Best Robo-Advisors in the UK

For a standard investment account, eToro is competitive. UK investors pay £0 commission on stocks and ETFs, with no custody or platform fees. That places it alongside Trading 212 and XTB on headline dealing costs.

The robo-style Managed ISA is more expensive. Management fees start at 0.75% on the first £10,000 and fall to 0.40% above £250,000. On top of that, underlying fund costs average 0.16%, plus minor market spread effects.

In practice, a £20,000 portfolio would cost roughly 0.70% to 0.90% annually all in. That is higher than pure passive robo providers such as Vanguard or InvestEngine.

The DIY ISA carries a 0.35% platform fee capped at £45 per year, plus £3.95 per trade and a 0.70% FX fee on overseas shares. That makes it one of the more expensive ISAs for active trading.

There are also non-trading costs to watch. A $5 withdrawal fee applies to some accounts.

Currency conversion can add 0.40% to 1.40%, depending on the method and currency.

Crypto trades carry a 1% fee. These are not hidden, but they materially affect total returns if you trade frequently.

Bottom line: low costs for general share dealing, average to high costs for robo-style ISA investing.

eToro offers two automated or semi-automated portfolio options in the UK.

The Managed ISA is run by Moneyfarm, a European digital wealth manager. Portfolios are globally diversified across equities and bonds and matched to your risk profile. Asset allocation is centrally managed, rebalanced, and monitored. This is closest to a traditional robo-advisor structure.

Smart Portfolios are thematic or strategy-based baskets created by eToro’s investment committee or algorithmic models. These may focus on themes such as renewable energy, AI, or crypto. Minimum investment is $500 for thematic portfolios and $5,000 for Top Trader portfolios.

CopyTrader, its copy trading platform, allows users to replicate the trades of other investors. This is not traditional robo management. It is an automated execution based on another individual’s strategy.

Performance history, risk score, and trading behaviour are visible, but past returns are not a guarantee of future results. Risk control ultimately depends on the person being copied.

In short, the Managed ISA offers structured, diversified portfolio management. Smart Portfolios and CopyTrader are more tactical and can be higher risk. This makes eToro more flexible than most robo-advisors, but also less predictable.

eToro (UK) Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. UK clients are eligible for Financial Services Compensation Scheme protection up to £85,000 if the firm becomes insolvent.

Client funds are held in segregated accounts. The platform offers two-factor authentication and biometric login on mobile. Retail clients trading CFDs receive negative balance protection. eToro was founded in 2007 and is listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange, which increases transparency through public financial reporting.

It is important to separate platform risk from market risk. FCA regulation and FSCS protection do not prevent losses from market movements. Cryptoassets are not covered by the FSCS and are highly volatile.

61% of retail CFD trading accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. From a regulatory perspective, eToro meets UK standards. Investment risk remains with the investor.

eToro suits investors who want flexibility. You can use a Managed ISA for long-term investing, hold individual shares in a general account, or access crypto and thematic portfolios in one place.

There is no SIPP, so it cannot be used for pension investing. Long-term income investors may be disappointed by the US dividend tax handling and the absence of in-specie transfers out. Bond and mutual fund access is limited compared with traditional wealth managers.

The mobile investing app is strong. Charting tools via TradingView, 100+ indicators, price alerts, and stock screeners make it attractive to engaged investors. Beginners benefit from a $100,000 demo trading account and structured educational content through the eToro Academy.

For hands-off, cost-sensitive long-term investors, lower-cost robo investor platforms may be a better fit. For those who want a managed ISA plus the option to trade, copy others, or invest in crypto, eToro offers more variety.

eToro is best for:

• Investors who want a Managed ISA alongside active trading tools
• Beginners who value a strong mobile trading app and demo account
• Users interested in social or copy trading
• Investors who want access to crypto within a mainstream platform

It is less suitable for:

• Pure long-term passive investors seeking the lowest-cost robo solution
• Pension investors who need a SIPP
• Investors uncomfortable with currency conversion fees or thematic concentration risk

Nutmeg’s pricing is clear and relatively simple, but not the cheapest in the robo market. Platform fees depend on portfolio style. For fully managed, thematic, Smart Alpha and socially responsible portfolios, the fee is 0.75% on the first £100,000 and 0.35% above that.

Fixed allocation portfolios, which are passively managed, cost 0.45% on the first £100,000 and 0.25% above.

On top of that, underlying ETF charges range from 0.17% to 0.32%. There is also an implicit market spread cost when assets are bought or sold. In practice, a £20,000 fully managed portfolio will cost close to 0.90% to 1.00% per year all in.

The fixed allocation option comes in lower, usually 0.60% to 0.70%. That is competitive against some traditional wealth managers, but higher than ultra-low-cost passive providers.

Minimum investments are £500 for most accounts and £100 for Lifetime and Junior ISAs. That entry point is higher than some rivals. There are no dealing fees, no exit charges, and no inactivity fees. For smaller portfolios, Nutmeg sits mid-table on cost. For larger balances above £100,000, the tiered fee becomes more attractive.

Nutmeg offers five distinct investment styles, all built using exchange-traded funds. Fully managed portfolios are actively overseen by Nutmeg’s investment team and available at 10 risk levels. These are globally diversified and adjusted as market conditions change.

Thematic portfolios focus on long-term trends such as technological innovation, resource transformation, and evolving consumer behaviour. These are also actively managed and come with three risk levels per theme.

Smart Alpha portfolios are managed by J.P. Morgan’s asset management team. They are globally diversified and available at five risk levels. Socially responsible portfolios integrate environmental, social and governance criteria while maintaining global diversification.

Fixed allocation portfolios are the lower-cost passive option. They track global markets using ETFs and are rebalanced once per year. Performance has been broadly middle-of-the-pack over five years compared with other UK robo-advisors. On three- and one-year returns, some portfolios have slipped further behind competitors.

For pension investors, especially, recent consistency has not been particularly strong. That does not mean underperformance will continue, but it is worth examining the track record before committing long-term retirement savings.

All portfolios are automatically rebalanced. Investors cannot select individual funds or shares. This is pure off-the-shelf investing.

Nutmeg is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Client money is protected up to £85,000 under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme if the firm fails.

Ownership by J.P. Morgan adds an additional layer of financial backing. While that does not remove investment risk, it reduces corporate stability concerns. Accounts are secured with biometric login and standard encryption. Investors receive quarterly valuation reports detailing performance and fees.

As with any investment platform, regulatory protection does not shield you from market losses. A diversified ETF portfolio reduces concentration risk, but capital is still at risk. From a regulatory and structural perspective, Nutmeg is one of the safer options in the UK robo space.

Nutmeg is designed for investors who want minimal involvement. Account coverage is strong. You can open a Stocks and Shares ISA, Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, General Investment Account, or pension.

The Lifetime ISA in particular is useful for first-time buyers, as the 25% government bonus makes it a powerful savings tool. Not many robo-advisors offer it.

The pension includes optional paid financial planning, £900 to £1,350 for a full retirement plan. There is also free guidance from wealth managers. However, the advice is restricted. Nutmeg will only recommend its own products, not the wider market.

Tools are solid for a robo platform. Calculators cover pensions, ISAs, compound returns, Capital Gains Tax, and self-employed tax. Education, branded as Nutmegonomics, is article-based and fairly basic. There are no webinars or structured courses.

One operational drawback is deposit speed. Funds take three working days to appear, which is slower than many competitors offering instant funding. If you want to build your own portfolio, trade shares, or actively manage positions, Nutmeg will feel limited. If you prefer to set a risk level and leave the details to professionals, it works as intended.

Nutmeg is best for:

• Beginners who want a fully managed, hands-off investment solution
• Investors seeking a Lifetime ISA with professional management
• Clients who value access to human financial guidance
• Those with portfolios above £100,000 who benefit from lower-tiered fees

It is less suitable for:

• DIY investors who want to pick individual shares or funds
• Cost-sensitive investors with smaller balances
• Pension investors prioritising top-quartile recent performance
• Those wanting independent financial advice across the whole market

InvestEngine’s pricing is its strongest selling point. There are no account fees for DIY investing and no dealing charges. That immediately places it among the lowest-cost ETF platforms in the UK. You only pay the underlying ETF charges, which range from 0.05% to 0.30% depending on the fund.

Managed and ready-made portfolios carry a 0.25% platform fee. Underlying ETF costs within those portfolios average roughly 0.12%. That produces a total ongoing cost close to 0.35% to 0.45% per year for many investors.

For comparison, many robo-advisors charge 0.70% to 0.90% all in. There are no withdrawal fees and no inactivity fees. Minimum investment is £100, which is accessible but not the absolute lowest in the market.

One structural trade-off is execution. Orders are grouped and executed once per day if placed before 2 pm. This helps control costs but makes the platform unsuitable for investors trying to trade intraday or time markets. For long-term ETF investors, InvestEngine is among the cheapest fully regulated options in the UK.

InvestEngine offers two approaches. The DIY route gives access to more than 830 ETFs across global equities, bonds and commodities. Investors build their own allocation. You can create multiple portfolios and use a rebalancing tool that brings holdings back to target weights by selling overweight positions and topping up underweight ones.

The managed option applies a 0.25% fee and builds an ETF portfolio aligned to your goals and risk tolerance. Underlying costs remain low. These portfolios are designed to be diversified across global markets, using passive ETFs rather than active funds.

InvestEngine previously offered LifePlan portfolios targeting specific risk levels. Some ready-made options have been temporarily unavailable while the platform updates them. That is worth noting if you prefer a fully packaged solution.

Rebalancing is central to the platform. However, automatic self-balancing regular investments are limited compared with some competitors. Contributions do not automatically adjust to maintain target weightings.

InvestEngine invests once per day. This discourages frequent trading and suits investors adopting a set-it-and-forget-it approach. If you are trying to react to market moves in real time, it will feel restrictive.

The investment universe is ETF-only. There are no individual shares, no investment trusts, and no actively managed funds. That constraint is deliberate. It keeps complexity and costs down, but it also limits flexibility.

InvestEngine is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Client assets are protected up to £85,000 under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme if the firm fails. Client money must be segregated from company funds under FCA rules. The platform also supports two-factor authentication and biometric login on mobile devices.

Top-tier FCA oversight is significant. It means the firm must meet capital requirements, report regularly, and adhere to strict conduct standards. However, regulation protects against firm failure, not market losses. ETF portfolios fluctuate in value. Investors can lose money.

InvestEngine confirmed in January 2025 that it manages over £1 billion in client assets. That is still smaller than some established platforms, but it indicates growing scale. From a regulatory perspective, InvestEngine meets UK standards for safety and investor protection.

InvestEngine works best for investors who want low-cost ETF exposure without distractions. Account coverage is solid. You can open a Stocks and Shares ISA, General Investment Account, SIPP and Business account. The SIPP currently accepts pension transfers from selected providers, which may limit flexibility for some investors.

The platform is intentionally minimal. There are no complex charting tools, no social trading features, and limited built-in research. Educational content includes webinars with firms such as J.P. Morgan and Invesco, blog articles, and YouTube content. That is useful, but not comparable to full research platforms.

Customer service is email-based, with a target response time of four hours, seven days a week. There is no live chat or phone line. That is the trade-off for lower fees.

The interface is clean, but occasionally less intuitive when placing orders. You must allocate cash to a portfolio before buying ETFs, which adds steps compared with some rivals. InvestEngine is not designed for active traders or stock pickers. It is designed for disciplined, long-term ETF investors who value cost control over features.

InvestEngine is best for:

• Cost-conscious investors focused on ETFs
• Long-term investors using a set-and-forget strategy
• ISA investors wanting zero platform fees for DIY investing
• Investors are comfortable building and maintaining their own allocation

It is less suitable for:

• Investors wanting individual shares or active funds
• Traders seeking intraday execution
• Clients who prefer phone-based customer support
• Investors wanting detailed in-house research tools

Wealthify charges a 0.6% annual management fee on portfolios up to £100,000. On pension balances above £100,000, that falls to 0.3% on the portion above that level. Underlying fund costs apply on top. These vary by portfolio but add further ongoing charges. Ethical portfolios tend to carry slightly higher underlying costs.

In the robo-advisor market, 0.6% sits toward the higher end for passive-style portfolios. By comparison, some ETF-focused platforms charge 0.25% or less at the platform level. For long-term investors, especially pension savers, fee differences of 0.3% to 0.4% per year compound meaningfully over decades.

Wealthify is not the most expensive option in the market, but it is not among the cheapest either.

Minimum investments are also relatively high. A General Investment Account requires £1,000 to start. ISAs and pensions require £500. The Junior ISA can be opened from £1, which is more accessible.

There are no dealing fees and no inactivity charges. Cash ISA and Instant Access Savings accounts are available, with recent rates at 3.35% AER variable. These rates are competitive but not market-leading. Overall, fees are average to above average relative to performance.

Wealthify boasts five original portfolios and five ethical portfolios, each aligned to a different risk level. Portfolios are built using a mix of funds from providers such as Vanguard, Rathbone, Liontrust and Royal London. The approach is largely passive, with periodic adjustments rather than active stock selection.

Risk profiling happens at the start. You answer a set of questions and are matched to a portfolio. After that, ongoing intervention is limited. There is no clear evidence of a glidepath mechanism for pensions that gradually reduces risk as retirement approaches.

Performance over five years has lagged many competitors. For example:

• Lowest risk portfolio: five-year average at 10.8%
• Medium risk portfolio: five-year average at 22.8%
• Highest risk portfolio: five-year average at 44.4%

These figures, while positive in absolute terms, sit below industry averages in comparable risk bands.

Short-term returns have not meaningfully closed the gap. Ethical portfolios exclude sectors considered harmful and use 25 funds constructed around environmental, social and governance principles. Investors should expect slightly higher fund costs here.

In summary, portfolio construction is conventional and uncomplicated. The concern is not structure but relative outcomes.

Wealthify is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Client assets are protected up to £85,000 under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme if the firm fails. Majority ownership by Aviva adds financial backing. That reduces concerns about corporate stability compared with smaller standalone platforms.

Accounts support biometric login, PIN protection and secure messaging. Standard client money segregation rules apply under FCA regulation. Regulatory protection does not remove market risk. Investors can lose money if portfolios fall in value. From a structural and regulatory standpoint, Wealthify meets UK standards.

Wealthify is designed for simplicity. You do not pick funds or adjust allocations manually. The platform handles that. Account coverage is broad. You can open a Stocks and Shares ISA, Junior ISA, Personal Pension, General Investment Account, Cash ISA and Instant Access Savings account. The Junior ISA, starting from £1, is a practical feature for parents.

However, flexibility is limited. There are no DIY options, no ability to customise portfolios, and limited transparency into underlying holdings unless you dig into documentation. Educational content is article-based and organised into categories such as investing, retirement planning and budgeting.

There are no interactive tools beyond written guides. That is adequate for beginners but thin compared with research-driven platforms. Customer service is available by phone and secure message during weekday hours.

Deposits take two to three working days to clear, which is slower than some competitors offering instant funding. For investors who want a hands-off, uncomplicated experience and value Aviva’s backing, Wealthify functions as intended. For investors prioritising performance or low fees, stronger alternatives exist.

Wealthify is best for:

• Beginners wanting a simple, guided investment journey
• Investors who value Aviva backing and FCA regulation
• Parents opening a Junior ISA with very low starting amounts
• Investors who prefer fully managed portfolios without DIY decisions

It is less suitable for:

• Cost-sensitive long-term investors
• Investors focused on strong recent performance
• DIY investors wanting control over asset selection
• Pension savers seeking glidepath-style retirement strategies

Hargreaves Lansdown is rarely the cheapest option. That’s the trade-off for scale, research and service. For shares and ETFs, the headline dealing fee is £11.95 per trade. That falls to £8.95 or £5.95 for more frequent traders. If you invest monthly via direct debit, dealing is free. Dividend reinvestment is also free, which helps long-term investors.

On funds, there is no dealing charge, but you pay a 0.45% annual platform fee on the first £250,000. The fee tapers above that. In an ISA, charges on shares and ETFs are capped at £45 per year. In a SIPP, the cap for shares and ETFs is £200 per year.

For context: £100,000 in mutual funds would cost £450 a year in platform fees alone, before underlying fund charges (0.5% to 1%). That is materially higher than low-cost ETF-only platforms.

However, if you hold mainly ETFs or shares in a general dealing account, there is no annual custody charge. In that structure, costs can be competitive for larger portfolios that are not traded frequently.

For investors using Hargreaves Lansdown’s ready-made portfolios, total costs start at 0.79% per year and can exceed 1% once fund and platform fees are combined. That places it firmly above the average robo-advisor price point. In short: strong value for ETFs held long term, expensive for active share trading and fund-heavy portfolios.

Hargreaves Lansdown offers several “do it for me” routes. Portfolio+ is its closest equivalent to a robo-advisor: a ready-made multi-asset portfolio aligned to a specific risk level. Asset allocation is handled by HL’s investment team. Rebalancing is automatic. Minimum investment is £1,000.

Beyond that, investors can choose from:

• Wealth Shortlist funds curated by HL analysts
• Ready-made multi-asset funds
• Thousands of external funds and ETFs
• Discretionary financial advice (at additional cost)

The difference versus most robo-advisors is flexibility. You can stay fully hands-off, or gradually take more control.

The downside is cost. Once platform and underlying charges are combined, ready-made solutions are not cheap. But the upside is access to one of the UK’s deepest research libraries, with analyst commentary, model portfolios and sector breakdowns.

For pension investors, the SIPP gives access to the same investment universe. Fees on shares and ETFs are capped, which can make it competitive for larger, ETF-based retirement portfolios. This is less of a minimalist robo and more of a full-scale investment supermarket with an autopilot option.

Hargreaves Lansdown is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Client assets are protected up to £85,000 under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Founded in 1981, it has operated through multiple market cycles. Until recently, it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was required to publish detailed financial accounts. That long operating history matters.

Client money is held separately under FCA rules. The platform does not hold a banking licence, but that is standard among UK investment and trading platforms. From a regulatory and structural perspective, it is one of the safest retail investment platforms in the UK.

Few platforms offer as many tax wrappers in one place:

• Stocks & Shares ISA
• Lifetime ISA (with 25% government bonus on contributions up to £4,000 per year)
• Junior ISA (fee-free, no trading charges)
• SIPP
• Junior SIPP
• General Investment Account
• Cash ISA and Active Savings

The Junior ISA stands out. There are no platform or dealing charges, which is rare in the UK market. The SIPP is also comprehensive, with access to shares, ETFs, funds, bonds and trusts. Platform fees for shares and ETFs are capped, making it attractive for larger retirement pots built around passive instruments.

Where Hargreaves Lansdown is less compelling is for small, frequent share traders. A £11.95 commission on a £100 trade is punitive. Platforms offering commission-free dealing are better suited for that style.

Beginners benefit from the depth of education: articles, webinars, calculators and more than 200 video explainers. The app is clean and reliable, though not designed for advanced technical traders. If you want everything in one place and are willing to pay for it, it fits.

Hargreaves Lansdown is best for:

• Long-term investors building ISAs or SIPPs
• Parents opening Junior ISAs or Junior SIPPs
• Investors who value research, analyst commentary and education
• Larger portfolios focused on ETFs and shares where fee caps apply
• Those wanting optional access to financial advice

It is less suitable for:

• Small, frequent share traders
• Investors focused purely on lowest possible platform cost
• Active traders needing advanced charting tools