Jasmine Birtles
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Best Stocks and Shares ISAs in March 2025
Ruby Layram
7th Mar 2025
A stocks and shares ISA is a type of individual savings account that allows you to invest up to £20,000 tax-free into the stock market. Stocks and shares ISAs can be an excellent way to dip your toes into investing as they are typically beginner-friendly and simple to set up.
In this guide, we will take a look at the best stocks and shares ISAs to consider in March 2025. It’s important to spend time shopping around to find an ISA that offers low trading fees, a low minimum deposit and a diverse range of investment options.
To find the best ISAs, we assessed the platform’s customer reviews, trading fees, and investment options and signed up for demo accounts (if they were available) to test each provider out for ourselves.
Our Top Stocks and Shares ISAs for 2025
The Best Stocks and Shares ISAs in March 2025
If you want to know more about our top picks for the best stocks and shares ISAs, here is an overview of the 5 best options that we found.
1. Lightyear
If you’re looking for a beginner-friendly way to get started in the stock market, the Lightyear Stocks and Shares ISA might be worth considering.
Lightyear’s Stocks & Shares ISA is designed to be cost-effective, simple and transparent. The ISA is amongst one of the lowest-cost options out there, charging zero account fees, withdrawal fees or fees for trading ETFs. If you fancy trading individual stocks and shares, the platform charges a flat fee structure of just £1//€1/$1 per trade (0.10% on US shares, min $0.10 and max $1).
In fact, according to research, the Lightyear Stocks and Shares ISA is around 10x cheaper than the market average which means that investors could save thousands by choosing the provider.
Lightyear Stocks & Shares ISA allows customers to invest their money in high interest “Vaults” product (money market funds, backed by BlackRock). These currently offer one of the best interest rates on the market, at around 4.69% AER as of 11.02.2025.
You can also invest in 3500+ ETFs, US shares, UK shares and EU Shares through your Stocks & Shares ISA account. This makes it possible to build a diverse portfolio and gain exposure to markets outside of the UK.
Disclaimer: Capital at risk. ISA rules apply. The value of investments can go down as well as up. Lightyear UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 987226)
What our editor says: “Out of all of the ISAs that I have come across, Lightyear stands out as the most user-friendly option for investors who want a simple and transparent platform that doesn’t require a finance degree to navigate! You can access your Lightyear account from your web as well as from your phone, making it easy to manage your investments and keep track of things on the move. I also like the fact that investors can withdraw funds whenever they like, which makes it a lot less intimidating than platforms that require you to lock your money away for long periods of time.”
Security and user protection
Although security might not be the most exciting factor to consider when looking for an investment platform, it is definitely worth your time!
Lightyear is an investment platform that is regulated and directly authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK. The platform is also protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) which means that investors are covered up to £85,000.
During our research, we also found that the platform offers customer support within 1 business day. This means that you will be able to reach out to the support team and receive a response if you run into any problems or challenges.
Overall, Lightyear is one of the most cost-effective Stocks and Shares ISA providers to consider. It is ideal for new investors who are looking for a straightforward and transparent investment platform.
2. Hargreaves Lansdown
Hargreaves Lansdown takes the second spot on our list because it is one of the most reputable ISA providers (which is always a good direction to go!). When it comes to your money, it is important that you use a platform with a strong reputation, robust security and great customer service – all of which are available at Hargreaves Lansdown.
The Hargreaves Lansdown stocks and shares ISA is one of the most well-known options out there. The platform allows you to pick your own investments or invest through a ready-made portfolio – ideal for beginners who are confident about picking shares yet. To get started, you will need a £100 initial lump sum or choose the £25 per month plan. Although this is higher than some of the other providers on our list, £100 is still a relatively accessible amount (and you probably wouldn’t see much return on an investment smaller than that anyway!).
What stood out to us the most about Hargreaves Lansdown is the fact that the platform has a UK-based customer service team that you can access whenever you need to. Investors can also access a range of expert insights and analysis, reducing the need for you to spend hours researching the market yourself!
3. XTB Flexible Stocks and Shares ISA
A lot of people aren’t aware that XTB offers a stocks and shares ISA. However, the new flexible ISA offering is perhaps one of the most competitive on the market.
XTB’s new stocks and shares ISA is a bit of a game-changer! This is because you can earn interest on uninvested cash – meaning that all of your money gets put to work for you. XTB also offers 0% commissions on shares and there is no minimum deposit requirement for creating an account.
Limited time offer: XTB is currently offering a limited time boosted ISA offer through which investors can receive 6.5% interest on uninvested cash. The offer is available to both new and existing customers and will end on the 30th of April.
You can find our full breakdown of the XTB stocks and shares ISA here.
Capital at risk. The value of your investments may go up or down. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and ISA regulations which may change. A 2% AER boost will be added to the standard variable interest rate on your free ISA funds for the first 90 days. T&Cs apply
4. Wesleyan
The Wesleyan stocks and shares ISA works a little differently from the options that we have already covered. Instead of investing in the wider stock market, this ISA allows you to invest in the Wesleyan Profits Fund – an in-house fund that is managed by the Wesleyan team. If you’re looking for a passive investment, this is a great option for you.
The profits fund is regularly balanced and maintained by a team of experts, which means that you don’t need to worry about adjusting the portfolio yourself.
Perhaps the most appealing feature of this ISA is the fact that investors are given lucrative bonuses every 2 years (2020, 2022, and 2024). While the platform does not guarantee these bonus payouts, it allows investors to share in the broker’s financial success.
5. Trading212
Trading212 is a well-known trading platform that offers two types of ISA: a stocks and shares ISA and a cash ISA. This option offers low fees, a simple user interface and daily interest on uninvested cash.
Trading212 is a great option for investors who like the idea of managing their ISA from a mobile app. Trading212’s app is one of the most beginner-friendly that we have come across, making it easy to navigate your portfolio with confidence.
It’s also pretty appealing to investors who like the idea of picking individual stocks and shares themselves – Trading212 has a brilliant charting interface and wide selection of tools for analysis. If you like the idea of using advanced strategies down the line, this could be a good option for you.
How to Pick a Stocks and Shares ISA
Unfortunately (well, not really!), there are a lot of great ISA providers in the UK which can make it pretty difficult to pick to pick just one to start with. Here’s how to work out which stocks and shares ISA is the best option for you.
Passive or active investing?
Firstly, do you want to sit back and let your money grow on the sidelines, or get elbow-deep in research and analysis to find the best investment opportunities?
If you picked the first option, you should look for a platform that offers passive investing. Most of the time, passive ISAs are managed by experts on your behalf. This means that you don’t need to worry about conducting research and picking investments yourself, you leave it to the pros.
Passive investing is appealing to beginner investors. However, it means that the performance of your investments is in the hands of other people. If you want a little more control, you might want to consider a more hands-on option.
Look at fees
Fees are one of the most overlooked factors that people often miss when choosing an investment platform. High fees can quickly eat into your returns, making all of that investment pointless! Instead, look for platforms that offer low fees (like Lightyear, XTB or Trading212).
The main fees to look out for include:
- Account opening and management fees
- Trading fees
- Withdrawal fees
Investment options
Diversification is the golden rule of investing so, it is important to pick a provider that offers a range of investment options. Out of our list, Wesleyan is probably the least ‘diverse’ ISA – because your money goes into the profit fund with no option to change this. However, all of the platforms that we have discussed prioritise diversification and ensure that your investment is spread across different markets.
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Disclaimer: MoneyMagpie is not a licensed financial advisor and therefore information found here including opinions, commentary, suggestions or strategies are for informational, entertainment or educational purposes only. This should not be considered as financial advice. Anyone thinking of investing should conduct their own due diligence. When investing your capital is at risk.
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