The Best Online Trading Apps in the UK [Updated 2024]
Trading is risky and you might lose part, or all, of your capital invested. The information provided is for informational and educational purposes only and does not represent any type of financial advice and/or investment recommendation.
Mobile devices are without a doubt the medium of choice for daily interactions, so investment platforms have been updating and improving their app offerings. Trading apps make it easy to manage your investments flexibly from wherever you are.
The app interfaces are often simpler than the equivalent web platform, making mobile trading apps accessible for beginner traders, as well as useful for experienced traders who want to check in on their investment portfolio.
In this article, we explore the best mobile trading apps in the UK to give you insight into which may be most suited to your needs.
The Best Trading Apps in the UK 2024
Plus500: Best for active CFD traders with some experience
Pepperstone cTrader: Best for traders across all experience levels
eToro: Best for gaining insight from others
AvaTrade: Best for beginners, due to its educational content
XTB xStation: Best for customer support
Moneta Markets: Best for traders of all levels
City Index: Best for reliable forex and CFD trading
Top 7: The Best Trading Apps in the UK
It is important to choose a trading app you feel comfortable and confident using to execute your investments. Below we explore the pros, cons and key features of the seven top trading apps in the UK.
If you’re not sure what you should be looking for from a trading app, we recommend scrolling down and reviewing our ‘How to Choose a Trading App’ section first, then coming back to view these app profiles.
1. Plus500
Pros
Over 2,800 significant financial instruments
24/7 customer support
Community trading insight
Cons
No API integrations
No copy trading features
Best for: Active CFD traders with some experience
You can trade leveraged CFDs – on shares, indices, forex, commodities, options and ETFs – through Plus500’s app, which ranks highly for ease of use.
Plus500 has over 23 million global users. You’ll incur no fees for deposits, accessing live share CFD prices or real-time forex quotes, opening and closing trades, viewing charts and graphs, or rolling your position.
Be aware that you will, however, be charged for overnight funding, currency conversion, guaranteed stop orders and inactivity (of over three months).
Key Features
Free demo account
Technical analysis tools
Real time quotes
Leverage of up to 1:30
No commissions
+Insights platform to analyse community trends and compare activity
Trustpilot score of 4.1 out of 5 (Great)
Despite the new community insights feature, Plus500 is generally considered to be better for more experienced traders. It is available via the App Store and Google Play.
Plus500 is expanding and currently offers three platforms: Plus500CFD with more than 2,800 CFD instruments, Plus500Invest with more than 2,700 shares (available in certain countries), and Plus500Futures- a futures platform available in the US only.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
2. Pepperstone cTrader
Pros
Access to MT4, MT5, TradingView and Smart Trader Tools
Regulated by the FCA, CYSEC, BAFIN, ASIC, CMA, DSFA and SCB
Fill rate up to 99.2%
Low cost spreads from 0.0 pips
Cons
Mainly CFDs offered
MetaTrader platform is basic
Holding positions overnight incurs high costs
Best for: Traders across all experience levels
The Pepperstone cTrader app is an intuitive and detailed platform, enabling fast execution and providing access to analysis and educational tools. It aims to replicate an institutional trading environment, so has functionality other apps lack (for example, market depth analysis).
Pepperstone has grown steadily since it was founded in 2010, now offering over 1,200 instruments across forex, indices, shares, commodities and crypto. It is trusted by over 400,000 traders globally.
Customer service is available 24 hours a day, five days a week. The app is available on iOS or Android.
Key Features
Account opening is easy, fast and fully digital
Demo account provided
Smart Trader Tools – a package of 28 smart trading apps, including expert advisors and indicators
Autochartist tools to track and analyse market movements
Active Trader program (for professional clients)
Coding in C# and open API available
Platform customisation with cTrader Automate
Advanced risk management
Advanced cTrader features such as controlling order fills
No inactivity fee
No minimum deposit
No account, deposit or withdrawal fees
Trustpilot score of 4.7 out of 5 (Excellent)
Please note: 81.7% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. Consider whether you understand how these instruments work and whether you can afford to take the risk of losing money.
3. eToro
Pros
Regulated by FCA and ASIC
Commission-free stocks and no management fees
Social networking
Copy trading functionality
Cons
More expensive than many of its competitors
No MetaTrader platforms
Best for: Gaining insight from others
eToro is one of the most popular trading apps in the UK, with a community of over 25 million investors. It is a multi-asset platform for both experienced investors and beginners, aiming to make investing simpler through an intuitive and easy-to-use interface.
eToro prides itself on its social trading, forming a community where investors can interact with each other through a social network and discuss strategy – combating the isolation that can be felt by online traders.
The app is available on the App Store and Google Play and is optimised for tablets and laptops as well as mobiles, providing the flexibility to trade whenever it suits you.
It is free to join eToro but, as with all online platforms, eToro charges different spreads and fees for certain trades and withdrawals. For costs, refer to the fees section of the website.
Key Features
Ability to trade global and local stocks, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, commodities and more
A demo account allows you to trade $100,000 of virtual money to become familiar with the interface
A social platform to allow you to have strategy discussions and share the insight of the eToro investor community
Trade copying – allows you to copy the trades of others in real time
Portfolio copying functionality (CopyTrader) allows you to easily copy the strategies of top investors, paired with access to its Popular Investor program to discover the best traders
Smart portfolios – ready-made thematic investment portfolios
No FX conversion fees and instant withdrawals
Score of 4.3 out of 5 on Trustpilot (Excellent)
eToro has an online customer service centre to resolve any issues encountered, where users can open a customer service request ticket and track its status.
74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. Don’t invest in unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest.
4. AvaTrade
Pros
Regulated by nine regulators across six continents
Multilingual customer support
Copy trading features
App closely resembles its web counterpart
Cons
Inactivity fees – quarterly and annual
No two-step login for the app
AvaTradeGO app interface is only available in English (but AvaTrade does also offer MetaTrader 4, which is multilingual)
Best for: Beginners, due to its educational content
AvaTrade’s GO app allows users to trade flexibly at any time with a user-friendly interface. AvaTrade has been running for over 15 years and has a community of over 400,000 traders. Through the app you can trade over 1,000 FX pairs, commodities, indices, stocks and shares.
World Business Stars Magazine awarded AvaTrade ‘Best Educational Broker’ for the UK in 2022, whilst World Economic Magazine voted it ‘Best UK Broker’.
To get used to the platform, you can use a free 21-day demo account, with a virtual $100,000. AvaTrade's spreads, at 0.9 pips, are close to the industry average.
Key Features
Minimum deposit of $100
Free advanced trading tools
No commissions
No deposit fees
No fee withdrawals
Mobile optimised charting
One-click trading
Daily market analysis insights
Live feeds and up-to-date social trends
Educational offering features webinars and tutorials for all trading levels
Complementary AvaOptions app for options traders depositing over $1,000
Professional account offering
Trustpilot score of 4.8 out of 5 (Excellent)
Crypto CFDs are not available to UK residents or retail traders from any broker's UK entity.
Please note: 76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
5. XTB xStation
Pros
Good customer support
Fully customisable platform
Detailed features charts trading and market order depth
Cons
MT4 no longer promoted at XTB’s UK branches
No daily video updates in English (these are weekly)
No cash equities
Best for: Customer support
XTB, which has been in operation since 2002, is one of the largest stock exchange-listed CFD brokers in the world and offers over 2,100 CFD instruments, including forex, indices, commodities and shares. It has a great reputation for customer service and supports over 495,000 users to make daily trades via its app.
The xStation app means that you can trade with XTB wherever and whenever you wish. xStation 5 is available to download on Android and iOS.
Key Features
Excellent execution speeds
Spreads from 0.2 pips
30:1 leverage
No commission on stock CFDs
Trade recommendations from banks (for example, Goldman Sachs)
Trader’s calculator feature and performance statistics
Additional services including mobile trade alerts
XTB Trading Academy – with courses for beginners, intermediates and experts (featuring over 200 lessons)
Educational packages with insights from four expert traders (with Market Pass)
24-hour multilingual customer support five days a week via phone, email or online chat
Trustpilot score of 3.9 out of 5 (Good)
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
6. Moneta Markets
Pros
Spreads from 0.0 pips
No deposit fees and a variety of withdrawal options
24/5 multilingual customer support
No inactivity fee
Cons
Stock CFD fees are quite high
No investor protection is provided
High fee for bank transfer withdrawal (after one free withdrawal per month)
Best for: Traders of all levels
With Moneta Markets, you can trade over 1,000 CFDs, including forex, indices, commodities, shares, ETFs and bonds. An account is easy to open online and over 35,000 traders globally use the platform, which was founded in 2020.
Moneta Markets’ MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 apps are available for iOS and Android and give you access to the platform’s features, such as its premium economic calendar, technical views, market insights and training videos, all whilst on the go.
Key Features
$50 minimum deposit
Fast withdrawals
Leverage up to 500:1
Technical views enable you to see live trading setups centred on pattern recognition and expert analysis
Forex signals feature allows you to access daily insights in real-time
Market Masters Tutorials – access over 100 training videos
Regulated by the SVGFSA and FSCA
Client funds are held in a segregated account with AA-Rated Global Bank
Trading accounts have negative balance protection
MT4 and PRO Trader Platforms
Trustpilot score of 4.4 out of 5 (Excellent)
Please note: Moneta Markets’ risk warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 74 to 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. Consider whether you understand how CFDs work and can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Trading derivatives is risky and isn't suitable for everyone, as you could lose substantially more than your initial investment.
7. City Index
Pros
Access to 13.5k+ markets
0.05s average execution speed
99% of trades are executed successfully
Personalised platform tutorials from a member of the team are available
Cons
Product portfolio only features forex and CFDs
High stock CFD fees
Inactivity fee charged
Best for: Reliable forex and CFD trading
City Index’s mobile trading app, for both iOS and Android, gives full access to all of the platform’s trading functionality and special features. It enables users to execute CFD trades, spread bets and forex trades.
The platform has over one million account holders and was awarded Best Trading App in the Professional Trader Awards 2021, as well as the Best Trading Platform by the Online Money Awards 2022. It offers simple and efficient one-swipe trading through its app interface.
It is backed by Nasdaq-listed StoneX, a Fortune 100 company with over a century of experience in financial markets.
Key Features
Live TradingView charts displaying over 60 technical indicators
Personalised performance analytics, powered by Chasing Returns
AI-powered ‘SMART Signals’
Advanced risk management tools
Easily adjustable timeframes
24/5 customer support
Trading academy with easy-to-understand tutorials
Real-time news and integrated Reuters news feed
Real-time price alerts via notification
Demo account available
No withdrawal fee
No minimum deposit
Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
Funds are protected up to £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)
3.8 out of 5 Trustpilot score (Good)
Please note: 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
How to Choose the Best Online Trading App to Use in the UK
If you want to have the ability to execute trades and manage your trading account whilst on the go, a trading app is the obvious choice.
The best trading platform app for you will depend upon your specific needs – for example, the best trading apps for beginners will have a greater educational offering and simpler analytics features.
When choosing a trading platform and its accompanying app, it is important to consider the following aspects:
Cost of Trading With the App
When choosing a trading app, consider the fees involved and note that some of these may be hidden at first glance. Most accounts are free to open, but platforms will have varying minimum deposit amounts.
It is vital to consider the trading fee for the asset class you want to trade, as these will differ across instruments. Quite obviously, the higher the commission, the less you will make from your trades – although some apps don’t charge commission.
You need to be aware of potential withdrawal fees that can add to costs. There may also be overnight fees for holding positions and inactivity fees if your trading volume or frequency falls below a certain limit so, before choosing an app, weigh up the fees and how they will impact you.
Ease of Use
Users need to find trading apps intuitive and simple to use, so they can navigate the trading platform and its features, toggle between analysis views and execute trades rapidly. Certain apps are better for beginners, as they provide views with less in-depth analysis to avoid overwhelm and one-click trading.
Using a demo account to place virtual trades is the best way to trial an app and determine its ease of use. If you don’t feel comfortable using an app, don’t risk making mistakes and losing your money due to operator error – find an app you understand and can navigate easily before you trade with your money.
Available Customer Support
This is a key aspect to consider as, although you may not envisage needing to access customer support, you may run into technical trouble and need some assistance. As trading is about timely decisions and executions, it’s a comfort to know help is at hand when you require it.
Whilst very few app platforms have 24/7 support, the best ones have 24/5 support available throughout the working week.
It is also worth checking the modes of contact available – online chat, email and/or phone. It's better to be able to speak to someone quickly rather than waiting for an email response.
Also, if you require or prefer it, note whether multilingual support is available.
Available Research and Tools
Trading apps offer their own research and analysis tools, so you can make informed trading decisions.
Common features include signals and charting tools to analyse market movements, trading recommendations, daily market analysis insights, live feeds and up-to-date social trends. The number of technical indicators in charting can vary, so consider the insights that are most important to you.
Some apps offer personalised performance analytics and copy trading functionality, so you can view your own activity in depth and take direct insight from other professional traders.
Research and analysis tools are important to engage with, so you’ll want to make sure they are well-presented and in the simplest format to understand and take insight from.
Available Investment Options
You can’t trade all instruments across all platforms, as their portfolios will vary. When choosing an app, consider what you want to trade now and how you may want to diversify in the future. Whilst some apps do offer forex, indices, commodities, shares, ETFs, crypto and bonds, most offer a selection of these.
If you want to focus on trading forex, you won’t necessarily need a platform with a wider ranging portfolio of options, just a decent number of forex pairs – so bear in mind that more instrument types doesn’t necessarily mean a better platform. You will, however, want to pay attention to the volume of each instrument that can be accessed.
Before choosing an app and starting to trade, carefully consider your own risk appetite and how much money you can afford to risk losing through your trading activity. Weigh up your level of experience and the tools and features that will assist you at your own stage in your trading journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best online trading app in the UK?
The best mobile trading app for you will depend upon what you want to use the app for trading, your experience level and the technical analysis and insight features you value. We hope that this article provides you with some solid options for trading on the go.
Where can I find a free trading app?
Most online trading apps themselves are available for free. You should, however, consider the commissions involved in trading your chosen investment type.
Read the details of the platform to determine whether there are deposit, withdrawal or inactivity fees to consider when opening and operating an account.
What is the minimum deposit for trading apps in the UK?
The minimum deposit for UK trading apps differs, so be sure to clock this when researching possible app choices.
Minimum deposits tend to range from $0 to around $200. Some are mandatory limits, whereas others are suggestions.
Can trading apps get hacked?
Whilst it is possible for trading app accounts to get hacked, trading and investment companies have strong cybersecurity measures in place.
You are more likely to lose money through your own trading activity than via a security breach, so it is crucial to consider how much money you can afford to lose before placing trades.
Can I use an online trading app in the UK without a broker?
Yes, you can – you don’t need to depend on a broker to make investments. Online brokerage accounts are an alternative to using a full-service broker and don’t come with the high fees a broker will charge.
However, if you are new to trading, don’t rule out using a broker. Whilst anyone can trade via an online platform or app, a broker has to pass licensing exams. A good broker will have the knowledge to make your money grow faster than you can and help you to avoid costly mistakes.
What trading apps in the UK offer the option to open a demo account?
Most trading apps offer demo account functionality; it is unusual for them not to. The amount of virtual cash you have to practise with differs from app to app.
Make the most of your demo account to become familiar with using the app’s interface to conduct research, use analysis tools and place trades before you trade for real using the platform.
What is the most popular trading app in the UK?
There are a lot of good UK trading apps with large numbers of active traders using their platforms. It’s good to remember, though, that an app that suits others may not be the right fit for you. All of the apps mentioned in this article are popular choices due to their range of features and intuitive interfaces.
Are trading apps safe to use in the UK?
Trading apps are safe to use, but it’s vital to be aware that CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
Before using a trading app, consider whether you understand how CFDs work and can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Is there any withdrawal limitation for trading apps in the UK?
Yes, there are sometimes limitations on withdrawals. App-specific information on withdrawal fees, limits and options are detailed on the platform websites.
Trading apps often advertise their $0 withdrawal fees, so look for these and the attached terms (sometimes not all withdrawal modes are free of charge).
Which trading apps have the best service fees in the UK?
As previously mentioned, you can find free trading apps online, and all the apps featured in this article have relatively low service fees.
Asking about fees is a good question to raise, as it’s important to consider the cost involved in operating a trading account and the impact this will have on your potential profits.
Is a trading app the same as an online brokerage site?
Trading apps are designed by individual online trading sites to enable their users to access the functionality of their platforms and trade flexibility from their mobile phone.
Sometimes, the functionality offered on the site differs to a streamlined version on the app, but the best platforms have optimised all of their features for their apps, including their social, educational and analysis features.
Which are the best trading apps for beginners in the UK?
If you’re a beginner, look for a trading app that offers a good range of training resources, such as easy-to-understand video tutorials, accessible insight charts and clear analysis.
It is also important to consider the level of support you might need if you run into any difficulties, so be aware of the app’s customer support hours and mediums of communication.
Final Thoughts
When choosing a trading app to manage your investments, make sure you evaluate the offering in its entirety – and pay particular attention to our key considerations: costs, investment options, research and tools, ease of use and customer support.
Trading comes with high risk, so it is crucial to determine your risk appetite and to employ risk management strategies. Successful trading requires a level of knowledge so, if you are a beginner, invest in your capability by utilising training materials on offer – all the best beginner trading apps provide video tutorials and accessible market insights and analysis.
Ultimately, the best trading app for you will come down to personal choice; just make sure you are comfortable with interacting with the app and executing trades responsibly before risking your hard-earned cash.
