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VS field	Hargreaves Lansdown hl.co.uk ETF BrokerMutual Fund PlatformETF	Charles Schwab schwab.com Stock BrokerETF BrokerMutual Fund	DEGIRO degiro.com ETF Broker

Decision summary
Overall score	87	91	91	91
Trust score	91	100	100	100
Cost score	86	92	92	89
Platform score	92	94	92	94
Withdrawal score	89	89	89	89
Best for	UK residents using ISAs/SIPPs for long-term investing · Investors who want broad funds/shares/ETF access and strong UK support · Clients valuing established platform, app/web usab…	Best suited for U.S.-centric investors and active traders who want a large, bank-affiliated multi-asset brokerage with $0 online listed stock/ETF commissions, strong platform dept…	European self-directed investors seeking low-cost access to stocks and ETFs · Investors who prefer web/mobile platforms and exchange-traded products	Evidence supports Fidelity as a U.S.-focused, highly regulated multi-asset broker for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds/CDs, options, cash management, managed portfolios, and sepa…
Watch out	Needs verification	Needs verification	Needs verification	Needs verification
Trust & regulation
Regulators	Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), United Kingdom Source	SEC; FINRA; SIPC; CFTC; NFA; FDIC Source	Primarily supervised by BaFin and Bundesbank in Germany; Dutch branch registered with DNB and supervised by AFM and DNB. Source
Costs & account conditions
Minimum deposit	Minimums vary: Fund and Share £0 to open; invest from £100 or £25/month. ISA/Lifetime ISA/SIPP £100 or £25/month. Active Savings/Cash ISA savings products start from £1 subject to product. Source	$0 minimum for standard U.S. brokerage and IRA accounts; Schwab One International accounts require a minimum deposit but amount is not disclosed in checked official pages. Source	No fixed minimum deposit identified; DEGIRO homepage says users can add any amount of money to the account for free. Bank-account verification search result states minimum EUR 0.01 for linking a new bank account.
Markets, platforms & payments
Tradable assets	Shares, funds, ETFs, investment trusts, gilts and bonds, VCTs, LTAFs, ready-made investments and cash savings products. Source	Stocks; fractional shares; ETFs; mutual funds; bonds/CDs/fixed income; money market funds; options; futures; futures options; forex; international stocks/ADRs/foreign ordinaries; cash products; annuities; alternatives; crypto ETPs/securities/futures. Source	Shares, ETFs, bonds and derivatives such as options and futures; DEGIRO product pages also describe investment funds availability.

License numbers	FCA register numbers disclosed by HL include 115248 (Hargreaves Lansdown Asset Management Limited), 915119/901007 (Hargreaves Lansdown Savings Limited), 189627 (Advisory Services), and 166016 (Fund Managers). Source	Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. CRD 5393; SEC 801-29938 and 8-16514 Source	Financial licence number not disclosed in reviewed official sources. Commercial registrations found: flatexDEGIRO Bank SE HRB 141330 on flatexDEGIRO Bank SE imprint; DEGIRO UK footer states HRB 105687; Dutch Branch KvK 82510245. Source	FBS CRD# 7784 / SEC# 8-23292; NFS CRD# 13041 / SEC# 801-50706, 8-26740. Source

Regulated entities	Main regulated group companies: Hargreaves Lansdown Asset Management Limited; Hargreaves Lansdown Savings Limited; Hargreaves Lansdown Advisory Services Limited; Hargreaves Lansdown Fund Managers Limited. Source	Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; Charles Schwab Futures and Forex LLC; Charles Schwab Bank, SSB; Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB Source	DEGIRO is operated by flatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch, a branch of flatexDEGIRO Bank SE; flatexDEGIRO Bank SE is a licensed German bank headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. Source	Primary securities brokerage entities are Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (FBS) and National Financial Services LLC (NFS), each member NYSE/SIPC; advisory and crypto entities differ by product. Source

Negative balance protection	Not applicable to the core unleveraged investment platform products reviewed; no CFD/forex negative balance protection evidence found. Source	Not disclosed as retail brokerage negative balance protection; futures/forex are leveraged and losses may exceed initial investment. Source	No negative balance protection found. Official account-profile page warns losses can exceed deposit and result in a negative Balance for derivatives, margin and short-selling services; margin profiles are legacy-only. Source	Not applicable/not disclosed as a CFD-style negative balance protection policy; margin trading can create debt/interest obligations. Source

Investor compensation	FSCS protection: up to £85,000 for investment business default; cash held with banks described by HL as protected up to £120,000 per institution, subject to aggregate balances and FSCS limits. Source	SIPC protection up to $500,000 including a $250,000 cash limit for brokerage account assets; futures accounts are not protected by SIPC. Source	Cash in flatexDEGIRO Bank SE Cash Account protected up to €100,000 per customer under German Deposit Guarantee Scheme; investor compensation covers up to 90% of non-returned assets, max €20,000 per customer; UK FSCS does not apply. Source	SIPC coverage up to $500,000/$250,000 cash plus Fidelity excess SIPC; FDIC sweep coverage may apply to eligible cash programs; important exclusions apply. Source

Restricted countries	UK-focused availability; UK-only website restriction conflicts with account comparison page allowing Fund and Share Account for UK and EEA residents. Source	Not all products, services, or investments are available in all countries; Schwab is not registered outside the United States and products/services may not be registered in a user's jurisdiction. Source	Available via listed country selector in Europe/UK; US persons are not accepted; UK onboarding for new clients was temporarily unavailable on the reviewed UK page. Source	U.S.-persons focused; sanctioned countries/prohibited parties restricted; no exhaustive country availability list found. Source

Spread from	Not applicable/not disclosed for the core HL investment platform; HL discloses dealing commissions, account fees and FX charges rather than CFD/forex spread-from pricing. Source	Not applicable to this stock/ETF investment broker profile; no CFD/FX spread schedule identified as a core product in reviewed sources. Source	Not a quoted-spread CFD/FX broker field. DEGIRO discloses that bid-ask spreads are implicit market costs and not direct broker costs. Source	Not applicable to Fidelity's core U.S. stock/ETF brokerage model; securities trade by exchange/market prices rather than quoted CFD/FX spreads. Source

Commission	Online share dealing: £6.95 or £3.95 depending on prior-month trades; one-off fund trades: £1.95; monthly Direct Debit regular investing: no charge; phone/post: £29 per trade. Source	stock_commission: $0 online commission for listed stocks and ETFs; OTC equities $6.95; broker-assisted service charge $25; etf_commission: $0 online commission for listed U.S.-exchange ETFs; options_commission: $0 online base commission plus $0.65 per options contract; futures_commission: $2.25 per contract, per side, for futures and futures options; exchange, regulatory, overnight, NFA, and market-data fees may apply; mutual_fund_commission: $0 on thousands of Schwab Mutual Fund OneSource funds; all other mutual funds up to $74.95 per purchase; bond_commission: New-issue bonds/CDs: $0 online/selling concession included; Treasuries online $0; most other secondary bonds $1 per bond with $10 minimum and $250 maximum; forex_commission: $0 commission; forex trade costs are reflected in the bid/ask spread Source	Examples from UK fee page: US stocks €1 + €1 handling; LSE £1.75 + £1 handling; selected ETFs €0 + €1 handling; global ETFs €2 + €1 handling; options €0.75 commission. Currency, connectivity, external product and spread costs may apply. Source	$0 online U.S. stock and ETF trades; $0 online options commission plus $0.65/contract; other product/service fees apply. Source

Maximum leverage	Not applicable; HL's public investment platform pages reviewed do not offer leveraged forex/CFD trading and present unleveraged investment accounts. Source	Not disclosed as a single broker-level maximum; leverage/margin depends on product, account approval, and regulatory/product requirements. Source	DEGIRO currently does not allow new changes to margin-trading profiles; legacy Active/Trader/Day Trader accounts may have Debit Money / derivatives risk but maximum leverage was not disclosed in reviewed sources. Source	No universal maximum leverage ratio disclosed for Fidelity retail brokerage; margin borrowing is available subject to approval and margin requirements/rates rather than a single max leverage figure. Source

Deposit fee	No platform fee for deposits/top-ups identified; Direct Debit regular investing has no dealing charge. Source	$0 for funds entering a standard brokerage account; banking deposit services generally no monthly/account minimum fees, but certain services can have fees Source	No deposit fee disclosed on UK fee page and homepage; deposits listed as FEE €0 / no deposit-withdrawal fees. Source	$0 Fidelity fee for EFT and Fidelity does not charge wire fees; external banks may charge. Source

Withdrawal fee	No withdrawal/transfer-out fee for standard Faster Payment withdrawals; no exit fees. Source	No fee for routine withdrawals from standard brokerage per FAQ; full outbound ACAT $50 and outgoing wire $25; Schwab Bank Investor Checking has unlimited ATM fee rebates for cash withdrawals worldwide, subject to conditions. Source	No withdrawal fee disclosed on UK fee page and homepage; withdrawals listed as FEE €0 / no deposit-withdrawal fees. Source	$0 Fidelity fee for EFT and domestic bank wire withdrawals; foreign exchange wire up to 3% of principal; receiving bank may charge. Source

Inactivity fee	HL states there are no charges for inactivity. Source	$0 annual maintenance/inactivity fee for standard brokerage accounts Source	No inactivity fee; UK fee page lists inactivity fee as €0. Source	No explicit inactivity-fee line found in official fee schedule; official account pages state no retail brokerage account fees/no account or subscription fees. Treat as needs manual confirmation before publishing as '$0 inactivity fee'. Source

Trading platforms	Trade/manage online via website, the HL app, and by phone; phone/post trades carry a higher charge. Source	Schwab.com; Schwab Mobile; thinkorswim desktop; thinkorswim web; thinkorswim mobile; paperMoney Source	DEGIRO provides a web/desktop trading platform (Webtrader) and mobile apps for iOS and Android. Source	Fidelity.com, Fidelity mobile app, Fidelity Trader+ Web/Desktop/Mobile mode, and legacy Active Trader Pro Classic. Source

Account types	HL offers Stocks and Shares ISA, Lifetime ISA, Fund and Share Account, Cash ISA, Junior ISA, SIPP, Active Savings, Junior SIPP and Bare Trust Account. Source	Individual Brokerage; Joint Brokerage; Schwab One Brokerage; Investor Checking-linked brokerage; Futures Account; Global Account; IRAs; custodial, education, trust, estate, organization, and business retirement accounts; Schwab Intelligent Portfolios. Source	DEGIRO account/profile types include Basic, Active, Trader, Day Trader and Custody. Active, Trader and Day Trader are legacy-only and new margin profiles are no longer available. Source	Broad account menu including taxable brokerage, retirement/IRA, cash management, HSA, custodial/youth, education, trust/business, managed and crypto accounts. Source

Deposit methods	Add money by debit card, Pay by bank/Easy bank transfer, manual bank transfer, Direct Debit and transfers in. Source	ACH/electronic transfer/MoneyLink; wire transfer; check/mail check; Schwab Mobile Deposit for checking; direct deposit for checking; account transfer/ACAT; branch/in-person deposit where available. Source	Manual bank transfer from a verified linked/reference bank account; deposits must use the account base currency. Source	EFT/ACH, bank wire, check/mobile check, direct deposit, recurring deposit, Fidelity-to-Fidelity/account transfer, transfer of assets, and eligible payment apps. Source

Withdrawal methods	Withdrawals normally go to a nominated bank account; recent card top-ups may be refunded to the debit card; Lifetime ISA house purchase withdrawals go to conveyancer. Source	Transfer to linked bank/checking; wire transfer; check; ATM/debit card for Schwab Bank Investor Checking; ACAT outbound account transfer. Source	Withdrawals go back to the primary registered/linked bank account; only uninvested cash in the Cash Account can be withdrawn. Source	EFT/ACH, bank wire, paper check, Fidelity-to-Fidelity transfers, third-party/person-to-person transfers and eligible debit card/ATM access. Source

Withdrawal processing time	Same day before noon on a working day; next working day after noon/non-working day; 3-5 working days for some debit-card refunds; sell proceeds must settle first. Source	Cash moved from brokerage to linked Investor Checking is generally available in seconds, but weekend/after-hours transfers may not be available until the next business day; other withdrawal methods vary/not fully disclosed on checked pages. Source	Withdrawals may take up to 2-4 working days; transfers can take up to 2-3 working days to complete. Source	EFT withdrawals 1-3 business days; bank wire same day if submitted by 4 p.m. ET; paper check about 5-6 days. Source