Charles Stanley Direct vs Spreadex - BrokerCue
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Broker Comparison

Charles Stanley Direct vs Spreadex

Compare Charles Stanley Direct and Spreadex 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
Spreadex

Spreadex

Leveraged spread betting and CFD traders

Spreadex is a UK-based broker founded in 1999 offering spread betting, CFDs and options on shares, indices, f…

Head-to-head comparison

Charles Stanley Direct vs Spreadex
Feature Charles Stanley Direct Spreadex
Minimum deposit - -
Stock trading fee £10 per online trade; telephone dealing 1% (min £25, max £100) -
Regulators FCA FCA
Best for UK long-term investors and fund holders Leveraged spread betting and CFD traders
Markets & account
Stocks
ETFs
Forex
-
CFDs
-
Crypto
-
Bonds
Options
-
Funds
-
Isa
-
Sipp
-
Investment Plans
-
Ready Made Portfolios
-
Business Account
-
Margin
-
Spread Betting
-

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
Spreadex

Spreadex

Pros

  • EUR/USD spreads start from 0.6 pts
  • UK 100 and Germany 40 spreads start from 1pt
  • Gold spreads start from 0.3 pts
  • Free price alerts by text, push or email
  • TradingView access alongside the Spreadex platform
  • Advanced charts include over 10 years of price history
  • Out-of-hours trading is available on select shares

Cons

  • 61% of retail investor accounts lose money on spread bets and CFDs
  • Retail clients cannot trade cryptocurrencies
  • Professional clients waive negative balance protection
  • Spreadex Pro requires an existing standard spread betting or CFD account
  • Professional cryptocurrency margin is 18%
  • Shares are traded through spread betting or CFD products
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.

Spreadex

Spreadex

Spreadex is a UK-based broker founded in 1999 offering spread betting, CFDs and options on shares, indices, forex and commodities, with TradingView and mobile apps.

Visit Spreadex Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

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