The cost of brokerage can eat up all or more than all of your investment gains. The good news is that controlling costs is a simple but powerful way to improve your long-term returns. The best online brokers offer low trading fees for the services you use most and provide a range of features to help you manage your portfolio, including easy-to-use platforms, advanced technical and fundamental analysis tools and great educational components.

Cheapest online brokers in the UK

The Cheapest online brokers in the UK is Hargreaves Lansdown, which offers a premium service at a very low price. Their cheapest share dealing account has low fees and commissions, and offers a decent range of investment funds, shares and ETFs to choose from. Other discount brokers include AJ Bell YouInvest, The Share Centre and iWeb. An excellent at-a-glance cost comparison of the UK’s leading online brokers and fund platforms is provided by Monevator.

All regulated online brokers accept UK investors and will have passed a series of checks carried out by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). As such, they are legally obliged to look after your money carefully and adhere to strict rules on fees and charges.

Benzinga’s U.K. brokers comparison tool allows you to compare broker ratings, features and fees side by side. You can filter the broker selections and compare commission schedules, platform tools and mobile stock trading apps to find the best fit for your investing needs. UK residents are entitled to protection under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, which will compensate you up to PS85,000 if your broker fails.