Bestinvest

Bestinvest splits its annual service fee into two tracks depending on what you hold. The difference matters more than it first appears.

Track 1 — Ready-made Portfolios and US shares:

Track 2 — Self-selected funds and UK shares:

The 0.2% track is the sweet spot. Use Bestinvest's Ready-made Portfolios — managed by Evelyn Partners' investment team — and you're paying platform fees that undercut every major robo-adviser. The 0.4% track for DIY investors is less compelling: it's below HL's 0.35% on funds but above Vanguard's 0.15% and miles above InvestEngine's 0% for ETFs.

The SIPP minimum fee is the real differentiator: £10 per month (£120/year). Bestinvest is unusually honest about this — their own SIPP page warns that if you can't contribute at least £10,000 within the first 12 months, "the Best SIPP is not good value for money." That transparency is rare and welcome. Junior SIPPs are exempt from the minimum. ISAs, Junior ISAs, and General Investment Accounts have no minimum fee at all.

Dealing costs at a glance:

• UK shares, ETFs, investment trusts: £4.95 per trade — competitive, well below HL's £6.95
• US shares: No dealing fee, but a 0.95% FX fee — cheap for small trades, expensive above ~£500 per trade
• Funds: Free to buy, sell, and switch
• Regular investing: Free
• Dividend reinvestment: Free
• Telephone dealing: £30 per trade

Fee source: Bestinvest fees page. Bestinvest is operated by Evelyn Partners Investment Management Services Limited, authorised and regulated by the FCA (reference 148826).

Uninvested cash on Bestinvest earns 2.98% AER, paid monthly. That rate was last set on 29 December 2025 and hasn't moved since — despite the Bank of England <a href="/posts/the-boe-just-held-at-375-for-the-sixth-straight-month-your-466-fixed-rate-is-a">holding the base rate at 3.75% for six consecutive meetings</a>.

In plain numbers: £10,000 sitting in cash on Bestinvest earns £298 a year. The same cash in a top easy-access savings account at 5.01% earns £501. That's a £203 annual gap — per £10,000 of idle cash.

Some context helps. Most platforms pay mediocre rates on cash. HL passes through some interest but retains a margin. AJ Bell's cash rates aren't market-leading either. But 2.98% is low enough to matter if you regularly hold cash between trades or keep a buffer for fee payments.

The workaround is simple: don't hold significant cash on the platform. Invest it, or keep your trading buffer elsewhere. But for a platform that markets itself on value, a cash rate 77 basis points below the base rate is a weak spot that deserves attention from Evelyn Partners' product team.

For comparison, Trading 212 pays interest on uninvested cash at a rate that closely tracks the base rate. It's one of the few areas where the commission-free challengers genuinely outpace the established names.

Cash rate source: Bestinvest fees page.

Bestinvest employs coaches who hold the CII Level 4 qualification in financial planning — the same qualification many regulated advisers start with. These sessions are free, unlimited, and available even before you become a client.

What can a coach actually do? They can talk through your goals, review your investment strategy, explain how markets work, and help you understand risk. They cannot give specific investment recommendations or tell you which fund to buy. But for someone with £50,000 to invest who's unsure whether to go all-in on equities or split across asset classes, a 45-minute conversation with a qualified professional is worth more than any fee comparison table.

No other major UK platform offers this. HL has excellent customer service but no coaching. AJ Bell has research tools. Vanguard has a managed service at 0.20% extra. None put a human financial planner on the phone for free.

This is Bestinvest's hardest-to-replicate advantage. It's the product of being owned by a wealth manager (Evelyn Partners) that already employs these professionals. A startup couldn't offer this; a pure execution-only platform wouldn't want to. For the investor who wants guidance without paying 1%+ for ongoing advice, it's the single best reason to choose Bestinvest over a cheaper competitor.

That said, coaching is only as useful as the questions you bring. If you're a confident DIY investor with a clear asset allocation and a 20-year horizon, you'll get less from it than someone navigating pension consolidation or trying to understand their risk tolerance for the first time.

Bestinvest covers the essentials and adds a few rarities:

• Stocks & Shares ISA — £20,000 annual allowance, flexible withdrawals. The core product.
• Junior ISA — £9,000 annual allowance. No platform minimum.
• SIPP — Full self-invested pension with £10/month minimum fee. Exit fee buyout up to £500 on transfers in.
• Junior SIPP — No minimum fee. A genuinely good option for long-term family planning.
• General Investment Account — No annual limits for overflow beyond ISA and pension allowances.
• Bare Trust — For gifting investments to children tax-efficiently.
• Discretionary Trust — For estate planning.
• SSAS Pension — Small Self-Administered Scheme for business owners and directors.

The trust and SSAS accounts are unusual on a consumer platform. If estate planning or business ownership is part of your financial picture, Bestinvest covers ground that Vanguard, InvestEngine, and most robo-advisers don't touch.

What's missing: no Lifetime ISA. If you're a first-time buyer under 40 or want the 25% government bonus on retirement savings (capped at £4,000/year), you'll need a separate LISA provider. AJ Bell and Hargreaves Lansdown both offer Lifetime ISAs.

The investment range covers 1,800+ funds, 1,200+ shares, 530+ ETFs, and 230+ investment trusts. It's broad enough for almost any strategy — wider than Vanguard (own funds only), narrower than HL or AJ Bell, and perfectly adequate for the vast majority of investors.

For more on tax-efficient investing, see our ISA hub and pensions guide. Fee source: Bestinvest accounts page.

Here's what you actually pay on a £50,000 ISA in funds:

For the Ready-made Portfolio investor, Bestinvest's £100 annual fee is remarkably close to Vanguard's £75 — just £25 more for professional management and free coaching. That's the comparison that matters.

For the self-directed fund investor, Bestinvest at £200 is middle of the pack. You're paying more than Vanguard and ii, less than Fidelity and HL on headline rates, and you get coaching thrown in.

The chart tells the story: Bestinvest's Ready-made track is genuinely cheap. The self-select track is fine — not a reason to switch away, but not a reason to switch to it either. The coaching tips the balance.

For a deeper cost comparison, see our Bestinvest vs AJ Bell fee breakdown. Fee data sourced from each platform's published charges as of July 2026. MoneyHelper's investing guide is a useful independent resource for comparing platforms.

Bestinvest is the right choice if you:

• Want a professionally managed portfolio at low cost. The Ready-made Portfolios at 0.2% platform fee (~0.55% all-in with OCF) undercut every robo-adviser and most multi-asset funds. If you'd otherwise pay Nutmeg 0.75% or buy a Baillie Gifford fund at 0.65%, Bestinvest saves you real money every year.
• Value human guidance over algorithmic allocation. The free coaching is not a gimmick — it's a CII Level 4 qualified financial planner on the phone. For anyone navigating a pension transfer, inheritance, or a first-time ISA at £50,000+, that matters.
• Have a portfolio between £30,000 and £500,000. Below £30k, the SIPP minimum bites and the 0.4% DIY rate is proportionally expensive. Above £500k, the tier drops to 0.1% and the platform becomes unusually cheap — at £1m+ it's free.
• Need trust or SSAS accounts. Most consumer platforms don't offer these. If estate planning or business ownership is part of your picture, Bestinvest covers ground others don't.
• Are consolidating pensions. The £500 exit fee buyout and free coaching make the transfer process less painful than going it alone.

Look elsewhere if you:

• Have a small SIPP (under £30,000). The £120/year minimum fee is 1.2% on a £10,000 pot — terrible value. Vanguard charges £48/year with no SIPP-specific minimum.
• Want a Lifetime ISA. Bestinvest doesn't offer one. AJ Bell and HL do.
• Are a pure ETF investor. InvestEngine charges 0%. Bestinvest charges 0.4% on the self-select track. On a £100,000 ETF portfolio, that's £400 a year you could avoid.
• Trade US shares frequently. The 0.95% FX fee on every trade adds up. Interactive Investor charges £3.99 per trade with lower FX margins.
• Hold significant cash balances. At 2.98% AER, idle cash is a drag on returns. Move it to a high-interest savings account or invest it.

Capital at risk. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. The value of investments can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. You should seek independent financial advice before making any investment decisions.

Bestinvest is operated by Evelyn Partners Investment Management Services Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA reference 148826). Client investments are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to £85,000 per eligible person.