Discount Brokers included in the survey: Allenbridge, Barclays Stockbrokers, Best Invest, Cavendish Online, Chartwell, Chelsea FS, Commshare, Funds Direct, Hargreaves Lansdown, Moneyworld, Selftrade, TD Waterhouse, Torquil Clark and Willis Owen. If you find a top discount broker not included that beats the above, please e-mail
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The UK's Top Discount Brokers
To find these top picks, the UK's major discount brokers were compared for overall charges on a range of funds. Overall there was no one winner for everything, but the top three listed below came out generally on top. Best practice is always get specific quotes from all three.
The winners
Hargreaves Lansdown.
Of all the brokers surveyed, Hargreaves Lansdown tends to win by a nose; they rebate the entire fee for over 1,500 of the funds it sells. You can buy funds from any provider on the market, meaning anything you want to buy should be available through it. Plus a portion of the annual charge is rebated for many of the funds available. Link: Hargreaves Lansdown.
Chartwell.
Smaller broker Chartwell's fees are also amongst the lowest, with commissions rebated for both the inital charge and a hefty whack for the annual charge, which means for investments over a longer period it can be the winner. Chartwell can source any fund in the UK, though less, around 950, are available through its online 'fund supermarket'. Link: Chartwell.
Best Invest.
Best Invest covers 1,100 funds, and rebates 100% of the commission it earns on initial charges, making it one of the cheapest discount brokers, especially in the first year of investment. It also has the advantage of some very strong research facilities. Link: Best Invest.