Are you paying too much to invest? 2026 platform fee comparison
Written by Boring Money
4 June, 2026
Barclays has removed its platform fee entirely for fund investors - one of ten providers to cut prices in the past year. On a £10,000 fund portfolio, that means £0 a year with Barclays, versus £38.50 at Hargreaves Lansdown and £80 at Bestinvest. Boring Money research shows 49% of cash-only savers would still rather invest through their bank than a specialist platform - even though banks aren't always cheapest. [1]
Barclays no longer has platform fees for fund investors, joining a growing list of providers who have cut their prices in the past 12 months. Ten platforms (as seen below) have now changed their pricing in the past year:
The message is clear: providers know investors care about cost and they're responding. Customers need to try and keep up with the changes to make sure we are not paying above the odds. The new fees from Barclays make this high street bank one of the lowest-cost big name providers out there, arguably combining brand strength and clout with seriously low charges.
How much do investment platforms charge for funds?
On a £10,000 fund portfolio, Barclays now charges £0 a year, Hargreaves Lansdown charges £38.50, and Bestinvest charges £80 - and the gap widens as your portfolio grows.
While price might not mean everything, it’s important to check that you are getting the best value for your money and that fees are not unnecessarily eating into your investments.
The table below shows the typical platform fees across major providers to buy and hold a collection of funds on the platform. We have shown this for various portfolio sizes and assumed a number of trades each year, rising from 1 trade a year in smaller portfolios, rising to a maximum of 8 trades a year.
Figures shown for portfolio sizes of £10,000, £20,000, £50,000, £100,000 and £300,000, assuming 2, 2, 4, 6 and 8 trades per year, respectively.
To help you understand how investment platforms charge for funds, we’ve come up with two scenarios to ensure you get the best value for your money.
If you had a portfolio of £10,000 and invested with Barclays, you would pay nothing all year to invest in their fund selection. In comparison, if you chose Hargreaves Lansdown, you would pay £38.50, and if you were with Bestinvest, you would pay £80*.
For a portfolio of £100,000, you would still pay nothing to invest in funds with Barclays. This new pricing works out £250 cheaper per year than Barclays’ previous rate. For Hargreaves Lansdown, a portfolio of this size would mean you’d pay £361.70 over the year. For Bestinvest, you’d be charged £400.
*Providers selected across a range of pricing for comparison
Worth noting: This pricing assumes ad hoc, not regular investing, and only includes platform charges, not the management fee of the individual funds you choose. Setting up regular investments can be a cheaper way to manage things.
How much do platforms charge to buy-and-hold ETFs?
Freetrade, IG Share Dealing, InvestEngine, Lightyear, Trading 212 and xtb charge nothing to buy or hold ETFs and shares, while Fidelity and CMC Invest charge more than £80 on a £10,000 portfolio.
ETFs are growing in popularity as a low-cost way to invest. If you prefer these Exchange Traded Funds, they are treated like shares when it comes to trading them and for how platforms charge for them.
The table below shows how fees stack up across key providers if you buy and hold shares or ETFs here. We have assumed a number of trades rising from 1 trade a year in smaller portfolios, rising to a maximum of 8 trades a year in larger portfolios.
Figures shown for portfolio sizes of £1,000, £5,000, £10,000, £20,000, £50,000, £100,000 and £250,000, assuming 1, 1, 2, 2, 4, 6 and 8 trades per year respectively.
You can see that after the new changes, Barclays would cost £12 for a £10,000 investment. (The only fee in the revised structure is £6 per share or ETF trade). The lowest cost providers are Freetrade, IG Share Dealing, InvestEngine, Lightyear, Trading 212, and xtb, who don’t charge to trade or hold ETFs or shares. And the most expensive providers include Fidelity and CMC Invest – you'll pay more than £80 for a £10,000 investment with them.
This is a very big move which will shake up the direct investing market. Barclays is drawing a bold line in the sand which will take the fight to challenger fintechs. It will also result in some soul searching amongst more established large rivals who have been delivered a pricing headache which I think they will have to respond to.
2026 is going to shape up to be a very competitive year for the hearts, minds and investment wallets of middle England.
Boring Money research shows that banks remain a popular choice for less confident investors who appreciate the perceived security of a larger brand. Our data shows 49% of cash-only savers agree they ‘would rather invest using my bank than a specialist investment provider.’ Just 21% of people surveyed disagreed with this statement.
Which provider is right for me?
Try our new ISA and Pension Finder tool – just answer six simple questions and we’ll match you to the provider that’s right for you.
Alternatively, take a look at our comparison tables here. If you enter your specific account size they will calculate the fees you’d pay for each provider in the market.
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Appreciate your help and non tec explanations. Keep up the good work for the majority of us long suffering little people
Stephen
12 June 2026