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Prosper vs Scottish Widows: which should you pick?

Both are FCA regulated and FSCS protected. The real differences are fees, investment range and how each platform feels to use. Here is how they actually stack up.

Fees verified July 2026. Capital at risk. Information, not financial advice.

The quick answer

Choose Prosper if...

Index fund investors who want the lowest possible total cost and are comfortable with a newer app.

Choose Scottish Widows if...

Self-directed investors who want low-cost, no-platform-fee share dealing from a major UK bank.

Whichever you pick, the fee gap is small next to knowing whether you are saving enough at all. See if you are on track, free, in about two minutes.

Fees side by side

FeeProsperScottish Widows
Platform fee£0£0 on ISA and Share Dealing Account; SIPP 0.25% capped at £16.50/month
Share dealingNot applicable (funds and ETFs)£5.00 per UK trade (£0 commission on international, 1.5% FX applies)
Fund dealingFree£5.00 per trade
FX feeNone on GBP fund classes1.5%
Stocks & Shares ISAFreeNo annual charge
SIPPFree0.25% per year, capped at £198
WithdrawalsFreeFree (CHAPS same-day payment £25)
Minimum to startNo minimum£50

What customers say

Prosper4.6

Early adopters praise the zero fees and responsive founding team; roughly 84% of reviews are five stars.

The review base is small and some users want more account types and a web version.

Read Prosper reviews on Trustpilot

Scottish Widows4.6

Long-standing customers value the low flat-fee share dealing and the Lloyds Banking Group backing; recent reviews praise the move into the Scottish Widows app.

Common gripes are the 1.5% FX fee on US shares and the dated feel of parts of the web platform.

Read Scottish Widows reviews on Trustpilot

The longer view

Prosper's pitch is the cheapest total cost of ownership in the UK: no platform fee, no dealing fees, and refunded fund fees on a list of mainstream index funds. For a straightforward global tracker in an ISA or SIPP, the all-in cost really can be zero.

The counterweight is maturity. It is a young platform with a small (if very positive) review base and no individual shares. If that trade-off suits you, the price is unbeatable.

Scottish Widows Share Dealing is the rebranded IWeb platform, now run by Halifax Share Dealing Limited inside Lloyds Banking Group. It charges no annual fee on the ISA or General Investment Account, £5 per UK trade and free regular investing through a Regular Investment Plan. For a buy-and-hold investor making occasional trades, the all-in cost can be very low.

The trade-off is the 1.5% FX charge on US and other non-GBP trades, which adds up quickly for global investors, and no Junior ISA. The SIPP is competitively priced at 0.25% capped at £16.50 a month. Compare it against Trading 212 or Freetrade if FX cost matters, and against AJ Bell or Hargreaves Lansdown if you want funds and full-service support.

Other comparisons worth a look

The broker matters less than the plan.

A 0.2% fee difference is worth optimising. Knowing whether you are saving enough in the first place is worth far more. Delphina models your pensions, ISAs and investments and tells you where you actually stand.

Free to check. No card required. Takes about two minutes.