AJ Bell Youinvest Review Overview
AJ Bell Youinvest is a UK-based, direct-to-investor brokerage service designed with simplicity in mind. Opening an account is fast and straightforward, typically taking less than ten minutes. The trading platform is not overly advanced, but it is intuitive and practical, making it easy to use for everyday investing. Customer support is responsive, with relatively quick turnaround times when assistance is needed, which makes the platform particularly suitable for beginners.
In terms of costs, trading fees sit around the industry average. However, the available product range is somewhat limited, as it does not include forex, options, futures, or CFDs. In addition, technical analysis features are fairly basic, with charting tools that may not meet the needs of more advanced or active traders.
Regulation and Client Protection
AJ Bell Youinvest operates under full regulatory supervision and is authorized by a top-tier financial authority in the United Kingdom, namely the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In addition, clients benefit from investor protection schemes in certain jurisdictions, providing an extra layer of security. Broker assessments are carried out using real funds, with hands-on testing that also evaluates how efficiently and reliably the withdrawal process works in practice.
AJ Bell Youinvest pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Fast account opening | • Limited product offer |
| • Easy to use trading platforms | • Basic technical research tools |
| • Great customer service |
AJ Bell Youinvest main highlights
| 🗺️ Country of regulation | UK |
| 💰 Trading fees class | Average |
| 💰 Inactivity fee charged | No |
| 💰 Withdrawal fee amount | $0 |
| 💰 Minimum deposit | $0 |
| 🕖 Time to open an account | 1 day |
| 💳 Deposit with bank card | Available |
| 👛 Depositing with electronic wallet | Not available |
| 💱 Number of base currencies supported | 1 |
| 🎮 Demo account provided | No |
| 🛍️ Products offered | Stock, ETF, Fund, Bonds via phone order |
Our overall AJ Bell Youinves review rating
Fees
AJ Bell Youinvest has low fund fees and the non-trading fees are also reasonable. Deposit and withdrawal are free. On the negative side, you will be charged a custody fee based on your trading history and asset volume.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Low non-trading fees | • Custody fee |
| • No withdrawal fee | • Average stock fees |
| • Low mutual fund fees |
| Assets | Fee level | Fee terms |
|---|---|---|
| US stock | Average | £9.95 per trade |
| EURUSD | – | Not available |
| Mutual fund | Low | £1.50 per trade |
| Inactivity fee | Low | No inactivity fee |
How we ranked fees
We ranked AJ Bell Youinvest’s fee levels as low, average, or high based on how they compare to those of all reviewed brokers.
To get things rolling, let’s go over some lingo related to broker fees. What you need to keep an eye on are trading fees and non-trading fees.
- Trading fees occur when you trade. These can be commissions, spreads, financing rates, and conversion fees.
- Non-trading fees include charges not directly related to trading, like withdrawal fees or inactivity fees.
In the sections below, you will find the most relevant fees of AJ Bell Youinvest for each asset class. For example, when investing in stocks, commissions are the most important fees.
We also compared AJ Bell Youinvest’s fees with those of two similar brokers we selected, Fidelity International and Halifax. This selection is based on objective factors such as products offered, client profile, fee structure, etc. See a more detailed rundown of AJ Bell Youinvest alternatives.
To have a clear overview of AJ Bell Youinvest, let’s start with trading fees.
AJ Bell Youinvest trading fees
At AJ Bell Youinvest, trading fees are average. Fees for stock and ETF trades might be on the higher end, but in return mutual fund fees are low. The fee structure is volume-based when trading stocks and ETFs. If you trade frequently and/or with a higher amount, you will pay less.
At AJ Bell Youinvest, you will be charged a flat fee of £1.5 as a dividend reinvestment charge, when reinvesting your income automatically with the broker.
Stock fees and ETF fees
AJ Bell Youinvest charges close to average stock and ETF commissions.
| AJ Bell Youinvest | Fidelity International | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock | $13.9 | – | $0.0 |
| UK stock | $13.9 | $11.3 | $10.7 |
| German stock | $13.9 | – | $0.0 |
The stock and ETF commission is £9.95 per trade. If you had more than 10 trades in the previous month, the fee is only £4.95 per trade.
You’ll need to pay a custody fee based on the value of shares (and ETFs) you hold. The custody charge is 0.25% per annum but is debited monthly with a maximum monthly charge of £3.50 This monthly cap is £10 for all SIPP accounts and £3.50 in case of ISA accounts (£2.50 per month for Junior ISAs).
For the value of shares between £250,000 and £500,000, the annual charge is 0.1% and for over £500,000, there is no charge.
Trading on margin is not allowed.
Fund fees
At AJ Bell Youinvest, fund fees are low.
| AJ Bell Youinvest | Fidelity International | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual fund | $2.1 | $0.0 | $10.7 |
AJ Bell Youinvest also charges a flat fee of £1.5 per trade and a volume-based annual custody fee.
| Value of your holdings | First £250k | On the value between £250k – £500k | On the value over £500k |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commission | 0.25% of the value of your holdings | 0.10% of the value of your holdings | Free |
Non-trading fees
AJ Bell Youinvest has low non-trading fees. It charges no account, inactivity, or withdrawal fees.
| AJ Bell Youinvest | Fidelity International | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account fee | No | No | Yes |
| Inactivity fee | No | No | No |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Account opening
Expect a quick, user-friendly and fully digital account opening process without a required minimum account balance. The downside: it’s only available to UK residents.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Fast | • Available only to UK residents |
| • Fully digital | |
| • No minimum deposit |
What is the minimum deposit at AJ Bell Youinvest?
There is no required minimum deposit at AJ Bell Youinvest.
Account types
Investors can choose from a wide range of account types, depending on their investment and savings objectives.
| Account type | Short description |
|---|---|
| Dealing Account | Basic investment account |
| Stocks and Shares ISA | ISA wrapper to invest tax-free up to the annual limit |
| Self Invested Personal Pension | Tax-efficient pension investment account |
| Junior Dealing Account | Basic investment account on behalf of a child |
| Junior Stocks and Shares ISA | ISA wrapper to invest tax-free on behalf of a child/annual limit applies |
| Junior Self Invested Personal Pension | Tax-efficient pension investment account on behalf of a child |
| Lifetime ISA | ISA for young investors to buy first home or build tax-efficient savings for retirement |
For this review, we have tested the basic Dealing Account.
How to open your account
Only UK residents can open an account at AJ Bell Youinvest.
AJ Bell Youinvest’s account opening is an easy process that can be completed online in about 10 minutes. They will attempt to automatically verify the details you have provided.
As part of the process, you need to provide your address for the past 3 years. If you moved to the UK less than 3 years ago, there is a chance the verification will fail. If the online verification does fail, you will need to send certified copies of a document that proves your identity and your address. The list of people who can certify your documents is quite generous.
AJ Bell Youinvest review – Account opening
Our best alternatives to AJ Bell Youinvest are:
The highest ranking competitors are:
- Interactive Investor full review
- Hargreaves Lansdown full review
- Fidelity International full review
- Charles Stanley Direct full review
Deposit and withdrawal
Deposits and withdrawals are free and the process is user-friendly. However, accounts are available only in GBP and one-off deposits cannot be sent via bank transfer.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Credit/Debit card available | • Only one account base currency |
| • Free withdrawal | • Bank transfer is not available for one-off deposits |
| • No deposit fee |
Account base currencies
At AJ Bell Youinvest, the only available base currency is GBP.
| AJ Bell Youinvest | Fidelity International | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of base currencies | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Why does this matter? For two reasons. If you fund your trading account in the same currency as your bank account or you trade assets in the same currency as your trading account base currency, you don’t have to pay a conversion fee.
A convenient way to save on currency conversion fees is by opening a multi-currency bank account at a digital bank. They usually offer bank accounts in several currencies with great currency exchange rates, as well as free or cheap international bank transfers. Opening an account only takes a few minutes on your phone.
Deposit fees and options
There are no deposit fees charged at AJ Bell Youinvest. One-off deposits (called single payments) can be made with debit cards or by mailing a cheque. It is somewhat surprising that one-off deposits cannot be sent via bank transfers.
After a debit card top-up, the money will be available to invest right away, while for cheques it should take at least 5 business days. Regular deposits can be made by setting up a direct debit.
| AJ Bell Youinvest | Fidelity International | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | No |
You can only deposit money from accounts that are in your name.
AJ Bell Youinvest review – Deposit and withdrawal – Deposit
AJ Bell Youinvest withdrawal fees and options
Standard withdrawals are free with AJ Bell Youinvest but you can only withdraw funds via bank transfer. Clients may request a CHAPS transfer, which is faster, for a fee of £25 plus VAT.
From an ISA or a Dealing account all withdrawals are made by Faster Payments, meaning there is no need to request CHAPS transfer for faster withdrawal.
| AJ Bell Youinvest | Fidelity International | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | No | No | No |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | No |
| Withdrawal fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
How long does it take to withdraw money from AJ Bell Youinvest?
We tested the bank transfer withdrawal and it took 2 business days. You can only withdraw money to accounts in your name.
Deposits cannot be withdrawn within the first 5 business day of being credited to the account. They are available to invest right away, but a withdrawal request cannot be submitted within this period.
How do you withdraw money from AJ Bell Youinvest?
You can do it by following these steps:
- Once logged in, hover over the ‘My Account‘ button on the top right
- Select the ‘Withdrawals‘ menu point from the options
- Edit your bank details if necessary
- Enter the amount you wish to withdraw from your total available balance
- Hit the ‘Submit‘ button
- If you wish to have a faster withdrawal for a £25 plus VAT fee, after submitting the request, send an email to administration@youinvest.co.uk
Web trading platform
AJ Bell Yoinvest’s web platform is user-friendly and well-designed. Two-step login is available and the fee reports are clear. On the negative side, customizability is limited and price alerts are not supported.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • User-friendly | • Limited customizability (for charts, workspace) |
| • Clear fee report | • No price alerts |
| • Two-step (safer) login |
| Trading platform | Score | Available |
|---|---|---|
| Web | 3.7 stars | Yes |
| Mobile | 4.2 stars | Yes |
| Desktop | – | No |
The web trading platform is available in English.
Look and feel
The AJ Bell Youinvest web trading platform is user-friendly, with a nice and modern feel to it. Altough the platform is easy to use and straightforward, it is not customizable.
AJ Bell Youinvest review – Web trading platform
Login and security
AJ Bell Youinvest provides two-step login as an enhanced security option.
When not using the two-factor authentication for login, you can log in with your user name, 3 characters of your password and by answering a security question. This method is quite safe against hostile automated login attempts, but requires special attention if you have a longer password. It was quite annoying when we logged in multiple times during testing, and the system is not compatible with most password management tools.
Search functions
The search function is great. You can use the search input field by entering the name or ticker of an asset. The results are organized well and you can start your research from here.
AJ Bell Youinvest review – Web trading platform – Search
Placing orders
Only very basic order types are supported, you will not find more sophisticated ones like “one cancels the other”. The following order types are available:
- Market
- Limit
If you are not familiar with basic order types, read this overview.
The order time limit can only be set for a specific date, no other time limit options are available.
AJ Bell Youinvest review – Web trading platform – Order panel
Alerts and notifications
Unfortunately, the web trading platform does not provide alerts and notifications.
Portfolio and fee reports
AJ Bell Youinvest has clear portfolio and fee reports. You can access them by visiting the ‘Portfolio’ subsection under the ‘My Account’ tab. Another feature we appreciated was the detailed fee calculation displayed before placing a trade order.
Mobile trading platform
AJ Bell Youinvest offers a great mobile trading platform, which guarantees a smooth and straightforward user experience. Nevertheless, we missed price alerts.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • User-friendly | • No price alerts |
| • Two-step (safer) login | |
| • Good search function |
The AJ Bell Youinvest mobile trading platform is available for both iOS and Android. In this review, we tested the iOS version. The platform is available in English.
Look and feel
In functionality and design, the mobile trading platform is the same as the web trading platform. It is user-friendly with a clean design, and it comes with safe login options and great search functions. It only offers basic order types and price alerts are not available.
AJ Bell Youinvest review – Mobile trading platform
Desktop trading platform
AJ Bell Youinvest does not offer a dedicated desktop trading platform.
Markets and products
AJ Bell Youinvest has a limited product portfolio, including stocks, ETFs crypto and funds. Popular assets like forex, options, futures, and CFDs are missing. Bonds can be traded only via phone orders.
| AJ Bell Youinvest | Fidelity International | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stocks | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Forex | No | No | No |
| Funds | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds | No | No | No |
| Options | No | No | No |
| Futures | No | No | No |
| CFDs | No | No | No |
| Crypto | Yes | No | No |
AJ Bell Youinvest has a great mutual fund and average stock and ETF lineup.
Stocks and ETFs
The stock and ETF offer is great.
| AJ Bell Youinvest | Fidelity International | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock markets (#) | 19 | 1 | 8 |
| ETFs (#) | 2,700 | 376 | 595 |
Funds
Besides UK markets, AJ Bell Youinvest clients also have access to major European and US markets.
| NASDAQ | NYSE | Toronto Stock Exchange | Xetra |
| Euronext Paris | SIX | AMEX | Stockholm Stock Exchange |
| Euronext Amsterdam | Bolsa de Madrid | Borsa Italiana |
There are some other stock markets, like Hong Kong or Japan, where you can place orders via phone but a £10,000 minimum order size is required.
Funds
| AJ Bell Youinvest | Fidelity International | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fund providers (#) | 270 | 180 | 140 |
| AJ Bell Youinvest | Fidelity International | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cryptos (#) | 1 | – | – |
AJ Bell has a high number of fund providers, offering almost 4,000 funds, exceeding the tally of its competitors.
As proof to the broker’s commitment to sustainability, AJ Bell has added four new Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) focused funds to its favorite funds list. If you’re interested in sustainable investments, read our article about this topic: ESG.
Cryptos
| AJ Bell Youinvest | Fidelity International | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cryptos (#) | 1 | – | – |
This selection is great compared to competing brokers. Both Fidelity International and Halifax offer fewer stock markets to trade on.
| AJ Bell Youinvest | Fidelity International | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stocks | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Forex | No | No | No |
| Funds | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds | No | No | No |
| Options | No | No | No |
| Futures | No | No | No |
| CFDs | No | No | No |
| Crypto | Yes | No | No |
Stocks and ETFs
| AJ Bell Youinvest | Fidelity International | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock markets (#) | 19 | 1 | 8 |
| ETFs (#) | 2,700 | 376 | 595 |
Funds
| AJ Bell Youinvest | Fidelity International | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fund providers (#) | 270 | 180 | 140 |
This selection is great compared to competing brokers. Both Fidelity International and Halifax make fewer fund providers available.
Cryptos
| AJ Bell Youinvest | Fidelity International | Halifax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cryptos (#) | 1 | – | – |
This selection is great compared to competing brokers. Both Fidelity International and Halifax offer a narrower crypto selection.
Research
The focus of the research section is on novice investors, with an array of simple and easy to use tools. However, more sophisticated charting tool and analytic tools are missing. Most of the content is provided by Morningstar.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Trading ideas | • Limited interactive charting |
| • Data on asset fundamentals | |
| • Quality news flow |
Trading ideas
If you base your investment decisions on trading ideas, you will find them at AJ Bell Youinvest.There are also curated asset lists and ready-made portfolios, researched and selected by AJ Bell’s investment experts.
AJ Bell Youinvest review – Research – Recommendations
Fundamental data
AJ Bell Youinvest offers fundamental data. You will find a variety of useful information ranging from performance charts through key ratios to dividends.
One interesting feature is the Insiders section, which provides info on important stakeholders’ and directors’ share dealings and holdings.
AJ Bell Youinvest review – Research – Fundamental data
Charting
AJ Bell Youinvest has poor charting tools, covering only the basics. You can use 10 technical indicators, which is less than what most other brokers offer.
AJ Bell Youinvest review – Research – Charting
Newsfeed
AJ Bell Youinvest has a great and well-structured newsfeed.
Customer service
AJ Bell Youinvest’s customer service is great, providing fast and relevant answers on several channels, but there is no 24/7 availability.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Phone support | • No 24/7 support |
| • Live chat | |
| • Fast response time |
AJ Bell Youinvest has a great live chat service. The relevancy of the replies was satisfactory, they answered quickly and there was no waiting time upon first contact. We found that customer service representatives were always flexible and helpful.
The AJ Bell Youinvest phone support works well. There is negligible waiting time and we received relevant answers to our technical questions.
The email replies were also satisfactory and arrived in one business day.
Phone support can be reached Monday to Friday between 8 am and 7 pm and from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, London time. Live chat is available Monday to Friday between 8 am and 5 pm.
AJ Bell Youinvest review – Customer Service
Education
AJ Bell Youinvest offers useful material for novice investors in the form of articles, videos, downloadable guides and podcasts. The quality of the educational material is great, but sometimes it’s hard to find the content on the site. There is no demo account to practice on.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Trading platform tutorial | • No demo account |
| • Educational videos | • Not well-structured |
| • Good production quality |
At AJ Bell Youinvest you can learn in the following ways:
- Platform tutorial videos
- General educational videos
- Webinars
- Quality educational articles
They also publish a weekly magazine called Shares, but to access the magazine, you’ll need to have a balance of £4,000 on your accounts.
Since the videos are not structured well, it’s easier to browse their YouTube channel, where all videos are organized into various playlists.
AJ Bell Youinvest review – Education
Safety
AJ Bell is regulated by the UK’s FCA, a top-tier regulator, so there is a high level of investor protection (£85,000). The broker is also listed on the London Stock Exchange.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • High level of investor protection | • No negative balance protection |
| • Listed on stock exchange | • Does not hold a banking license |
| • All clients belong to a top-tier financial authority |
Is AJ Bell Youinvest regulated?
Yes, it is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. AJ Bell Youinvest is based in the UK and was founded in 1995.
Is AJ Bell Youinvest safe?
To be certain, we highly advise that you check two facts:
- how you are protected if something goes wrong,
- what background the broker has.
How you are protected
This is important to consider because the investor protection amount differs from entity to entity. By being an AJ Bell Youinvest client, you are covered by AJ Bell PLC, which is regulated by the FCA. The FSCS investor protection protects against the loss of cash and securities in case the broker goes bust. The limit of the FSCS protection is £85,000.
| Country of clients | Protection amount | Regulator | Legal entity |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | £85,000 | FCA | AJ Bell Securities Limited |
Background
AJ Bell Youinvest was established in 1995. The longer the track record of a broker, the more proof we have that it has successfully survived previous financial crises.
AJ Bell Youinvest is listed on the London Stock Exchange, which is a big plus for safety as the broker releases financial statements regularly and transparently.
Being listed on a stock exchange, releasing financial statements, and being regulated by a top-tier regulator are all great signs for AJ Bell Youinvest’s safety.
Bottom line
AJ Bell Youinvest is one of the biggest UK discount brokers regulated by the top-tier FCA.
The broker’s fees are average and the account opening process is fast and easy. The web and mobile trading platforms are user-friendly. Its customer service is great, you will get relevant answers in a short time.
There are some drawbacks though. You can trade only stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds and technical research tools are limited.
As there is no minimum deposit and no inactivity fee, feel free to try AJ Bell Youinvest.
FAQ
We recommend AJ Bell Youinvest for beginners and investors with small and medium portfolios focusing on the uk market.
Below you can find links to all aspects of AJ Bell Youinvest in this comprehensive collection.
Lower fees, lower costs?
We detailed this in our AJ Bell Youinvest fees article.
What about the minimum deposit?
Our ultimate guide to the AJ Bell Youinvest minimum deposit is updated regularly.
How to start your AJ Bell Youinvest account?
Look no further than our evaluation of the AJ Bell Youinvest account opening.
How’s their trading app?
Here’s our expert view after checking the AJ Bell Youinvest trading app.
Is the quality of customer service satisfactory?
All you need to know about the AJ Bell Youinvest customer service.
Legit or scam?
Is AJ Bell Youinvest legit features all the key aspects you need to look at to see if a broker is safe and legit.
Free or premium? Or both?
A glance at actual costs and whether AJ Bell Youinvest is really free.
Is this broker good for beginners?
We checked it in Is AJ Bell Youinvest good for beginners.
Should you buy your silver bullets on AJ Bell Youinvest?
Research for silver bugs in the Silver buy on AJ Bell Youinvest guide
I want to trade options, are they available at AJ Bell Youinvest?
We explored the topic in Can you trade options on AJ Bell Youinvest?
What is the minimum account balance at AJ Bell Youinvest?
Check out the current account balance requirements at AJ Bell Youinvest in our What is the minimum account balance at AJ Bell Youinvest article.
Looking for commission and fees data for AJ Bell Youinvest?
We collected them in AJ Bell Youinvest commission and fees.
How do you withdraw money from AJ Bell Youinvest?
We tested it and collected the options and costs in How to withdraw money on AJ Bell Youinvest.
