Best Stocks and Shares ISA Apps Compared (UK, 2026)

Picking the best stocks and shares ISA app usually comes down to one thing that gets lost in the marketing: what you actually pay. Every app on this page lets you shelter up to £20,000 a year from tax on gains and dividends, but the fee models are wildly different. A platform that costs nothing on a small pot can quietly become the priciest option once your investments grow, and a guided app that feels easy at £500 can eat a chunk of your returns at £15,000. This guide compares the main UK apps on cost, choice and who each one really suits, so you can match the wrapper to how you invest rather than to the loudest advert.

How ISA app fees actually work

Three separate charges decide the true cost of an ISA app, and cheap apps are cheap because they drop one or more of them:

• Platform or account fee. What the app charges to hold your ISA. This is either a flat monthly fee, a percentage of your balance, or nothing at all.
• Dealing or trading fee. What you pay to buy or sell. Most app-first platforms have scrapped this for shares and ETFs.
• Fund cost (the OCF). The charge baked into any fund or ETF you buy. You pay this whatever platform you use, so it is not a reason to pick one app over another, but it is real money.

A percentage platform fee looks tiny until you do the arithmetic. Half a percent on £20,000 is £100 a year, every year, whether markets rise or fall. The ISA allowance and rules are set by HMRC, so the tax wrapper is identical whichever app you choose; the only thing you are shopping for is cost and service.

The best stocks and shares ISA apps at a glance

Trading 212: cheapest for most DIY investors

Trading 212 charges no platform fee and no commission on its stocks and shares ISA, and gives you access to thousands of shares and ETFs plus its “Pies” feature for building an automated portfolio. It makes money from cash interest margins, securities lending and currency conversion rather than from headline fees. For someone building a low-cost ISA of individual shares or index ETFs, it is the cheapest mainstream option in 2026. The trade-off is that support is app and chat based, and the huge choice can overwhelm a first-timer.

InvestEngine: best for ETF-only portfolios

InvestEngine has no platform fee and no dealing fee on its DIY ISA, so on a self-managed portfolio you pay only the cost of the ETFs you hold. It is ETF-only, with built-in rebalancing and the option of a Managed portfolio for around 0.25% a year if you would rather it did the work. If you are happy to build a portfolio from exchange-traded funds and never want to trade individual company shares, it is one of the lowest-cost wrappers available.

Freetrade: simple app-first investing

As of January 2026 Freetrade’s stocks and shares ISA is available on its free Basic plan, having previously sat behind a paid tier. Commission-free dealing covers thousands of investments, and the app is deliberately pared back and easy to read, which suits people who want a clean interface over deep research tools. Paid plans add features such as a SIPP and a wider range, so check whether you actually need them before upgrading.

Moneybox: best for hand-holding and round-ups

Moneybox is built for people who want saving and investing to feel automatic. It rounds up your card spending and drips the change into an ISA, and its starting range of tracker funds keeps decisions simple. That guidance costs more: a £1 a month subscription (waived above certain cash balances, and free for the first three months) plus a 0.45% platform fee, on top of fund charges. On a small, growing pot that is a fair price for the ease and the nudge to keep saving. As the balance climbs into five figures, the 0.45% starts to matter, and a zero-fee app becomes worth the extra effort.

Traditional platforms with strong apps

The app-native names are not your only option. Established investment platforms such as AJ Bell and Vanguard also run capable apps and can be cheaper at larger balances because their percentage fees are capped. AJ Bell caps its share and ETF custody charge, which makes a big share portfolio very cheap in percentage terms, while Vanguard caps its account fee for larger pots if you are happy inside its own fund range. If your ISA is already substantial, it is worth comparing these against the flat-fee apps.

Which stocks and shares ISA app should you choose?

• You want the lowest cost and are comfortable choosing your own investments: Trading 212 or InvestEngine.
• You want an ETF portfolio that rebalances itself: InvestEngine.
• You want the simplest possible app and free basic investing: Freetrade.
• You want round-ups and a guided, do-it-for-me feel: Moneybox, accepting the higher fee.
• You already have a large ISA pot: compare capped percentage platforms like AJ Bell and Vanguard before defaulting to a flat-fee app.

Whatever you pick, you can transfer an existing ISA to a new provider without losing its tax-free status by using their transfer process rather than withdrawing the cash yourself. For more on getting started, see our guides to starting investing with an app from £1 a month and how safe your money is in an investing app. If you are still deciding between the two zero-fee front-runners, read Trading 212 vs Freetrade.

Frequently asked questions

Is a stocks and shares ISA app safe? The apps themselves are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, and your investments are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £85,000 if the provider fails. That protection covers provider failure, not investment losses: the value of shares and funds can still fall as well as rise, so you could get back less than you put in.

Can I have more than one stocks and shares ISA? Since the 2024 to 2025 rules, you can pay into more than one stocks and shares ISA in the same tax year, as long as your total ISA contributions across all types stay within the £20,000 annual allowance. Always check current HMRC rules before spreading money across providers.

What is the cheapest stocks and shares ISA app? For most DIY investors, Trading 212 and InvestEngine are the cheapest because neither charges a platform fee or dealing commission on the ISA. You still pay the underlying fund or ETF costs on both.

Should I pick a flat fee or a percentage fee ISA? Flat-fee and zero-fee apps tend to win on smaller and mid-sized pots, while capped percentage platforms can be cheaper once your balance is large. Work out the annual cost on your expected balance rather than trusting the “free” or “0.25%” headline.

Can I transfer my existing ISA to a new app? Yes. Use the new provider’s ISA transfer process so the money keeps its tax-free status. If you withdraw the cash yourself and pay it back in, it counts against this year’s £20,000 allowance.

How much do I need to start? Several apps let you begin with as little as £1, and round-up apps like Moneybox invest your spare change automatically. Starting small and adding regularly matters more than the opening amount.