This is our guide to the best robo-advisors in the UK.
We’ll look at the best robo-advisors across a range of metrics, including which has the widest choice, the lowest cost and the easiest to get started with.
This includes assessing them on costs, investment options, ease of use and safety.
We also outline the pros and cons of robo-advisors and potential alternatives for your investing needs.
I’ve invested my own money with robo-advisors since 2017, and have reviewed many of the best robo-advisors in detail (see links below). Cost and performance are my most important criteria when assessing a robo-advisor, but I’ll also cover range of investment options, minimum investment and safety in this guide.
What You Need To Know
- A robo-advisor is an investment management platform that uses a questionnaire to assess your risk appetite and then uses algorithms to suggest a suitable portfolio for you to invest in
- They’re typically lower in cost compared to personal financial advice or traditional wealth managers
- Robo-advisors increasingly offer a wide range of investment options such as by theme and ethical-friendly (ESG) investments
- Our top pick for the best robo-advisor in the UK is InvestEngine because of its low cost and good range of portfolio risk levels, as well as some innovative features
- For thematic investing, where you can allocate a portion of your portfolio to a specific theme, Moneyfarm is our top pick
- If you’d prefer to pick your own investments and have greater choice over what you can invest in, then our top pick for an alternative to robo-advisors is Interactive Investor
Our Top Pick: InvestEngine
What You Need To Know
- A robo-advisor is an investment management platform that uses a questionnaire to assess your risk appetite and then uses algorithms to suggest a suitable portfolio for you to invest in
- They’re typically lower in cost compared to personal financial advice or traditional wealth managers
- Robo-advisors increasingly offer a wide range of investment options such as by theme and ethical-friendly (ESG) investments
- Our top pick for the best robo-advisor in the UK is InvestEngine because of its low cost and good range of portfolio risk levels, as well as some innovative features
- For thematic investing, where you can allocate a portion of your portfolio to a specific theme, Moneyfarm is our top pick
- If you’d prefer to pick your own investments and have greater choice over what you can invest in, then our top pick for an alternative to robo-advisors is Interactive Investor
Our Winner: InvestEngine
Read on for our full rundown of the best robo-advisors in the UK, or use the links below to skip ahead:
- What Is A Robo-Advisor?
- Which Is The Best Robo-Advisor In The UK? At A Glance
- Best Robo Advisor UK: Lowest Cost
- Best Robo Advisor UK: Widest Choice
- Best Robo Advisor UK: Thematic Investing
- Best Robo Advisor UK: Guidance
- Best Robo Advisor UK: Ease-Of-Use
- Best Robo Advisor UK: Pros & Cons Of Robo-Advisors
- Alternatives to Robo-Advisors
- Robo-Advisor Performance
- Best Robo Advisor UK – Final Verdict
What Is A Robo-Advisor?
A robo-advisor is an investment management platform that provides a set of professionally managed investment portfolios which vary by their level of risk.
To determine which of their portfolios your money goes into, a robo-advisor will ask you to complete a questionnaire. This will involve a series of questions about your personal financial circumstances and attitude towards risk. The robo-advisor will then use algorithms to match you to a suitable portfolio based on your answers to the questionnaire.
Once you’ve completed the questionnaire and funded your account, you can then monitor your investments. Your robo-advisor will rebalance your portfolio over time, either in response to changing market conditions or proactively to take advantage of expected changes, all within the risk level appropriate to your profile.
You will be asked to re-complete the questionnaire periodically, usually once per year, to ensure that your portfolio and risk level are still appropriate.
Robo-advisors launched as a lower-cost alternative to traditional wealth management companies and personal financial advice. Typically, wealth managers require a minimum level of assets before they will manage your investments for you. Robo-advisors, however, have much lower minimum investment thresholds.
Generally, this process of matching you to an appropriate portfolio is considered ‘guidance’ rather than ‘advice’. Regulated financial advice comes with a greater regulatory and insurance burden, and will involve a deeper analysis of your personal situation before recommending an investment for you. A robo-advisor is a more hands-off approach, and the decision to invest in an appropriate portfolio remains yours.
Robo-advisors are a particularly good option to consider for beginner investors or those with limited time to manage their own investments.
What’s The Difference Between A Robo-Advisor And A Ready-Made Portfolio?
You may have seen investment platforms offering ‘ready-made’ portfolios and be left wondering are these not just the same as what robo-advisors offer?
The major full-service investment platforms, including Hargreaves Lansdown, Interactive Investor, Bestinvest and AJ Bell all now offer multiple ready-made portfolios. They tend to be divided by risk level, typically varying from ‘Cautious’ to ‘Adventurous’.
So far, pretty similar to robo-advisors, then. The crucial difference is that those platforms offering ready-made portfolios will not guide you on which is most suitable for you. They simply provide the portfolios and it is completely up to you to decide which one to invest in.
Robo-advisors, on the other hand, will actively suggest which portfolio they think is most suitable for you. This is based on a questionnaire that you’ll be asked to complete when signing up.
Robo-advisors have an algorithm in place (the ‘robo’ in robo-advisor) which takes your answers to the questions and comes up with a portfolio suggestion for you.
Ultimately, the final decision is still yours but this extra guidance is what separates a robo-advisor from a platform which simply offers ready-made portfolios.
Which Is The Best Robo-Advisor In The UK? At A Glance
Below is a summary of the best robo-advisors in the UK according to our detailed research and having tried out each platform.
| Cost | No. Of Portfolios | Account Options | Ethical Options | Min. Investment | |
 | 0.25% | 10 | ISA, General Investment Account | None, but DIY option for ESG ETFs | £100 |
 | From 0.35%-0.75% | 7 Actively Managed 5 Fixed Allocation | ISA, General Investment Account, Junior ISA, SIPP | 7 | £500 |
 | From 0.35%-0.75% | 6 | ISA, General Investment Account, Junior ISA, SIPP | 6 | £500 |
 | Under £100k: 0.75% Over £100k: 0.35% | 10 Fully Managed 5 Smart Alpha 5 Fixed Allocation | ISA, General Investment Account, Junior ISA, Lifetime ISA, SIPP | 10 | £500 (£100 for JISA and LISA) |
 | 0.60% | 5 | ISA, General Investment Account, Junior ISA, SIPP | 5 | £1 (£50 for SIPP) |
Best Robo Advisor UK: Lowest Cost
Cost is a major consideration when deciding which investment platform to go with. Excessive costs can eat into your returns over time. In fact, over a longer time period such as 30 years, overpaying in costs can mean tens of thousands of pounds in lower net returns.
InvestEngine
There is a clear winner on cost, and that’s InvestEngine. It charges 0.25% on its managed portfolio which is much lower than the other main robo-advisors in the UK.
Like most robo-advisors, InvestEngine exclusively uses Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) to construct its portfolios, which are low-cost electronically traded investment funds. It has 10 portfolios to choose from, although it did previously offer another 3 income portfolios which are now closed.
Aside from InvestEngine’s low management fee, there are no funding or withdrawal costs either. The average ongoing ETF fund cost is estimated to be 0.22% which is broadly in-line with other robo-advisors.
Unlike the other robo-advisors in this guide, InvestEngine also gives you the option to create your own ‘DIY’ portfolio. This comes with zero fees, and means that InvestEngine is one of the cheapest ways to build your own investment portfolio in the UK, so long as you’re happy investing only in ETFs.
InvestEngine – Key Information:
- Portfolios: 10 Managed Portfolios, DIY option with over 550 ETFs
- Products: Stocks & Shares ISA and GIA
- Fees:
- Managed Portfolios: 0.25% fee
- DIY Portfolio: FREE
- Minimum Investment: £100
- FSCS Protection: Yes
- FCA Regulated: Yes
- Trustpilot Rating: 4.4
Overall, InvestEngine is the best robo-advisor in the UK when it comes to cost.
Read more in my detailed, independent InvestEngine review, or visit InvestEngine.
Up To £50 Welcome Bonus
Over 550 ETFs to invest in. Commission-free.
Get a free welcome bonus of up to £50 when you invest at least £100 with InvestEngine.
Ts&Cs apply. Capital at risk if you invest.
Up To £50 Welcome Bonus
OFFER: Get a Welcome Bonus of up to £50 when you invest at least £100 with InvestEngine.
Ts&Cs apply. Capital at risk if you invest.
Best Robo Advisor UK: Widest Choice
Some robo-advisors give as few as 3 options when choosing a portfolio, representing low, medium and high risk levels.
Given the increasing popularity of robo-advisors, though, that’s not a great deal of choice. Fortunately, the best robo-advisors in the UK offer more than just 3 portfolios.
Nutmeg
For the total number of portfolios available, Nutmeg is the leader. It has 10 Fully Managed portfolios (it’s core robo-advisor offering), each of which also has an ethical option.
In addition, it has 5 Fixed Allocation portfolios which come with a lower cost. This is because they’re only revaluated by Nutmeg’s investment managers once per year, and so are a more passive investment option.
On top of these, Nutmeg also has 5 Smart Alpha portfolios. These are investment portfolios put together by JP Morgan Asset Management, the parent company of Nutmeg. Historically, they have shown outperformance versus Nutmeg’s main fully managed portfolios. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance, though. They’re also priced slightly higher than Nutmeg’s fully managed portfolios due to higher ETF costs.
Nutmeg is also the only major robo-advisor that offers regulated personal financial advice, starting from £575.
- Portfolios: 10 Fully Managed, 10 Socially Responsible, 5 Smart Alpha, 5 Fixed Allocation
- Products: Stocks & Shares ISA, GIA, Junior ISA, Lifetime ISA, SIPP
- Fees:
- Up to £100,000: 0.75%
- Over £100,000: 0.35%
- Minimum Investment: £500
- FSCS Protection: Yes
- FCA Regulated: Yes
- Trustpilot Rating: 3.7
Read more in my detailed, independent Nutmeg review.
Best Robo Advisor UK: Thematic Investing
Moneyfarm
Alongside its core range of actively managed portfolios, Moneyfarm gives you the option of adding Thematic Investing.
Moneyfarm has created 4 investment ‘themes’ – Technology, Sustainability, Society and Multitrend. The idea of these themes is to get exposure to high-growth industries, including e-commerce, clean energy and AI.
Rather than creating a separate portfolio, you’re able to allocate up to 20% of your existing portfolio to these themes. You will need to have at least £10,000 invested in order to get access to Thematic Investing. In addition, the ETF charges are higher and average 0.40-0.45%. But this is a unique option among the UK’s robo-advisors.
Moneyfarm – Key Information:
- Portfolios: 7 Actively Managed, 7 ethical / socially responsible, 5 Fixed Allocation
- Products: Stocks & Shares ISA, SIPP, Junior ISA, GIA
- Fees:
- Up to £10,000: 0.75%
- £10,000 – £19,999: 0.70%
- £20,000 – £49,999: 0.65%
- £50,000 – £99,999: 0.60%
- £100,000 – £249,999: 0.45%
- £250,000 – £499,999: 0.40%
- Over £500,000: 0.35%
- Minimum Investment: £500 (£10k for Thematic Investing)
- FSCS Protection: Yes
- FCA Regulated: Yes
- Trustpilot Rating: 3.7
Note that Moneyfarm’s fees work by applying the percentage charge to your entire portfolio. E.g. when investing £80,000, the entire amount will be charged at 0.60%.
Read more details on Moneyfarm in my independent Moneyfarm review, or visit Moneyfarm.
Moneyfarm – Smart Tech. Simple Investing.
Simple digital investing. Experts for every decision.
Be confident with easy-access investing via web
or app. Speak with your own investment consultant for expert guidance.
Simple digital investing. Experts for every decision.
Be confident with easy-access investing via web
or app. Speak with your own investment consultant for expert guidance.
Best Robo Advisor UK: Guidance
Not all robo-advisors are lacking a human touch. Some offer additional guidance to help you on your investing journey by providing investment consultants. Note that these are not investment advisors, and they will not provide bespoke investment advice.
&me
A relatively new entrant to the robo-advisor market in the UK, &me is owned by M&G Wealth, which is part of one of the largest asset managers in the country.
It works in a very similar way to most robo-advisors. You sign up, complete a questionnaire on your personal finances and attitude towards risk and then you will be recommended a suitable portfolio to invest in.
However, you can also book a call or video chat with an &me consultant, either online or directly through the app. This human touch helps set it apart, and will benefit you if you would like further guidance before committing your money.
Generation Money SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up to &me and deposit £500 to get 3 months of no fees on your investments. You must use this link otherwise the offer will not be valid. Terms apply.
&me – Key Information
- Portfolios: 6 main portfolios, 6 ‘Targeted Range’ (ethical) portfolios
- Products: Stocks & Shares ISA, SIPP, Junior ISA, GIA
- Fees:
- Up to £10,000: 0.75%
- £10,000 – £19,999: 0.70%
- £20,000 – £49,999: 0.65%
- £50,000 – £99,999: 0.60%
- £100,000 – £249,999: 0.45%
- £250,000 – £499,999: 0.40%
- Over £500,000: 0.35%
- Minimum Investment: £500
- FSCS Protection: Yes
- FCA Regulated: Yes
- Trustpilot Rating: 3.8
Note that &me’s fees work in a similar way to Moneyfarm’s by applying the percentage charge to your entire portfolio. E.g. when investing £80,000, the entire amount will be charged at 0.60%.
Visit &me to sign up and get 3 months of no fees.
Best Robo Advisor UK: Ease-Of-Use
Although robo-advisors have much lower minimum investment criteria compared to traditional wealth managers, they still expect a minimum deposit to begin investing with.
Wealthify
You can get started investing through Wealthify with just £1, which is the lowest minimum investment out of the best robo-advisors in this guide.
This makes Wealthify the most accessible robo-advisor, and is particularly good for beginner investors starting with small amounts. However, investing with very small amounts means that fees can often eat into your portfolio. Many robo-advisors reduce fees the more you invest.
Wealthify – Key Information
- Portfolios: 5 main portfolios, 5 ethical portfolios
- Products: Stocks & Shares ISA, SIPP, Junior ISA, GIA
- Fees: 0.60%
- Minimum Investment: £1
- FSCS Protection: Yes
- FCA Regulated: Yes
- Trustpilot Rating: 4.0
Read more details in my independent Wealthify review.
Best Robo Advisor UK: Pros & Cons Of Robo-Advisors
Robo-advisors will not suit everyone. You may prefer more personalised investment recommendations or you may wish to pick your own investments and build your own portfolio.
Below are the main pros and cons of using a robo-advisor.
Robo-Advisor Pros
Relatively Low Cost
Compared to personal financial advisors, robo-advisors tend to have much lower fees. Often, the more you invest the lower your fee will become.
Over the long term, lower fees can boost your net return and lead to better portfolio growth and therefore robo-advisors represent a good option for investing with little involvement.
Hands-Off Investing
One of the great advantages of robo-advisors is that they are mostly hands-off for you as the investor. Once you’ve signed up and completed the questionnaire, your money is invested for you.
You’ll usually be asked to retake the questionnaire at least annually to ensure your money is invested in a portfolio that’s still suitable for you. But other than that, you don’t need to manage your investments or have much input at all.
Suitable Risk
Robo-advisors take into account your personal financial situation and attitude towards risk, which means your money will be invested in accordance with your needs.
All investment carries risk, but you may get peace of mind knowing that your money has been invested in a portfolio that carries a risk level that should be appropriate for you.
Robo-Advisor Cons
Not Always The Cheapest Way Of Investing
Despite robo-advisors beating traditional wealth managers on cost, there are still potentially lower cost methods of investing.
If you’re confident in building your own portfolio you can do so and avoid the management fees that come with robo-advisors. For example, InvestEngine’s DIY portfolio option charges zero fees.
Not Personalised
Robo-advisors will not suit everyone’s specific circumstances. There will always be a need for bespoke financial advice from regulated financial advisors, particularly if you have a more complex financial situation.
So although robo-advisors recommend a portfolio for you based on your risk preference and some other factors, it’s still not a bespoke investment which caters specifically to your needs.
ETFs Only
As discussed further below, robo-advisor portfolios are long-only, which means they only seek to buy assets. Specifically, robo-advisors buy equity and bond ETFs.
Although they attempt to rebalance portfolios during downturns in the stock and bond markets, robo-advisors cannot fully take advantage of opportunities open to you if you’re managing your own investments, such as short selling or trading in individual stocks and shares.
Generally, they also don’t invest in other types of assets such as commodities and cryptocurrencies, so if you’re interested in these then you may want to look elsewhere – see below for some alternatives.
Note that short-selling and investing in alternative assets typically comes with a much higher degree of risk.
Alternatives to Robo-Advisors
If you would prefer to pick your own investments, or combine your investments with money management and banking, then you may prefer the below options. For a more detailed guide, read our article on the best investment apps in the UK.
General Investment Platforms
Interactive Investor
One of the largest retail investment platforms in the UK, Interactive Investor offers a huge range of assets to invest in.
It also has a wide choice of account types, including a company trading account, and has different subscription plan options depending on your investing needs.
SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up today and get £50 free trading credit. New customers who open an ISA or Trading Account by 31 July will receive £50 free trading credit. No minimum deposit required. Terms and fees apply.
- Investment Options: Thousands of shares, bonds, mutual funds and ETFs to choose from
- Products: Stocks & Shares ISA, JISA, SIPP, GIA, Company Trading Account
- Platform Fees:
- Investor Essentials: £4.99 per month (max. investment of £50k)
- Investor: £11.99 per month
- Super Investor: £19.99 per month
- Pension Builder: £12.99 per monthIndividual stocks & shares: Free
- Dealing Fees:
- UK shares & funds and US shares: £3.99 per transaction on all Plans
- 1 free monthly trade with Investor plan, 2 with Super Investor
- Non-US international shares charged at £9.99 per transaction for all accounts except Super Investor which is £5.99
- Dividend reinvestment £0.99 for all plans
- Minimum Investment: No minimum investment to open an account. £25 per month minimum for regular investing
- FSCS Protection: Yes
- FCA Regulated: Yes
- Trustpilot Rating: 4.7
Interactive Investor can be pricey if you have around £50k to invest due to the way it charges a fixed monthly fee. The more you invest, the lower the proportion of your investment the fee makes up.
Interactive Investor
The UK’s number one flat-fee investment platform.
Access 40,000+ UK and global stocks, plus the tools and analysis to help.
The UK’s number one flat-fee investment platform.
Access 40,000+ UK and global stocks, plus the tools and analysis to help.
Hargreaves Lansdown
With over £120bn in total client assets, Hargreaves Lansdown is the largest retail investment platform in the UK.
It offers the full range of tax-efficient products across Stocks & Shares ISAs, Lifetime ISAs, Junior ISAs and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs).
Hargreaves Lansdown also offers 4 ready-made portfolios to invest in, each with a different risk level, much like robo-advisors. However, there is no questionnaire involved, so you can simply pick which fund you would like to invest in.
You can also get personal financial advice from a regulated professional.
- Investment Options: Thousands of investment assets across mutual funds, investment trusts, ETFs, shares, corporate bonds and gilts
- Products: Stocks & Shares ISA, Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, SIPP, Junior SIPP, GIA, personal financial advice, Cash ISA, Active Savings
- Fees:
- Holding funds:
- Up to £250,000: 0.45%
- £250,000 – £1m: 0.25%
- £1m – £2m: 0.10%
- £2m+: 0%
- Holding shares:
- Fund & Share Account: no charge
- Stocks & Shares ISA: 0.45% (capped at £45)
- SIPP: 0.45% (capped at £200)
- Online share dealing: £5.95 – £11.95
- Holding funds:
- Minimum Investment: £1 to open Fund & Share Account (GIA), £100 minimum investment for funds. £100 for ISA & SIPP, unless regularly depositing £25+ per month
- FSCS Protection: Yes
- FCA Regulated: Yes
- Trustpilot Rating: 4.2
While Hargreaves Lansdown offers a much wider range of ISAs and accounts, it also offers bonds, mutual funds and investment trusts.
For more on how Hargreaves Lansdown compares Interactive Investor, read my detailed Interactive Investor vs Hargreaves Lansdown comparison review.
Hargreaves Lansdown – Switch Your Money On
ISAs, Pensions, Funds and Shares.
Thousands of stocks, bonds & funds to choose from with the UK’s largest platform for private investors.
ISAs, Pensions, Funds and Shares.
Money Management Apps
Plum
Plum is an investment, savings and money management app that allows you buy individual stocks and shares as well as invest in funds.
You don’t need to invest with Plum to take advantage of all it has to offer as Plum has a number of innovative personal finance and savings features, too.
But if you like the idea of combining budgeting, saving and investing in one app then Plum is a good option. It has thousands of individual stocks to invest in, as well as over 20 funds.
Plum is also very accessible for beginner investors as you can start investing from just £1.
- Investment Options:
- 20+ funds
- 1,200 stocks to choose from with Plum Basic, Pro & Ultra; 3,000 with Premium
- Products: Stocks & Shares ISA, SIPP, GIA, interest-earning savings accounts
- Fees:
- Individual stocks & shares: Free
- FX conversion fee: 0.45% (you will need to convert your cash into the currency of the stock you want to buy)
- Bank transfers: Free
- Fund investing: minimum £2.99 per month subscription
- Minimum Investment: £1
- FSCS Protection: Yes (but not for primary pocket)
- Trustpilot Rating: 4.4
For full details on how Plum works read my in-depth Plum investment review, or visit Plum.
Plum – The Ultimate Smart Money App
Invest, save and manage your spending with automation.
Through AI and automation, Plum puts saving, investing and money management at your fingertips. Capital at risk if you invest.
Invest, save and manage your spending with automation.
Through AI and automation, Plum puts saving, investing and money management at your fingertips. Capital at risk if you invest.
Best Robo-Advisor UK – Performance
The recent performance of robo-advisors has come into question due to negative returns in 2022 and the first quarter of 2023.
This becomes clear if you check the recent Trustpilot reviews of any of the main robo-advisors in the UK. Many of the recent comments mention poor performance and negative returns, with some reviewers suggesting that they would withdraw their money.
However, recent performance of robo-advisors must be seen in the wider context of stock market performance in 2022 and the first half of 2023.
In 2022 the S&P500 in the US returned a loss of 18.5%, with the pan-European Stoxx 600 losing 12.5%. The FTSE100 in the UK fared better, but only posted a return of 0.9% for 2022.
Anyone putting money into the stock market for the first time in 2021 or during 2022 would therefore be unlikely to see positive returns.
This applies to robo-advisors too, which despite being professionally managed, do not take short positions (sell trades, essentially betting on share prices to fall) and so are not able to take advantage of falling markets. They do however rebalance portfolios to seek to protect the value of your investments. Read more on the differences between trading and investing.
Remember, investing should be for the long term – typically at least 3 years, but 5 years or more for many. In many ways, 2022 was a once-in-a-generation occurrence with both US stock and bond markets posting negative returns in the same year only 4 times in the past 92 years: 1931, 1941, 1969 and 2022.
But this does mean that savings accounts are becoming more attractive as interest rates rise while stock market returns have become bumpy.
Best Robo Advisor UK – Final Verdict
Robo-advisors are a good investment option for beginner investors and those who don’t want to manage their own investments. They also represent a relatively low cost way to invest, with InvestEngine currently leading the way on cost.
However, the performance of robo-advisors in 2022 has come into question despite the fact that, in many cases, robo-advisor portfolios still outperformed the major stock markets.
But more confident and more experienced investors may still prefer to build their own portfolios, and take advantage of the opportunities that come with market volatility. Furthermore, with interest rates rising, cash savings are becoming an increasingly viable option for those seeking stable returns on their money.
