Low fees are no longer enough to win UK retail investors. New Finimize data shows a market fractured by wealth, age and experience – where trust, service and product range are increasingly what separates the winners.

The findings, based on a survey of retail investors, show Trading 212 ranked highest across key categories including Best Investment Platform, Best Value Platform and Best Customer Experience.

Vanguard ranked highest for platform trust, while Vanguard’s ETF range also performed strongly among investment products.

Fees are table stakes

Value for money remains a key driver of platform performance, with low-cost providers continuing to score strongly. However, Finimize stress-tested the rankings by removing fees from the methodology and found Trading 212’s wins are not fee-driven. It still won Best Investment Platform, thanks to ease of use, trust, range, and customer experience.

The same test explains the Hargreaves Lansdown paradox. With fees included, HL didn’t appear in retail investors’ list of Best Investment Platform, but with fees removed, it jumps into the top three.

The platforms performing most strongly are combining competitive pricing with trust, ease of use, customer experience and product quality.

The winners

The £50k divide

Among investors with £50,000 or more available to invest over the next 12 months, a different set of leaders emerged.

• Most Trusted Platform: AJ Bell
• Best Range Of Investments: Interactive Investor
• Best Customer Experience: Hargreaves Lansdown
• Best ETF Provider: J.P. Morgan Asset Management
• Most Trusted Investment Product: HSBC Asset Management ETFs

The findings suggest higher-value investors evaluate platforms differently, placing greater emphasis on trust, service and investment range.

Fraser Munro, Head of Partnerships at Finimize, said: “The retail investor base is not a single, unified audience. Fees remain important, but they are now table stakes. The platforms and products that perform most strongly are those that understand how different investor segments value trust, experience and service, and communicate accordingly.

“At Finimize, we sit at the intersection of those segments, and what this data makes clear is that generic messaging no longer cuts it. The firms pulling ahead invest in relevance.”

About Finimize

Finimize is the research partner for modern investors. With over 1 million engaged members, it is one of the largest retail investor communities globally.

Each year, more than 70,000 members attend and host Finimize events and its premium product, Finimize Pro, offers deeper research, tools and insight for investors looking to progress with confidence. Through its deep understanding of investor behaviour and needs, Finimize for Business enables more than 350 financial institutions to provide trusted content and insight that drives engagement, revenue and retention.

About Finimize Awards / Methodology

The findings are based on results from the Finimize Awards 2026, judged entirely by retail investors across 16 categories. Unlike traditional industry awards judged by expert panels, the Finimize Awards are based entirely on the views of retail investors and offer a clear picture of how people are choosing where to invest and why.

The rankings were derived using a weighted scoring methodology designed to reduce bias from small sample sizes and stress-tested across investor age, wealth and experience cohorts. The findings are based on responses from 1,106 retail investors between Feb-April 2026.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260617169272/en/

Contact

Press Contact
Nicole Green nicole@fortuneandgreen.co.uk