Charles Stanley Direct vs GO Markets - BrokerCue
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Broker Comparison

Charles Stanley Direct vs GO Markets

Compare Charles Stanley Direct and GO Markets 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
GO Markets

GO Markets

Active forex and CFD traders

GO Markets is an Australian CFD and forex broker founded in 2006, offering 1,800+ instruments across MT4, MT5…

Head-to-head comparison

Charles Stanley Direct vs GO Markets
Feature Charles Stanley Direct GO Markets
Minimum deposit - -
Stock trading fee £10 per online trade; telephone dealing 1% (min £25, max £100) -
Regulators FCA ASIC, CySEC, FSC, FSA
Best for UK long-term investors and fund holders Active forex and CFD traders
Markets & account
Stocks
ETFs
Forex
-
CFDs
-
Crypto
-
Bonds
Futures
-
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
GO Markets

GO Markets

Pros

  • Regulated by ASIC and CySEC, two Tier-1 regulators
  • No deposit, withdrawal, or inactivity fees
  • Choice of MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, and TradingView
  • GO Plus+ account offers raw spreads from 0.0 pips
  • 1,800+ tradable instruments including 1,000+ share CFDs added in 2024
  • Free VPS hosting for qualifying active traders
  • Demo account with USD 50,000 virtual funds available
  • Copy trading via MetaTrader and cTrader supported

Cons

  • No real stock ownership - all equities are CFDs
  • Standard account spreads can be wider than raw-spread competitors
  • cTrader and TradingView restricted to Australian clients only
  • TradingView requires a live account to access demo
  • No Islamic (swap-free) account option
  • Limited product range for non-leveraged long-term investing
  • UK FCA authorisation was revoked in February 2023
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.

GO Markets

GO Markets

GO Markets is an Australian CFD and forex broker founded in 2006, offering 1,800+ instruments across MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, and the proprietary GO TradeX platform.

Visit GO Markets Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

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