Here are some of the best self-managed Stocks and Shares ISAs for when you want to choose your own investments
Do-it-yourself, or self-select stocks and shares ISAs are ones where you choose the investments for your portfolio yourself. This could be a range of company shares, different types of funds and possibly even some commodities or precious metals. You’d be in control of managing your portfolio and ensuring it reflects the risk you plan to take.
Our picks below assume that you’re mostly interested in passive investing, which is mostly suited to beginners. This would mean you’d want to invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or index funds. With many of these providers, you can also invest in shares, but this takes a lot more knowledge and skill.
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A self-managed stocks and shares ISA, sometimes called a self-select ISA, is an investment account where you choose and manage your own investments, rather than having a fund manager do it for you. Like all ISAs, it lets you invest up to £20,000 per tax year completely free of UK income tax and capital gains tax.
The “DIY” part means you’re in the driving seat. You can invest in whatever’s available on your chosen platform – typically exchange-traded funds (ETFs), index funds, investment trusts or individual company shares. You decide what to buy, when to buy it and how to structure your portfolio.
That said, you don’t need to be an expert to get started. Many beginners use DIY ISAs to invest passively – putting their money into a small number of low-cost index funds that track the market and then largely leaving them alone. This approach keeps costs low and has historically performed well over the long term.
Here at Be Clever With Your Cash, we’re not regulated to give you financial advice. We aim to give you the facts about a provider or investment but it’s up to you to decide if it’s suitable for you. If you’re looking for more personalised guidance, find a financial adviser who can give you specific advice. Remember that your capital is at risk when investing — don’t invest more than you are prepared to lose.
Top picks
Customer rating
4.1/5
- Annual fee£5.99 per month for portfolios up to £100,000
- Trading feeFrom £3.99
- Minimum deposit£0
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash Yes – tiered interest is paid on cash balances within your ISA, based on the amount held.
- Fees £5.99 per month (up to £100,000), £14.99 per month (no upper limit)
- Flexible ISA No
- Foreign exchange fee Core plan: 0.75%; Plus plan: 0.75% (first £50,000), then 0.25% above this
- Fund fees Ongoing fund charges vary depending on the investments you choose. These are set by fund managers and typically differ across funds.
- Trading fees Funds: from £3.99 per trade, UK & US shares (including ETFs and investment trusts): £3.99 per trade, Other international shares: from £9.99 per trade, Regular investing: free
- Investments available Shares (UK and international), Funds, ETFs, Investment trusts, Bonds
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 141282
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of your investments may go up or down
Lightyear Stocks & Shares ISA
Customer rating
4.7/5
- Annual fee£0
- Trading fee£0
- Minimum deposit£0
- FSCS Protected? If Lightyear goes out of business and there is a shortfall in the funds they are holding for customers, they may be able to claim for losses up to the value of £85,000 through FSCS
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- ETF trading fee £0
- UK shares trading fee £0
- US shares trading fee £0
- Fractional shares Available in General Investment Account only
- Flexible ISA Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash 1% on GBP for UK customers
- Foreign exchange fee 0.1%
- Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees between 0.03% and 0.78% depending on the funds you choose
- EU shares trading fee £0
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 987226
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up
Customer rating
4.7/5
- Annual fee£0
- Trading fee£0
- Minimum deposit£100
- Important details You can't invest in individual shares with InvestEngine, just exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash No
- Flexible ISA Yes
- Fund fees When you invest in funds you'll also have to pay fund fees between 0.03% and 0.89%, depending on which ones you choose
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 801128
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up
Customer rating
4.7/5
- Annual fee£0
- Trading fee£0
- Minimum deposit£1
- OfferFree fractional share up to £100*
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Fractional shares Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash 3.8%
- Flexible ISA Yes
- Foreign exchange fee 0.15%
- Fund fees If you invest in ETFs, you'll have to pay fund fees depending on the funds you choose
- Offer details To get the offer, you need to open a Trading 212 Stocks and Shares ISA or Invest account and deposit at least £1 within 10 calendar days
- Important details Remember, the value of any money invested, which includes your free share, could go up or down
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 609146
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up
Customer rating
4.7/5
- Annual fee£0
- Trading fee£0
- Minimum deposit£1
- Offerfree share worth £10 - £100*
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash 1% on up to £1,000
- Fractional shares Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Flexible ISA Yes
- Foreign exchange fee 0.99%
- Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees depending on the funds you choose
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 783189
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of your investments may go up or down
- Offer New customers can get a free share worth between £10 and £100. To get it, sign up for Freetrade and deposit at least £50 to your account. The probability is weighted, so more expensive shares will be rarer.
Other options
Customer rating
4.7/5
- Annual fee£0
- Trading fee£0
- Minimum deposit£0
- Offerup to £300 in free shares*
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash 3.75%
- Fractional shares No
- Flexible ISA Yes
- Foreign exchange fee 0.70%
- Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees depending on the funds you choose
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 944492
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up.
- Offer Invest a minimum of £300 and get up to £300 in free shares. T&Cs apply. Other fees may apply.
Customer rating
4.7/5
- Annual fee£0
- Trading fee£0
- Minimum deposit£0
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Fractional shares Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash 4.50%
- Flexible ISA Yes
- Foreign exchange fee 0.50%
- Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees depending on the funds you choose
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 522157
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of your investments may go up or down
Emma Stocks & Shares ISA
Customer rating
4.9/5
- Annual fee£0
- Trading fee£0
- Minimum deposit£1
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash No
- Flexible ISA No
- Fractional shares No
- Foreign exchange fee 0.99%
- Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees depending on the funds you choose
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 669450
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up
AJ Bell Dodl Stocks & Shares ISA
Customer rating
4.7/5
- Annual fee0.15% (minimum £1 per month)
- Trading fee£0
- Minimum deposit£100 or £25 per month
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Other investment options You could also choose to invest in managed portfolios with Dodl
- Fractional shares No
- Interest on uninvested cash 3.8%
- Flexible ISA No
- Foreign exchange fee 0.75% (up to £10,000)
- Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees between 0.03% and 0.45% depending on the funds you choose
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 211468
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of your investments may go up or down
Vanguard Stocks & Shares ISA
Customer rating
4.4/5
- Annual fee0.15% (minimum £4 per month)
- Trading feeup to 0.46%
- Minimum deposit£100 per month or £500
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash 2.35%
- Flexible ISA Yes
- Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees depending on the funds you choose
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 527839
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of your investments may go up or down
Customer rating
4.4/5
- Annual fee0.25%
- Trading feeFrom £1.50 (or free with regular investing)
- Minimum deposit£25 per month or £250 lump sum
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash 1.75% AER
- Flexible ISA No
- Foreign exchange fee 0.75% on £0-£10,000, 0.50% on £10,000-£20,000, and 0.25% on values over £20,000
- Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees depending on the funds you choose
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 155593
- Risk warning The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you originally invested
Quilter Invest Stocks & Shares ISA
Customer rating
4.8/5
- Service fee0.25%
- Dealing charge£0
- Minimum deposit£10
- OfferDiscounted annual fee*
- FSCS Protected? FSCS protection may apply if the custodian fails. It does not protect against investment losses.
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Investments available You can invest in OEICs and exchange-traded investments
- Flexible ISA Yes
- Fees £2 per month and a 0.25% platform fee - if you join before 31 August using code SUMMER26, you’ll pay no subscription fee and a lower 0.15% platform fee
- Fund fees When you invest in funds you'll also have to pay fund fees
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes, FRN 955775
- Risk warning The value of investments can go up and down and you may get back less than you invested.
Customer rating
4.9/5
- Annual fee0.25% (max £250 per year)
- Trading fee£0
- Minimum deposit£1
- FSCS Protected? Your eligible investments are protected by the FSCS up to £85,000 per person per firm. This doesn’t cover losses incurred due to investment performance.
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash No
- Flexible ISA Yes
- Investments available You can create your portfolio by selecting themed collections. These include: Automation and robotics, Blockchain creators, Clean energy, Healthcare innovation, Metaverse, Tech focused, American companies, British companies, Emerging markets, European companies and Global companies. Or keep it simple with ready-made funds.
- Fractional shares No
- Foreign exchange fee N/A
- Fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees depending on the funds you choose. Management fees are dependent on what you invest in. See full fees breakdown on monzo.com/help/investments/investments-fees
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 730427
- Risk warning You could get back less than you invest.
- Eligibility You need a Monzo current account to use Investments. UK residents 18+. Ts&Cs apply.
Charles Stanley Direct Stocks & Shares ISA
Customer rating
3.6/5
- Annual fee0.3% (min £5 per month)
- Trading fee£50 worth of free trades every 6 months
- Minimum deposit£0
- OfferUp to £1,500 cashback*
- Fees You get £50 worth of free trades every 6 months. Funds cost £4 per trade and shares cost £10 per trade
- Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees depending on the funds you choose. There are no platform or trading fees when you invest in Charles Stanley Multi Asset Funds
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Fractional shares No
- Interest on uninvested cash Yes - 1.5% on balances up to £99,999 and 1.9% on balances over this
- Flexible ISA No
- Foreign exchange fee 1%
- Offer details The amount you'll get in cashback depends on how much you transfer. A transfer of £20,000 gets you £300 cashback
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 124412
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up
Customer rating
3.9/5
- Annual fee0.35%
- Trading fee£0
- Minimum depositLump sum of £100 or £20 per month
- Important details You can't invest in individual shares with Santander, just funds
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash 2.22%
- Fund fees You pay additional fees to run your fund, charged by the fund provider. These can be found in the Key Investor Information Document.
- Fees The fee you pay depends on how much you invest. You'll pay 0.35% on up to £50,000; 0.2% on any amount between £50,000 and £500,000; and 0.1% on anything over £100,000.
- Investments available You can choose from a range of investment funds created by asset managers. There are 850 to choose between.
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 106054
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of your investments may go up or down
Customer rating
3.8/5
- Annual feeCustody fee of 0.35% per year (max £45)
- Shares trading fee£3.95 per trade
- Minimum deposit$50
- Offerfree £50 worth of assets*
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash 3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
- Fractional shares Yes
- Foreign exchange fee 0.7%
- Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
- Trading fees You'll pay £3.95 per trade for shares, ETFs and mutual funds and £5.95 per trade for bonds
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes, FRN 583263
- Risk warning The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
- Offer details You need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free asset. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Customer rating
4.3/5
- Annual fee0.45%
- Trading fee£6.95
- Minimum deposit£1
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash 2.53%
- Flexible ISA No
- Foreign exchange fee 1.00%
- Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees depending on the funds you choose
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 115248
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of your investments may go up or down
Customer rating
4.8/5
- Annual fee£3.99 per month + 0.45% annual fee
- Trading fee£0
- Minimum deposit£1
- FSCS Protected? Yes - up to £85,000
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash No
- Fractional shares Yes
- Flexible ISA No
- Foreign exchange fee 0.45%
- Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees depending on the funds you choose
- Investments available You're limited to 13 funds to invest in, and can invest in the full range of 26 funds with the Premium plan which costs £14.99 per month
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 900573
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up
Scottish Friendly My Choice ISA
Customer rating
3.7/5
- Annual fee1.50%
- Trading fee£0
- Minimum deposit£30 per month or £100 lump sum
- Investments available You can't invest in individual shares with this ISA, instead it offers ten funds.
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash No
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Flexible ISA No
- Fees Fees are tiered, so you’ll pay 1.5% on the first £5,000, 1% on amounts between £5,001 and £20,000, and 0.5% on any amount over £20,000. This is calculated daily and deducted on a monthly basis.
- Offer details Investments in the Unitised With-Profits Fund are subject to an annual fee of 1.50% which is reflected in the bonus rates declared. Over 2025, Scottish Friendly will apply a special offer, reducing your overall charge applied to Unitised With-Profits Funds in your ISA or Junior ISA by 0.25%. This means bonuses applied over 2025 will reflect a reduced annual fee of 1.25%
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 110002
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of your investments may go up or down.
Customer rating
4.1/5
- Annual fee£5.99 per month for portfolios up to £100,000
- Trading feeFrom £3.99
- Minimum deposit£0
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash Yes – tiered interest is paid on cash balances within your ISA, based on the amount held.
- Fees £5.99 per month (up to £100,000), £14.99 per month (no upper limit)
- Flexible ISA No
- Foreign exchange fee Core plan: 0.75%; Plus plan: 0.75% (first £50,000), then 0.25% above this
- Fund fees Ongoing fund charges vary depending on the investments you choose. These are set by fund managers and typically differ across funds.
- Trading fees Funds: from £3.99 per trade, UK & US shares (including ETFs and investment trusts): £3.99 per trade, Other international shares: from £9.99 per trade, Regular investing: free
- Investments available Shares (UK and international), Funds, ETFs, Investment trusts, Bonds
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 141282
- Risk warning Capital at risk. The value of your investments may go up or down
Platform fees
Most platforms charge either a flat monthly or annual fee, or a percentage of the amount you hold. Percentage fees are generally cheaper when you’re starting out; flat fees tend to make more sense once you’ve built up a larger pot. Watch out for additional charges too – some platforms add dealing fees each time you buy or sell.
Range of investments
If you’re a beginner focusing on passive investing, most platforms will offer everything you need. But if you want to access a wider range of ETFs, investment trusts or individual stocks, it’s worth checking what’s available before you sign up.
Minimum investment
Some platforms have a minimum lump sum to open an account, while others let you start with as little as £1. If you’re starting small or want to invest a fixed amount each month, make sure the platform you choose works for your budget.
App and interface quality
If you’ll be checking your ISA regularly or managing your investments on the go, it’s worth considering how good the app or website is. Most providers now offer mobile apps, but ease of use and depth of information vary significantly.
FSCS protection
Always check that any platform you invest with is regulated by the FCA and covered by the FSCS, which protects your eligible investments up to £85,000 per firm if the provider fails. This does not cover investment losses.
Frequently asked questions
Are self-managed stocks and shares ISAs good for beginners?
Yes, especially if you’re interested in passive investing through ETFs or index funds. You don’t need deep knowledge to get started, and many platforms have been designed specifically with beginners in mind. The key is to start simple, keep costs low and invest for the long term. Remember that your capital is at risk and you could get back less than you invest.
How much do DIY stocks and shares ISAs cost?
Costs vary by platform. You’ll typically pay a platform fee (either a flat monthly amount or a percentage of what you hold) plus any fund fees charged by the investments themselves.
Can I transfer an existing ISA into a DIY stocks and shares ISA?
Yes, you can transfer cash or investments from an existing ISA into a DIY stocks and shares ISA without it counting towards your annual £20,000 allowance. Most platforms support ISA transfers, though the process can take a few weeks. You should initiate the transfer through your new provider rather than withdrawing the cash yourself, to keep the tax-free status intact.
DIY stocks and shares ISAs are one of the most rewarding financial tools available – there’s real satisfaction in building your own portfolio, and the potential for long-term returns that leave cash savings accounts in the dust. That said, for anyone new to investing, the best starting point is always to keep things simple.
The most common mistake beginners make is jumping straight into individual shares before getting to grips with the basics. Starting with a low-cost global index fund through one of the platforms above is a perfectly sensible strategy as it gives you broad market exposure, keeps fees low, and means you don’t need to spend hours researching individual companies.
