AJ Bell Review 2026: The Complete Platform That Gets Pricier as You Succeed

Score: 77/100. Rank 3 of 10. Verified 19 September 2026.

Cost 30%	Accounts 15%	Range 15%	Research 10%	App 10%	Cash 10%	Trust 10%
5.3	10	9	8	8	6	10

Verdict in one paragraph

Picture an investor who opens an AJ Bell ISA with £30,000 in ETFs. The platform charge is capped at £3.50 a month, £42 a year, less than a single dealing charge at some rivals. Ten years later the same investor has £250,000, half of it in funds, and the annual charge is nearer £350 and still rising. That is the AJ Bell story: the best-rounded platform in the UK, with every account, a huge range and the highest trust score of our ten, whose percentage fee on funds rewards you for staying small. For ETF and share investors the caps make it excellent value. For fund investors above £100,000, Interactive Investor's flat fee is cheaper.

Who it is for

Investors who want one provider for everything: ISA, SIPP, Lifetime ISA, Junior accounts, dealing account, funds and shares. Especially good for ETF investors thanks to the low custody caps. Also the only one of our ten that will open a SIPP for a US citizen.

Fees

Item	Charge
Funds custody	0.25% to £250,000, 0.10% from £250,000 to £500,000, 0% above
Shares, ETFs, investment trusts custody	0.25%, capped at £3.50 a month in ISA and Dealing account, £10 a month in SIPP
Share dealing	£5 online; £3.50 if 10 or more deals in the previous month
Fund dealing	£1.50
Regular investing	Free (minimum £25 a month)
Dividend reinvestment	£1.50
FX	0.75% first £10,000, 0.50% next £10,000, 0.25% above
Transfers out, drawdown access	Free
Interest on cash	ISA 1.75%; SIPP 2.05% to £100k, 2.40% above; drawdown 2.65% to 3.15%; Dealing 0.75% on first £2,000 only

Our model: a £20,000 ISA plus £500 a month in ETFs costs £4,385 in true terms over 20 years, the cheapest of the four traditional platforms. Switch the same money to 100% funds from a £100,000 start and the 20-year true cost is £19,436, versus £6,435 at Interactive Investor.

Accounts

Stocks and Shares ISA, Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, SIPP, Junior SIPP, Dealing account, and a cash savings hub. Flexi-access drawdown and lump sums with no charge. The only gap is a joint account. Full marks.

Investment range

Funds, shares, ETFs, investment trusts, gilts and bonds, plus dealing in 24 international markets including the US, Canada, Japan and the main European exchanges. Ready-made portfolios and AJ Bell's own funds (no dealing charge) for hands-off investors.

Research and tools

Good fund research, shortlists, a share screener, portfolio analysis and a well-regarded weekly newsletter and podcast. Not as deep as Hargreaves Lansdown or Interactive Investor but comfortably above the app-only brokers.

Cash interest

Decent in the SIPP and ISA, poor in the Dealing account where only the first £2,000 earns anything. If you hold meaningful cash in a general account, Trading 212 or IG pay far more.

The catches

• The fund fee scales with your success. 0.25% on £200,000 in funds is £500 a year, every year.

• FX is mid-pack. 0.75% on the first £10,000 versus 0.15% at Trading 212 and 0.03% at Interactive Brokers.

• Dealing account cash rate. Effectively zero above £2,000.

• US persons. Barred from the Dealing account and ISA; SIPP only.

Trust

AJ Bell plc is a FTSE 250 company, FCA-authorised, with FSCS investment cover, and the only investment provider Which? has recommended for eight consecutive years (2019 to 2026, per AJ Bell's own site). Trustpilot rates it around 4.8 out of 5 on some 17,000 reviews, the best of our ten.

Pros and cons

Pros: every account type; low ETF custody caps; free regular investing; 24 markets; best trust score; SIPP open to US citizens. Cons: percentage fee on funds; mid-pack FX; near-zero cash interest in the Dealing account; £5 dealing is dearer than ii's £3.99.

Frequently asked questions

Is AJ Bell cheaper than Hargreaves Lansdown? Yes, in every scenario we modelled. Its fund fee is 0.25% against HL's 0.35%, its ETF cap is £42 a year in an ISA against HL's £150, and dealing is £5 against £6.95.

What is the AJ Bell SIPP charge? 0.25% on funds (tiered down above £250,000) and 0.25% on shares and ETFs capped at £10 a month. No set-up, contribution, transfer or drawdown charges.

Can a US citizen open an AJ Bell account? Only the SIPP. The Dealing account and ISA are closed to US citizens.

Sources

• Charges overview: https://www.ajbell.co.uk/charges

• ISA charges (PDF): https://www.ajbell.co.uk/sites/ajbell/files/ISA_charges.pdf

• SIPP charges (PDF, effective 10 July 2026): https://www.ajbell.co.uk/sites/ajbell/files/SIPP_charges.pdf

• Interest rates (from 1 February 2026): https://www.ajbell.co.uk/charges/interest-rates

• International markets: https://www.ajbell.co.uk/investment/international

• US-person policy: https://www.momofinance.co.uk/us-citizens-in-the-uk/investment-brokerage/

• Trustpilot: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/ajbell.co.uk