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Broker Comparison

AJ Bell vs HFM

Compare AJ Bell and HFM side by side: fees, regulation, platforms.

AJ Bell

AJ Bell

UK long-term investors and pension savers

AJ Bell is a UK investment platform founded in 1995, offering stocks, ETFs, funds, bonds, ISAs and SIPPs acro…

VS
HFM

HFM

Active forex and CFD traders

HFM is a multi-asset CFD and forex broker founded in 2010, regulated across six jurisdictions, offering 1,000…

Head-to-head comparison

AJ Bell vs HFM
Feature AJ Bell HFM
Minimum deposit - -
Stock trading fee £5 per trade; £3.50 per trade for frequent dealers (10+ deals in previous month); £25 by telephone -
Regulators FCA FCA, CySEC, FSCA, DFSA, CMA, FSA
Best for UK long-term investors and pension savers Active forex and CFD traders
Markets & account
Stocks
ETFs
Forex
-
CFDs
-
Crypto
-
Bonds
Futures
-
Funds
-
Ready Made Portfolios
-
Investment Plans
-
Isa
-
Sipp
-
Savings Vaults
-
Margin
-
Demo Account
-

Pros & cons

AJ Bell

AJ Bell

Pros

  • FCA-regulated with FSCS protection up to £85,000
  • Share and ETF custody capped at £3.50/month in ISA and dealing accounts
  • SIPP platform fee capped at £10/month
  • Wide investment range: 4,000+ funds, 3,500+ ETFs, 16,000+ shares across 24 markets
  • No withdrawal or inactivity fees
  • Regular investing with no dealing charge from £25/month
  • Which? Recommended Provider for eight consecutive years (2019-2026)
  • ISA, SIPP, Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA and dealing accounts all on one platform

Cons

  • No demo or practice account
  • No fractional shares
  • No cryptocurrency trading
  • Fund platform fee is not capped, making it expensive for large fund portfolios
  • FX conversion fee up to 0.75% on international trades
  • Basic charting tools compared to dedicated trading platforms
  • No multi-currency account - all holdings converted to GBP
HFM

HFM

Pros

  • Regulated by FCA, CySEC, FSCA, DFSA, CMA and FSA
  • No minimum deposit on most accounts
  • No deposit or withdrawal fees on standard methods
  • Raw zero-pip spreads available on Zero account
  • Over 1,000 tradable instruments across multiple asset classes
  • Free demo account available
  • Negative balance protection provided
  • Copy trading platform available

Cons

  • Inactivity fee of $5 per month after six months of dormancy
  • Zero account charges $3 per side per lot commission
  • US clients are not accepted
  • No cTrader or TradingView integration
  • EU retail leverage capped at 30:1 on major forex pairs
  • HF Markets EU entity accepts only professional and eligible counterparty clients
AJ Bell

AJ Bell

AJ Bell is a UK investment platform founded in 1995, offering stocks, ETFs, funds, bonds, ISAs and SIPPs across 24 international markets.

Visit AJ Bell Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

HFM

HFM

HFM is a multi-asset CFD and forex broker founded in 2010, regulated across six jurisdictions, offering 1,000-plus instruments on MT4, MT5 and a proprietary mobile app.

Visit HFM Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

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