Charles Stanley Direct vs Exness - BrokerCue
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Broker Comparison

Charles Stanley Direct vs Exness

Compare Charles Stanley Direct and Exness side by side: fees, regulation, platforms.

Charles Stanley Direct

Charles Stanley Direct

UK long-term investors and fund holders

Charles Stanley Direct is a UK investment platform launched in 2013, offering stocks, ETFs, funds, bonds, ISA…

VS
Exness

Exness

Active forex and CFD traders

Exness is a forex and CFD broker founded in 2008, offering MetaTrader 4/5 and a proprietary terminal with com…

Head-to-head comparison

Charles Stanley Direct vs Exness
Feature Charles Stanley Direct Exness
Minimum deposit - -
Stock trading fee £10 per online trade; telephone dealing 1% (min £25, max £100) -
Regulators FCA CySEC, FCA, FSCA, CMA, FSA, FSC, CBCS
Best for UK long-term investors and fund holders Active forex and CFD traders
Markets & account
Stocks
ETFs
-
Forex
-
CFDs
-
Crypto
-
Bonds
-
Funds
-
Isa
-
Sipp
-
Investment Plans
-
Ready Made Portfolios
-
Business Account
-
Margin
-
Multi Currency
-
Demo Account
-

Pros & cons

Charles Stanley Direct

Charles Stanley Direct

Pros

  • FCA regulated with FSCS protection
  • Wide range of accounts: ISA, SIPP, Junior ISA, GIA, business account
  • Access to 12,500+ UK and international investments
  • No inactivity fee
  • No deposit or withdrawal fees
  • £50 trading credit every six months offsets dealing costs
  • In-house research and market commentary
  • Flexible ISA feature uncommon among competitors

Cons

  • No demo account
  • £10 per trade for shares, ETFs and investment trusts is among the highest of UK platforms
  • Annual platform fee minimum of £60 disadvantages smaller portfolios
  • Annual fee cap raised to £600 in 2024, increasing costs for mid-size portfolios
  • FX conversion charge of 1% on trades under £10,000
  • Bonds and gilts available by telephone only
  • No fractional shares
  • Basic mobile app lacks advanced charting and research tools
Exness

Exness

Pros

  • No deposit, withdrawal, or inactivity fees
  • Competitive spreads - Standard EUR/USD from 0.8 pips with no commission
  • Multiple account types including Raw Spread and Zero for low-cost trading
  • MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 fully supported
  • Swap-free account option available to all traders, not limited to Islamic accounts
  • Free VPS hosting for eligible accounts
  • Demo accounts available for all account types
  • 24/7 multilingual customer support

Cons

  • CySEC and FCA entities do not serve retail clients - most retail traders are assigned to offshore or lower-tier entities
  • No direct ownership of stocks, ETFs, or bonds - all instruments are CFDs
  • Limited educational resources compared to multi-asset competitors
  • No cTrader or TradingView as standalone platforms
  • Unavailable to retail clients in the US, EU, and UK
  • Copy trading service discontinued in June 2026; no copy trading available
Charles Stanley Direct

Charles Stanley Direct

Charles Stanley Direct is a UK investment platform launched in 2013, offering stocks, ETFs, funds, bonds, ISA, SIPP and Junior ISA accounts with in-house research.

Visit Charles Stanley Direct Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

Exness

Exness

Exness is a forex and CFD broker founded in 2008, offering MetaTrader 4/5 and a proprietary terminal with competitive spreads, no deposit fees, and swap-free account options.

Visit Exness Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

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