In order to trade successfully, it is very important to choose the right broker. in the UK, a large number of companies provide access to trading and you will have to choose the one for you among them. It is important to work only with reliable brokers providing all the required instruments for trading based on your trading strategy. TU analysts have selected the best paper trading brokers for fractional shares in the UK 2024. You can compare their features and trading conditions.
1
eToro - Best for fractional shares in the UK
The eToro broker was founded in 2007. The company promotes itself as a social trading platform working with traders from over 140 countries. The broker has several divisions operating under different jurisdictions and licensed by different regulators. For example, eToro (Europe) is licensed by the Cypriot regulator CySEC (109/10) and eToro (UK) is licensed by the British regulator FCA (583263). The broker also has a representative office in Australia and the USA.
👍 Advantages of trading with eToro for traders from the UK:
•High level of reliability ensured by the licenses of respected regulatory authorities and participation in the compensation funds.
•Wide selection of assets quoted at stock exchanges in the UK, U.S., Australia and Asia.
•An opportunity to combine active trading with social trading and passive investing.
•Zero-fee trading of a number of stocks.
•Access to ready-made diversified asset portfolios with various risk levels.
•Provision of leverage, educational materials on various markets and user-friendly trading platforms that can run on any device.
•Zero fees for portfolio management, depositing funds and account maintenance.
👎 Disadvantages of eToro for traders from the UK:
•High minimum deposit for users of a number of countries.
•No live chat on the website for quick connection to customer support.
2
Revolut - Best for fractional shares in the UK
Revolut is a British fintech company that has been providing investors with accounts for trading precious metals, cryptocurrencies, and stocks listed on U.S. exchanges since 2015. The broker offers its clients access to investing in stocks and ETFs on European stock exchanges. For organizations and private clients, the company offers a multi-currency account with the possibility of exchanging currencies at the current inter-bank exchange rate. Revolut is supervised by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
👍 Advantages of trading with Revolut for traders from the UK:
•In addition to stock trades, customers can trade cryptocurrencies and precious metals.
•The broker offers commission-free trading plans.
•The minimum number of shares to buy is 0.00000001.
•There are no minimum deposit requirements.
•Social trading is available, which allows newcomers to the stock market to copy trades of successful traders.
•Communication with the support service via chat is available in the mobile application 24 hours a day.
•There is no fee for opening and maintaining a trading account.
👎 Disadvantages of Revolut for traders from the UK:
•Stock trading is currently only available to UK residents.
•Operations in precious metals and cryptocurrencies are not regulated by supervisory authorities.
•The company does not offer fiduciary management of its investment portfolio.
3
Interactive Brokers - Best for fractional shares in the UK
Interactive Brokers is among the best-known US investment companies, operating since 1977. The broker offers to trade currency pairs, but its basic instruments are stocks, CFD, indices, metals, ETF, futures, and other exchange market assets. The company is regulated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the US Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the UK Financial Regulatory Authority (FCA, 208159), and other international financial regulation commissions. In 2020, the broker was awarded the "Best Online Broker” (Barron's) and "Best Broker for Economical Investments" (NerdWallet) titles and got five stars in the Online Stock Trading for Traders category (Canstar). Also, the broker is popular in other countries. Here you can read reviews of Interactive Brokers in Canada, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, Ireland.
👍 Advantages of trading with Interactive Brokers for traders from the UK:
•wide range of training materials;
•access to 135 markets in 33 countries;
•a huge subset of trading instruments.
👎 Disadvantages of Interactive Brokers for traders from the UK:
•website interface is only partially translated into other languages;
•you have to pay for an inactive account;
•Support service does not work on Saturday and Sunday;
•long and complex registration procedure;
•no cent accounts for novice traders.
4
Phillip Capital - Best for fractional shares in the UK
Phillip Capital is a broker of PhillipCapital Inc Group, founded in Singapore in 1975. The PhillipCapital subsidiary was established in 2010. Its main office is located in the United States in the Chicago Chamber of Commerce building. Since July 2014, the broker has been regulated by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and is also registered with the FINRA (CRD#: 173869/SEC#: 8-69558), SIPC, and the OCC. PhillipCapital provides direct access to the stock market and offers over 2,000 instruments for trading on 30 exchanges in 16 countries. The company also provides a wide range of clearing, financial, and executive services.
👍 Advantages of trading with Phillip Capital for traders from the UK:
•No brokerage fees for trading stock market assets.
•Providing access to major American and global exchanges, including CME, EUREX, CBOT, DME, IEX, COMEX, NYMEX, NFX, ICE US, CFE (CBOE), and ICE EU.
•Uses proprietary software.
•Membership in all Asian futures exchanges, which allows traders to expand the list of available trading tools.
•Large selection of supported trading platforms.
•Regulated by CFTC and SEC, membership in FINRA and SIPC.
👎 Disadvantages of Phillip Capital for traders from the UK:
•High minimum deposit amount of $5,000.
•Technical support is provided by phone, fax, or email; there is no online chat.
•It does not cooperate with electronic payment systems and charges a commission for withdrawing funds from accounts.
5
Stake - Best for fractional shares in the UK
Stake is a broker that has been providing trading services for U.S. securities in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil since 2017. It is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (830771) and is licensed for financial services in Australia. Stake offers its clients zero fees on trades in U.S. stocks and ETFs, a convenient and easy-to-use mobile trading app, and investment protection from the FSCS and SIPC. The trading conditions for clients from different countries are similar, but there are slight differences. In this review, the main focus is on the UK branch of Stake.
👍 Advantages of trading with Stake for traders from the UK:
•Available minimum deposit size for medium- and long-term strategies.
•Regulation in multiple jurisdictions, including by the FCA.
•Zero trading fees on unlimited trades in stocks, ETFs, and ADRs listed on U.S. exchanges.
•Easy-to-use trading platforms.
•Ability to invest in equities.
•Lightning-fast and fully digital account opening.
•Offers one free stock to every new customer who deposits within 24 hours of account opening.
👎 Disadvantages of Stake for traders from the UK:
•Having a GBP to USD (and vice versa) conversion fee for deposits and withdrawals.
•The list of countries whose citizens can become a client of the broker is limited. Registration is not available for U.S. residents.
•There is no online chat and telephone support is not available.
Commissions & Fees
Brokerage fees are the amount of money that you pay for using the services that a brokerage offers in order to perform trading and manage investments. The brokerage fee structure and regulations vary from broker to broker, and there are two primary fee types which are:
Trading Fees: This type of fee is only charged when you perform a trade. It can be a conversion fee, margin rate, financing rate, spread, or commission.
Non-Trading Fees: This type of fee isn't directly related to your trading activity, and it can include inactivity fee, withdrawal fee, deposit fee, etcetera.
eToro Commissions and Fees
Registration on the eToro platform is free. The broker does not charge a fee for opening and closing long positions on stocks quoted at the US stock exchanges. The stocks of other markets are available as derivatives, with eToro charging a trading fee on them in the form of the spread. Also, the fees are applied to short positions and leveraged orders. The company accepts and allows withdrawals of only US dollars. If a client deposits or withdraws another currency, it is converted into USD at a fee of 0-50 pips. Members of eToro club get a 50-100% fee reduction on conversion. If a client shows no activity for a period of 12 month, the broker charges the inactivity fee of $10. There is no deposit fee. eToro charges $5 on each withdrawal.
| Account type | Spread (minimum value) | Withdrawal commision |
|---|---|---|
|
Standard |
$5 |
Yes |
|
Pro |
from $1.1 |
$5 eToro’s fee + the fees of payment systems |
Revolut Commissions and Fees
During our analysis of trading conditions, it was found that Revolut limits the number of trades without commissions. Depending on the account type, 1-5 transactions per month are free. There is a monthly subscription fee of £2.99-£12.99 on different accounts, which can be reduced by 20% if you pay in advance for a year. The broker charges a fee of 1 USD for additional orders. Since stocks listed on American exchanges are offered for investment, the fees are calculated in USD and then the funds are converted to the account currency at the current exchange rate. For transactions in cryptocurrency, the commission is 1.5-2%, and for transactions in precious metals, it’s 0.5-1.5% of the transaction volume. The amount of interest depends on the selected trading account. No additional hidden commissions were revealed.
| Account type | Spread (minimum value) | Withdrawal commision |
|---|---|---|
|
Standard |
From £2.99 |
No |
|
Plus |
From £2.99 |
No |
|
Premium |
From £2.99 |
No |
|
Metals |
From £2.99 |
No |
Interactive Brokers Commissions and Fees
Traders Union analysts have verified Interactive Brokers for hidden fees and assessed the commission level in the company. The company charges $20 for an inactive account if there is less than $2,000 on the account and $10 if there is more than $2,000. You can withdraw funds for free once a month; if you withdraw funds more often, you’ll have to pay a commission, the amount of which varies depending on the base currency of the account and the payment system.
| Account type | Spread (minimum value) | Withdrawal commision |
|---|---|---|
|
Real |
From $2 |
Depending on the currency and withdrawal method |
Phillip Capital Commissions and Fees
The Traders Union’s specialists studied the PhillipCapital trading conditions to determine the commissions charged by the broker. The company charges a $40-100 monthly subscription fee for using the trading platforms. There is no brokerage commission. The exchange fees are paid by PhillipCapital from the funds received from the monthly rent for using the trading platform. Deposits are free, but wire transfer withdrawals cost $25, not including bank fees. There is a $4 fee for withdrawals by bank check and an NFA fee of $0.02 per lot each way applies to all US exchanges. There is also a CME fee for NYSE/LIFFE and CFE transactions of $0.03 per lot in each direction.
| Account type | Spread (minimum value) | Withdrawal commision |
|---|---|---|
|
Individual |
from $0.03 |
Yes |
|
Joint |
from $0.03 |
Yes |
|
Corporate |
from $0.03 |
Yes |
|
LCC |
from $0.03 |
Yes |
|
LLP |
from $0.03 |
Yes |
|
Trust |
from $0.03 |
Yes |
|
IRA |
from $0.03 |
Yes |
|
Pension Plan |
from $0.03 |
Yes |
|
Discretionary |
from $0.03 |
Yes |
Stake Commissions and Fees
Stake does not withhold commissions for trading stocks and ETFs. However, the broker does charge non-trading fees. The monthly fee for using a Stake Black account with advanced features is $9. The fee for express deposits, deposits, and withdrawals in foreign currencies (GBP converted to USD and vice versa) through partners is 0.5% of the amount, but no less than $2. If a client transfers funds in USD, not through a direct Stake partner, each transfer will cost $5. The SEC fee for dealer and stock market regulation costs $0.051 for every $10,000 (charged only on sales of securities). The TAF sales charge is $0.000119 per share with a $5.95 transaction limit. The ADR fee is $0.01-$0.03 per quarter.
| Account type | Spread (minimum value) | Withdrawal commision |
|---|---|---|
|
Standard Account |
From $5.95 |
Yes |
|
Stake Black |
From $5.95 |
Yes |
|
Limited Purpose Margin Account |
From $5.95 |
Yes |
Summary
Many brokers are available for traders from the UK, but not all of them offer good conditions. In this review, TU experts chose the Best paper trading brokers for fractional shares in the UK 2024. These are the most trusted companies that offer the best conditions for traders. You will also be able to review the general assessment of each broker.
Overall score of the best Paper Trading Brokers For Fractional Shares in the UK
| eToro | Revolut | Interactive Brokers | Phillip Capital | Stake | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Overall score |
7.75 |
7.69 |
7.45 |
6.25 |
5.02 |
|
Execution of orders |
9.1 |
9.2 |
8.8 |
7.19 |
5.84 |
|
Investment instruments |
9.7 |
9.8 |
9.4 |
7.61 |
6.26 |
|
Withdrawal speed |
9.5 |
9.6 |
9.2 |
7.25 |
5.9 |
|
Customer Support work |
9.3 |
9.4 |
9 |
7.55 |
6.2 |
|
Variety of instruments |
9 |
9.1 |
8.7 |
7.03 |
5.68 |
|
Trading platform |
9.8 |
9.9 |
9.5 |
7.77 |
6.42 |
|
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FAQ
How much money do I need in order to start working in the financial markets?
The initial capital depends on the assets you plan to trade. However, in the majority of cases, $300-500 is a good amount for a start.
Can you earn passive income in the financial markets?
Yes, the best brokers in the UK offer passive income options. These could include copy trading, PAMM accounts, managed portfolios, etc.
What commissions and fees should I take into consideration when I am choosing a broker?
The commissions and fees in the financial markets are divided into trading and non-tradings ones. Trading fees are the fees that are charged directly during trading (spread, commission per lot, etc.), while non-trading fees are the ones charged outside the trading process (for example, account fee, inactivity fee, deposit and withdrawal fee).
What factors are important when you are choosing a broker?
When you are choosing a broker, it is important to make sure it is a reliable company, consider its fees, the list of trading instruments, deposit and withdrawal methods and other factors. It is important to study a broker in detail, before opening an account with it.
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Team that worked on the article
Mikhail Vnuchkov joined Traders Union as an author in 2020. He began his professional career as a journalist-observer at a small online financial publication, where he covered global economic events and discussed their impact on the segment of financial investment, including investor income. With five years of experience in finance, Mikhail joined Traders Union team, where he is in charge of forming the pool of latest news for traders, who trade stocks, cryptocurrencies, Forex instruments and fixed income.
Olga Shendetskaya has been a part of the Traders Union team as an author, editor and proofreader since 2017. Since 2020, Shendetskaya has been the assistant chief editor of the website of Traders Union, an international association of traders. She has over 10 years of experience of working with economic and financial texts. In the period of 2017-2020, Olga has worked as a journalist and editor of laftNews news agency, economic and financial news sections. At the moment, Olga is a part of the team of top industry experts involved in creation of educational articles in finance and investment, overseeing their writing and publication on the Traders Union website.