Overview
Hargreaves Lansdown, usually just called HL, is the UK's biggest DIY investment platform. It's been going since 1981, it's based in Bristol, and it looks after money for more than two million people. This isn't a trading broker in the CFD sense: there's no leverage, no spread betting and no forex trading. It suits UK investors who want shares, funds and tax wrappers in one place with good research, and don't mind paying a bit more. The group's companies are authorised by the FCA.
Accounts and costs
The core accounts are the Fund and Share Account, the Stocks and Shares ISA and the SIPP. There's also a Lifetime ISA with a 25% government bonus, a Junior ISA, a Junior SIPP and a Bare Trust for children. The Fund and Share Account starts from £1, and if you only hold shares and ETFs there's no account fee, while funds carry an annual charge of 0.1% to 0.45%. Reviewers say active traders will find HL pricier than discount brokers. Cash can go into Active Savings, which lines up rates from over 30 banks.
Platforms and markets
You use HL's own website and app. Since late 2025 the platform has TradingView's Advanced Charts built in, but you can't place trades through TradingView itself, and there's no MetaTrader. You can buy UK and overseas shares, ETFs, investment trusts and funds, plus things like VCTs and crypto ETNs in the advanced section.
Money in and out
You pay in by bank transfer or debit card from an account in your own name. Withdrawals go by Faster Payments to your nominated bank, and HL doesn't charge for them or for inactivity. Eligible client money is covered by the FSCS up to £85,000.
Good
- FCA regulated and around since 1981, with more than two million clients
- Full set of UK wrappers: ISA, Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, SIPP, Junior SIPP and bare trust
- No withdrawal or inactivity fees
- TradingView Advanced Charts built into the HL platform
- Cash savings from 30+ banks under one login
Watch for
- Costs are higher than discount brokers for active traders
- No CFDs, spread betting, margin or leverage
- Cannot trade through TradingView or MetaTrader
- Only a selection of international markets
Accounts and costs
What each account needs to open and what you pay to trade on it.
| Account | Min deposit | Pricing | Max leverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fund and Share Account | £1 | No account fee when holding only shares and ETFs; funds carry an annual fee of 0.1% to 0.45% depending on value | — |
| Stocks and Shares ISA | — | Invest free from UK tax | — |
| Lifetime ISA | — | 25% government bonus, up to £1,000 a year | — |
| Junior Stocks and Shares ISA | — | — | — |
| SIPP | — | Up to 45% tax relief on pension contributions | — |
| Junior SIPP | — | — | — |
| Bare Trust Account | — | — | — |
| Active Savings Account | — | Easy access rates up to 4.00% AER and fixed rates up to 5.05% AER from 30+ banks | — |
Regulation
Which entity holds which licence. Your protection depends on the entity you open an account with.
Investor protection: FSCS up to £85,000 per investor
Platforms and markets
Platforms
Markets
Deposits and withdrawals
- Methods
- Bank transfer, Card
- Minimum deposit
- £1
What traders say
Scores from the sites traders use, and our summary of what they're saying, checked 6 October 2026.
Hargreaves Lansdown has one of the largest review pools of any UK investment platform, and most of it is positive. A comparison site quotes 4.4 on Trustpilot from more than 20,000 reviews; the page now has about 21,300. Good Money Guide users give 3.8 from about 1,800, and Reviews.io has a much lower 1.5 from 94. Praise centres on the phone service and the website. Complaints are mostly about fees, and about slow transfers and withdrawals.
What traders like
People who answer the phone. Many Trustpilot reviewers praise staff at the Bristol call centre as helpful, patient and knowledgeable.
An easy, informative platform. The website and app are often called easy to use, with plenty of research and guidance. Several reviewers say this suits less experienced investors.
Everything in one place. Reviewers like holding ISAs, SIPPs, savings and a broad range of funds and shares on one reliable platform.
Common complaints
Fees. This is the most common criticism on Reddit and in low Trustpilot reviews: the percentage platform fee and share dealing charges feel high next to cheaper rivals, especially for small or ETF-only accounts.
Slow transfers and withdrawals. Some reviewers describe transfers out that took weeks, pension withdrawals held up by paperwork, and a lack of updates. Several Financial Ombudsman decisions have ordered compensation for withdrawal delays.
Busy periods. A number of reviewers are tired of messages saying high demand will slow their request.
Past fund picks. Older Reddit threads still raise its promotion of the Woodford funds before they collapsed.
Recently
August 2026: a Trustpilot reviewer described moving a SIPP and ISA away after service broke down, then hearing nothing for two weeks after sending the information HL asked for.
September 2026: recent Trustpilot reviews remain mostly positive about staff, with some grumbles about transaction speed.
Where this comes from
Trustpilot: the main review page, which has merged several older profiles.
Good Money Guide: user reviews.
Reviews.io: a smaller, more negative set of reviews.
Forex Peace Army: a stock broker review page.
Reddit search: threads in UK investing and personal finance subreddits.
Verified reviews
Reviews from traders who've connected an account at Hargreaves Lansdown to Chartnaut, so you know they actually traded there. Opening soon.