AJ Bell investment platform review: Fees and features for individuals

Disclaimer: The information in this article is for reference purposes only. Wise does not offer to buy or sell stocks, and all information on this page should not be considered financial advice. All investment decisions should be made after thorough research and consultation with a qualified financial advisor. Remember that investments, even in low-risk funds, are never guaranteed and your capital is at risk.

Thinking of investing with AJ Bell? The UK-based investment platform is a popular choice, with nearly 600,000 customers. It’s also a Which? recommended platform.¹

Here in our comprehensive AJ Bell investment platform review, we’ll cover everything you need to know to get started.

This includes info on how to invest with AJ Bell, how its platform works, features, fees, eligibility and much more.

This should help you work out if it’s the right choice for you.

How does the AJ Bell investment platform work?

AJ Bell is an online platform for investing in funds, shares, exchange traded funds (ETFs), investment trusts, and bonds and gilts.

You can use the platform in a few different ways:

• Choose a Starter Portfolio
• Buy a fund managed by AJ Bell’s investment experts
• Select one of the platform’s ‘Favourite Funds’
• Choose and manage individual investments yourself.

Once you’ve signed up for a dealing account, you can invest and manage your portfolio online, or via the AJ Bell mobile app. You can also open an AJ Bell Stocks & Shares ISA or Self-invested personal pension (SIPP) to start investing.

Who is the AJ Bell investment platform best for?

The AJ Bell investment platform is suitable for both new and experienced investors.

If you’ve invested before, you can simply choose your investments and manage your own portfolio.

For beginners, there are a choice of options to help you get started - including Starter Portfolios and fully managed funds.

Who can open an account?

To open any kind of investment account with AJ Bell, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:²

• You’re a UK tax resident
• You’re at least 18 years old.

To open a Stocks & Shares ISA with AJ Bell, you’ll also need to deposit a minimum of £250 or pay in £25 a month (or transfer from another ISA provider).²

What currencies are supported?

AJ Bell supports international trading, but your account will be denominated in Sterling (GBP).³

This means that if you buy international investments, the currency will need to be converted. Fees will apply for this,³ which we’ll look at shortly.

AJ Bell investment platform features

Now, let’s take a quick look at the features on offer with the bank’s investment platform:⁴

• Choice of Starter Portfolio, managed funds or DIY investment
• Choose from 4,000+ funds, shares across 24 international markets, 3,500+ ETFs and 400+ investment trusts
• Automatic regular investment service - invest from £25 a month
• Monitor investments on the move with the AJ Bell mobile app
• Live pricing
• Watchlists - track performance of specific products by adding them to your Watchlist
• First-timer investment app available - AJ Bell Dodl

AJ Bell investment platform fees

Before you start investing with any kind of platform or account, you’ll need to know exactly how much it’s going to cost you.

Here are the main fees you need to know about for AJ Bell’s investment platform:⁵

Fee type	AJ Bell fees
Account fee	Up to 0.25%
Fund management fee	Varies by fund
Trading fees	From £1.50
Foreign exchange fees	0.75%

Does the AJ Bell investment platform have an account fee?

There is an account fee with AJ Bell, but it’s capped at 0.25% of the value of your investments. The fee is an annual charge (payable monthly) for managing your account.⁵

Trading fees with the AJ Bell investment platform

When you buy or sell an investment with AJ Bell, you’ll pay a dealing charge of £1.50 per transaction.⁵

It’s important to note that this is only for transactions carried out online - there may be other fees for trades carried out over the phone or via other methods.

How much does the AJ Bell investment platform charge for UK stocks or funds?

When you buy or sell UK stocks using the AJ Bell investment platform, you’ll pay trading fees of £1.50 per transaction.⁵

AJ Bell investment platform withdrawal fees

AJ Bell doesn’t charge a fee for cash withdrawals from its investment accounts, so you can withdraw freely, whenever you want.

AJ Bell investment platform commission fees

AJ Bell generally doesn’t charge commission fees, as it's all covered under the account fee, dealing fees and fund management charges.

How to invest or buy stock with the AJ Bell investment platform

Ready to start investing? Here’s how to buy stock with AJ Bell:⁶

1. Sign into your AJ Bell account online or via the AJ Bell app
2. Go to ‘Buy and Sell’
3. Search for the stock you want to buy. Enter the company code or stock company name (for example, you might want to search for HSBA.LON if you’re interested in buying shares in HSBC bank.)
4. Get a price/quote - you’ll have around 15 seconds to confirm the order at that price=
5. Place your order - enter either the number of shares you want to buy or the amount of money you want to invest
6. Preview the order and check the details carefully
7. Place the order
8. You’ll get a confirmation of your order from the platform, including a contract note containing all of the details of the transaction.

Read more about how to buy shares, and how to sell them too.

How to withdraw from the AJ Bell investment platform?

You can withdraw money from your AJ Bell dealing account or Stocks and Shares ISA at any time simply by logging in to your online account (or using the AJ Bell mobile banking app).

You’ll need to select the account you’d like to withdraw from, then click ‘Withdrawals’ from the account menu. It should take around 1 to 3 working days for the month to arrive in your registered bank account.⁷

Remember that if the money is tied up in an investment, you’ll need to sell it first.

Buying stock in another currency?

Buying or selling a stock or shares that aren’t traded in your local currency? Don’t let the currency conversion trip you up. Convert your stocks or shares into any currency with our handy tool, and you’ll always know what you’re getting.

Check out our handy international stock ticker tool.

Explore international stocks 🌍

Disclaimer: Wise's international stock ticker provides information for reference purposes only. This tool and platform does not offer to buy or sell stocks, and the data displayed here should not be considered financial advice. All investment decisions should be made after thorough research and consultation with a qualified financial advisor. We make no guarantees regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information provided, and users should exercise caution and seek professional guidance when making investment choices.

How is the AJ Bell investment platform mobile app?

You can use the AJ Bell mobile app for managing all of your investments.

It’s available for both Android and iOS devices, and lets you check and manage your portfolio at any time.

AJ Bell investment platform customer service

If you need help with your account or the platform in general, you can contact AJ Bell customer services through the following methods:⁸

• Webchat
• Call 03455 432 600
• Email help@ajbell.co.uk.

Alternatives to the AJ Bell investment platform

Of course, AJ Bell isn’t the only bank or other provider offering an online investment platform. There are plenty of others available in the UK, such as:

• XTB
• Hargreaves Lansdown
• Santander Investment Hub
• HSBC
• eToro
• Trading 212

Save money when investing in international stocks

Considering buying or selling international stocks and funds listed abroad? You might be hit with extra costs for cross border money transfers.

But if you use Wise for international transfers, you can avoid hidden currency exchange markups.

Open a Wise account online and you’ll be able to conveniently manage your money in up to 40+ currencies.

This means you can hold your money and convert it into other currencies when the time is right for you at the mid-market rate for only a small, transparent conversion fee*.

Open a Wise account 🌍

Either online or via the Wise app, simply select your chosen currency then under ‘Options’, select ‘Earn’ and choose ‘Stocks’ or ‘Interest’.

If you select the ‘Stocks’ option, we’ll invest some or all of your money (you can choose to allocate all or part of your chosen currency) in the index tracking fund we’ve chosen. Please note that past performance of this index doesn't guarantee future growth. Your capital will be at risk when you invest in Stocks and the growth is not guaranteed.

And if you opt for Wise Interest you can choose to give us permission to invest all or some of your money in the interest-earning fund we’ve chosen, this will depend on the currency.

Wise Interest can help grow your international money and start earning a return on the pounds, euros and dollars in your account from as little as £1, €1 or $1.

When you use Wise Interest, you can send and spend your money whenever you want, including your gains and you can transfer up to 10,000 GBP (or equivalent) each day from Interest currencies. Anything above will add a processing time of up to 2 working days.

To protect your account, we may occasionally need to temporarily limit the amount of money you can withdraw, send, or spend daily. In this case you’d still get full access to your money within 2 working days.

We invest your money in government-backed asset funds. This means that when the central bank rates change, your return does too. You can check the 7 day past performance on the Wise Interest page. Past performance doesn't guarantee future growth. Capital at risk. Growth not guaranteed.

Consider turning on Wise Interest, which could help grow your money.

Learn more about Wise Interest

Capital at risk. Growth not guaranteed. Wise Assets UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with registration number 839689. When facilitating access to Wise investment products, Wise Payments Ltd acts as an Introducer Appointed Representative of Wise Assets UK Ltd. Please be aware that we do not offer investment advice, and you may be liable for taxes on any earnings. If you’re uncertain, we urge you to seek professional advice. To find out more about the Funds, visit our website.

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Sources used for this article:

1. AJ Bell - no. of customers, Which? recommended
2. AJ Bell - Stocks and shares ISA eligibility
3. AJ Bell - holding foreign currency
4. AJ Bell - features
5. AJ Bell - fees and charges
6. AJ Bell - investing in shares
7. AJ Bell - withdrawing from your account
8. AJ Bell - contact information

Sources checked on 20-Jul-2025