Best Sipp providers: How to pick a platform for your pension
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The best Sipp provider for you will be one that’s offering the cheapest fees for your needs, a good level of investment choice and an easy-to-use service.
A Sipp, or self-invested personal pension, gives you more control over how your pension pot is invested than other types of pension. Since Sipps launched, they have become a hugely popular way for Britain’s investors to build up a pension pot outside of their workplace scheme.
In a Sipp pension, you can invest in a range of shares and funds and most platforms also offer managed options, often called ready-made portfolios or ready-made investments.
See our pick of the best Sipp platforms for different circumstances below, in alphabetical order. We also explain more about Sipps, including how a Sipp works and the options for withdrawing money from your pension when the time comes.
Best investment platforms: how to choose the right investment account
Sipp providers: At-a-glance view
| Provider | Sipp account charge | Notes | Fund dealing | Standard share, trust, ETF dealing | Regular investing | Dividend reinvestment | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AJ Bell* | 0.25% | Max £10 a month account charge for shares | £1.50 | £5 | £1.50 | £1.50 | ||
| Bestinvest | 0.40% | 0.2% for ready-made portfolios | No charge | £4.95 (US shares free) | No charge | No charge | ||
| Charles Stanley Direct* | 0.30% | Min platform fee £60, max £600. £100 back in free trades per year | £4 | £10 | Free for funds | N/a | ||
| Fidelity* | 0.35% | £7.50 monthly fee without regular savings plan for less than £25,000 | No charge | £7.50 | Free funds, £1.50 shares, trusts ETFs | £1.50 | ||
| Freetrade* | £9.99 a month when paying annually | £11.99 when paying monthly | No charge (limited Vanguard funds available) | No charge | No charge | N/a | ||
| Hargreaves Lansdown* | 0.45% | Max £200 a year account charge for shares | No charge | £11.95 | No charge | No charge | ||
| Interactive Investor* | £5.99 a month (below £50k), £12.99 a month (above £50k) | Extra Sipp charges if also hold an Isa or standard account make it £9.99 a month or £21.99 above a total £75k | £3.99 | £3.99 UK and US shares, £9.99 international | No charge | £0.99 | ||
| InvestEngine* | Free | Only ETF investing. Managed service is 0.25% | Not available | No charge | No charge | N/a | ||
| Prosper* | Free | Refunded ongoing fees from 30 index funds | No charge | No charge (shares not available) | No charge | N/a | ||
| Vanguard | £4 a month (below £32k), 0.15% (above £32k, max £375 a year) | Only Vanguard funds | No charge | No charge | No charge | N/a | ||
| Source: ThisisMoney.co.uk October 2025. Admin % charge may be levied monthly or quarterly | ||||||||
If you’re looking to save tax-efficiently outside of a pension, read our guide to the best stocks and shares Isas for more on the top providers.
How we review Sipp platforms
Our guide to the best Sipps is informed by the This is Money team’s extensive experience of testing and reviewing different investment platforms, both professionally and personally.
We consider fees, how easy it is to buy and sell investments, the availability of investment research and education, plus customer service. But we appreciate that investment platforms cater to different types of investors – for example some may be happy payer higher fees in return for quality investment research and customer service.
We explain who each platform could be good for in the key points below. Read more about how we test and review investment platforms.
Why trust us
Sam is This is Money’s Money and Consumer Guides Writer and has more than ten years covering the financial world. He started his career writing about investments and investment accounts and has since written for Simply Business, the Financial Ombudsman Service and NerdWallet, where he was Lead Writer.
He enjoys navigating complex topics and testing different financial products to help readers make the most of their money.
What to look for when choosing a pension provider
When comparing self-invested personal pension providers, think about the level of service you need.
Sipp platforms generally compete on fees, which is the main element to look out for. High fees eat away at the value of your portfolio, so you’ll want to keep costs down as much as possible.
But the cheapest Sipp won’t always be the best – it depends on how you intend to invest. If you’re just getting started, read our guide to investing for beginners to help you decide how you want to invest.
Some Sipp pension providers offer low fees but a limited choice of investments. Others may look expensive but won’t charge for…
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