Both are FCA-regulated and FSCS-protected. The real difference is fees, account types and how each platform feels to use. Verified against each provider’s published charges.
Fees verified July 2026. Capital at risk. Information, not financial advice.
Investors who want funds and shares on one platform without paying Hargreaves Lansdown prices.
Fund investors who value guidance, tools and phone support.
Tick what you need. No account, no email. The answer is on this page.
Tick what you need above and we'll tell you which of the two covers it.
Account availability verified July 2026. Capital at risk. Information, not financial advice.
Reviewers repeatedly mention that the platform is easy to use and communication is clear. AJ Bell has been Which? Recommended for eight years running.
Occasional gripes about transfer times and the dealing charge compared with app-only rivals.
Read AJ Bell reviews on TrustpilotReviewers highlight helpful phone support and a straightforward transfer process.
The £7.50 share dealing charge and dated parts of the website draw criticism.
Read Fidelity reviews on Trustpilot| Fee | AJ Bell | Fidelity |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | 0.25% on funds up to £250k (tiered lower above); shares capped at £3.50/month in an ISA and £10/month in a SIPP | 0.35% from £25k to £250k; 0.20% from £250k to £1m; nothing above £1m; £90 a year flat under £25k without a regular savings plan |
| Share dealing | £5.00 per trade | £7.50 per online trade |
| Fund dealing | £1.50 per trade | Free |
| FX fee | 0.75% on the first £10k, 0.50% on the next £10k, 0.25% above £20k | 0.75% tiered |
| Stocks & Shares ISA | Platform fee applies, no separate ISA charge | Platform fee applies |
| SIPP | Platform fee applies, shares capped at £10/month (£120/year); no withdrawal fee in drawdown | Platform fee applies |
| Withdrawals | Free | Free |
| Minimum to start | £25/month regular investing; no stated minimum lump sum | £25/month or £1,000 lump sum |
A 0.25% yearly fee gap sounds small. On £50,000 over 20 years it is about £5,900 (illustrative). Add your ISA and pension balances to Delphina yourself and see what your charges cost by retirement and whether you're on track.
See what my fees costIllustrative: £50,000, 5% a year growth before charges, 0.25% vs 0.50% a year in charges, no further contributions. Not a recommendation of AJ Bell or Fidelity. Delphina is guidance, not financial advice.
AJ Bell sits in the sweet spot between cheap app-only brokers and expensive full-service platforms. You get funds, shares, ETFs, a well-regarded SIPP and a Lifetime ISA, with caps that keep costs sensible for share investors.
It suits people who want one account for everything, particularly ETF investors who benefit from the £3.50 monthly cap in an ISA. Fund-heavy portfolios above six figures should compare the 0.25% fee against a flat-fee platform like Interactive Investor.
Fidelity is a solid full-service choice for fund investors. Fund dealing is free, the ETF and share service fee is capped at £90 a year, and the guidance content is some of the best of the big platforms.
Costs are less friendly if you trade shares often or hold a small account without a regular savings plan. Compare it against AJ Bell if you want similar breadth with lower dealing charges.
On funds, AJ Bell charges 0.25% a year up to £250,000, 0.10% from £250,000 to £500,000 and nothing above that. Fidelity charges 0.35% from £25,000 to £250,000 and 0.20% up to £1m, with nothing above £1m. Under £25,000 it charges a flat £7.50 a month (£90 a year) unless you have a regular savings plan.
On fund dealing, Fidelity is the cheaper one: it charges nothing to buy or sell funds, while AJ Bell charges £1.50 per fund deal (regular investing is free). Share dealing is £5 at AJ Bell (£3.50 after 10 or more deals the previous month) and £7.50 at Fidelity (£1.50 through a regular savings plan).
AJ Bell offers a Lifetime ISA. Fidelity does not. Both offer a Junior ISA and a SIPP.
SIPP fund fees follow the same tiers as the ISA, so AJ Bell's 0.25% is lower than Fidelity's 0.35% on any amount between £25,000 and £250,000, and lower than Fidelity's flat fee below £25,000. Shares work differently. AJ Bell caps the share fee at £10 a month (£120 a year) in the SIPP, while Fidelity's cap stays at £7.50 a month (£90 a year). On £50,000 in shares and ETFs in a SIPP, that is £120 at AJ Bell and £90 at Fidelity.
So the cost depends on what you hold. A pension mostly in funds costs less in platform fees at AJ Bell. A large pension mostly in shares and ETFs reaches Fidelity's lower cap. You can usually access a personal pension from 55, rising to 57 from 6 April 2028.
Whichever direction you are moving, the provider you are moving to starts the transfer. Neither charges you to leave: Fidelity has no exit or transfer fees on funds, and AJ Bell has no exit or withdrawal fees.
Holdings can move in specie, meaning without being sold, where both platforms hold the same investment. Anything the new platform does not offer has to be sold to cash first, and stays out of the market until it is reinvested.
Moving a SIPP works the same way as moving an ISA: the receiving provider starts it, and investments move without being sold where both platforms hold them.
Before you start a transfer this month, list what your current SIPP holds and check that each holding is available on the other platform. Anything that is not will be sold to cash for the move.
It depends on what you hold and how often you trade. AJ Bell's platform fee is 0.25% on funds up to £250k (tiered lower above); shares capped at £3.50/month in an ISA and £10/month in a SIPP, against 0.35% from £25k to £250k; 0.20% from £250k to £1m; nothing above £1m; £90 a year flat under £25k without a regular savings plan at Fidelity. On dealing, AJ Bell charges £5.00 per trade for shares and £1.50 per trade for funds, while Fidelity charges £7.50 per online trade for shares and free for funds. Fees verified July 2026.
AJ Bell is best for investors who want funds and shares on one platform without paying Hargreaves Lansdown prices. Fidelity is best for fund investors who value guidance, tools and phone support. Both are FCA regulated and covered by the FSCS.
On AJ Bell's ISA: Platform fee applies, no separate ISA charge. On Fidelity's ISA: Platform fee applies. Neither offers a flexible ISA, so anything you withdraw still counts against your annual allowance. Minimums are £25/month regular investing; no stated minimum lump sum at AJ Bell and £25/month or £1,000 lump sum at Fidelity.
AJ Bell offers a SIPP (platform fee applies, shares capped at £10/month (£120/year); no withdrawal fee in drawdown). Fidelity offers a SIPP (platform fee applies).
AJ Bell scores 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot (Excellent) from around 17,400 reviews. Fidelity scores 4.6 out of 5 (Excellent) from over 6,500 reviews. Occasional gripes about transfer times and the dealing charge compared with app-only rivals. The £7.50 share dealing charge and dated parts of the website draw criticism.
Yes. UK platforms accept ISA and SIPP transfers in, and you start the transfer with the receiving provider rather than the one you are leaving. AJ Bell charges free on withdrawals and Fidelity charges free. Transfer as cash and you are out of the market while it settles; transfer in specie and you keep your holdings but it takes longer.
AJ Bell or Fidelity, the account is the easy part. What decides when you can retire is how much goes in and for how long. Delphina works that out from what you already hold and what you pay in each month.
Free to check. No card required. Takes about two minutes.