What's in this review

• Hargreaves Lansdown products
• Hargreaves Lansdown investing account fees
• How to open a Hargreaves Lansdown account

Hargreaves Lansdown is one of the UK's largest investment platforms, with more than £100 billion of assets under its management. It currently has a TrustPilot score of 4.3 out of 5.

So how does Hargreaves Lansdown compare to other investment platforms? And how much does the provider charge for each trade? Let's explore.

What products does Hargreaves Lansdown offer?

Hargreaves Lansdown offers a wide range of investment choices. With Hargreaves Lansdown, you can invest in over 3,900 funds, corporate or government bonds, exchange-traded funds, and investment trusts. Let's take a closer look at the types of investment accounts offered.

Stocks and Shares ISA

If you want to put your investments into a tax-free wrapper, consider opting for a Stocks and Shares ISA. Any returns you earn from investments in an ISA stay tax-free, year after year.

Hargreaves Lansdown offers a ton of Stocks and Shares ISA choices, from ready-made portfolios to do-it-yourself options. This gives you a lot of flexibility in terms of picking suitable funds, or buying individual shares. You can set up an account with just £100, and invest as little as £25 per month. If you wish to withdraw funds, there aren't any penalties for doing so.

Overall, the account may be a decent option for those looking for an established player in which to hold their tax-free investments.

Junior ISA

A junior ISA allows you to invest on behalf of your child. Anything put into a Junior ISA is locked away until your child reaches 18. When they hit this milestone, the investment is theirs.

Hargreaves Lansdown's Junior ISA scores highly on functionality, though its platform fee is far from the lowest in the market. That said, with individual share trades costing just £5.95, it can be a good option for those looking to trade regularly on behalf of their offspring.

Lifetime ISA

A Lifetime (stocks and shares) ISA allows you to invest up to to £4,000 per year, and is open to those aged 18 to 39. The Government adds a 25% bonus to anything put into a Lifetime ISA, though the catch is that your investment must be used to purchase a first home, or for retirement (aged 60). If you wish to withdraw funds before aged 60, for any reason other than to buy your first home, a 25% withdrawal penalty will apply to the sum you take out.

Hargreaves Lansdown allows Lifetime ISA holders to invest in over 3,000 funds, including bonds, investment trusts, and exchange-traded funds. The product scores highly on functionality. Plus, its annual 0.45% platform charge is reasonable compared to competitors.

Fund & Share account

The Fund & Share account from Hargreaves Lansdown allows investors to buy live stocks and funds, including individual shares, trusts, exchange-traded funds, and bonds. As this is a non-ISA offering, there aren't any limits on how much you can put into this type of account.

While not the cheapest, reviews for Hargreaves Lansdown's Fund & Share account are generally positive, with top-notch customer support often cited as a major benefit of holding this account.

If you open one of these accounts, you also have access to the views of a number of third-party analysts, which may be an added boon for some.

Self-invested personal pension (SIPP)

A self-invested personal pension (SIPP) is a special type of pension with a tax-free 'wrapper.' This allows you to save for retirement in a tax-efficient manner. SIPPs are particularly popular with higher-rate taxpayers as the potential tax benefits for higher earners are magnified, compared to those in the lower tax brackets. You can contribute 100% of your annual income (up to the maximum annual allowance of £40,000) into a SIPP during each tax year.

Hargreaves Lansdown's SIPP offers a choice of funds. It also offers a number of analytical tools which can be useful to help you manage your portfolio.

Active savings

Aside from investing, Hargreaves Lansdown also offers an 'active savings' product. This provides an option to hold your wealth in savings. This is a new offering, and Hargreaves Lansdown makes the process as easy as possible via a clever online tool. This tool allows you to choose from a number of easy-access or fixed offerings.

However, while the process is simple enough, savings rates listed on Hargreaves Lansdown's website (at the time of writing) sadly fall short of other market-leading savings accounts. As a result, if you're looking to put your wealth in savings, it's probably best to explore our best savings accounts guide.

What fees apply to Hargreaves Lansdown investing accounts?

Annual charges that apply to your Hargreaves Lansdown account depends on how much you invest. There is no annual charge if investing over £2 million.

Aside from charging an annual platform fee, Hargreaves Lansdown also charges for every trade. Here's the lowdown.

Why are fees important?

The total cost of your portfolio can heavily depend on your investing type. For example, if you're the type to passively invest your wealth, looking at accounts with low annual platform charges will probably be more important than individual share dealing fees. That's because passive investors are more likely to stick with funds, rather than opt to trade at regular intervals.

However, if you are the type to trade regularly, you should probably be more concerned with share dealing charges.

This is why, when it comes to investing, there isn't really one investing account suitable for all. Each platform has different charges and fees. Typically those that charge a high annual platform fee will have a lower share dealing charge. In contrast, those with a low platform fee often have high share dealing fees.

How can you open and manage a Hargreaves Lansdown account?

You can open and manage a Hargreaves Lansdown account online, or via its nifty mobile app.

Is Hargreaves Lansdown's app any good?

Hargreaves Lansdown's app homepage provides a neat overview of the performance of several UK stock market indexes. In addition, the app homepage displays the performance of individual companies, commodities and currency markets.

In terms of practicality, the app utilises biometic login, making it easy to access your account without having to input a password. The app's simple interface also makes adding and withdrawing funds a doddle.

What do I need to be aware of when it comes to investing?

Regardless of the investment platform you use, no type of investing is risk-free. When investing, be aware that your capital is at risk. Always do your own independent research. Investment platforms, accounts or services included on our website does not constitute an endorsement.

For stocks and shares ISAs, bear in mind that tax treatment may change in future.