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Freetrade investment platform review
Is Freetrade any good?
In our latest customer satisfaction survey, Freetrade received a customer score of 68% for its stocks and shares Isa, putting it joint 22nd out of 25 providers.
Freetrade is a platform for investing directly in shares, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and trusts.
As the name suggests, customers on Freetrade's 'Basic' tier can invest for free, but you need to sign up to one of the paid tiers ('Standard' or 'Plus') if you want to access some things that come as standard on other platforms, most notably a stocks and shares Isa.
Investors with large portfolios of shares, investment trusts and ETFs will benefit most from Freetrade's fixed-fee pricing structure, as they'd only need to pay £60 a year for a stocks and shares Isa.
Frequent traders will also benefit from no trading fees, although you incur foreign exchange fees on US stocks. These range from 0.25% to 0.9% depending on which tier you sign up to.
Freetrade offers fractional shares (portions of shares or ETFs) in its general investment account and stocks and shares Isa. Holding fractional shares in an Isa is currently against HMRC guidance, though there are plans to update the law and allow fractional shares to be held in an Isa later this year.
The minimum investment to use Freetrade is £1.
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
Freetrade stocks and shares Isa star ratings in more detail
| Aspect of service | Star rating |
| Customer service | |
| Ease of use | |
| Information on investments | |
| Value for money |
What do customers say about Freetrade?
Comments from Freetrade customers that took part in our survey include:
- ‘It's got so much going for it – but they don't do a Bed and Isa, and there are many stocks I want to transfer into an Isa that they don't cover.’
- ‘It has been generally OK and the service is reliable. Costs are possibly not as transparent as others.’
- ‘I thought using the app would be more enjoyable and interesting than it turned out to be, but I'm satisfied with it.’
Visit Freetrade to find out more about its accounts, services and investment options.
How much does Freetrade cost?
Customers can invest via a general investment account on Freetrade's fee-free membership tier, but must sign up to a paid tier to open a stocks and shares Isa.
Annual platform charge:
- No platform charge for its Basic tier
- £5.99 a month (or £59.88 a year) for Standard
- £11.99 a month (or £119.88 a year) for Plus
Trading charge:
- None
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.
- 0.9% for its Basic tier
- 0.39% for Standard
- 0.25% for Plus
How much would I pay to invest with Freetrade?
We've estimated the cost of investing over the course of a year in a Freetrade stocks and shares Isa if you sign up to its Standard tier. For each investment platform, we assumed that you'll make four purchases and four sales each year. Because Freetrade doesn't apply a trading fee, customers only incur the flat £60 platform fee.
| Amount invested | Annual share, ETFs and investment trusts charges |
|---|---|
| £5,000 | £60 |
| £10,000 | £60 |
| £25,000 | £60 |
| £50,000 | £60 |
| £100,000 | £60 |
| £250,000 | £60 |
| £500,000 | £60 |
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.
Read our comparison of investment platform charges to see how much investing with Freetrade costs for a range of portfolios.
What can you invest in with Freetrade?
Freetrade accounts and services
Find out more about Freetrade by using the links below to view their accounts and services:
Investments on Freetrade?
- 399 investment trusts
- 580 exchange-traded funds
- 5,379 stocks
- 28-day UK treasury bills (on several maturity dates)
Correct as of January 2025
Is Freetrade good for ethical investors?
Freetrade doesn't allow you to filter its exchange-traded funds, and this includes filtering down to funds with ESG (environmental, social and governance) commitments.
There's also no additional detail on the ethical characteristics of these funds, such as top 10 holdings or ESG ratings.
- Find out more: Ethical investing explained
Is your money safe with Freetrade?
Freetrade is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
When you invest with an investment platform that's registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, your money will be ringfenced and should be returned if a company goes bust, without you having to wait alongside other creditors.
If ringfencing 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; 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