Thadeus Geodfrey and finance are inseparable. He is a versatile expert with a strong cryptocurrency and market analysis background. Thadeus provides a unique blend of technical and strategic insights as a seasoned financial writer. His overarching probe and attention to detail inspire the InvestingGuide community. He guides you through the continuously evolving market landscape to build solid investments or make successful trades.
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Stock trading can be a splendid source of income. But, to reap maximum returns, you must trade with an excellent FCA-regulated stock broker. Moreover, you need adequate skills and knowledge. Our guide will help you with the former. At InvestingGuide, our primary objective is to help you find outstanding service providers. Our team analysed countless companies and hand-picked the best based on first-hand experience.
Finding the right online stockbroker in the UK can be a game-changer for your investing journey. When I first started exploring the stock market, I quickly realised that not all brokers offer the same experience. Some stand out with low fees, while others shine with advanced trading tools or beginner-friendly platforms.
To ensure you find what aligns best with your requirements, I took it upon myself to conduct extensive research and evaluate the stockbrokers in the UK on your behalf. I compared over 20 options and picked the top 4 with the most outstanding features. Not only does this guide highlight their features, but it also shares some tips to get you started on a good note.
List of the Best Stock Brokers
- eToro – Overall Best
- Plus500*- Best for CFD Trading
- Pepperstone – Best for Spread Betting
- FP Markets – Top Option for Advanced Traders
Note: 80% of CFD retail accounts lose money with this provider.
In This Guide
Compare Brokers Table
I have been working as a financial advisor with some of the top financial institutions in the UK. Throughout my tenure, I was able to bring insights that boosted revenue by over 20%. I am confident in my recommendations. That is why I not only select the best brokers but also share the elements I believe make them stand out.
See below my comparison table for the best decision.
| Best Stock Broker | Licence & Regulation | Support Service | Software | Payment Method | Demo Account |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| eToro | FCA, CySEC, FSCA, ASIC, SFSA ADGM, MFSA, FSAS, GFSC, SEC | 24/5 | eToro investing platform and app, Multi-asset platform, Social Trading, Copy Trader, Smart Portfolios | Credit/debit cards, Bank transfer, Klarna, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller | Yes |
| Plus500* 80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. | FCA (FRN 509909), CySEC (#250/14), ASIC, MAS, FSA | 24/7 | Plus500 CFD | Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, Skrill, Bank transfer | Yes |
| Pepperstone | FCA, MAS, ASIC, FSCA, DFSA, CySEC, CMA, SCB, BaFin | 24/5 | TradingView, MT4, MT5, cTrader, Pepperstone Trading Platform, Social trading | Visa, Mastercard, Bank transfer, Neteller, Skrill, PayPal | Yes |
| FP Markets | FCA, FSCA, ASIC, CMA, CySEC, FSA | 24/7 | MT4, MT5, TradingView, cTrader, WebTrader, Mobile App, Copy Trading | Credit/debit cards, Neteller, Skrill, Bank transfer, Google Pay, Apple Pay | Yes |
Fees & Commissions
As an experienced trader and investor in the stock market, I understand the importance of factoring in broker fees when planning and budgeting for your activities. The last thing you want is to incur extra costs that could potentially affect your nest egg or eat into your profits.
To ensure you select the best stockbroker that fits your budget, I have prepared a summary of the top stockbrokers’ fee structures below. From minimum deposit requirements to inactivity costs, you will be able to easily make a clear choice.
| Best Stock Broker | Minimum Deposit Requirement | Commission/ Spreads | Deposits/ Withdrawals | Inactivity Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eToro | £100 | From 0% | £5 withdrawal fee | £10 monthly |
| Plus500* | £100 | From 0% | Free | £10 monthly |
| Pepperstone | £0 | From 0.0 pips | Free | £0 |
| FP Markets | £100 | From 0.0 pips | Free | £0 |
Note: 80% of CFD retail accounts lose money with this provider.
Platforms Reviews
Recent statistics show that over 26% of Brits have invested in the stock market. This means that more than a quarter of UK residents see growth potential in this market. However, achieving success requires careful planning and solid strategy development. As a beginner, you can utilise brokers’ learning resources to boost your skill level. Plus, take advantage of research materials to explore the share market and identify the best entry and exit points.
It is also crucial to choose the best broker. And as mentioned earlier, compare various options by looking into their key features. I will take you through this process later in this guide. But first, here are my mini-reviews on the best stockbrokers in the UK.
1. eToro – Overall Best
My best overall stockbroker in the UK is eToro, and for various reasons. Founded in 2007, this company boasts a whopping 35 million+ registered users. This is a clear indication that it is trusted by many and guarantees your funds’ safety. Plus, I like it because it gives users access to more than 6,000 stocks from 20 exchanges, which, in my opinion, is plenty enough. The stocks are affiliated with countless established companies and organisations, from Walt Disney and Netflix to Amazon and Tesla.
The other good thing about eToro is that it supports trading and investing. This broker allows you to invest in real company stocks, a quality lacking in many other service providers. And while investing in stocks, you can diversify your portfolio by trading other financial instruments, including currency pairs, commodities, and ETFs. What’s more, this broker supports CFD trading.
Investing in stocks with eToro is a good idea since you get to own the underlying asset. Moreover, this best stock trading platform in the UK allows you to spend as little as £50 as the minimum deposit requirement. And if you are a beginner, you can start your investment journey with an eToro demo account, which comes with £100,000 in virtual funds.
eToro
✔5000+ financial instruments
✔Cost-free deposits
Pros & Cons
Fees
Trading Assets
Pros
- Allows users to invest in real shares
- Offers thousands of other tradable instruments, including forex pairs and commodities
- Stock investments come with zero commissions
- Knowledgeable and responsive customer support team
- A well-designed website with a friendly user interface
Cons
- Charges £5 for every withdrawal request
- £10 monthly account inactivity fee
If there’s anything that can eat away at your profit margins, it’s unnecessary costs. Thankfully, eToro fees UK are reasonable and pocket-friendly. We acquired a new account without paying a single cent, which was quite a relief. We also noticed that you can enjoy free deposits by using USD. That said, eToro supports many other currencies, including GBP, EUR, and RMB.
You will incur conversion fees if you use any currency other than USD. And if you use any currency that eToro doesn’t support, you must pay conversion fees to your payment provider. The exact conversion fees you may incur at any moment will depend on various factors, including your preferred currency and payment method.
Please note that eToro subjects each withdrawal request to a £5 fee. The platform uses this money to pay expenses arising from international money transfers. Most importantly, you can’t withdraw less than £30 from the eToro trading platform.
While depositing money into our account, we noticed that eToro has strict minimum deposit requirements. Britons using this platform have to deposit at least £100 the first time. Afterwards, you can fund your account with as little as £10, depending on your preferred payment method.
Commission-wise, eToro is very friendly to people who trade ETFs or invest in real stocks since the broker charges 0% for these assets. On the other hand, if you buy or sell crypto on this platform, expect to pay a 1% fee. CFD trading also attracts variable spreads depending on the involved instruments. For instance, the spreads for currencies and commodities start from 1 pip and 2 pips, respectively.
Not to forget, eToro charges a £10 monthly inactivity fee that kicks in after 12 months of dormancy.
2. Plus500 – Best for CFD Trading
Plus500 is another stockbroker that impressed me with its features. I primarily recommend it for CFD trades, as I believe that its low cost will benefit low-budget and beginner traders. The available products come from diverse popular markets, from the UK and Germany to the US and China. They include stock CFDs from Apple, Meta, NVIDIA, and many other prominent companies.
Trading stock CFDs with Plus500 comes with its fair share of upsides. First, you get to magnify your profit potential* with flexible leverage of up to 1:5. I also like that the trading platform offers quality tools you can use to lock in profits and mitigate losses, including Guaranteed Stop.
And besides stock CFDs, Plus500 users can explore additional CFD instruments, including indices, FX pairs, and ETFs.
For professional stock traders, Plus500 offers them an opportunity to enjoy higher leverage of up to 1:20 on stock CFDs. You will also benefit from cash rebates, negative balance protection, and other juicy boons. Plus500UK Ltd is authorized & regulated by the FCA (#509909).
*Your capital is at risk
Note: 80% of CFD retail accounts lose money with this provider.
Plus500
✔User-friendly interface
✔Zero deposit and withdrawal fees
Pros & Cons
Fees
Trading Assets
Pros
- Offers CFDs on over 2,800 instruments, including company shares
- Zero withdrawal and deposit fees
- Excellent customer support is available 24/5
- Quality educational materials for beginners
- Juicy boons for professional traders
Cons
- No third-party trading platforms like MetaTrader
- Investing in stocks is not supported in some countries, including the UK
Brokers need to generate revenue and cover operating costs. That’s why many have fees and commissions. Sadly, high charges can undermine your profitability in the long run. That’s why looking for an affordable service provider is necessary.
With that in mind, we evaluated Plus500 fees UK. The process was easy since this broker values transparency. Our team was impressed by the fact that the trading platform doesn’t charge a dime for most services. First, opening an account is free. Deposits and withdrawals also attract zero charges. Furthermore, the broker offers free live CFD prices and dynamic charts. But note that the Plus500 minimum deposit UK is £100.
Plus500 primary source of compensation is the spread. While trading with this platform, you’ll have to cover the spread whenever you open a position. Your costs will depend on various factors, including your preferred instrument and current market conditions.
This broker also charges overnight funding and currency conversion fees. The former fee kicks in whenever you keep a position open overnight. On the other hand, you have to cover currency conversion fees whenever you interact with any currency besides your account’s base currency. Lastly, dormant Plus500 accounts attract a £10 monthly inactivity fee.
3. Pepperstone – Best for Spread Betting
If you are a spread bettor searching for an excellent stockbroker, I recommend Pepperstone. Partnering with this service provider will enable you to bet on the spreads of different individual stocks, including Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Apple. Available stocks are linked to companies from various regions, including the UK, Australia, and the US.
Personally, I love to spread bet, as it comes with the benefit of not incurring tax on profits. I also discovered that Pepperstone allows its users to build custom EAs that they can use to automate trading. As if that isn’t enough, the broker offers uncapped access to numerous outstanding trading platforms, from cTrader and MT5 to MT4 and TradingView.
Besides spread betting, this broker supports trading CFDs on available stocks as well as additional asset classes. These include commodities, currency pairs, ETFs, forex, and more.
Pepperstone
✔24/7 customer support
✔No inactivity fees
Pros & Cons
Fees
Trading Assets
Pros
- Spread bettors enjoy tax-free profits
- No minimum deposit requirement
- Free deposits and withdrawals
- Dormant accounts incur zero inactivity fees
- Hosts third-party trading platforms like MT4 and MT5
Cons
- Limited educational materials
- High spreads for CFDs on US shares and ETFs
After evaluating Pepperstone, we opened a trading account for conducting extensive tests. The process was quick and easy.
But what impressed us most was the Pepperstone minimum deposit requirement. This platform has no minimum deposit, which makes it ideal for low-budget and high-budget traders. If you are a beginner, joining this broker is advisable since you can start with a low amount and increase your stakes with time. To top it off, Pepperstone supports free deposits and withdrawals. This broker allows you to use diverse payment methods for free, from Visa debit and credit cards to PayPal and domestic bank transfers.
When it comes to spreads and commissions, Pepperstone is very cost-friendly. You can open a Razor account with this broker and enjoy 20 commission-free trades. Pepperstone’s Standard accounts also have zero commissions. On the other hand, spreads start from as low as 0.0 pips for forex pairs like EUR/USD and 0.5 for commodities like XAUUSD.
Finally, unlike most of its peers, Pepperstone charges zero inactivity fees. However, any positions you hold overnight with this platform are subject to swap rates. Visit Pepperstone’s pricing page for a detailed account of how this broker calculated swap rates for different financial instruments.
4. FP Markets – Top Option for Advanced Traders
Numerous advanced trading platforms exist today, with FP Markets being one of the best when it comes to stock trading. After conducting multiple tests and comparisons, I believe this service provider is the best for advanced trading because it hosts a wide variety of exceptional platforms. The ones that caught my eye include MT5, TradingView, and cTrader. However, this broker’s clients can also access MT4 and proprietary solutions like WebTrader.
Besides hosting multiple trading platforms, FP Markets offers users access to the Iress platform. It comes with numerous superior functionalities tailored especially for advanced traders. They range from direct market access (DMA) and level 2 market depth to algorithmic trading and API integration.
Overall, FP Markets lists over 10,000 stocks for CFD trading. For those looking to diversify their portfolios, the broker hosts additional asset class securities, including forex, commodities, ETFs, and more. I also like its social trading feature and the availability of quality learning materials for newbies.
FP Markets
✔10,000+ tradeable financial instruments
✔Free deposits and withdrawals
Pros & Cons
Fees
Trading Assets
Pros
- Users can trade with advanced platforms like MT5 and Iress
- Low spreads starting from 0.0 pips
- Outstanding support representatives available 24/7
- High leverages of up to 500:1
- Offers CFDS on over 10,000 popular stocks
- Zero account inactivity fees
Cons
- £1000 minimum deposit requirement for Iress
- Focuses primarily on CFDs
Before going any further, note that the FP Markets minimum deposit is £100. You can’t fund your account with anything less than the mandated amount. Also, as a trader, expect to cover stipulated FP Markets fees and commissions. Let’s expound on that.
FP Markets has different trading and non-trading fees. However, the costs you will likely incur depend on where you are from. Take London as an example. If you’re from this city, you’ll incur a 0.10% commission per side while trading equity CFDs. You’ll also have to pay a £60 monthly fee if you use Iress Trader or ViewPoint.
But here’s the good news. You won’t incur additional costs while depositing or withdrawing money from your FP Markets trading account. Moreover, unlike many other brokers, this service provider doesn’t have inactivity fees for dormant accounts.
Please visit FP Market’s official site for a comprehensive overview of all fees and commissions.
How to Choose the Best Stock Broker
As mentioned earlier, your success in the long run will rely heavily on the stockbroker you partner with. When I started out as a stock trader, I struggled with identifying what best suited my needs. Luckily, I figured out the process. Comparing stock brokers based on the below elements will ensure you settle with one that aligns with your requirements.
Security
Assets
Platforms
Fees
Support
User Recommendations
The most secure UK stock brokers are authorised and regulated by the FCA. They also employ top-tier security features and solutions like SSL encryption and two-factor authentication. While searching for an excellent service provider, keep such aspects in mind. Overlooking this feature puts you at risk of falling victim to scammers who have dominated the UK market.
If you plan to trade or invest in stocks, you must sign up with a stock broker. Otherwise, any platform that doesn’t support stock trading won’t do you any good. Additionally, since portfolio diversification is crucial, you should go for service providers with other financial instruments, like commodities, ETFs, and forex pairs.
Most reputable brokers have proprietary trading platforms. You should test their reliability with demo accounts before making financial commitments. While choosing, I also consider the availability of third-party platforms like MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView. This guarantees access to advanced resources for my skill level. Keep in mind that not all brokers give their users access to third-party trading platforms.
Your primary goal is to profit from stock trading, right? Excessive fees can deter that. You must trade with a service provider with reasonable charges to maximise profitability. So, vet every broker’s fees. Avoid companies that force you to part with ungodly sums and those with too many hidden costs. I always settle with stock brokers that fit my budget.
Quality support is crucial to both beginners and seasoned professionals. When evaluating a broker, remember to check the availability of its customer representatives, whether they operate 24/7 or five days a week. Before I commit, I also check the supported communication channels and promptness of the responses I receive. This ensures I communicate via a convenient method that guarantees instant and reliable solutions.
The best brokers have been around for many years and have catered to countless people. Some of their clients have reviewed them on popular platforms like Google Play, the App Store, and Trustpilot. You can use past user reviews and testimonials to pinpoint a service provider’s strengths and limitations.
Read about the Analysis of Stock Market Trends UK in our other guide.
How to Start with a Stock Trading Platform
Before you start venturing into stock trading in the UK, ensure you understand how it works. You should also know when to make a move and the tax rules attached to this investment. In the UK, you will incur tax on profits made from stock trading and investing, except, of course, when you spread bet.
Most importantly, know the proper procedures for creating an account with a stock broker in the UK. You do not want to spend a lot of time in this process and end up getting frustrated even before you start investing. If you are new to stock trading, here is my step-by-step guidance on starting stock trading using an FCA-regulated broker.
Step 1: Visit the stock broker’s website
Step 2: Sign up
Step 3: Verify your account
Step 4: Deposit funds
Step 5: Trade stocks
The first thing you should do is visit your chosen service provider’s official page. Do a final evaluation and make up your mind. Also, read and understand the company’s terms and policies. If you are a fan of mobile trading, find the broker’s app and download it.
Start the sign-up process by clicking the Create Account, Sign Up, Join Us, or Register button. Then, provide the information required on the application form, including your name, date of birth, and email address. For optimum safety, set a strong password and a unique username.
Unlock all trading features and privileges by verifying your account. You can’t skip this step, especially when an FCA-regulated broker is in the picture. Just share the necessary documents, which may include a clear photo of your national ID (for identity verification) and a copy of a recent utility bill (proof of address). Verification may take a few hours, after which you will receive an email notification.
After verifying your account, choose your preferred payment method and fund your trading account. If your chosen broker has no minimum deposit, start with whatever you deem fit. However, if there’s a minimum deposit requirement, obey it to avoid any complications.
Your deposited amount can reflect instantly or take a few minutes depending on the payment methods. That said, you can start trading your favourite stocks once there’s money in your account. Remember to monitor your positions carefully and apply risk management tools to avoid nasty surprises.
How We Test
At InvestingGuide, we work as a team. Before I make any recommendations, we test and compare hundreds of brokerage firms. Various elements are looked into in this process, including security, demo account availability, fees, asset offerings, support service reliability, and more. Not only that, we also analyse user testimonials from Google Play, the App Store, and Trustpilot. By combining our findings from user reviews and test results, we create a list of unbiased recommendations for our readers.
If you want to learn more about our test methodology, feel free to visit our How we Test page for comprehensive information.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know the top stockbrokers in the UK, feel free to identify the best for your needs. Remember, having the best broker is not a sure-fire way to success. You still need to work on your research skills to develop solid strategies. For those into CFD trading, I advise you to approach it with caution, especially when applying leverage. While leverage can amplify gains, it can also bring about huge losses and setbacks. So, invest with funds you are comfortable losing and apply risk management controls to mitigate massive losses. Most importantly, conduct thorough market research to choose a company’s stocks with growth potential.
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Really enjoyed this article! I’ve been thinking about getting into stock trading, and this guide makes it feel way less intimidating. It’s true—there are so many options out there that it’s overwhelming. I love how you’ve broken down the best brokers and what they’re good for. Personally, I’m leaning toward eToro because the idea of investing with as little as £10 sounds perfect for starting out.