How many ISAs Can You Have in 2026?
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InvestEngine
Review 2026
Overview, highlights & more!
What will you find in this review:
Overview of InvestEngine
In this YourWalletManager InvestEngine review, we take a close look at one of the fastest growing investment platforms in the UK. InvestEngine has built its name on a simple promise: commission free ETF investing with no platform fees on DIY portfolios.
The platform focuses exclusively on exchange traded funds (ETFs), offering around 800 of them from leading providers such as Vanguard, iShares and HSBC. You can build your own portfolio, leave the decisions to the in-house experts, or combine both approaches.
It's important to note that this review is tailored to UK residents.
The information provided on this page and throughout the website is for general information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. It is important that you conduct your own research and consider your own personal circumstances before making any investment decisions.
What you will find in this review:
InvestEngine is a young platform with experienced founders: it was set up by Simon Crookall, who previously co-founded Gumtree, together with Andrey Dobrynin. It has since grown past £1 billion in client assets and has picked up several industry awards for its ETF platform and low costs along the way.
Getting started is quick. Opening an account typically takes under ten minutes, the minimum initial investment is £100, and after that you can top up from as little as £1 thanks to fractional investing.
Platform Highlights
| 🗺️ Supported Countries | The United Kingdom |
| 📊 Management fees | £0 for DIY; 0.25%/yr for Managed |
| 💲 Market spread | Varies by ETF; avg. 0.07%/yr on Managed |
| ⏳ Inactivity fee | £0 |
| 🏧 Withdrawal fee | £0 |
| 💵 Minimum Deposit | £100 to open; top-ups from £1 |
| 💡 Products offered | GIA, ISA, SIPP, Business Account |
| 🎮 Demo Account | No |
| 📜 Regulatory entities | FCA |
InvestEngine keeps its account line-up simple: a General Investment Account, a flexible Stocks and Shares ISA, a Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) and a Business Account for limited companies. There is currently no Lifetime ISA or Junior ISA.
You can run each account as a DIY portfolio, a Managed portfolio, or a mix of the two. DIY portfolios carry no InvestEngine fees at all, while Managed portfolios cost 0.25% per year.
ETF costs still apply on top of any platform charges, starting from 0.03% per year depending on the funds you choose (information as of 17.07.2026).
InvestEngine offerings
InvestEngine is built entirely around ETFs. Rather than offering thousands of individual shares, it gives you around 800 carefully selected UCITS ETFs and three ways to invest in them.
DIY Portfolios
The DIY option lets you pick your own ETFs and set target weights for each one. There are no platform fees, no dealing charges and no set-up costs; the only costs are the ETFs' own annual charges and market spread. Tools such as one-click rebalancing and AutoInvest keep your portfolio in line with your chosen targets.
Managed Portfolios
If you would rather leave the decisions to someone else, the Managed option builds a diversified portfolio matched to your risk appetite for a 0.25% annual fee. InvestEngine's investment team monitors and adjusts the portfolios on your behalf, and the average ETF charge inside the Managed Growth portfolios is around 0.12% per year.
LifePlans
LifePlans are ready-made, all-in-one portfolios that adjust their risk level as you move towards your goals. They are designed as a simple set-and-forget option for long-term investors who want a single, fully managed solution in one place.
Accounts: GIA, ISA, SIPP and Business
All portfolio types can sit inside a General Investment Account, a flexible Stocks and Shares ISA or a SIPP, and limited companies can invest surplus cash through a Business Account. The ISA and SIPP carry no wrapper fees at all, which remains rare among UK platforms.
Whichever route you choose, InvestEngine’s portfolio look-through tool shows the combined exposure of all your ETFs across regions, sectors and even individual companies. It is a genuinely useful way to spot concentration risks before they become a problem.
Savings Plans let you automate regular investing on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly schedule using Open Banking, and dividends can be reinvested automatically. If a tax wrapper is your priority, our guides to the best stocks and shares ISAs and the best SIPP providers compare InvestEngine with other UK platforms.
When choosing between DIY and Managed, think about how confident you are selecting funds, how much time you want to spend on your investments, and whether the 0.25% Managed fee is worth the convenience for you. You can also split your money between the two approaches.
Advantages
Zero platform fees on DIY portfolios
You pay no account fees, dealing charges or commissions when you build your own ETF portfolio; only the ETFs' own costs apply.
Fee-free ISA and SIPP wrappers
The flexible Stocks and Shares ISA and the SIPP carry no wrapper charges, which makes long-term, tax-efficient investing cheaper than on most rival platforms.
Fractional investing from £1
Once your account is open you can invest from just £1 in any ETF, so even small regular contributions can be spread across a whole portfolio.
Around 800 ETFs from leading providers
The range covers global, regional, sector and thematic equity ETFs plus bonds and commodities, from providers such as Vanguard, iShares and HSBC.
Powerful automation tools
Savings Plans, AutoInvest, one-click rebalancing and automatic dividend reinvestment take most of the admin out of long-term investing.
Open a fee-free Stocks and Shares ISA or SIPP with InvestEngine.
Disadvantages
ETFs only, no individual shares
You cannot buy individual company shares, investment trusts or funds outside the ETF range, so stock pickers will need a second platform.
No Lifetime ISA or Junior ISA
The account range is limited to a GIA, Stocks and Shares ISA, SIPP and Business Account, so families and first-time buyers may need another provider.
No interest on uninvested cash
InvestEngine retains the interest earned on cash balances, so it pays to stay fully invested or hold spare cash elsewhere.
Fee Structure at a Glance
InvestEngine fees
InvestEngine’s headline appeal is how little of your money it takes. DIY portfolios carry no platform fee, no dealing charges and no set-up, withdrawal or transfer fees. Managed portfolios and LifePlans cost 0.25% per year, calculated daily and collected monthly.
The SIPP is also free of platform charges: InvestEngine removed its 0.15% pension fee in December 2024, making it one of the lowest cost personal pensions on the UK market.
Fund cost
The ETFs themselves have annual charges set by the fund providers, not by InvestEngine. On DIY portfolios these start from 0.03% per year depending on the funds you pick, while the average ETF charge inside the Managed Growth portfolios is around 0.12% per year. These costs are built into each ETF’s performance rather than billed separately.
Market spread
There is also a small difference between the buying and selling price of each ETF, known as the market spread. On Managed portfolios this averages roughly 0.07% to 0.08% per year.
One further point worth knowing: InvestEngine retains the interest earned on any uninvested cash in your account. It therefore makes sense to keep your money invested, or to move spare cash to an interest-paying account elsewhere.
InvestEngine's Customer Support
Available customer support channels:
InvestEngine does not offer phone support, which is a deliberate trade-off that helps keep the platform free. In practice, the extended live chat hours cover early mornings, evenings and weekends: times when many traditional brokers’ phone lines are closed.
Customer feedback is broadly positive. On Trustpilot, InvestEngine holds an Excellent rating of around 4.7 out of 5 from more than 3,800 reviews at the time of writing, and the app is rated 4.8 on the major app stores. Reviewers frequently praise the clear answers and the smooth account opening and transfer process, though a few mention slower email responses during busy periods.
A comprehensive Help Centre covers most routine questions with clear step-by-step guides, and the community forum doubles as a useful learning resource for newer investors.
Overall, while the absence of a phone line will not suit everyone, the digital-first support model works well and is available at hours that suit most people.
Account Setup Process
Opening an InvestEngine account is quick and entirely digital, typically taking less than ten minutes. You provide your name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number, and identity checks are usually completed electronically without any document uploads.
It is important to note that InvestEngine accounts are only available to UK residents aged 18 or over.
If the automatic checks cannot verify you, perhaps after a recent house move, you may be asked to photograph your ID and proof of address through your phone or webcam. Once verified, you choose your account type and whether to invest DIY, Managed or both.
Funding is flexible: you can pay in by instant bank transfer through Open Banking, set up a regular Savings Plan, or make a manual bank transfer. Key points at a glance:
- £100 minimum to open an account
- Top-ups from just £1 thereafter
- GIA, Stocks and Shares ISA, SIPP and Business accounts
- Instant deposits via Open Banking
- Most accounts open and verified the same day
Existing investments can be brought across too: ISA and pension transfers are free, and ETFs you already hold can often be moved in-specie, meaning they transfer without being sold so you stay invested throughout.
Withdrawals are free and usually processed within one to two working days once trades have settled. Helpfully, the flexible ISA lets you withdraw and replace money within the same tax year without losing any of your annual allowance.
Regulatory Safeguards
InvestEngine is operated by InvestEngine (UK) Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 801128. Client money and investments are held separately from the company’s own assets, with ETFs registered through a nominee structure so your ownership stays clearly recorded.
If the company were ever to fail with a shortfall in client assets, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protects eligible investment claims up to £85,000 per person. Bear in mind that this protects you against the platform failing, not against normal market movements: the value of your investments can still go down as well as up.
InvestEngine Alternatives
In our search for alternative investment platforms, we examined fees, ease of use, product ranges, security and user feedback. If your priority is picking individual shares alongside funds, our Trading 212 review covers the closest low-cost rival, while Vanguard is the natural comparison for dedicated index investors.
Best low-fee alternative
We analysed the overall cost of each platform, including trading fees, commissions, inactivity fees, spreads and currency conversion charges.
Best alternatives for beginners
Beginner-friendly platforms offer intuitive apps and simple set-up, essential for those new to investing. Ready-made or managed portfolios add real value for first-time investors.
Best competitors with similar products
We prioritised platforms offering markets and assets similar to InvestEngine, with an emphasis on ETFs, low costs and tax wrappers such as ISAs and SIPPs.
Most secure alternative
Regulatory compliance is paramount, so we focused on platforms regulated by top-tier financial authorities. Transparency regarding finances and customer fund storage was also a crucial factor.
Best competitors with highest user reviews & customer ratings
Real user experiences matter. We identified platforms with the best average ratings and positive reviews, ensuring reliability and user satisfaction.
By considering these aspects, we aimed to provide readers with viable alternatives tailored to their needs. Each platform mentioned has a full review on YourWalletManager, and our Find Your Broker tool can point you towards the best fit for your goals in under a minute.
Frequently Asked Questions
Closing Thoughts and Conclusion
InvestEngine has earned its reputation as one of the cheapest ways to invest in the UK. The combination of fee-free DIY portfolios, a no-cost ISA and SIPP, fractional investing from £1 and genuinely useful automation makes it a strong home for long-term ETF investors at any experience level.
The trade-offs are clear rather than hidden: you cannot buy individual shares, there is no Lifetime or Junior ISA, and uninvested cash earns nothing. If you can live with those limits, InvestEngine is very hard to beat on cost, and the Managed option gives beginners a sensible, low-fee way to get started. As always, only invest money you can afford to leave alone for the long term.
