Hargreaves Lansdown Review 2026
According to our idea, the TU Overall Score indicator should answer the biggest question of all: “Can I trust this broker with my money?”. The scores range within 0.01 – 9.99 (the higher the indicator the more trust the broker has). More details
- £1
- IG Trading Platform
- HL
- HL-mobile
- Not available for stock market instruments; up to 1:200 for CFD and Forex
- Participation in bidding by phone is possible
Our Evaluation of Hargreaves Lansdown
According to our idea, the TU Overall Score indicator should answer the biggest question of all: “Can I trust this broker with my money?”. The scores range within 0.01 – 9.99 (the higher the indicator the more trust the broker has). More details
Hargreaves Lansdown is a broker with higher-than-average risk and the TU Overall Score of 4.36 out of 10. Having reviewed trading opportunities offered by the company and reviews posted by Hargreaves Lansdown clients on our website, Traders Union expert Anton Kharitonov recommends users to consider a more reliable broker with better conditions, as, according to reviews, many clients of this broker are not satisfied with the company’s work.
Hargreaves Lansdown is suitable for trading and investment clients who are experienced in stock market trading.
How we tested Hargreaves Lansdown
Traders Union has analyzed financial markets for over 14 years, evaluating brokers based on 250+ transparent criteria, including security, regulation, and trading conditions. Our expert team of over 50 professionals regularly updates a Watch List of 500+ brokers to provide users with data-driven insights. While our research is based on objective data, we recommend that users perform independent due diligence and consult official regulatory sources before making any financial decisions.
Learn more about our methodology and editorial policies.
Brief Look at Hargreaves Lansdown
Hargreaves Lansdown (Hargreaves) has been operating in the stock market since 2007 and provides access to securities that are listed on 23 world stock exchanges. The company is controlled by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA, 115248) and its clients' investments are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Many stocks on Hargreaves Lansdown are also included in the FTSE 100 index, which is an indicator of its success. In 2021, the broker was recognized as the Best Investment Platform according to Your Money Awards, and also was awarded the Best for Digital ISA and Best Buy Pension from Boring Money Best Buys. Hargreaves Lansdown is headquartered in Bristol, UK.
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- FCA monitors the brokers’ trading activities.
- participation in the FSCS funds protection program.
- Zero brokerage commission on UK stocks.
- Free funds withdrawal from investment accounts.
- the minimum deposit is £1.
- a wide range of assets - over 3,000 investment funds.
- Convenient search for funds, with filters for the investor's portfolio.
- Provides free advice from professional investment experts.
- Trading in futures, options, and cryptocurrencies is not supported.
- Investing in retirement accounts is only available to UK citizens.
- Lack of demo accounts and online chat on the website.
TU Expert Verdict
Chief Analytics Officer
Hargreaves Lansdown provides access to trading stocks, ETFs, trusts, and CFDs listed on 23 world exchanges, with both web and mobile platforms available. The broker is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and offers client fund protection under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to GBP 85,000 per investor. UK equities can be traded with zero brokerage commission, and the minimum deposit for a Fund and Share Account is just GBP 1. Clients benefit from a wide selection of over 3,000 funds and can request investment advice from professionals as part of account services.
Drawbacks include no support for trading futures, options, or cryptocurrencies, limited account eligibility for non-UK residents, and a lack of demo accounts or online chat. Other disadvantages are delayed market quotes on the web platform and currency conversion fees reaching up to 1% for foreign securities. Hargreaves Lansdown may not be suitable for traders who seek access to derivatives or require advanced platform tools, but it remains an option for experienced investors seeking a broad range of stocks and funds within a robustly regulated UK environment.
Hargreaves Lansdown Summary
Your capital is at risk.
| 💻 Trading platform: | HL, HL-mobile, IG Trading Platform (spread betting & CFD) |
|---|---|
| 📊 Accounts: | Fund & Share Account, Junior Investment Account, Stocks and Shares ISA, Lifetime ISA (LISA), Junior Stocks and Shares ISA, SIPP, Junior SIPP, Active Savings |
| 💰 Account currency: | £ |
| 💵 Deposit / Withdrawal: | Faster Payment, bank transfer |
| 🚀 Minimum deposit: | From £1 |
| ⚖️ Leverage: | Not available for stock market instruments; up to 1:200 for CFD and Forex |
| 💼 Copy Trading: | No |
| 📈️ Min Order: | No data |
| 💱 EUR/USD spread: | From 0.6 pips (for currency pairs) |
| 🔧 Instruments: | ETCs, ETFs, stocks, trusts, CFDs, Forex |
| 💹 Margin Call / Stop Out: | No |
| 🏛 Liquidity provider: | No data |
| 📱 Mobile trading: | Yes |
| ➕ Affiliate program: | Yes |
| 📋 Order execution: | No |
| ⭐ Trading features: | Participation in bidding by phone is possible |
| 🎁 Contests and bonuses: | Yes |
Hargreaves allows investing in British and foreign stocks, funds, trusts, and CFDs. The broker doesn’t provide leverage, and the size of the minimum deposit, depending on the type of account, is from £1 or £100. Trading operations can be carried out with the support of a financial advisor at the request of the client. Forex and CFD trading are provided by an IG partner (IG Index Limited and IG Markets Limited).
Hargreaves Lansdown Key Parameters Evaluation
Trading Account Opening
Select an account type and complete the registration form to become a Hargreaves Lansdown customer. The brief matrix of actions is below:
Follow the broker's website and click the "Register" button at the top of the screen to register.
Enter your personal data and the client number assigned by the broker in the form below. You can get it from the support service by calling during company business hours. This information is not provided by email.
Enter your personal account after approval of the application for opening an account. Enter the password and three randomly selected digits of the generated secret number for authorization in the system. Then go through verification and make a deposit. Also, at this stage, access to the software and the execution of trade operations opens.
A personal account allows you to:
The following actions are also available to the investor in the personal account:
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Search for an instrument or broker for investment by company name or asset ticker.
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Connecting alerts and notifications about price movements, dividend payments, and news from regulatory bodies.
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View reports with the approximate calculation of trading commissions for the selected portfolio for the next five years.
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Choice of the methods to use bonuses such as withdrawal to the account, payment of trading commissions, or reinvestment.
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Gaining trading ideas which are recommendations from leading brokerage and financial companies, including Barclays, HSBC, UBS, and others.
Is Hargreaves Lansdown Safe?
Hargreaves Lansdown is controlled by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Since the broker's shares are included in the FTSE 100 index, the regulator conducts frequent and thorough audits. But CFDs are not a stock market instrument and therefore these trading assets are not regulated. Client funds are held in segregated accounts with third-party banks and are insured against bankruptcy by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) for up to £85,000 per registered investor.
Advantages
- The broker is insured
- You can file a claim with a supervisory authority
- Listed on the London Stock Exchange
- Doesn’t use credit or borrowed funds
- Clients’ funds are stored in third-party bank accounts
Disadvantages
- CFD trading is not regulated
- Limited amount of insurance
- The variety of withdrawal options is limited by the supervisor
Commissions and Fees
The experts at Traders Union examined the terms of Hargreaves Lansdown to identify all possible trading and non-trading fees. There is no brokerage commission for trading UK stocks, but the conversion fee is 0.25-1% for foreign securities. Trusts, ETC, and ETF pay a fee of £5.95-11.95. The broker doesn’t charge a commission for opening an account or withdrawing funds, but there is a fee for automatic reinvestment services, which is 1% of the trade value. Also, state taxes and stamp duty in the amount of 0.2-1% of the trade amount are provided, depending on the country of origin of the shares. The annual commission for servicing SIPP (Self Invested Personal Pension) and ISA (Individual Savings Account) accounts is 0.45% of the value of trades completed, but not over £200 for SIPP and £45 for ISA.
| Account type | Spread (minimum value) | Withdrawal commission |
|---|---|---|
| Fund & Share | from $5.95 | No |
| SIPP | from $5.95 | No |
| ISA | from $5.95 | No |
The broker doesn’t charge a commission for inactivity on accounts. After assessing the fees of Hargreaves Lansdown by Traders Union analysts, they were compared with the commissions of Ally and Charles Schwab. Since all three brokers don’t charge fees for trading in stocks quoted on national exchanges, please find the comparison of ETF fees in the table below.
| Broker | Average commission | Level |
|---|---|---|
|
$5.95 | |
|
$4 | |
|
$ |
Account Types
Hargreaves Lansdown offers traders and investors three types of investment accounts (including retirement) and one savings account. Each differs in applicable commissions and the versatility of the financial instrument.
Types of accounts:
The company doesn’t provide a demo account.
The Hargreaves Lansdown broker cooperates with experienced traders who invest in international equity markets, as well as UK tax residents interested in professional financial and retirement planning.
Deposit and Withdrawal
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The broker offers two ways to withdraw funds: bank transfer and payments through the Faster Payment System. First, specify the account number to which the transfer will be made in the case of a bank transfer. A withdrawal request can be made by phone. There is also a form to fill out on the website.
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Withdrawals by bank transfer are carried out within 3-5 working days, and instantly through the payment system. Moreover, just processing the application takes up to two days.
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There is no commission for withdrawing funds, but foreign citizens are charged separately for currency conversion in the amount of 1% of the amount. Also, extra commissions can be charged by the bank/intermediary/recipient.
Investment Options
Hargreaves offers over 3,000 investment funds, trusts, ETFs, CFDs, and stocks.
Investing in VCT is a great deal from Hargreaves Lansdown
Investing in venture capital trust (VCT) funds is aimed at generating income from investments in startups. They are selected by the experts at Hargreaves Lansdown, and at the request of the client, the selected funds can be presented in the form of a ready-made investment portfolio. Features of investing in VCT funds:
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Investing in venture capital funds stimulates the state by providing tax incentives of up to 30%.
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The customer gets tax-free dividend income.
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There are high financial risks since investments are made in developing companies.
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Shares can be sold without losing dividends no earlier than five years later.
The experts at Hargreaves structure investments in core companies only, which ensures stable dividends and reduces the client's financial risks.
If you are a large investor and plan on investments over $ 10,000, contact us at vip-invest@tradersunion.com or by the feedback form on our website. Our professional team will take you through all the intricacies of the deal and all the steps from signing up to withdrawal of profits.
Hargreaves Lansdown’s affiliate program
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The Referral Program is designed for website owners. It involves placing links and advertising banners dedicated to the activities of Hargreaves Lansdown on the owner's thematic resource. The amount of remuneration to be paid to a partner depends on the effectiveness of advertising and is determined on an individual basis.
The website owner must fill out an application on the broker's website indicating the URL of his resource to take part in the affiliate program. A positive decision on the accrual of remuneration is made by the company if the content of the website offered corresponds to Hargreaves Lansdown's activities.
Customer Support
Support is available six days a week from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday and from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm on Saturday, Central European Time.
Advantages
- You can contact the support by request for service form
- Nine phone numbers are available according to the topic of the problem
- There is a FAQs section
- You can email the company.
Disadvantages
- No 24/7 support
- No online chat
This broker provides the following communication channels:
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by phone, using the numbers indicated on the website;
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by writing an email.
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by filling out the request form on the broker's website.
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by sending a letter by regular mail as indicated on the hl.co.uk website if the issue cannot be resolved with the help of support.
Contacts
| Foundation date | 1981 |
|---|---|
| Registration address | One College Square South, Anchor Rd, Bristol BS1 5HL, United Kingdom |
| Regulation | Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) |
| Official site | https://www.hl.co.uk/ |
| Contacts |
0117 980 9950
|
Education
Hargreaves Lansdown doesn’t provide courses for novice traders and investors, but hl.co.uk offers a Learn section with recommendations for working in the stock market, as well as useful services and guides.
Risk-free test trading is impossible since the broker doesn’t provide a demo account.
Detailed Review of Hargreaves Lansdown
Hargreaves Lansdown offers you ready-made investment solutions such as portfolios of funds and shares that are composed by the company's experts taking into account liquidity and the degree of financial risks desired by the client. The investor can independently form his portfolio from the offered products or use the financial consultant’s help.
Hargreaves Lansdown in figures:
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The company's services are used by about 1.5 million customers with a total capital of £120 billion.
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There are 1,500 ETFs and 3,000 ETCs available for trading.
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The broker provides access to 23 leading stock exchanges.
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The commission for trading in UK stocks is £0.
Hargreaves Lansdown is a broker for large retail traders and investors who are familiar with the stock market
Hargreaves provides clients with a wide range of funds, stocks, and CFDs. To help traders, the company offers investment ideas and research analysts, the View Wealth Shortlist service for creating a portfolio of assets taking into account their long-term potential, as well as a wide range of tools for technical market analysis. Moreover, Hargreaves allows clients to allocate pending orders of all types and execute trades by phone for £1 per trade.
Trading is available through an interactive platform on the broker's website, available from any device that has internet access. You can open the website in all available browsers, and the mobile application works on smartphones with iOS 10.0 or better and Android version 5.0 or better.
Useful Hargreaves Lansdown services:
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Forms and tools for quick amendments and additions to your account.
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Watchlists for stocks and price movements with notifications of upcoming important news or significant events.
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Drawdown, inflation, and regular investment calculator.
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Guides for choosing funds for investment.
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Research section by asset class, sector, and market.
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The News Feed covers events at Hargreaves Lansdown and other major companies that trade on the world's stock exchanges.
Advantages:
Free maintenance and opening of trading accounts.
No commission fees for deposits or withdrawal of funds.
Possibility of opening youth accounts for minors with the registration of trust management.
All software is provided free of charge.
Over 1,500 British stocks can be traded without commission.
Trade more and pay less. This commission policy applies for active traders monthly in an automatic mode.
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