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AJ Bell investment platform review
Is AJ Bell any good?
Which? members can exclusively read the results of our unique customer satisfaction survey.
Members can log in to see our review of AJ Bell. If you're not already a member, join Which? to get full access to these results and all our reviews.
What do customers say about AJ Bell?
- ‘It's a very modern and accessible site that suits me and I would imagine people of all levels of experience.’
- ‘They offer a comprehensive, easy to use and value for money platform.’
- ‘Easy to use for someone with not much investing experience. A good variety of investment opportunities with decent fees.’
Visit AJ Bell to find out more about its accounts, services and investment options.
How much does AJ Bell cost?
There's no difference in fees whether you're investing in an AJ Bell stocks and shares Isa or general investment account.
Annual platform charge:
- 0.25% of the value of your portfolio worth up to £250,000
- 0.10% on value between £250,000 and £500,000
- no charge above £500,000 (capped at £3.50 a month on shares dealing)
Trading charges:
- £1.50 to buy and sell funds
- £5 to buy and sell shares5)
- £3.50 if you had 10 or more share deals in the previous month
Foreign exchange charge:
This applies to each trade of investments denominated in another currency, for example US stocks, on top of fund and trading charges.
- 0.75% on first £10,000
- 0.50% on next £10,000
- 0.25% on value over £20,000
How much would I pay to invest with AJ Bell?
We've estimated the cost of investing with AJ Bell over the course of a year in a stocks and shares Isa.
Costs will vary depending on how much you invest and whether you trade funds or shares. All assume you make four purchases and four sales each year, spread out over different months.
£5,000 | |
£10,000 | |
£25,000 | |
£50,000 | |
£100,000 | |
£250,000 | |
£500,000 |
If you're thinking of using AJ Bell to take an income from your pension in a drawdown plan, read our comparison of pension drawdown plans and charges.
- Find out more: Compare investment platform fees and charges
What is Dodl by AJ Bell?
Dodl is a cheaper and simplified platform run by AJ Bell, which offers fewer investments.
These are AJ Bell funds, 'themed investments' (eg a specific sector or region), and 80 UK and US shares.
The cost of investing with Dodl is 0.15% of the value of the account, with a minimum of £1 a month.
Dodl did not receive enough reviews to get a customer score of its own in our survey.
What can you invest in with AJ Bell?
AJ Bell accounts and services
- General investment account
- Stocks and shares Isa (not a flexible Isa)
- Junior investment Isa
- Self-invested personal pension (Sipp)
- Junior Sipp
- Lifetime Isa
- Income drawdown
- Savings account
- Ready-made portfolio
- Ready-made pension
Investments on AJ Bell
- 4,429 funds (OEICs, multi-asset funds)
- 420 trusts
- 3,503 exchange-traded funds
- 15,785 stocks
- 278 bonds and 93 gilts
Correct as of January 2024
Is AJ Bell good for ethical investors?
Users of AJ Bell can filter investments by Morningstar sustainability rating – a measure of how well funds are managing ESG (environmental, social, and governance) risks.
It also lists the fund’s top 10 holdings, so you can see the companies making up the largest portions of investment in a fund.
- Find out more: Ethical investing explained
Is your money safe with AJ Bell?
AJ Bell is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
When you invest with an investment platform that's registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, your money will be ring-fenced and should be returned to you if a company goes bust – without having to wait alongside other creditors.
If ring-fencing failed, you would be compensated by the FSCS.
The FSCS will cover up to £85,000 of investments per person, per platform. You can claim for free online at www.fscs.org.uk: there's no reason to use a claims management company.
You won't be compensated for investments falling in value, or if a company in which you hold shares goes bust, unless this poor performance resulted from bad advice given by a regulated Independent Financial Advisor that has since gone bust.
- Find out more: Are your investments protected?