Are you paying too much to invest?
With platform fees falling across the industry, now's a good time to check what you're actually paying
4 June, 2026
Most of us set up an investment account, pick our funds, and then forget about the fees. It's easy to do, but it can be surprisingly costly.
Barclays has just removed its platform fee entirely for fund investors, joining a growing list of providers who have cut their prices in the past 12 months. Ten platforms have changed their pricing in the past year – listed below. 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.
Which raises the question: how do your fees stack up?
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. How does your platform stack up?
Let’s break it down
How much do investment platforms charge for funds?
*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.
Pricing scenarios for funds
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.
How much do platforms charge to buy and hold ETFs?
ETFs are growing in popularity as a low-cost way to invest. If you prefer these 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.
Pricing scenarios for ETFs
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 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 that ‘I would rather invest using my bank than a specialist investment provider’ (with just 21% disagreeing 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.
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