Freetrade review

Updated September 28, 2026 · BrokerCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026

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Our verdict

Freetrade suits UK beginners who want to buy shares, ETFs, bonds and funds without paying a dealing charge or an annual account fee. Regulation sits with the Financial Conduct Authority and holdings are covered by the FSCS, though a currency conversion fee of 0.99% applies and support runs on email, chat and help centre only.

Key facts

Best for
First-time UK investors putting small amounts into a stocks and shares ISA.
Minimum deposit
£1 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Stock trade fee
£0 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Account fee
£0 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Markets
Stocks, ETFs, Bonds, Funds (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Regulators
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Investor protection
FSCS up to GBP 85,000 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Currency conversion fee
0.99% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Platforms
App, Web (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Account types
ISA, SIPP, Jisa (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Interest on cash
1% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Legal entity
Freetrade Limited (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Headquarters
United Kingdom (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Founded
2016 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Support channels
Email, Chat, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Features
Fractional shares, Mobile app, Demo account
Pricing model
Commission-free
Audience
Beginners
Official website
freetrade.io

Apps and profiles

Elsewhere
WikidataWikipediaLinkedInXfacebook.com

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Dealing commission of £0 and an account fee of £0 keep the running cost of an ISA, SIPP or Junior ISA low.
  • Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK, with protection stated as FSCS up to GBP 85,000.
  • Fractional shares and a demo account let you size positions in small amounts and practise before committing money.
  • Cash earns an interest rate of 1%, so uninvested balances still work while you decide.
  • Trading runs on app and web platforms, so the same account works from a phone or a desktop.

Cons

  • A currency conversion fee of 0.99% applies whenever you hold investments in more than one currency.
  • Support runs on email, chat and help centre only, with no phone line listed for account or transfer questions.
  • The account range is limited to isa, sipp and jisa, so there is no general investment account for shares outside a wrapper.
  • The minimum deposit is £1, which sits above the $0 at CFI.
Freetrade

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Scored 8.8 / 10 by BrokerCue.

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Who it suits

  • UK beginners opening a stocks and shares ISA or Junior ISA with small monthly amounts
  • Long-term investors who want to hold a simple share and ETF portfolio without a dealing charge
  • SIPP holders who prefer an app and web platform to a phone-only service

Who should look elsewhere

  • People who need a general investment account outside a tax wrapper
  • Investors who trade frequently in several currencies, because the 0.99% conversion fee applies each time
  • Anyone who wants to speak to support by phone, as support runs on email, chat and help centre only

What you can trade

Freetrade covers a straightforward investment list: stocks, etfs and bonds. That means shares, ETFs, bonds and funds in the same account, which is enough for a portfolio built from individual shares or a small fund collection. Bonds and funds are a quieter corner of the platform than shares, so someone wanting fixed income as a regular holding has room to work, while anyone looking for something more speculative will find the list short. You choose from isa, sipp and jisa accounts. A stocks and shares ISA or a SIPP covers adult investors, and a Junior ISA covers saving for a child, so the account type you open depends on the wrapper you want rather than the markets available. Each wrapper holds the same stocks, etfs and bonds. Trading happens on app and web platforms. The app suits checking a position and placing a trade on the move, while the web platform gives a wider view for reviewing a portfolio. Both reach the same account, so there is no need to commit to either for life.

What trading costs

The dealing charge is £0 and the account fee is £0. Both apply to the stocks and shares ISA, SIPP and Junior ISA, so holding a small portfolio does not shrink because of an annual charge, which is what matters most for anyone building a pension pot over many years. You can open and fund an account from a minimum deposit of £1. That is a low starting point for a habit, though the $0 at CFI shows some platforms ask for less, and eToro lists a dealing charge of $0. The cost that does apply is currency conversion, at 0.99%. If your portfolio holds shares or ETFs priced in dollars alongside UK holdings, the conversion happens on the part of the portfolio that is not in pounds. Buy and hold in a single currency and this charge never shows up, which is why it is worth checking what currency a given share trades in before splitting a small portfolio. Cash left in the account earns interest of 1%, so money waiting to be invested is not idle.

Safety and regulation

Freetrade is regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority, and the FCA register reference for the firm is 783189. The trading entity behind the brand is Freetrade Limited, so the permission attaches to a named UK company rather than a group abroad. Protection for eligible holdings is stated as FSCS up to GBP 85,000. That is the ceiling on what the scheme pays out if the firm cannot return your money or assets, and it applies per person across the brands they hold money with. It is a backstop for a firm failure, not a guarantee that an investment performs, and it says nothing about market losses. Those two pieces sit behind every account here, including the isa, sipp and jisa accounts. A commission-free model does not change the regulatory position: the FCA permission and the stated protection level are the same regardless of what you trade inside the account.

Who runs it

The company is Freetrade Limited, headquartered in the UK, and it was founded in 2016. It is a British operation built around an online platform rather than a branch network, which shapes both the cost model and the support model. Support runs on email, chat and help centre. A help centre carries most of the routine questions, and email and chat handle the rest, so anything urgent about a transfer or a trade sits in a written queue rather than a call. Against a field where phone lines are common at larger firms, that is the clearest practical difference in the account experience. The combination of an app and web platform under one FCA permission is a fairly simple operation to understand. A fee of £0 and a dealing charge of £0 mean the firm does not rely on trading costs for its income, so the accounts stay open and running with no charge for holding them.

How Freetrade compares

Where Freetrade is available

Available
United Kingdom
Licence in United Kingdom
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (783189), checked September 26, 2026

Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to buy shares on Freetrade?+

The dealing charge is £0 and the account fee is £0. Those two cover the trading and holding side of a stocks and shares ISA, SIPP or Junior ISA. The charge that appears is currency conversion at 0.99%, which only shows up if part of your portfolio sits in another currency.

Who regulates Freetrade and is my money protected?+

Freetrade Limited is regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority, with register reference 783189. Protection for eligible holdings is stated as FSCS up to GBP 85,000, which is the ceiling the scheme pays if the firm cannot return your money. It covers firm failure rather than market losses.

What is the smallest amount I can start with?+

The minimum deposit is £1, which is enough to open and fund an account. CFI lists a minimum deposit of $0, so it asks for less if you want the first transfer as small as possible. Fractional shares also let you build a position in small amounts once the account is open.

Which account types can I open?+

You can open isa, sipp and jisa accounts. A stocks and shares ISA and a SIPP cover adult investors, and a Junior ISA covers saving for a child. Each wrapper holds the same stocks, etfs and bonds, and the dealing charge and account fee apply the same way inside each one.

Can I practise before I put money in?+

A demo account is available, so you can follow a trade through without risking cash. It sits alongside fractional shares, which let you hold part of a share, and both appear in the fractional shares, mobile app and demo account list. Help on how each works sits in the help centre, listed among the email, chat and help centre available.

Can I trade from my phone and my computer?+

Trading runs on app and web platforms. The app handles checks and orders on the move, and the web platform gives a wider view for reviewing a portfolio. Both work from the same isa, sipp and jisa accounts, so nothing is held separately between them.

What happens if I hold cash in the account?+

Cash in the account earns interest of 1% while you decide what to buy. That matters most early on, when money arrives before it is invested. It is a return on the balance rather than a fee, and it sits on top of the £0 account fee.

How do I get help if something looks wrong?+

Support runs on email, chat and help centre, so a help centre handles routine questions and email and chat cover the rest. There is no phone line listed, so anything time-sensitive about a transfer or a trade is worth raising in writing to keep a record of the exchange. The FCA permission at 783189 sits behind the firm throughout.

Sources

  • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetrade checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Founded, Headquarters, Legal entity

    “Founded 2016, Headquarters London, United Kingdom”

  • freetrade.io checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Features, Minimum deposit, Platforms

    “8,600+ investment choices: funds, stocks, ETFs, bonds, and more”

  • freetrade.io/compare-plans checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Account fee, Account types, Audience, Interest on cash, Currency conversion fee, Markets, Pricing model, Stock trade fee

    “Basic £0.00 /Mo - General investment account”

  • freetrade.io/contact checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Support channels

    “Chat in-app, Help Hub, Email us”

  • freetrade.io/keeping-you-safe checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Investor protection, Regulators, Licences

Compiled from 5 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.

Not confirmed yet: Inactivity fee, Retail accounts that lose money.

Freetrade

Freetrade

First-time UK investors putting small amounts into a stocks and shares ISA.

8.8/10See alternatives

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