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.
Fund investors who value guidance, tools and phone support.
Investors who want the fullest service, research and support and will pay a premium for it.
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 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 TrustpilotService quality is the recurring theme: phone answered quickly, knowledgeable staff, smooth transfers.
Price. Even after the cuts, reviewers and commentators note cheaper alternatives for the same investments.
Read Hargreaves Lansdown reviews on Trustpilot| Fee | Fidelity | Hargreaves Lansdown |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | 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 | Funds: 0.35% up to £250k, 0.25% £250k-£1m, 0.10% £1m-£2m, nothing above £2m. Shares, ETFs and investment trusts: 0.35%, capped at £150 a year in the ISA, SIPP and Fund & Share account |
| Share dealing | £7.50 per online trade | £6.95 per trade (cut from £11.95 in March 2026) |
| Fund dealing | Free | £1.95 per trade (free via regular investing) |
| FX fee | 0.75% tiered | 1% on the first £5k, tiered lower above |
| Stocks & Shares ISA | Platform fee applies | Platform fee applies |
| SIPP | Platform fee applies | Platform fee applies |
| Withdrawals | Free | Free |
| Minimum to start | £25/month or £1,000 lump sum | £25/month or £100 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 Fidelity or Hargreaves Lansdown. Delphina is guidance, not financial advice.
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.
Hargreaves Lansdown is the UK's largest DIY investment platform and leans into service: fast phone support, deep research and every account type you might need. The March 2026 fee cuts made it meaningfully cheaper, with fund fees down to 0.35% and share dealing at £6.95.
It is still rarely the cheapest option. You are paying for service and breadth, so the honest question is whether you will use them. If not, AJ Bell offers similar range for less.
With £25,000 to £250,000 in funds, the two cost the same: 0.35% a year. £50,000 in funds is £175 a year on either platform, and £100,000 is £350.
The differences are at the small and large ends. Under £25,000, Fidelity charges a flat £7.50 a month (£90 a year) unless you have a regular savings plan, in which case it charges 0.35%. HL charges 0.35% from the first pound. On £10,000 in funds that is £90 at Fidelity (£35 with a regular savings plan) and £35 at HL. Above £250,000, Fidelity drops to 0.20% up to £1m and charges nothing above that. HL drops to 0.25% up to £1m, 0.10% from £1m to £2m and nothing above £2m.
If your ISA holds shares, ETFs or investment trusts rather than funds, the fee caps matter more than the percentages. Fidelity caps the fee on these at £7.50 a month (£90 a year). HL charges 0.35%, capped at £150 a year. On £50,000 in shares and ETFs in an ISA, that is £90 at Fidelity and £150 at HL.
Neither ISA is flexible: money you take out cannot go back in without counting against that year's allowance again. Both offer a Junior ISA. Only HL offers a Lifetime ISA. Fidelity has no retail LISA.
If you are combining several ISAs, the size of the combined pot decides which fee structure costs less. Two £10,000 pots of funds merged into £20,000 would cost £70 a year at HL. At Fidelity it would be £90, because you would still be under £25,000, or £70 with a regular savings plan. With £25,000 to £250,000 in funds the fee is identical, so dealing charges and the share caps make the difference.
The provider you are moving to starts the transfer, not the one you are leaving. Holdings can move in specie (without being sold) where both platforms hold the same investment. Anything the new platform does not offer has to be sold to cash first. Fidelity charges no exit or transfer fees on funds, and HL charges nothing for transfers out.
Before you move anything this month, check what each of your ISAs actually holds: funds, shares or both. That tells you which of the numbers on this page applies to you.
Both offer a SIPP on the same fee tiers as their ISAs. For shares and ETFs the SIPP cap is £90 a year at Fidelity and £150 at HL. You can usually access a personal pension from 55, rising to 57 from 6 April 2028.
Both are DIY platforms: you choose the investments, and neither account gives you personal advice. HL and Fidelity may offer separate paid advice services, but we have not verified their prices, so check them directly before relying on one. A managed ISA, where someone else builds and runs the portfolio, is a different kind of service. J.P. Morgan Personal Investing (formerly Nutmeg) is one example. It charges 0.75% a year on the first £100,000 in its managed styles.
Adding AJ Bell widens the gap on fund fees. These are annual platform fees only, before fund costs and dealing:
Related: J.P. Morgan Personal Investing fees (formerly Nutmeg)
It depends on what you hold and how often you trade. Fidelity's platform fee is 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, against funds: 0.35% up to £250k, 0.25% £250k-£1m, 0.10% £1m-£2m, nothing above £2m. Shares, ETFs and investment trusts: 0.35%, capped at £150 a year in the ISA, SIPP and Fund & Share account at Hargreaves Lansdown. On dealing, Fidelity charges £7.50 per online trade for shares and free for funds, while Hargreaves Lansdown charges £6.95 per trade (cut from £11.95 in March 2026) for shares and £1.95 per trade (free via regular investing) for funds. Fees verified July 2026.
Fidelity is best for fund investors who value guidance, tools and phone support. Hargreaves Lansdown is best for investors who want the fullest service, research and support and will pay a premium for it. Both are FCA regulated and covered by the FSCS.
On Fidelity's ISA: Platform fee applies. On Hargreaves Lansdown's ISA: Platform fee applies. Neither offers a flexible ISA, so anything you withdraw still counts against your annual allowance. Minimums are £25/month or £1,000 lump sum at Fidelity and £25/month or £100 lump sum at Hargreaves Lansdown.
Fidelity offers a SIPP (platform fee applies). Hargreaves Lansdown offers a SIPP (platform fee applies).
Fidelity scores 4.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot (Excellent) from over 6,500 reviews. Hargreaves Lansdown scores 4.3 out of 5 (Excellent) from over 21,000 reviews. The £7.50 share dealing charge and dated parts of the website draw criticism. Price. Even after the cuts, reviewers and commentators note cheaper alternatives for the same investments.
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. Fidelity charges free on withdrawals and Hargreaves Lansdown 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.
Fidelity or Hargreaves Lansdown, 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.