information in our article "Lifetime ISAs explained - are they the best way to save?"
Hargreaves Lansdown vs Fidelity - minimum investment
The minimum investment will depend on what type of account you wish to open. With Fidelity it is fairly simple, it requires a minimum lump sum investment of £1,000 or a regular monthly commitment of £25.
Hargreaves Lansdown has a minimum investment of £100 for an ISA or SIPP, although this too reduces to £25 per month for regular savers. Those wishing to open a fund and share account can do so with just £1.
What is the difference between Hargreaves Lansdown and Fidelity fees?
Fidelity and Hargreaves Lansdown both charge a platform fee of 0.35% for investments up to £250,000. For those with investments between £250,000 to £1m, Fidelity is marginally cheaper, charging 0.20% compared with 0.25% for Hargreaves Lansdown. It also beats Hargreaves Lansdown for investment amounts between £ 1m and £ 2m, charging 0% on everything over £1m.
Hargreaves Lansdown's dealing fees start at £6.95 per deal, compared to £7.50 from Fidelity. Those placing over 20 deals the previous month will pay a reduced fee of £3.95 with Hargreaves Lansdown and Fidelity customers who place trades as part of a regular savings plan qualify for a reduced fee of £1.50.
However, what sets Fidelity apart is that it doesn't charge fees for buying and selling funds, whereas Hargreaves Lansdown has introduced a £1.95 fee per trade from 1st March 2026.
It is worth noting, however, that while the cost is a major factor for many investors, you need to look at the whole proposition for both platforms to help you decide if you are willing to pay extra in order to access some of the features offered by Hargreaves Lansdown.
Hargreaves Lansdown vs Fidelity - customer reviews
According to independent review site Trustpilot, Fidelity ranks slightly higher, having secured a Truspilot rating of 4.6 out of 5.0 compared to 4.4 out of 5.0 from Hargreaves Lansdown. Just over half of respondents for each company rated them as "Excellent", with only around 11% claiming they were "bad". Hargreaves Lansdown is praised for its efficiency and good service, while Fidelity is rated for the tools and features it offers alongside its service proposition.
Summary - Hargreaves Lansdown vs Fidelity
Both Hargreaves Lansdown and Fidelity represent good options if you are looking for well-established companies with a wide range of products. The decision largely comes down to whether you are looking for the best value for money, in which case Fidelity is a strong contender, or if you want access to some additional products and the research capabilities and extra support offered by Hargreaves Lansdown.
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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