Looking to sign up with a stock app the UK? Investors can use a stock app on their smartphone to trade stocks and other assets on the move. But which apps are the best? It all depends on what sort of trading the investor has in mind.

Below we review a wide selection of ten popular stock apps UK. All are accessible from the UK. Some focus on plain share trading, whilst others offer the powerful advantages of CFD (Contract-For-Difference) trading. Further, we outline what key metrics to look out for in a UK stock app, as well as show you how to get signed up and into action.

Popular Stock Apps for Beginners in 2022
Investors can use stock apps UK to buy shares from around the world – as well as to buy shares the UK. Popular stock apps include:

80.61% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and/or CFDs with this provider.

Most Popular Stock Trading Apps in the UK Reviewed
Where to trade stocks the UK? Investors can trade online via their desktop or laptop computer – or via a smartphone app.

Smartphone apps offer the prime advantage of portability. Investors with a stock app UK can keep an eye on exciting stocks as well as their own portfolio wherever they are in the world, as well as take decisive action to wisely invest during inflation.

Investors wanting to go short on a stock, for example, or leverage their trade for amplified gains may be interested in Contracts-For-Difference (CFDs). Many of the stock apps UK available nowadays offer CFDs only (like Capital.com, for example).

1. Capital.com – CFD Broker with 5,700+ Stocks Available at Zero Commission
Capital.com is a dedicated CFD broker based in the UK. This stock app the UK serves 90,000 clients monthly from many countries.

47 commodities, 27 indices, 138 forex pairs, and no less than 5,799 shares/ETFs are offered via Contracts-For-Difference.

CFDs allow investors to go short on stocks – which is great in the current bear market! And CFDs also allow for leveraged trading. This means borrowing money from a broker to ramp up the potential gains (and losses) of a trade.

As with the other best CFD brokers in the UK this provider offers both a website service as well as an app for users’ smartphones. A full service is offered on the app but – as with other brokers – the charting tools are harder to use on smaller screens. Users can hook up to the specialist trading platform TradingView for advanced charting options too.

A standout feature of Capital.com’s offering is the quality market analysis provided. The broker’s newsfeed features several articles a day on pressing stock and market issues.

The Capital.com stock app the UK is highly ranked by no less than four independent bodies:

TradingView: 4.56/5 from 6.8k+ reviews
App Store: 4.7/5 from 1.5k reviews
Google Play: 4.5/5 from 36.7k reviews
Trustpilot: 4.3/5 from 7.3k reviews
What We Like
No commission on trades
One of the best day trading platforms in the UK
Informative market analysis
Extensive regulation (FCA, ASIC and CySEC)
Free Account Manager assigned to new users
Leverage trades and go short using CFDs
Approx Number of Stocks:    5,700+
Pricing System:    Spread fee plus CFD overnight fees
Cost of Buying Amazon:    0.12% spread (variable) plus -0.0064% overnight fee charged on borrowed funds
iOS and Android:    Both
App Same Functionality as Website:    Access to the same number of stocks
Visit Capital.com
80.61% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and/or CFDs with this provider.

2. eToro - Beginner-friendly Broker with Social Trading and Zero Commission
etoro logo
eToro's smartphone app is arguably a good stock trading app for beginners. Certainly, Israel-based eToro has built up over 27m registered users through their provision of full-service brokerage and the promotion of social trading.

This share trading app UK offers 3,000+ stocks/ETFs, commodities, indices, forex and crypto. Critically, share trading is commission-free. So, if an investor wanted to buy Amazon stock, for example, only a spread fee will apply (0.3% variable in the case of Amazon). With most brokers, spread fees tend to vary according to liquidity.

best investment apps etoro mobile
eToro's social trading centres on two tools:

CopyTrader, which allows users to copy the trading activity of more experienced traders automatically using allocated funds.
Smart Portfolios, which offer investment templates structured around particular themes or strategies.
Both social trading tools are available on the eToro app. Also included is the handy Watchlist function, which allows investors to keep an eye on interesting assets without buying them.

In common with the arrangements offered by other brokers, eToro users can sign up via desktop and then activate the smartphone app - or simply sign up using the app alone.

What We Like
Regulated by the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC
Social Trading: CopyTrader and Smart Portfolios
3,000+ stocks available commission-free
Approx Number of Stocks:    3,000+
Pricing System:    Spread fee (plus overnight fees if CFD trading)
Cost of Buying Amazon:    Spread fee (variable) of 0.3% on trade
iOS and Android:    Both
App Same Functionality as Website:    All stocks available
etoro logo

Visit eToro
Your capital is at risk. 78% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

3. XTB - CFD Stock Broker with 'Best Customer Service' Award

XTB is a full-service broker serving 400,000 clients with almost 20 years experience. Although not headquartered in the UK, XTB has an office in London – as well as 13 other countries. Clients can invest in stocks available from international exchanges from many countries in the world.

Via both desktop and smartphone app, XTB offers forex, indice, commodities, crypto and CFD stocks. XTB won Best Customer Service from ForexBrokers.com in 2021

Like eToro and Capital.com, XTB provides a free demo account for stocks.

best investment apps xtb mobile
What We Like

Regulated by FCA, KNF, CySEC, and FSC
European, US and UK shares available via CFDs
4.5/5 rating on Google Play from 28k+ reviews
Approx Number of Stocks:    2,100+ markets including stocks
Pricing System:    Spread fee plus CFD overnight fee
Cost of Buying Amazon:    0.4% spread fee (variable) plus overnight fee
iOS and Android:    Both
App Same Functionality as Website:    Yes
Visit XTB
81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

4. Vantage - CFD Stock Trading with Multiple Social Trading Options
This stock app UK offers access to CFD trading in stocks, commodities, forex and indices. A total of 400 instruments is available in all, with up to 500:1 leverage on offer as well as a convenient minimum deposit of $50. Vantage is also popular as one of the leading spread betting brokers in the UK.

Like Capital.com, Vantage offers comprehensive news and market information, as well as powerful charting tools (including Bollinger Bands, MACD, Moving Averages).

best investment apps vantage mobile
When it comes to stocks vs. forex trading, the emphasis with Vantage is on forex. But 500+ US stocks - including popular new stocks - are available as CFDs.

Vantage offers its own Vantage Social Trading platform, as well as established providers ZuluTrade and DupliTrade. Support for MT4 and MT5 is also available.

What We Like

4.8/5 rating achieved on Google Play from 10.6k reviews and 5/5 rating achieved on the App Store from 1.3k reviews
Free $100k demo account
24/5 customer support via live chat
Approx Number of Stocks:    500 US stocks plus other international stocks
Pricing System:    $0 commission on US stocks
Cost of Buying Amazon:    Spread fee but zero commission
iOS and Android:    Both
App Same Functionality as Website:    Not all add-on platforms
Visit Vantage
Trading derivatives carries significant risks. It is not suitable for all investors and if you are a professional client, you could lose substantially more than your initial investment.

5. Libertex - Award-winning CFD Broker with Streamlined Share Offering
With almost 25 years in business, Libertex is a dedicated CFD broker with 40+ international awards under its belt - including Best CFD Broker Europe 2022 from Global Brands Magazine and Best Trading Platform 2020 from World Finance.

250+ tradable assets are on offer including stocks, forex, indices, crypto and ETFs. Libertex offers three trading platforms: Libertex's home platform and MT4/MT5. A slimline selection of shares is available, including popular energy stocks and tech stocks.

Libertex's stock app UK has achieved a rating of 4.7/5 from 26k reviews on Google Play from 5m downloads. On the App Store, this stock app UK gained a score of 4.3/5.

best investment apps libertex mobile
Note that Libertex. although regulated by the FCA, is in the process of winding down its UK operations.

What We Like

Special zero commission investment account available for long-term investment
Free demo account
40+ international awards
Approx Number of Stocks:    50+
Pricing System:    With Investment Account, spread fee only on share purchases; Otherwise commission plus CFD overnight fees
Cost of Buying Amazon:    Commission of 0.0003% plus overnight fee of -0.0302%
iOS and Android:    Both
App Same Functionality as Website:    Yes
Visit Libertex
62.2% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

6. AvaTrade - CFD Broker with Multiple App Options
AvaTrade is a dedicated CFD broker offering a  smartphone trading app called AvaTradeGO. This gives users access to the powerful features of add-on trading platform MT4 - which is not currently available on the App Store in stand-alone format.

A total of 1250 financial instruments are available to trade, including forex, commodities, indices and - of course - stocks.

Alongside the AvaTradeGO stock app UK, two further smartphone apps are offered:

AvaSocial - AvaTrade's own copy trading platform
AvaOptions - AvaTrade's specialist app for trading financial options
best investment apps avatrade mobile
As with many stock apps UK, the emphasis with AvaTrade is on forex, but 630+ stocks are offered as CFDs.

What We Like

4.8/5 rating on Google Play from 9.5k reviews, and 4.5/5 on the App Store from 400+ reviews
Regulated in no less than nine global jurisdictions
Account Manager assigned if $1,000 deposited
Approx Number of Stocks:    630+
Pricing System:    Spread fee plus CFD overnight fees
Cost of Buying Amazon:    Spread fee of 0.13% plus overnight fee of -0.0189%
iOS and Android:    Both
App Same Functionality as Website:    Not all features
Visit AvaTrade
71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

7. Pepperstone - CFD Share Trading with Access to Key Trader Platforms

With a 4.7/5 rating on Trustpilot based on 1,748 reviews, we can conclude that the Pepperstone app is perhaps one of the best stock apps UK according to users.

Pepperstone's app is called the Pepperstone cTrader. It has received an average rating of 4.3/5 on Google Play from 2.7k reviews and 4.2/5 on the App Store from 40 reviews. This stock app offers plenty of customisability for expert traders, but does not offer biometric log-in.

Pepperstone offers social trading via partner DupliTrade. The broker is regulated by the FCA, CYSEC, BAFIN, ASIC, CMA, DSFA and SCB.

Pepperstone mobile app
Read our extended Pepperstone review.

24hr customer service 5 days a week
Access to advanced trading tools with TradingView
Access to trading platforms MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and cTrader
Approx Number of Stocks:    900+
Pricing System:    No additional spread fee but 0.1% commission per trade on UK shares, $0.02 per US share
Cost of Buying Amazon:    $0.02 commission per share + spread fee
iOS and Android:    Both
App Same Functionality as Website:    Yes
Visit Pepperstone
74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.

8. Plus500 - UK-based Provider of CFD Share Dealing with Zero Commission

One of the popular CFD brokers UK, Plus500 bases its global operation in the City of London.

Plus500 offers a range of 2,500 CFD instruments in all across shares, forex, indices, commodities and crypto. As with Capital.com, shares are only available as CFDs, with convenient leverage and short options.

This stock app UK offers a free demo - which is useful for beginners. Plus500 does not charge deposit or withdrawal fees, but does levy a currency conversion fee on trades if applicable. Trades are commission-free, but overnight and spread fees apply.

Plus500 is extensively regulated: by the FCA, CySEC, FMA, FSCA and others.

Plus500 mobile app
What We Like

22m+ users
4.2/5 rating on Trustpilot
4.2/5 on the App Store from 260+ reviews, 4.2/5 on Google Play from 101k+ reviews
Approx Number of Stocks:    500+
Pricing System:    Spread fee plus CFD overnight fees plus currency conversion fee
Cost of Buying Amazon:    Spread fee of 0.75% plus overnight fee of -0.06135% plus currency conversion fee
iOS and Android:    Both
App Same Functionality as Website:    Yes
9. Hargreaves Lansdown - UK-based Provider of Funds and Shares
Mutual funds are a popular way for investors to invest in many shares at once to spread risk - and the Hargreaves Lansdown stock app UK offers 3949 of them as well as ETFs, bonds, gilts and shares.

Hargreaves Lansdown is headquartered in Bristol, UK. The broker employs over 2,000 staff to service over 1.7m clients. Over £120bn of client funds is entrusted with Hargreaves, which is a FTSE 100 company in its own right regulated by the FCA.

Although this broker offers a pricing system based on commission, it is worth noting that spreads on buying and selling prices appear to be tight. For example, Apple is available to buy at $146.17 and to sell at $146.16 - which equates to a very tight spread of 0.006%.

Hargreaves Lansdown mobile app
What We Like

Broker headquartered in the UK with accounts in GBP
Broker has 40 years experience
Convenient access to many mutual funds and ETFs as well as shares
Approx Number of Stocks:    1,000+
Pricing System:    Spread plus £5.95 to £11.95 commission based on trading frequency plus FX charge for overseas deals
Cost of Buying Amazon:    0.25%-1% FX charge + $5.95-£11.95 commission plus 0.006% spread
iOS and Android:    Both
App Same Functionality as Website:    Largely
10. Freetrade - UK-based Dedicated Share Trading App with 1m+ Clients

The Freetrade brokerage service is available as smartphone app only.

Headquartered in London UK, this stock app UK has a fresh, modern feel and offers a maximum of 6,000 shares, ETFs, REITs and SPACs to deal in. Commodities and CFDs are not available.

Freetrade mobile app
Access to stocks depends on account type:

The Basic account is free, but allows access to only 1,500 shares and ETFs.
The Standard account costs £4.99 per month and offers the full range of 6,000 shares and ETFs - as well as 1% on uninvested cash.
The Plus account costs £9.99 per month, offers all shares/ETFs and pays 3% on uninvested cash.
What We Like

Investor funds protected by UK FSCS (Financial Services Compensation Scheme)
Awarded Best Online Trading Platform 2019-2022 by British Bank Awards
4.2/5 rating on Trustpilot based on 2.8k reviews
Approx Number of Stocks:    6,000+ UK, US and European stocks
Pricing System:    Monthly subscription (£0-£9.99 per month) plus spread fee
Cost of Buying Amazon:    Depends on subscription; zero commission, just spread fee
iOS and Android:    Both
App Same Functionality as Website:    App only
Best Stock Trading Apps UK According to Traders Compared
Broker    Approx. Number of Stocks    Pricing System    Cost of Buying Amazon
Capital.com    5,700+    Spread fee plus overnight fee    0.12% spread (variable) plus -0.0064% overnight fee charged on borrowed funds
eToro    3,000+    Spread fee    0.3% spread fee (variable)
XTB    2,100+ markets including stocks    Spread fee plus overnight fee    0.4% spread (variable) plus overnight fee
Vantage    500+ key US stocks plus others    Zero commission on US stocks    Zero commission but spread fee (variable) applies
Libertex    50+    If standard account, then commission plus overnight fees. If the investment account, zero commission applies a Commission of 0.0003% plus an overnight fee of -0.0302%
AvaTrade    630+    Spread fee plus CFD overnight fees    Spread fee of 0.13% (variable) plus an overnight fee of -0.0189%
Pepperstone    900+    No additional spread fee but 0.1% commission per trade on UK shares, $0.02 per US share    Spread fee plus $0.02 per share
Plus500    500+     Spread Fee plus CFD overnight fees    Spread fee of 0.75% plus an overnight fee of -0.06135%
Hargreaves Lansdown    1,000+ from 15+ international exchanges    Spread plus £5.95 to £11.95 commission based on trading frequency plus FX charge for overseas deals     0.25%-1% FX charge + $5.95-£11.95 commission plus 0.006% spread
Freetrade    6,000+     Monthly subscription (£0-£9.99 per month) plus spread fee    Depends on subscription; zero commission, just spread
Choosing a Stock App in the UK - Key Metrics to Look Out For
How to judge the most popular trading apps UK? Below are some key features to consider.

Regulation
Whether a broker is providing a London stock exchange trading app or an app that allows international share dealing too, it is important that the broker is regulated somewhere in the world.

Capital.com, for example, is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of London and is also part of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, which protects investor deposits.
Range of Stocks
The range of stocks offered by each stock trading app UK varies massively. Libertex, for example, offers just 50+ stocks. Capital.com offers 5,700+. Hargreaves Landsdown offers 1,000+ stocks and over 3,000 mutual funds to browse.

Fees
Some brokers (like Freetrade) charge a monthly subscription. Others (like Capital.com and eToro) charge zero commission on trades. Most brokers charge a spread fee, which is the difference between the price an investor can buy at, and the price they can sell at, at any given time.

The most popular investment apps are always 100% transparent about their fees.

Mobile Experience
Niggles with smartphone apps are common - whether they are stock apps the UK or designed for other purposes. We look for high ratings across multiple assessing platforms (like the App Store, Google Play, and Trustpilot) as well as a willingness from a broker to remedy user issues promptly.

Trading Tools
Trading tools fall into two categories: market orders and charting tools.

Market orders allow investors to get sophisticated about market entries and exits. Setting a Stop Loss, for example, is a key safety measure offered by many brokers which allows the investor to exit a position if it starts to lose too much money.
Charting tools are ideal for technical trading but tend to be tricky to use on smartphone stock trading apps UK.
Minimum Deposit
Even penny stock apps UK must set a minimum deposit. Nowadays, investors are not expected to stump up thousands of pounds. The minimum card deposit on Capital.com, for example, is $20 ($250 for bank transfers).

Demo Account
Most stock market apps UK offers free demo accounts. We recommend investors take advantage. Although there will generally be few hoops to jump through in terms of providing some ID, free demo accounts come with no obligation and investors can learn how a broker's app works without committing funds.

Payment Methods
Gone are the days when UK stock market apps made it difficult to deposit funds. It is, of course, in the interest of apps to make it easy for clients to deposit funds because then the business can be done, and fees earnt!

Nowadays, investors can expect to be able to deposit GBP funds via bank card, bank transfer and some payment wallets, notably Skrill, PayPal and Neteller. Many brokers (including Capital.com and eToro) do not charge deposit fees. But currency conversion fees may apply.

Customer Service
Ideally, UK stock apps should offer 24hr customer service seven days a week via the telephone. We have not identified a broker that offers this, although some offer 24/7 customer service 5 days a week via an online ticket system.

How to Use a Stock App in the UK - Capital.com Tutorial
Using a stock app UK involves the same four basic steps:

Sign Up
Get Verified
Deposit Funds
Execute a Trade
Below we use Capital.com's free stock trading app UK as an example.

1. Sign Up
Investors can either sign up with an app direct from their smartphone - or handle the sign-up procedure from the desktop web platform.


Either way, the investor will be asked to supply some simple personal details including email, phone number, and National Insurance Number.

2. Get Verified
If an investor already has an account with another stock app UK, the broker may be able to electronically verify their ID without the investor having to do anything; very convenient.

Otherwise, proof of ID and address will be required. Depending on the broker, this can be scanned in using the camera on the investor's smartphone, or sent via email.

Then, according to Know-Your-Customer regulations, the broker will need to check that the investor is not out of their depth. A series of questions about investing will be asked.


3. Deposit Funds
Once their account is verified, an investor may deposit funds. Capital.com is not alone among brokers in offering many convenient ways to deposit funds including bank cards, PayPal, bank transfer, Skrill and Neteller.


4. Execute a Trade
Once funds are successfully deposited, the user may begin trading.

The user can browse through markets and pinpoint stocks of interest. It is then simple to either press 'buy' or 'sell' (depending on whether the investor wants to go long or short), specify the amount of GBP to be invested, and execute the trade. The freshly-bought shares will be stored in the investor's portfolio, accessible via the stock app UK.


Conclusion
Above we have reviewed ten popular stock investing apps UK.

Let us be clear: it is not possible to say that one stock app UK is better than the rest; it all depends on what type of investment the user is aiming for.

CFD trading apps - like Capital.com's for example - are popular with investors who want to benefit from the options of Contracts-For-Difference. Many other brokers offer CFD trading, which allows investors to go short on shares as well as leverage their trade. But overnight fees apply for positions held.

Customer service is, of course, a key metric when it comes to stock apps UK. This is difficult to gauge without having an extended relationship with a stock app. But we are not unimpressed that an account manager from Capital.com currently rings new joiners as soon as they have opened an account to answer any questions.

Overall, we recommend that investors do their own research when it comes to stock apps UK and takes advantage of the free trials offered by many brokers.

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