Regular investing in the UK: costs compared
Monthly regular investing with UK providers: dealing charge, minimum amount, execution day and the account and plan fees a comparison of execution costs does not show – with sources and dates.
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In the UK a savings plan is called "regular investing": once a month the provider buys the chosen funds, investment trusts, ETFs or shares for a fixed amount. Many platforms waive the dealing charge a one-off purchase would cost. What still costs money is mainly the account or plan fee.
Every statement about a provider comes from that provider's own pages, read on 25 October 2026; the sources are listed at the end. The list ETF savings plans: costs by market shows the same figures for the UK.
The short answer
- AJ Bell: from GBP 25 a month per investment, with no dealing charge, placed on the 10th of the month or the next working day. A one-off purchase costs from GBP 1.50 (funds) or GBP 5.00 (shares). Account charges and fund fees still apply.
- interactive investor (ii): from GBP 25 a month, up to 25 monthly investments per account, no trading fee on purchases; a one-off trade costs GBP 3.99, a sale the trading fee. The account's monthly plan fee comes on top: Core GBP 5.99, Plus GBP 14.99, Premium GBP 39.99.
- XTB: "Investment Plans" without commission up to the equivalent of EUR 100,000 monthly turnover, then 0.2%, minimum GBP 10; currency conversion may cost 0.5%. Minimum GBP 15.
- Trading 212: AutoInvest into "Pies" or single instruments, without commission; orders in foreign-currency securities carry a conversion fee.
- eToro: once a month, from USD 25 in stocks and ETFs, no commission on recurring purchases; paid by card, at eToro (UK) Ltd by debit card only.
- Hargreaves Lansdown: monthly by Direct Debit from GBP 25 per investment, with no dealing charge; collected on the 7th, invested on the 10th of the month. The account charge still applies: funds 0.35% a year up to GBP 250,000, shares, ETFs and investment trusts 0.35% a year, capped at GBP 12.50 a month.
- Freetrade: recurring orders with up to 50 investments, weekly, fortnightly or monthly, on every plan, dealing commission GBP 0; purchases in another currency cost 0.99% (Basic), 0.59% (Standard) or 0.39% (Plus). Standard costs GBP 4.99 a month billed annually, Plus GBP 9.99.
- No savings plan: according to its UK help page DEGIRO does not offer automatic investing.
Look at execution, account and plan together
A plan without a dealing charge makes the execution free – not the account. At ii that is a fixed monthly fee, whatever the amount invested: on Core it is GBP 5.99 a month. With an instalment of GBP 100 a month that fee equals 5.99% of the instalment; with GBP 1,000 it is 0.599%. AJ Bell writes that account charges still apply; we have not researched their size for this guide.
The list by market therefore ranks execution costs only. Whether a provider with a fixed monthly fee or one with a percentage account charge costs less depends on the size of the portfolio and cannot be read from execution costs alone.
What can be bought
- AJ Bell: FTSE 100 shares, over 2,000 funds, hundreds of investment trusts and ETFs; in SIPP, Stocks and shares ISA, Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, Dealing account and Junior SIPP.
- ii: FTSE 350 shares, a range of investment trusts and ETFs, all GBP-listed funds; in Stocks & Shares ISA, Trading Account, SIPP and Junior ISA. The Direct Debit is collected on the 12th of the month.
- XTB: stocks and ETFs; the page names no execution interval.
- Trading 212: Pies daily, weekly, every two weeks, monthly, every two months or every six months; single instruments daily, weekly, every two weeks or monthly, in Invest, Stocks ISA and SIPP.
- eToro: stocks, ETFs, crypto and Smart Portfolios; not for CFDs and not for leveraged or inverse ETFs. Each execution opens a separate position.
- Hargreaves Lansdown: ready-made investments, funds, FTSE 350 shares, certain investment trusts and the listed ETFs (lists last reviewed in March 2025); monthly only, the dates cannot be changed.
- Freetrade: shares, ETFs and investment trusts from its own range, in the GIA, ISA and SIPP; UK shares in whole shares only, US and EU shares also in fractions.
Where a plan is not documented
- IG: on ig.com/uk only the managed Smart Portfolios can be topped up by standing order. None of the pages read names an automated plan for self-selected shares or ETFs – that is neither a yes nor a no.
- CMC Invest: the app offers "regular deposits" by standing order; it does not say the money is then invested automatically.
- Interactive Brokers (U.K.): offers "Recurring Investments" daily, weekly or monthly. IBKR names no price of its own for them; according to IBKR staff replies on IBKR Campus from September 2023 the standard commissions apply.
- Pepperstone: according to its UK terms it offers only leveraged products, so no securities a savings plan could buy.
- Revolut, Robinhood and Lightyear: we found no plan for the UK on the pages read; that is not a no.
Limits of this comparison
- As of 25 October 2026. Prices change; we did not open accounts or test executions.
- Tax questions (ISA allowance, SIPP) are not covered here; HMRC's rules apply.
- All 72 providers checked: where the sources contain neither a yes nor a no for the UK, a provider is named in the list by market under "nothing documented".
Sources (retrieved 25 October 2026)
- AJ Bell, Regular investing, Charges and Dealing account charges
- interactive investor, Regular investing and Our charges
- XTB, Investment Plans
- Trading 212, Pies & AutoInvest and Commission
- eToro, Recurring investments
- DEGIRO, Help page UK
- IG, Recurring investments; CMC Invest, Getting started
- Interactive Brokers (U.K.), Recurring Investments and IBKR Campus
- Pepperstone, UK Terms and Conditions
- Hargreaves Lansdown, Regular investing and Fund and Share Account charges
- Freetrade, What is a recurring order, How recurring orders work and Pricing
This article is for information only and does not constitute investment, legal or tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
At AJ Bell, interactive investor and Hargreaves Lansdown the monthly purchases carry no dealing charge as of 25 October 2026, from GBP 25 a month. Account or plan fees come on top: at ii at least GBP 5.99 a month (Core), at Hargreaves Lansdown 0.35% a year, at AJ Bell account charges and fund fees. XTB, Trading 212 and Freetrade describe their plans as commission-free; currency conversion may cost extra.
What is documented is topping up the managed IG Smart Portfolios by standing order. None of the pages read on 25 October 2026 names an automated plan for self-selected shares or ETFs; that does not rule one out.
Because the account still costs money. A fixed monthly fee such as GBP 5.99 weighs heavily on small instalments: at GBP 100 a month it equals 5.99% of the instalment. A percentage account charge, by contrast, grows with the portfolio. Which costs less depends on your amount.
Matching brokers
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Risk warning: investing in securities involves risk. You may lose some or all of the capital you invest.
Risk warning: investing in securities involves risk. You may lose some or all of the capital you invest.
UK investors who want service and research
Risk warning: investing in securities involves risk. You may lose some or all of the capital you invest.
UK ISA and SIPP investors
Risk warning: investing in securities involves risk. You may lose some or all of the capital you invest.
Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Content on Brokaro is for information purposes only and is not investment, legal or tax advice.