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Hargreaves Lansdown (HL) Review

Depends

Should I use Hargreaves Lansdown (HL)?

UK investment platform for funds, shares, ISAs and pensions - hl.co.uk

· 1 week ago

Buy if you are a UK beginner or buy-and-hold investor who values a polished app, guides and ready-made portfolios over cost. Skip if fees matter most — especially on large balances — where rivals are frequently recommended instead.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~20 public sources; most snippets truncated, so fee figures and ratings are limited.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo usable evidence found
  • Security posture

Pricing

From £25/month

Fund investing

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed

Best for

  • UK first-time ISA and pension investors
  • Hands-off investors wanting ready-made portfolios
  • Buy-and-hold fund investors consolidating accounts

Not for

  • Cost-sensitive investors with large portfolios
  • Frequent traders hunting the lowest dealing fees
  • Anyone for whom cheapest platform fees is the deciding factor

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Percentage platform fees compound on big balances; one Redditor models the pain at £2m invested

medium

A March 2026 IT outage locked clients out of accounts; expect occasional platform downtime

medium

AJ Bell, Interactive Investor and Vanguard comparisons exist because HL's pricing is rarely the cheapest

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Mainstream UK platform, regularly benchmarked against AJ Bell, Fidelity and Vanguard
  • Ready-made pensions and funds from £25/month
  • Published charges page and formal complaints procedure
  • Users report a decent website experience

Cons

  • Fees repeatedly called 'shocking' by users on r/FIREUK
  • March 2026 IT failure locked clients out of accounts
  • Some switchers to Interactive Investor rate the move 'magnificent'
  • FT headline suggests rivals benefit from Hargreaves Lansdown

Sources & method

- 10 sources - No vulnerabilities disclosed; one reported IT outage briefly locked clients out.

official x3review x5news x2
  • IT failure locked clients out of accounts, Reported March 2026: Hargreaves Lansdown clients were temporarily unable to access their accounts.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 2/5

    Rating

  • From £25/month

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 2/5. Reddit calls fees 'shocking' on large portfolios
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Users describe the website as decent
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Shares, funds, ISA, pension, ready-made options
  • Support quality. No usable evidence found
  • Security posture: 3/5. Product security page; one 2026 IT outage
  • £25/month Minimum fund investment Compare and invest in HL funds
  • 9+ Independent coverage Reviews and rival comparisons found
  • 1 Reported IT incidents March 2026 client lockout

Pricing

Fund investing

From £25/month

  • Compare and invest in HL funds
  • Includes ready-made pension options

Security

No vulnerabilities disclosed; one reported IT outage briefly locked clients out.

  • IT failure locked clients out of accountsReported March 2026: Hargreaves Lansdown clients were temporarily unable to access their accounts.⁶

What users say

Users praise the polished website but repeatedly criticise fees, with several switching to Interactive Investor.

“HL has a decent website”
Reddit, r/UKInvesting
“i've always heard HL was expensive but this looks good?”
Reddit, r/UKInvesting
“Hargreaves Lansdown Fees are shocking”
Reddit, r/FIREUK
Full analysis

Based on ~20 public sources; most snippets truncated, so fee figures and ratings are limited.

Solid UK investment platform, but fees sting: great hand-holding for beginners, poor value on big portfolios.

Methodology

Based on ~20 public sources; most snippets truncated, so fee figures and ratings are limited.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Hargreaves Lansdown investment platform review — Which.co.ukwhich.co.uk
    review
  2. Hargreaves Lansdown Fees are shocking — Reddit r/FIREUKreddit.com
    review
  3. Moving from HL to II has been magnificent — Reddit r/UKInvestingreddit.com
    review
  4. Hargreaves Lansdown Reviews — Trustpilottrustpilot.com
    review
  5. IG vs Hargreaves Lansdown (HL) — Finderfinder.com
    review
  6. IT failure leaves Hargreaves Lansdown clients locked out of accounts — Sharecastsharecast.com
    news
  7. Hargreaves Lansdown PLC — Financial Timesft.com
    news
  8. Our Improved Pricing, Fees, and Charges — HLhl.co.uk
    official
  9. Compare and Invest in Funds From Just £25 per Month — HLhl.co.uk
    official
  10. Product security page — HLhl.co.uk
    official

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