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21 Mar 2025

Charles Stanley Direct investment platform review

Which? experts analyse Charles Stanley Direct's charges and ask its customers to rate it for service, tools, value for money and more

Josh WilsonSenior data journalist

In this article

Is Charles Stanley Direct any good?
What do customers say about Charles Stanley Direct?
How much does Charles Stanley Direct cost?
What can you invest in with Charles Stanley Direct?
Is Charles Stanley Direct good for ethical investors?
Is your money safe with Charles Stanley Direct?

Is Charles Stanley Direct any good?

In our latest customer satisfaction survey, Charles Stanley Direct received a customer score of 71% for its stocks and shares Isa, putting it joint 16th out of 25 providers.

Charles Stanley Direct is consistently middle of the pack for the cost of its charges at the time of our review. But customers in our survey didn't feel they were getting value for the money they put in, rating it just two stars in this category.

Charles Stanley Direct is also one of only two platforms we've reviewed to charge exit fees of £10 per holding – effectively punishing customers who want to switch to a different platform.

The platform offers a wider choice of investments than many of its rivals, with more than 15,000 listed.

Charles Stanley Direct waives all platform and trading fees for investors in Charles Stanley Multi-Asset funds.

There is no minimum investment.

Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an investment platform before committing to any financial products.

Find out more: Best investment platforms in the UK 2025

Charles Stanley Direct stocks and shares Isa scores in more detail

Here's how customers of Charles Stanley's stocks and shares Isa rated it:

Aspect of service	Star rating
Customer service
Ease of use
Information on investments
Value for money

To become a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) investment platform, a platform needs to have a customer score of at least 70%, not be in the top 25% most expensive across our fees scenarios, and not score lower than three stars in any category.

On top of these criteria, we apply statistical tests that place the platforms into ‘bands’. Only the platforms in the highest band – the ones that really stand out against the rest – can be WRPs.

Which?'s rating for customer satisfaction is based on feedback from customers.

We ask investors to rate the platforms they use for stocks and shares Isas for ease of use, overall customer service and customer communications, whether the platform represents value for money, if they are satisfied with it overall and whether they would recommend it to someone else.

We surveyed 3,697 investors – members of the Which? Connect panel and of the public – who gave 5,129 reviews of their stocks and shares Isas in January 2025. To receive a customer score, each platform must have at least 30 responses, a minimum of three investments to choose from yourself, and not offer contract for difference (CFD) trading. A dash '-' means not enough responses to include a star rating.

What do customers say about Charles Stanley Direct?

Comments from Charles Stanley Direct customers that took part in our survey include:

‘The platform fee was 0.25% when I joined but it was subsequently increased. It also costs £10 per fund to move while other platforms have abolished this charge.’
‘The range of investment options available meets my needs. Information on my portfolio is readily accessed via the website.’
‘Well-organised platform, easy to use backed by good customer support. It is not the cheapest, but the small extra cost is worthwhile.’

Visit Charles Stanley Direct to find out more about its accounts, services and investment options.

How much does Charles Stanley Direct cost?

There's no difference in fees whether you're investing in a Charles Stanley Direct stocks and shares Isa or general investment account.

Annual platform charge

0.30% of value of shares or funds in a portfolio (a minimum of £60 a year and maximum of £600 a year)

Trading charge

£10 for shares
£4 for funds (but free for monthly investments into funds)
£50-worth of free trading credits to use every six months

Foreign exchange charge

This applies to each trade of investments denominated in another currency, for example US stocks, on top of fund and trading charges.

1.00% for up to £9,999
0.75% for £10,000 - £49,999
0.5% for £50,000 - £499,999
0.3% for £500,000 - £999,999
0.15% for more than £1m

How much would I pay to invest with Charles Stanley Direct?

We've estimated the cost of investing over the course of a year in a Charles Stanley Direct stocks and shares Isa, assuming that you make four purchases and four sales, evenly spread out over the year. This level of trading would be covered by Charles Stanley Direct's £50-worth of free trading credits to use every six months.

Costs will vary depending on how much you invest and whether you trade funds or shares.

Amount invested	Annual fund charges	Annual shares, exchange-traded funds and investment trusts charges
£5,000	£60	£60
£10,000	£60	£60
£25,000	£75	£75
£50,000	£150	£150
£100,000	£300	£300
£250,000	£600	£600
£500,000	£600	£600

Table notes: Annual charges include platform fee and any trading charges. We have not included other charges that might apply, such as foreign exchange fees or fund management charges that are levied by fund managers, as these vary depending on the specific investments you hold. Fund management fees can range from less than 0.1% for some passively managed 'tracker' funds, to 1.25% or more for actively managed funds or investment trusts.

If you're thinking of using Charles Stanley Direct to take an income from your pension in a drawdown plan, read our comparison of pension drawdown charges.

Find out more: Compare investment platform fees and charges

What can you invest in with Charles Stanley Direct?

Charles Stanley Direct accounts and services

Find out more about Charles Stanley Direct by using the links below to view their accounts and services:

Investments on Charles Stanley Direct

2,800 funds (OEICs, multi-asset funds)
400 trusts
900 exchange-traded funds
Approximately 10,000 stocks
Approximately 1,000 bonds

Correct as of January 2025

Is Charles Stanley Direct good for ethical investors?

Charles Stanley Direct shows the top 10 holdings for a fund, so you can get a sense of the companies that the fund has the largest stakes in.

However, it doesn't allow you to filter to easily find funds that line up with your morals.

Find out more: Ethical investing explained

Is your money safe with Charles Stanley Direct?

Charles Stanley Direct is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).

When you invest with an investment platform that's registered with the FCA, your money will be ring-fenced and should be returned if a company goes bust without you having to wait alongside other creditors.

If ring-fencing failed, you would be compensated by the FSCS.

The FSCS will cover up to £85,000 of investments per person, per platform. You can claim for free online at www.fscs.org.uk; there's no reason to use a claims management company.

You won't be compensated for investments falling in value, or if a company in which you hold shares goes bust, unless this poor performance resulted from bad advice given by a regulated Independent Financial Advisor that has since gone bust.

Find out more: How the FSCS works